#unhinge thought about fucking monsters😭

[shnarky-blogs]

Is ít weird to imagine getting kidnapped by some big monster and get railed?? Like you're sent by your father to hunt with your brothers for food later in the evening, while hunting you caught a monster's attention! Like omg you're so perfect to carry his litters! Ends up kidnapping you while your brothers were distracted.

He took you to his place so he could mate with you, when he rip your bottoms off he was confused.. why no pussy??.. bro was like soo darn confused.. but he decided to use your ass instead, after that mating session, he would pepper you with kisses and tries to feed you raw (deer) meat which you decline, he was sad.. he put so much effort on that :((

UGHHHH I THINK I SHOULD WRITE THIS😭

[woooooya]

Yall just finished the main quest where Rover acquires resonance conversion and just gonna say..

General Jiyan is so fucking hot like omg the whole time i was simping so much my phone is overflowing with screenshots 🥵🥵

Also because I'm a freak imma ship fem!Rover here with him fight me 😤😤

‼️Might be some spoilers below, but mostly my horny brain let's go ‼️

Tw: fem!Rover x general(🫦)!Jiyan, contains smut, unhinged thought process and foul language, proceed with caution 💋

Just imagine, them fighting alongside and finally winning, seeing their comrades' happy smiles and tears, all of them can finally take a breath and not worry and chill and just relax yk

With all that fighting obviously (🤨) adrenaline is surging through their veins, blood pumping, energy booming and that's when their newly found acquaintances (aka Rover and Jiyan 🤭). And that night when everybody's celebrating Jiyan just can't help but think about how Rover looked just tantalising fighting that monster girlie and his pants keep getting tighter. It doesn't help that they're literally sitting across from each other, so close yet so far. Now Rover looks so cute, smiley, cheeks flushed and lips glossed. He's bewitched and can't wait any longer so, he just sneakily tells her to meet him near the chambers at the station. Rover finds him near his room (duh) and now when he knows they're all alone he just pulls her by the waist and meets her lips in a heated kiss stepping inside the room with his back.

Now in the confines of his room he pushes her gently on the door and explores her mouth with his tongue, teeth clashing but he couldn't care less. His pants are almost fucking ripping from how hard he is. Seeking some relief he pushes his hips on Rover's thigh and starts grinding, consequently trapping her.

He's a quick, strong man, so Rover is taken aback a lil, but does not push him away ('cause adrenaline be pumping down there for her too come on) so she just slips her hand in his hair and tugs carefully testing the waters. Man has never produced such porn-worthy sounds and that's when you know he's had enough of this teenage shit, not breaking the kiss he steps to his bed tenderly laying her down (he's a strong, not rough man ykyk). Breaking the kiss he stares at Rover's eyes being able to only breathily whisper near her mouth how bad he wants her. Girl's literally already soaking, but being so bluntly told that? She might be on the verge of coming already.

Jiyan's a lil impatient already, so he just takes off Rover's slutty little shorts, freeing himself just from his pants too and aligns his seething cock with her pussy. He feels her wet and pulsing over nothing and slides in trying to hold himself from forcefully pushing all in right away.

So they were fucking like rabbits all night till literally both fell asleep from tiredness, cuddling in their sleep finally for the first time in forever feeling serene....

note: it was supposed to be a lil thought with almost no context but oh well 🥴🥴 was supposed to spend this time preparing for an exam tomorrow, but needed to get some disturbing info out, so here you go a lil imagine i guess (never writing shit again though, it's so hard 😤😭)

[spceboyz]

some personal hcs/notes about how i write the dib beast... ( pilot dib // show dib // florpus + comics dib // older teenage dib? ) ↓ ↓ ↓

∙ PILOT DIB

horrible seussian creature. absolute fucking maniac. no redeeming qualities at all. genuinely out for blood. i dont even know why im adding him here because i cant imagine i will ever write him because hes just way, way, way, too unhinged 😭 BUT I GUESS HE CAN BE REQUESTED???

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∙ SHOW DIB

show dib is a fun one, even though, TECHNICALLY, i haven't written him yet; i tend to lean more towards florpus/comics dib in regards to how i write him on this blog, but i do try to involve some show dib influence in there as well! this dib is also a little freak; commonly antagonizing both zim and any of the other paranormal creatures he comes across. dib seems to lack both sympathy and empathy, often times ignoring other peoples explicit words or emotions. this isn't because he's intrinsically uncaring or immoral; he's just so caught up with himself and his own prerogative that he rarely stops to consider anyone elses thoughts or emotions. despite this inherent selfishness he still desperately craves validation from his family and peers, and is quick to declare himself the only real intellectual while disregarding everyone else who doesn't see eye-to-eye with him.

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∙ FLORPUS/COMICS DIB

ah yes... florpus dib... my most normal (not by much) boy/my default characterization of dib! as i said earlier i tend to default to writing dib at like, 80% florpus influence and 20% show influence; i think its fun to keep dib as vaguely antagonistic but i like it when hes able to feel genuine human pathos as well which is where the florpus inspiration comes in 😭 florpus dib and show dib share a bunch of similarities-- mainly their unquestionable pride and heavy-handed passion, but what makes florpus dib different from the rest is that he is actually susceptible to empathy! :D! hes still generally antagonistic to anything inhuman but moreso in an excitable preteen way and less in a 💥💥📸📸📸 i am going to harvest your organs-kind of way. despite being relatively selfish and easily distractable florpus dib is a somewhat better son/brother and makes a slightly more earnest effort to meet his father half-way and be a better brother-figure to gaz. his rivalry with zim is just as intense and strong, but there are points where he'll be just a 🤏 PINCH friendlier if they have to put aside their differences for a time. this dib is much easier to befriend and is generally a nicer guy, but oooonly if you're human. otherwise hes gonna remain a freak, but he is at least more willing to potentially befriend a monster! it might just take some effort...

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∙ bonus: older/teenage dib?

the way i write teen dib is based on multiple factors-- namely whoever it is i'm writing against and my own personal hcs 😭 i feel like a canon teenage/YA dib would essentially be the exact same as 12 y/o dib but vaguely more mature, but i characterize him a little differently based on my own personal preference which might feel vaguely ooc but whatever teen dib is basically my oc anyway LOL so, anyways, my teen dib is an exceptionally tall, lanky, vaguely disillusioned vaguely punk/emo kid who is relatively more put-together and a little less of a maniac. somewhere throughout his high school career he decided he should be a better son and brother and started taking on a more responsible and familial role towards his family, doing his best to get good grades to prepare for a job at membrane labs. his fascination with the paranormal is just as strong as ever-- and so is his rivalry with zim, but he just doesn't spend every waking moment anymore trying to capture vampire bees and bigfoot and he treats zim a little less seriously and more friend-like, sometimes letting the alien hitch rides in his backpack so he can scheme while being higher up in the air. teenage dib is more mellow by a longshot, but he's still relatively antisocial and still comes across as generally creepy to his peers. he doesn't desperately crave validation from his fellow classmates as much anymore, and has actually been able to hold onto a very minute selection of like-minded friends. when his homework and studying are done he continues to keep tabs on the swollen eyeball community, as well as plan the rare and occasional ghost hunt. he smokes cigarettes occasionally after turning 17, getting nicotine hookups from his friends, but its something he tries to do in secrecy/something he doesnt do often because of how tricky they are to get underage. despite being more disenchanted as a teenager dibs pride and passion for his interests remain unquestioned and he still plans to achieve his paranormal-investigator goals ( and defeat zim ), just with a full time job on the side.

[jazzajazzjazz]

My thoughts on DAV for anyone who gives a shit:

Heavy spoilers under cut (read at your own risk)

Stuff I liked:

* The abundance of book/comic characters that made appearances. I really enjoyed meeting a character and excitedly saying ‘oh it’s [NAME]!’ Evka and Antoine were absolutely wonderful and I adore them and would die for them

* The environments are stunningly beautiful, particularly Treviso. I also love how darkly oppressive and hopeless Hossberg felt. And the Necropolis are you KIDDING ME 😭😍

* Generally speaking I enjoyed the companions and how they were written. Emmrich was absolutely my favourite but I also loved Davrin and Bellara, and I found Neve and Lucanis very endearing also.

* Bellara being more than the token quirky girl was such a wonderful surprise

* The CC is SO fun to play with like wow

* Boss fights are pretty cool

* Act 3 battle in Minrathous was a lot of fun

* English fem Rook’s voice is fantastic and it’s so refreshing to hear a Geordie accent (my own accent, no less!) in DA

* Combat is a lot of fun and for the first time playing a mage in DA I actually felt dangerous.

* Ghilly is just so cool and utterly unhinged. I dreaded her next scene because I wondered what other abominable shit she could possibly do

Stuff I disliked:

* The romances are utterly lackluster. I romanced Davrin and while I adore the man and enjoyed the scenes I got with him there was barely any chemistry between he and Rook. By the time they slept together they had kissed twice (and that was in ONE scene). The flirty lines are barely even flirtatious at all. And why can’t we kiss our LI’s whenever we want? Why would you take that away???

* Why isn’t there any option to just….talk to your companions? Ask them questions? Ask Neve about her most infamous cases, her upbringing, who designed her badass prosthetic. Ask Davrin about his clan, how long he’s been a Warden, and about some of the monsters he’s hunted. Make the companions feel like they have….I dunno, lives?

* Why boast that your game has nudity when it doesn’t even make an appearance outside of the CC? Even then it was just tits?

* Where is the cruelty of Thedas? The injustice? The slavery? The racism? My Rook is an elf from Minrathous for goodness sake. (and don’t use this point of mine to accuse me of ‘fantasising about racism’ like one smoothbrained fuck on reddit did) But if you’re gonna establish that your world has these terrible things and then said terrible things just sort of vanish or aren’t mentioned then it looks like HR was in the room with the writers.

* Taash’s weird ass writing

* Inconsistencies in the quality of voice acting. I’m not talking about audio but the acting itself. Sometimes Neve’s performance was very weak.

* The music is completely forgettable and Trevor Morris should have been brought back. The theme that played during the boss fight with Ghilly made me exclaim (OUT LOUD) ‘The fuck is this shit ass music?’

* Why didn’t Maevaris have her gorgeous blonde curls what did you do to her

* Dorian was just there because Dorian. Same with Isabela. Thank god they didn’t bring Fenris back 🙏

* The Varric twist is just kinda dumb

* Solas doesn’t really act very Solas-y? 🤷🏻‍♀️

* Having to choose between Davrin or Harding felt so forced to me. Making it so the one you pick can die if you haven’t built up their loyalty? Okay, I can buy that. Especially since late act 2/act 3 of this game is very much a DA version of ME2. But I guess Harding will always be my choice because honestly even with the Titan stuff I found her boring

* Basically everything coming back to ‘it was the Elves!!!!’ is boring

* Rendering the previous games obsolete/pointless was a spineless decision made by the writers and I hope they feel bad about it

* The Executors twist is pathetic and ridiculous and I completely disregard it

* We could have had a quest where we rescue/encounter whoever was left behind in the Fade in DAI? Wow fuck you too

Companion Ranking

1 - Emmrich - everything I hoped for and more. He’s eccentric, he’s goth af, he’s almost excessively polite, and he is just an absolute delight to be around. He’s wonderful and I adore him. I will absolutely be romancing him next when I feel like doing another playthrough.

2 - Davrin - I’ll readily admit that I’m a bit biased because Davrin was my LI and is utterly gorgeous but that being said I love him to bits. I love his arc of basically working out how to be a dad to Assan. I love his confidence, and I’m a sucker for a tough guy character with a cute hobby. And I was HELLA invested in getting those damn griffons back.

3 - Bellara - I mentioned above that I was relieved that Bel was so much more than the token quirky girl and my god was she a breath of fresh air. At first I still wasn’t sold on her because of that tonal whiplash in Act 1 but once I gave her the time she needed I related to her more and more.

4 - Neve - Again I may be biased as I played a SD Rook and I love detective characters but I thought Neve was great. Her relationship with my Rook was like that of a big sister and I bought it completely. I love how she wonders aloud about problems and mysteries.

5 - Lucanis - I like Lucanis, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like he’s easily the most half baked and under-utilised companion in DAV by a country mile. So much of him just doesn’t feel finished, and Spite is just….barely there. He deserved better. Also, I get it. He likes coffee. Quit mentioning it all the damn time, game.

6 - Harding - Boring. Simple as that. I didn’t give a shit about Harding in DAI but at least she had a personality? Her whole thing relates to the Titans, one of most interesting pieces of lore in the DA universe, and they managed to make her completely forgettable. 🥱

7 - Taash - Felt like Taash’s entire existence is as an after school special/self insert. Their ‘growth’ was paced weirdly and their hypocritical attitude stinks. They came across so well in Vows & Vengeance and I was really looking forward to meeting them and was very disappointed. They do get better as the game progresses but it felt like it was too little, too late.

Final Thoughts

I don’t think this is a bad game, and I’m an OG DA fan who has been here from the very beginning. I think it’s a much better DA game than Andromeda was as a ME game and I maintain that there are plenty of things to enjoy about Veilguard. I will play it again.

THAT BEING SAID there are a ton of things I had to purposely ignore (retconning, weird dialog, characters acting out of character, etc) in order to enjoy certain parts of the game and I shouldn’t have to do that. It’s very apparent that long term fans of the series aren’t the target audience anymore and that ultimately feels like a betrayal. It stings.

I’m not giving a rating because I don’t do that but yeah those are my thoughts. I genuinely enjoyed most of my time with this game but I mourn what this series has become and what could have been. So much of this game just feels….unfinished.

[aerodaltonimperial]

you have a lot of fics 😭 as someone new, what are your 5 fave junglecorpse fics (that you wrote)?

I DO HAVE A LOT OF FICS LMAOOOOOOOOO. that's... an understatement, probably. it's worth noting that probably 75% of the time, i was writing with canon. so my fics slot alongside whatever was happening AND, perhaps more importantly, whatever jack's current characterization was (in theory - I'm obviously not perfect with that haha). this means the earliest fics are gonna be pillars-related, the ones after that use jack's hollywood heel turn, and while he was out, most of the canon was referencing darby's feud with christian cage. that being said, the early ones are shaky, because i was finding my footing with both of them. full transparency, they are shaky lol.

in terms of favorites, i'm gonna be a real dick about this and use some 'verses/series, but only because i don't think you can really separate them lol:

💚🖤 - monsters [series]: i don't do a lot of full AUs (even most of my horror fics are canon compliant), and this is one of the few i did, and it's one of my most favorite things i've ever written, across all my fandoms. fandom does not agree, lol, but you asked for my faves and not fandom's faves, so it's on here first. if anyone asked me what fic showcased what i thought i can do as a writer, it's this series.

💚🖤 - we're coming out strong: aka the kayfabe fic! i pretty much never use jack's full jungle boy kayfabe, but i did it with this, and ended up really, really loving it! there's an unofficial official sequel and a redux jack's version (which is a whole different fic but is still using the JB kayfabe), but this was the first, and it holds a special place for me.

💚🖤 - a clear violation of the company code of ethics [series]: these started as a joke and got progressively more unhinged, but i think they are hilarious and have a great time writing them, plus i got to write corporate bucks, which was awesome.

💚🖤 - i may be bad (but i'm perfectly good at it) [series]: aka kink!verse. THIS MAY SURPRISE PEOPLE but i'm actually??? really proud??? of these??? i tackled some stuff i am already not confident about (smut) and combined it with things i am even less confident about (kink), and actually, i sort of love them lol.

💚🖤 -you could be all i've got (what's the difference): this one comes with HEAVY warnings on it. please pay attention to them!! this is a PTSD trauma fic, and it's heavy as shit. it's a lot. it's absolutely not for everyone. but i really fucking love this fic, and it means a lot to me. but seriously. watch the warnings.

and as a bonus, fandom's favorite fic of mine:

💚🖤 -[1] unread message: aka THE FUCKING ROM-COM. why are there so many hits on this???? why are there so many bookmarks??? WHY DID YOU ALL LOVE THE ROM-COM SO MUCH WHEN I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WRITE ROM-COMS???? i cannot explain this, but this is like, one of my highest bookmarked fics lmao. this is by and away the clear favorite of my works, which i will never understand loooooool but that's fine, we'll go with it.

[abooklover]

Rewatching the first two episodes of the Percy Jackson series for like the fifth time like any sane person and just wanted to make a comprehensive (and I mean comprehensive so bear with me here) list of all my thoughts, however unhinged they may be so here goes.

EPISODE 1

Walker’s monologue at the beginning gives such great background and I’m not gonna lie it destroyed me hearing ‘look I didn’t want to be a half-blood’ as the first words. Not to mention the fact that half of that monologue is pretty much word for word from the book which is something I die over whenever it happens

Blackjack looking out for Percy - we love a bit of foreshadowing

The light that comes into the picture when he says things changed when he met Grover. This is literally everything to me, I am so glad even just in the first two episodes they’re showing how strong of a bond they have. Also let’s not forget that they have Mythomagic cards

Sally Jackson (my goddess) imparting words of fucking wisdom - ‘not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero and not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster’

Also her explaining to Percy the story of Perseus (his name sake) - like I am sorry but the centring of the mother/son relationship which only amplifies once Percy loses her is something I don’t know how to explain how much I love (like her even prays to her over his father who is a literal god but we’ll get to that later). ‘hold fast Perseus, brave the storm that was made to break us for we are unbreakable as long as we have each other’ 😭

‘hang on to that, it is a mighty instrument��� - oh yeah it is

Grover spouting scientific facts about bullying - ‘childhood trauma, feelings of inadequacy’ - like he’s written a research paper on it 🤣

Percy and Grover swapping things on their sandwich like they’re siblings

‘I was thinking more like shoving Nancy in the nearest dumpster’ and there mischievous smile afterwards - oh I love you Percy

Grover saying ‘If there’s one thing I know about bullies, you should never stand up to them’ and Percy saying ‘that doesn’t sound right’

I was a little underwhelmed with the whole Mrs Dodds encounter. I don’t know I think I just expected something longer and with the whole drama of Mr Brunner throwing Percy the pen but I think maybe in hindsight it makes more sense cause it’s easier to convince Percy that it didn’t happen

Gotta say that the first time I watched the scene in the principals office I did not even realise Rick was in it but now I can’t not see him

Grover ‘betraying’ Percy was heartbreaking cause you know Grover doesn’t want to do it but knows that he has to and you know that Percy feels like he has lost the only friend he had

Actually really glad that Eddie is a nice sympathetic guy not one of Gabe’s poker buddies

Still disappointed by Gabe - I still think he needed to be a bit more grimy and disgusting (and the way he talks in the scene was just not right for me, don’t know whether it was the acting or the script but it was a no from me). Though Percy’s ‘Losing at imaginary poker’ line was funny

Logical and Sally Jackson. That is all. Just know that I actively sob every time I watch this. Also her sitting in the rain so contentedly will never not hit me, on a personal level knowing how certain things can just provide peace and an escape from life otherwise but also more contextually with her and Poseidon (bottom line: water is the ultimate comfort)

Of course Sally believes Percy and brings him blue candy. Keeping the most important themes of the book. The mother-son bond (which I will to more later) and the blue

I always thought Brunner was pronounced runner but with a b in front of it

D’Angelo’s - yes I will take any peace of nico that I am given (fingers crossed for the lotus casino scenes)

My kin sally Jackson crying in a car while watching her son sleep knowing what lies ahead, nope sorry but I’m not okay and neither is she

‘You fell in love with god, like-like Jesus?’ - oh Percy my love. If nothing else this is who Percy Jackson is.

Percy fully believing that something is wrong with him because that’s what he’s always been told

‘What is he doing here, I don’t want to see him’. Grover and his impeccable timing and panic. Don’t get me started on why I think the ‘You didn’t tell him about me?’, ‘You’re early’ exchange between Grover and Sally is the funniest thing to me.

‘Why is there half a goat in your pants?’ and ‘Why is it wearing underpants?’ - Percy asking the important questions here

I honestly don’t know how they didn’t figure out Percy was Poseidon’s son after the whole Nancy no of it and then Clarissa like it was quite obvious

‘I’m actually 24’ oh Grover we know you bleat when you’re anxious

Sally’s goodbye to Percy - I am a sucker for sadness

I do agree that riptide should be bigger but the only thing I can think is that maybe it’ll grow with him

EPISODE 2

‘You drool when you sleep’ the iconic line. It kinda disappointed me not going to lie.

PETER JOHNSON-pretending to be Percy’s father-PETER-using Percy to break the rules Dionysus introduction and pipeline (oh he is horribly perfect)

‘Yeah but did you’ persassy is in the house and I hope he never leaves (one of my favourite lines and the way walker delivers it is perfection)

Camp looks incredible. I know people have issues with the grandeur of it all but that’s the way things work in the film industry and I personal adore it

And can we talk about Chiron’s injured back leg. Like am I forgetting something (probably) but I don’t remembered him being injured

For those who don’t know, finding out that like is the bad guy is probably gonna destroy them. Charlie bushnell really was like I’m gonna make everyone love me only for them to be crushed (and even though I know I am still gonna hurt - yes I have a soft spot for Luke)

I was so confused when Grover went into the woods and saw the council (it was the only part that I was like what in the world is this, this wasn’t in the books)

Luke being the one the comfort Percy and show him around - oh a genius choice narrative wise but I do miss my girl Annabeth

Introduction to Clarisse was everything - Dior is my goddess

‘Should I try again’ and the resounding ‘NO!’

‘Is there a Greek God of disappointment. Maybe someone should ask him if he’s missing a kid’ - Percy Percy Percy stop making me love you more than I already do like I don’t think my heart can take it

Then Chris’s lovely little tangent and Luke going man why the fuck are you saying this and reassuring Percy - you go storyline building up the loveable Luke (I’m already hurting)

‘They like the smell of begging’ - top teir line

‘You burn what you’re gonging to miss the most’ flash forward to Percy taking this and burning his blue candy praying, not to his father who is an actual god, but to his mother (I cannot handle this, like this kid knows that his mum is the real goddess)

Walker’s voice breaking on ‘well’ - I am sobbing

And the fact that he says he made actual friends - the narrative damning us to inevitable torture

The resentment in his voice when talking about his father - I am so glad they leaned into this

I kinda loved the bathroom scene. And how we are first introduced to Annabeth in this and how she is her blunt self (still don’t know how they could not have known)

Like calling Annabeth his little sister and saying he will always be on her side (I am hurting even more - we never get to see Luke’s perspective in the books and this, this absolutely ruined me)

Pronunciation of Thalia is still going to take some getting used to

Chiron forever in that suit jacket and fence is just not sitting right with me - doesn’t fit the whole trainer of warrior vibe he should be giving

‘Not you sunshine’ - honestly better than seaweed brain

Percy tripping over the branch and Annabeth just standing there and her facial expression (on Leah you are everything)

‘When it’s time he’s going to be ready. I know it.’ Cut to a montage of Percy doing the most 12 year old things possible, including but not limited to flossing (which I thought was kind of out of place and cringe) and petting a random gecko (which I thought was out of place but one of the most hilarious things ever so I’ll give it a pass) while his helmet and weapons lay discarded

Percy I thought you were meant to be proving yourself to your dad to get his attention or something, telling people where the flag is to avoid a fight is not exactly how to do that

Honestly any time Dior is on my screen is a good time - her manic laugh and anguished scream Dior is the moment

Annabeth’s bluntness will always be everything to me - ‘listen, Percy, I’m sorry’ and Percy’s ‘what is wrong with you’ (top five moments of the show)

The reveal - Percy Jackson son of Poseidon

‘I am Sally Jackson’s son’ yeah you tell them Percy (you will always be first and foremost Sally Jackson’s son)

[rosalind-hawkins]

Diceshipping for the ask game?

Ask Game

1. What made you ship it?

The short answer is: my own imagination.

It's one that I've only recently given serious thought to, so this is a new one that I'm playing with. I like to think that if Yami Bakura had met Duke during Duke's villain phase, they might have teamed up, not because Bakura would have seen Duke as an asset to him, but because he thought he could use Duke as a distraction for Yugi and co while YB does his own thing. I think he would have found Duke too interesting to toy with to get rid of after that. As villains together, they would have very Fatal Attraction vibes and be a super possessive, fucked-up couple in a way that's fun to watch but horrible for real life. Duke keeps trying to prove he should be Bakura's focus instead, and as a result keeps getting in the way. Bakura is his mentor in villainy. Duke will absolutely turn on him if he ever finds out that Bakura killed Pegasus, and then it becomes a "if I'm going down, I'm taking you down with me" mutual-destruction-but-at-least-we're-together kind of thing.

All evil and villainy aside, I think YB (esp the Season Zero version) would actually really enjoy Dungeon Dice Monsters. Then he sees the hottie who invented it, and in the most unhinged way possible, he says "I want to devour you" (because that's him trying to flirt) and Duke sees it for exactly what it is but laughs and says, "Get in line, pal, you're not the only one," and Bakura realizes he has to prove himself worthy of his attention (that's always going to be a theme with this ship). So he does his usual attempts at getting to know someone: digging through their trash, stalking them online, breaking into their home—and decides that since DDM means so much to Duke and us something Bakura also enjoys, he's going to prove him myself by winning a DDM tournament. Duke is present at the tournament of course and sees Bakura's efforts and realizes that he isn't just one of his fans and is seriously interested, so Duke decided to give this raccoon of a man a chance. You know they shop at Hot Topic together to be their fabulous goth selves and bond over dice collecting.

2. What's your favorite thing about this ship?

Goth dice dorks bonding over complex dungeon games.

Duke is the bad bitch that Bakura pulled by being autistic.

Duke doesn't care about Bakura being an eldritch magical monster of destruction, he will still call him Babygirl~ and Bakura gets flustered just trying to process that.

And if we go with Duke x Zorkura, you know Dukey Boi becomes a certified monster-fucker, and is proud of it.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't know that this rare pair even has popular or unpopular opinions on it, but I do think it might be uncommon for people to consider both the villain and non-villain potentials for this ship, because I think most people forget about Duke's villain phase (or Duke entirely 😭).

I did just realize that they lowkey have the same vibes as Thiefshipping without the toxicity or the mind control, and I feel like that opens up a whole new world of possibilities. 👀👀👀👀

[bloodiedbeloveds]

Wait, you wrote BDTA?? Just wanna jump on the bandwagon that my-deer-friend started because I loved that verse <3 The whole series is bookmarked and it definitely left a profound impression. Especially the one written as an article by A. Hamilton, that one felt like such a masterpiece to read.

I remember trying to picture John's art, and the 'tumblr discourse' fic of the series (genius btw). I remember how I broke a little when that poster had seen the picture of John after the attempt and said "how small he looked" 😭 shit i'm shedding some tears rn, that line just gets to me for some reason, as if i can see him

Body horror fascinates me, especially as a trans man, so I seriously adore the concept of this world. This may sound a little nonsensical, but the way you write is evocative of paintbrush strokes on an impressionist painting to me.

I agree wholeheartedly with my-deer-friend; BDTA!John is precious and intriguing, and he pops into my head now and then, just wondering about what his life has been like before the story and what might be in his future.

hi oh my god we are so flattered. yeah that was us!!!

we have so many thoughts about we never really learn-- at one point we even had a whole bunch of lore for the ten deaths of acadia setter, despite the fact that its narrative purpose is exclusively to be Problematic. every tumblr discourse must pull in some very irrelevant dispute about a piece of media. there are so many tiny details in that fic that we think a lot of people overlook but We Know. we know they're there

the way people received this particular fic is interesting too, because without the context of the later work + stuff we haven't even written we can totally see how it reads like john's suicide was mostly about this internet cyberbullying stuff but oh, boy, it was not. it very much was not. after not a perfect son i think most people have figured it out but there was a while there where we were always internally like "oh you don't even know the half of it"

we're obsessed with body horror also-- for us it's not just being trans but also being autistic and plural and just all around weird. love monsters. love fucked up shit. also that's so very kind thank you!! verbal impressionists, that's us, i guess?

(his life before the story: sucked, but in various different ways. his future: no spoilers, because the urge to come back to this series is hitting us. we left the next fic (which is mostly about our unhinged polly headcanons) unfinished, but we're thinking of finally finishing it + going through the hell of putting all the html for it in properly.)

[zeldareference]

hello, im someone who is Very normal, so Very Very Normal. and Common about horror!sans and horrortale.... so im gonna give my thoughts bc this is also something ive been pondering...

id say it happened as, like, a sort of slippery slope in a way???

i believe that when people started making horror designs where he was, like, very big and looming n stuff it was mostly bc they didnt know the lore of horrortale, or at least hadnt read the comic, so they js saw an AU where all the monsters were a lot scarier, unhinged, and even "beastly", n they started making fanart and fan designs of horror!sans with only that vibe in mind and nothing else, which led to designs where he looked (and/or acted) a lot more beast-like and monstrous compared to other sanses..

that, ofc, doesnt really work in the context of horrortale, bc the only reason why the monsters even look (and partly act) the way they do is bc they eat all the humans that fall down, and that changes something in them, HOWEVER, eating humans is something that horror!sans refuses to do, and which is also the reason why he looks mostly normal compared to all the other monsters in horrortale, so, yk, in all truth he should js look like a kinda fucked up classic, or maybe a wider classic or smthn like that according to his reference sheet (LMAO) (although.. shouldnt he look, like, maybe slightly smaller considering he hasnt eaten anything in i think 7 years...?? or maybe js like u said, look like a sticky wet rat 😭 maybe thats why he looks so "pointy"?? or maybe thats js sour apple's artstyle lawl)

howeverrrr, these fan designs r what i think made the main fanon horror!sans happen, like, id say ppl saw this big and scary looking sans and went "hold on!! what if.. gentle giant trope..." which, if we're being COMPLETELY honest, horror!sans doesnt fit at ALL 😭 he is NOT gentle and he is NOT a giant, hes a short asshole who loves making cruel jokes and messing with aliza for fun, but in fanon, i think bc of his "rounder" appearance caused by the previous fanon, he's usually interpreted as, like, the softer kinda chill one of the group, the kinda soft-hearted one, or the one whos js there to watch stuff happen... which, again, doesnt really fit the character we've been presented in the horrortale comics

im not saying fanon is bad tho!! if u like fanon horror better than canon horror then thats completely fine, its all abt js having fun anyway 🤷 and i also dont blame those artists for getting the design or the personality ""wrong"" or smthn, not everyone is gonna do a 10 hour deep dive into the canon of an AU js for a fanart or a tiktok or smthn LMAO

I need someone who's Very Normal, Totally Normal, about Horror Sans and Horrortale to explain to me how they think canon Horror turned into fanon Horror.

I like both, I'm just extremely curious. For everyone else whose fanon is different from their canon, it's usually due to the exaggeration of already present traits. Oh, Swap energetic but small? Blueberry is a child. Oh, Fell looks like he could be angry, give him constant anger issues (note: I know we didn't have more than fell's design back then). Oh, Killer and Ink make jokes sometimes, make them constantly unserious.

But Horror?

(Art by sour-apple-studios)

This guy? He carries himself like a wet rat. A sticky wet rat, and I mean that affectionately. I love you canon Horror.

How did he turn into the equivalent of a big dog that goes "Boof"?

Again, I'm just curious

[wishful-soda]

im back to share my full thoughts!!! which are as follows!!!

I am obsessed with the max charles reveal scene!!! Ofc charles is a natural at this somehow and max being a big brother type was actually rly sweet.

Daniel has two parts for me in this chapter: frantic overthinker, and jealous chaos monster. Both were written PERFECTLY.

The way he was so damn worried she was ending things when he didn’t see her all day. MY GOD SO SOFT. also this part showed me just how much every single person is aware that daniel is in love/obsessed with her except for she in daniel. Like he asked to borrow michaels phone and opened the phone keypad and michael instantly knew he wanted to call her 😭😭😭

Also. Once he came to believe she and charles were dating he just could not see reason i’m OBSESSED. the way he just wanted to speak to her alone i cry. he was SO jealous and it was so hot. and the fact that her pleading eyes was the only thing that could take him from angry to wanting to ~do things~ to her and his jealousy made him do the MOST UNHINGED under the table action of all time like…. the power she has over him

I’ve been laughing all day since i read it at the thought that daniel genuinely thinks at this moment she and charles are dating and he still went for her under the table and still MADE CHARLES AWARE??? that’s extreme jealousy right there baby. i love it.

I may or may not have stared off into the distance on the tube today just thinking about that under the table scene sksk whoops

Anyways! you are the biggest genius on tumblr and i applaud you! SOTD is unmatched! thank you for entertaining my word dump here!

PS this is v spoily if you want to wait to publish i would understand 😂

TAGGED FOR SPOILERS YALL. go about your day if you haven’t read chapter 13 yet 😂

Girl. I am DYING at “jealous chaos monster” because omfg it’s just so fitting.

Yes, Michael is totally aware of it and has been for a long fucking time and he’s just waiting for the mans to realize it because he knows he’s stubborn and will push back if he tries to push him 😂

I absolutely wanted him to have that desperation of “please let’s talk” and then when he was denied he had to scramble. He really said “alright if we can’t go the discussion route, we’re going to go the ‘remind you what it is I can do’ route” he had to have her in a way Charles didn’t in that moment 😏

YES THE COCKY SONUVA BITCH HAD TO MAKE CHARLES AWARE HE JUST FINGER FUCKED HIS GIRLFRIEND WHILE SHE SAT RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. the arrogance, I stg, it’s part of why we love him so much but also why do we love him so much

Also it’s the highest compliment I could ever ask for to hear my writing fuels daydreams because honestly that’s where my writing comes from, me constantly daydreaming 😅

Stop your compliments are so sweet, omfg you stop it or I’ll squeeze you 😭 thank you so so much for all your love and support, I’ve said this before but I always look forward to hearing your thoughts ❤️❤️❤️ ILY BBY

[tootysweetcheeks]

Oh that being said I did think of re-opening my anonymous questions, but then I remembered the unhinged asks I got sent in but deleted without a response in concern of Endeavor and Dabi! My post about Dabi and the misogyny issue made me remember this 😭!

The first unhinged ask I got was get this “what are you saying? How is Enji not a monster? Like ugh not another abuse-apologist Endeavor stan 😭 go fuck a cactus” 😂 I be getting called an abuse apologist, because I don’t think he’s a complete and utter monster?! The hilarity of it is the fact that I was criticising him for the abuse of his family, and voicing my opinion on how I do view him as a abusive husband/father. I guess though it’s wrong to also think of him as a flawed human being, because someone be calling this abuse victim an abuse apologist and telling me to make love with a cactus 😭! Now I guess it’s uncivilised for me to say this but anon who had sent that ask, well here’s your response: “I hope someone shits in your cornflakes”! Moving on, this next ask had me giggling and I was going to respond to this one, but then I thought “nahh” and now I’m kind of going to respond. The next ask was about my arsonist Dabi - “Dabi the misogynist hates women you stupid fat bitch” I must say that was a very mature ask, very mature I wish I could reach that level of maturity! Honestly though, I will never understand people like that, like these are fictional characters and I get that you can get passionate or whatever. However, that doesn’t give you the right to be disgusting to someone for an opinion, a thought or for a character that they like(or hate). Like ok I wasn’t actually all that offended by the Dabi one it just humoured me and made my eyes roll, the Endeavor one it upset me a tiny bit because Enji is a character who hits WAAAAY to close to home. Hence why he’s my least favourite Todoroki, but at the end of the day what I’m trying to say is that it is ok to get passionate over things, and it’s ok to be passionate about the characters but try and remember that the people you may be disagreeing with or hating upon are real people. They have feelings and thought processes, Enji Todoroki doesn’t and neither does Dabi! Or any fictional character!

[spacedace]

@catastrophic-crow I'm so excited to talk to someone who is down to vibe with my half-mad scribbling haha 😄 the real hungry dark is a writer finding someone who likes their story ideas lol

I also just really like the name Stella in general and was very excited to give it to Elle as her new name haha

I don't know if I've ever actually added it to any fic/snippets/scraps or anything, but in my head her full name is "Stella Nova Nightingale" because Stella Nova means "New Star" and I think if Danny was the one that named her he'd

1) go hard on the space theme of it all, and

2) want her to feel like a new person. I think he'd want her to feel like her name was something that expressed her as her own unique person and not just his clone, and Stella Nova means "New Star" which I think is kinda fitting in that context.

Also I always give all of them the name "Nightingale" because I'm a sucker for that last name for runaway Fentons (either Jazz, Danny & Elle running away from Bad Parents Maddie & Jack or Good Parents Maddie & Jack leading the kids in running away and they all start their lives over together).

(Plus I have this image in my head of her hanging out/working with the JL or Young Justice or something (I mostly imagine this as being in the Ghosts of Gotham story, where Elle eventually works as a civilian Translator/Interpreter for the JL lol) and her full name gets mentioned and everyone is just like "No, that can't be your name. That's a fake name." And Elle just rolling her eyes because while her siblings might all be rocking fake names currently, Stella Nova Nightingale actually is her real name. She didn't have a legal identity before that lol)

And oh, oh no. What have you done??? You've given me free reign? You've given me invitation to overwhelm you with snippets & thoughts? You haven't run after the first info dump???

Oh, oh ho ho ho ho you are in for just, waaaayyy too much babbling and the like now hahaha 😂

I absolutely adore these AU names. Holy shit they're so cool and make so much sense and vibe so well with the story, seriously how the hell do you do it 😭❤

Fuck both Ensaring Bonds & Ensnarling Bonds are so good as AU names aldjf;ladjfaj

I agree with you thought that I think Ensnarling works better for this AU. I fucking love characters going feral and unhinged and monstrous and doing insane shit for those they love and that's exactly the vibe I'm feeling for this story. Both in the world where Elle literally becomes a nightmare monster to protect Damian & Jon safe, and the main story-line dimension where even though her bonds can't anchor they are still strong enough to dig into her and literally threaten to kill her (or the ghostly equivalent), pulling her along to the point of facing off against a Multiverse Dimension Eater alone because she's so determined to keep them safe and her bonds are the pseudo-physical representation of all she feels for them.

And ooooohh I love the idea of it having a bunch of names from all these different ghosts/survivors shakily trying to explain just what it is they saw/experienced.

(also don't apologize, holy shit that's all amazing and I love it all so much!! ❤❤❤)

Also! I figured out since the last time we talked about this AU just what the Hungry Dark is:

It's Elle.

Specifically it's another Elle from another alternate dimension where she loved & formed bonds with Damian & Jon (thinking they were unanchored in this dimension as well, so Hungry Dark!Elle life/experiences mirror OG!Elle as much as possible for max angst when Elle finally figures out what's going on). Something catastrophic happened and she lost both of them and the rest of her family, where she lost everyone, as well as had something happen to fuck up her bonds/ability to form them.

That's why Elle using her bonds to Damian & Jon to the Hungry Dark works, because she's able to pull this alternate version of herself to stability with the reminder of what her real Core Bonds (specifically to Jon & Damian) felt like and with some ghost magic/healing stuff Elle is able to heal the corrupted version of herself, but at the cost of her Bonds being forcibly ripped out of her and almost killing her.

I love angst (with a happy ending) what can I say hahaha

No for real though I really enjoy angst? Though specifically angst where everyone is okay and happy at the end, I am a devout lover of hurt/comfort what can I say 😂

Also just love when charaters are all clearly in love with each other but so determinedly believe that it's no reciprocated? Specifically characters that are utterly unhinged in their love and devotion to the people they love, especially, especially when all parties involved are that way.

Just love them being like "Ah, they are the center of my universe, the light of my life, but alas my feelings are unrequited. At least I have them in my life as a dear devoted friend, that is enough for me"

While everyone else is standing in the smoldering ruins of what the other character(s) have done out of love of this particular dense motherfucker and are like "I'm begging you to grow a brain cell. Just one. A single brain cell. That's all you need here." Only to regret it when all unhinged parties are happily in love and unhinged together.

To that end I uh...I may be about to throw some random snippets of this at you now lol Fair warning they are truly just small snippets and nothing really complete and some of them are roughly of the same scene moment since I was playing around with ideas.

Also heads up there is some implications of gore and ghostly cannibalism lol

---

The Phantasma of the bleak world they have temporarily been sent to burned to look at against the unending black.

Where the world had fallen to void and endless night, Phantasma had become a beacon. In the most literal sense. Most of her human features shed, only brilliant, blinding white light in the rough shape of his friend’s form remained. Legs seemingly forgotten entirely, lower half eternally in that long serpentine tail that blazed a painful, discordant after-image behind her as she drifted and moved. Her arms were too long with too many sharp angles, fingers stretched and viciously pointed into claws, looking more like splinters of shattered glass than fingers.

She had no face, had forgotten even that in her time here, spectral form shifting and twisting to align with her understanding of herself. Sometimes, though, green would burn against the white in the shape of frenzied, predatory eyes and a razor sharp, wretched mouth full of too many splintered mirror-shard teeth when she zeroed in on a target for her…hunger.

Phantasma had become monstrous in the name of survival. Shedding her humanity somewhere along the way in order to keeping herself going in this apocalypse. Of keeping her Damian and Jon alive and safe.

It was a painful reminder, how much she’d do for them.

Of what their Phantasma might turn herself into for them.

He caught Jon’s eye as the broken version of their friend gave an inhuman screech and darted out into the black. Claws and fangs sinking into flesh of an enemy before any of their group had even been aware there was someone lurking in the impenetrable darkness. A gurgling, wet noise was all their would-be attacker could give before they were dead and not-Phantasma was greedily ripping out another shimmering pearl from the body and noisily devouring it.

Constantine looked ill, but couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away. Hands trembling on his cigarette as he watched her eat a person’s very soul. The only thing able to supplement her ectoplasm with this world so thoroughly ripped away from the Infinite Realms.

-

Phantasma - their Phantasma - was oddly quiet when they finally managed to regroup with her.

Damian watched as she kept tugging at her clothes, adjusting her jacket, the fit of her gloves, the line of her collar. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his or Jon’s, and the distance she kept between both of them and their alternates seemed telling, though Damian couldn’t quit place what it was telling of.

Not-Phantasma was significantly more animated at the sight of the Jon and Damian of her world. High whistling trills and purring rumbles filled the stagnant air as she darted around them, seeming to check them over for any sign of harm. Alternate-Jon gave a low chuckle as Not-Phantasma pressed what passed as her face almost flush against the side of his head, long spindly claws dancing over him as if searching for sign of injury.

“We’re fine, Sunny.” Other-Jon assured, pressing a hand against Not-Phantasma’s without fear of harm from her sharp, splintered claws.

The shattered version of Damian’s friend trilled and then slid away to wind herself around his own alternate, giving him the same thorough checking over. “Peace, Stella, no harm came to us in your absence.”

His Phantasma tugged at her jacket again and stepped quietly towards the hunched figure of Constantine. Her gaze set out towards the yawning black that surrounded them. She didn’t fly, feet planted firmly on the ground and her green eyes had dimmed, losing their ethereal glow.

No fresh ectoplasm to sustain her, he recalled with a twisting gut. Her powers had already diminished in the short time they’d been there. Constantine assured them that the same spell that sent them all to this hell would send them back within 48 hours. Damian only could hope that Phantasma wouldn’t be reduced to needing to feed like her counterpart to survive before that time came.

Everyone in this world was already dead, in one way or another. It wouldn’t trouble him much to kill one of the cursed denizens of this realm so that she might feed off their soul. But he knew that it would have to be truly desperate for her to give in to that. She’d never forgive herself should she ever be reduced to such actions, a means of survival or no. From her reaction seeing her other self feed before - from her explanation on the nature of Cores and the unbreakable taboo that harming them, let alone devouring them, held in the Infinite Realms - he’s not sure he and Jon would be able to convince her to consume any they brought to her. Not after seeing what the other her had become.

Perhaps he and Jon could sustain her with small pieces of their own souls if it came down to it. If Constantine could carve his to bits for trivialities, it couldn’t be so difficult to do it to keep someone as important as Stella Nightingale alive and well. Damian would carve himself open and tear his soul out with his bare hands, let her devour every inch of all he was if she needed it. He knew Jon would do the same. Knew that Elle wouldn’t hesitate if they needed the same of her, though her affection was born of a different source than what he and Jon held for her.

-

Phantasma wouldn't look at them, and Constantine wouldn't stop looking at Phantasma.

Something had happened.

Jon looked at his alternate self, wrapped in the long ethereal tail of Not-Phantasma as plans of finding another route back to the place they had initially landed were discussed. His alternate seemed the same as he had been before. Weary and worn, tense and ready for battle at a moment’s notice. Beside him Other-Damian was the same, though he was more preoccupied with Not-Phantasma than anyone else. His eyes only for the broken, wretched creature that imitated their friend as she ran too long, splintered glass fingers through his hair and hummed a low purr at him.

Fondness and sadness in equal measure.

Nothing to indicate they’d done anything. Nothing to imply something had gone wrong. None of them came back injured and none of them mentioned having any trouble while their two groups were separated.

Still though, Jon knew something had happened.

Constantine did too.

The drunken magician’s expression oddly blank as he peered down at Phantasma beside him, lines of his face deeper as he stared. Phantasma glanced up at him to meet his eye and her face pinched, pained, as she gave the faintest shake of her head. Constantine frowned and took a drag of his cigarette, eyes turned back towards everyone else in silent agreement not to say anything.

But not say anything about what? Phantasma’s diminishing powers? Her alternate self’s complete deterioration? Had she seen something in the time they’d been separated? Some additional sign of how far this horrible version of her had changed and twisted?

He glanced back towards his own alternate self, the easy way he reached out and accepted the hand Not-Phantasma held out to him.

A world where Elle was ever on the brink of starvation. One where she needed to break the ultimate Taboo for the world of the living and the dead to survive. Jon had just been thinking of his willingness to kill for her, his willingness to tear out the soul of someone himself and offer it to her if it meant keeping her alive. Had spoken in hushed tones with Damian in the eerie quiet of the night before of options, on their shared determination to do whatever it took to keep Elle alive in a world that seemed specifically designed to kill her slowly.

They’d been there less than 48 hours. Their alternates had been there for years. How much had they done to keep her alive in that time? How many had they killed?

How much worse had they done?

-

“Constantine.”

“Bats.”

“It’s been three months, Phantasma hasn’t returned.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it.” Smoke curled past John’s lips, drifting up in lazy whorls towards the smog-filled sky of Gotham. Zantanna had called him in as a favor, the city’s curse was acting up and causing problems. Not the first time, but the first in many years that they had to try and handle the issue without Elle there to speak with the City Spirit directly.

The looming shadow growled, but compared to the things John had faced the Bat wasn’t so scary. Not as the Dark Knight at least. As a man, a father of a son suddenly missing a close friend…that was something else. John wasn’t sure if Batman realized he’d be more effective in shaking information out of him as Bruce Wayne and he hoped for his girl’s sake the brooding vigilante didn’t ever figure it out. The bats and birds were a persistent lot. If they thought they needed to sniff Elle out, they would. The infinite aspect of the Infinite Realms be damned.

“There’s been no sightings of her anywhere on Earth.” Batman materialized from the shadow beside him, no longer voice alone but sharp, dangerous shape as well.

John took a long drag and blew smoke in the Bat’s direction, just to see the other man’s jaw twitch. “Last she said before she left she was heading back to the ol’ haunting grounds.” He shrugged, “Probably catching up with the Graveyard. Rattling chains, dancing with the skeletons, the usually spooky things.”

“She’ll be returning then.” Not a question, but a faint unfurling of the darkness around him. Gotham was a loveless, rotten place in John’s mind, but damn if the old lady didn’t adore her would-be cryptids.

He could let Bats believe it. Could let the conversation die there. It’d only delay the inevitable though. Another week, another month, that looming shadow would be back. Or worse, the sour face of Phoenix, the kicked-puppy expression of Flamebird.

John was used to giving bad news. He never got good at it though.

“She’s never been one to stay in one place long.” His fingers were starting to burn, the cigarette nearly gone. He took a final drag before flicking it out into the gutter, watching it spark and sputter as it interacted with whatever foul chemicals pooled there. “Fourteen years bumming around just one world? Must have been out of her mind with boredom.”

Snippet/prolog thing from a DP x DC fic that lives almost entirely inside my head outside of this & a few other bits.

Please feel free to take this as an overly long prompt haha

If anyone wants context to this let me know and I'll be happy to info dump at you lol

-

The kid had been eleven the first time John Constantine met her.

A little ghost girl, too small for the crowns and dominions that were rightfully hers, wandering the world alone and unattended because to stay in one place would drive her mad - or worse. He didn’t think himself as having a particularly soft heart, but there was something about little Stella Phantom that grew on him - a bit like a mold, he liked to explain. Maybe it was the way she swore like a sailor and kicked a demon in the low hangers with a feral grin the first time he met her. Maybe it was just how lonely she looked, small and slight in the large world she was so obsessed with exploring.

She had a family. A Grave of her own that worried about her, but who couldn’t follow her on her constant travels no matter how much they wanted to. Proof that being some of the most powerful beings in existence wasn’t enough to prepare you for parenthood.

Somewhere along the lines she started following John around. Interested in what he was doing, where he was going, who he worked with. It hadn’t taken long to get her folded into JL Dark. Zantanna had blanched when he’d shown up with little Elle, pulling in the big wigs from JL Light to argue about the ethics of involving a child in their work. As if Supes and the Bat had legs to stand on with their own brood so often in the thick of danger. Elle was safer under his watch than she’d be under the loose oversight the Titans had or whatever fresh hell was going on with Young Justice but hell if anyone would listen to him on that front.

He lost the war when she met Superboy Jr. and Robin V.

She’d adored them from the start, delighted at having children her own age around to spend time with. They formed a little team, working together here and there, then more often as they got older. She still worked mostly with JL Dark, but she was growing up. Spreading her wings a bit.

Elle was seventeen when the Bonds first formed. The spider-silk thin threads finally winding themselves into the heavy binds that spilled out of her Core and reached out for anchoring in the boys. It was sickeningly sweet, in the way puppy love always was. She was too young for Core Bonds like that to settle, of course, in the way children were always too young when they fell in love the first time. It was normal though. Ghost children the Realms over made Bonds only for them to fade or change as they grew, almost never anchoring to anyone til they were full grown.

She’d blushed as red as Marvel’s suit when she realized John could see them, stuttering and embarrassed. He’d teased her about it for a long time, about how much she’d grown up, how much trouble she was going to cause, how he was going to have to fight the big bad Bat and his pet boy scout when she inevitably dishonored their poor, innocent sons. It was entertaining, endearing.

He waited for the Bonds to fade or shift. Weeks. Months. Years. As she turned nineteen, he started to wonder if they would stick around. If in another few years they might strengthen, begin the slow process of anchoring.

She was twenty-one when her boys - calling themselves Flamebird and Phoenix now - started dating each other.

The Bonds remained, steady and solid and painfully unanchored.

John stopped teasing her about them.

They hadn’t changed to accommodate platonic bonds, nor had they faded any. Their tendency to tangle around her like snare was another point of concern. Core Bonds weren’t meant to cause difficulty for the ghost they were born from, and they certainly weren’t meant to wrap around the ghost’s limbs and body in painful loops like that. They weren’t supposed to hurt.

When she was twenty three he started suggesting it might be time for intervention. The irony that he of all people would be trying to get someone to take steps to cut out the thing harming them was not lost on him. Nor was the way the fond feelings he had for the girl had skewed decisively paternal over the years in a way that his younger self would have mocked him for endlessly.

He felt better about broaching the subject knowing that her Grave had been suggesting the same thing. That he wasn’t overstepping the bounds of whatever odd partnership they’d developed over the years. John was, he had very reluctantly come to accept, the girl’s mentor if nothing else. His job was to teach her and guide her, not be her parent.

No matter what his old, battered heart might try and suggest.

Even still, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

She was twenty-five when they got temporarily launched into that broken, bleak world. When they met the Elle and Flamebird and Phoenix of that horrible dimension.

The three alternates’ bonds were anchored completely, tying the triad together in threads of silver and green. Not even Other-Elle’s complete, sickening deterioration into something cannibalistic and feral had been enough to break them. He can’t imagine how much it must have hurt to see that, for his girl to glimpse a world where something she’d longed for for so long happened, only for it to seemingly be at the expense of reality itself.

He helped cover for her, after their two groups had been mixed up and separated for the night - or what might be called night in a world that no longer had any light to make those kinds of distinctions in time. When she came back with the Flamebird and Phoenix of that world, after their little separation from the larger group he kept her two boys misdirected. Distracted Nightwing and Zantanna so they didn’t go asking too many questions he knew Elle wouldn’t want answered. The Bat John was helpless to do much about, but thankfully the big brooder seemed too intent on the desolate, lightless world itself to notice the way Elle’s gaze was going distant, bittersweet at the edges.

He didn’t know what, exactly had happened in the hours she was gone. He could guess, from the way the Other-Phoenix and Other-Flamebird looked at her, the way she avoided her boys. Loneliness and desperation made for an easy slide into bad decisions. John might just have to admit that Zantanna had been correct, all the times she’d said he was a bad influence on the girl. Not that there was any surprise there.

Elle’s Bonds were even more of a knotted mess than before. Offered something so close to anchoring only to find no purchase. They twisted about her throat like a noose now, ready to strangle the life out of her one day.

He signed off on her leave of absence when they finally made it back to their home dimension.

Anyone else would want details to write down. Would want to know the specifics of why and for how long and a whole mess of other details she either wouldn’t or couldn’t answer. He’d get his ass roasted over the fire for the mess the paperwork was in, but that was fine. He’d endured far worse for far less important reasons.

Personal leave, he’d written.

Duration of leave: indefinite.

Reason for leave: None of your fucking business, Bats.

They shared a cigarette on one of the high catwalks in the Watchtower watching dawn break on the world below. Grateful to see the sun and stars again after those two days in utter blackness. They didn’t talk about her Bonds. About what happened. About how she hadn’t talked to her Boys since coming back. Just stood and smoked. He pretended not to notice her tears. She pretended not to notice his. Neither of them had ever been any good at goodbyes.

When the time came she bumped his shoulder in thanks - for the cigarette, for the company, for the years of friendship and family - before turning and stepping through the bright purple door standing impossibly in the middle of the walkway.

He glimpsed the green of the Infinite Realms and the distant shape of her Lair beyond. A world of worlds, paradise to one that never stopped, always off to find something new, something never seen before. It was against all odds that she’d even stumbled upon this one in the first place. A small speck in the crushing infinite.

When the door closed it did so slowly, a painful whine and a soft, mournful click all that marked her leaving.

John watched it bleed out of existence, and wondered if he’d ever see her again.

Six months later, the stars started to disappear.