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barefeet-only · 1 month ago

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Shakespeare in the Park Got Nothing on This

Danny felt death in the air. He first felt it when Talia started following him. It was like he wanted to cough but just couldn’t. His ghost sense wasn’t fully activating but he knew someone death touched was near. One of the ghosts in the area gave him a description of who was following him and he knew it was her.

Despite his first instinct being to run, Danny quickly realized that it wasn’t like Talia could hurt him anyway. Being half-ghost had its perks, and his life away from the League of Assassins had taught him some perspective on threat levels. Besides, it had been nearly twenty-two years since he last spoke to her, and he had some things he wanted to say to Talia.

So Danny wandered randomly throughout the city as he thought of all the things he wanted to say to his mother. When he finally felt confident, he walked into a random coffee shop and ordered a drink that would signal to her that he knew about her presence. He couldn’t force Talia to sit with him and talk, but he hoped that she had just enough interest in him to try. As they had their conversation he could tell Talia was on edge the entire time. His presence was making her nervous, and for the life of him Danny could not figure out why.

But when she said the name Damian and the teenager walked into the coffee shop, Danny instantly knew.

“He’s your son isn’t he?”

Talia tensed, her back had been to the door of the cafe so she didn’t see the boy walk in, but she definitely heard the door chime ring. In a moment of weakness that she would normally never allow, she turned away from Danny to look at her son. Their green eyes met and Talia made a reckless decision.

The assassin pulled the knife from Danny’s hand and moved to puncture his larynx. Just as the tip of the blade reached his skin, Signal appeared next to her, forcefully grabbing her arm and slamming her onto the table. The drinks spilled and everyone in the coffee shop took notice of their situation. People quickly either took photos or fled from the scene, the baristas only stopped for a moment before continuing their work.

Spoiler stepped forward to direct the scene.

While Talia was being held down and restrained Danny got a closer look at the boy who had entered. Initially the guess had nothing to do with the teenager, but the closer he looked at ‘Damian’ the more it became clear that this was Talia’s son. The same death-touched aura that surrounded Talia was shared by this boy, likely the Lazarus Pits. Beyond the metaphysical traits, their physical traits were very similar as well. They both shared intense green eyes and warm brown skin, their lithe frames were practically identical and the sharp nose was a dead ringer. Damn, Fenton luck strikes again, Danny thought. The chances of running into his unknown half-brother had to be near impossible, and yet here he was.

Danny looked down at Talia who was seething, not that anyone but him would be able to tell. Danny would always be able to tell if his mother was angry; it was about the only feeling besides hate or indifference he was ever able to associate with her. So, in true Danny fashion, he did something reckless. He leaned down towards Talia’s ear, despite Signal loudly telling him to step back, and began to whisper.

“Good talk Talia, kind of nostalgic the way it ended.”

Danny knew there was no way to keep her away now that she was aware of his presence. But he also knew that he didn’t fear her the same way he did as a child. He no longer worshipped her as the faultless assassin, instead he felt an indifference towards Talia. She wasn’t the woman who raised him, no longer the tormentor of his childhood, just a hateful woman with no bearing on his life. If she wanted to interject herself in his life then Danny had plenty to say to her. And if she tried to hurt anyone he cared about: well let’s just say that there were plenty of ghosts that Danny could call on to hunt her down with.

Danny stood up and looked towards Damian, the teen seemed to be in a fluid flux of emotions. Indignation for the treatment for his mother, condescension at the heroes (likely because he knew that his mother could easily escape the cuffs that were put on her), and a calculating eye towards Danny himself. He was clearly League trained, and was very quickly sizing up Danny’s threat level. Danny wanted to laugh at the idea, but then he saw how viciously Talia was staring at him for even looking at Damian and all he could feel was bitterness. So she can love a child, he thought ruefully. Danny and Damian looked so similar, yet so different that a part of his soul hurt. Danny was pale in comparison to his brother (ever since he died he had never been able to get back to the darkness of his youth) and where Danny’s proportions were a little awkward, Damian had the figure of a supermodel. Whoever the teen’s dad was clearly had some killer looks, the father’s genes were clearly strong in him.

Wait, isn’t that Damian Wayne?

When Duke had seen the vision of Talia attacking their mystery man he had acted quickly. He grabbed Steph and shadow travelled them into the Batty Grind. When they reformed inside Damian entered at the same time. Signal didn’t spare him a glance, he pulled at his powers again to reform next to the table. He caught the blade just before the tip punctured the man’s neck. Quickly, Signal slammed Talia down onto the table (very satisfying by the way) and cuffed her.

Spoiler grabbed the knife that had been dropped on the table in the grapple for Talia.

“No sharp objects for you. Didn’t your dad ever teach you not to point these at people?” She teased.

Signal knew that he couldn’t keep Talia there forever, but Spoiler was quickly directing the scene to get the civilians' attention off of them. This gave him enough time to readjust his grip on the assassin and observe the target more closely.

The man had deep blue eyes and sharp facial features, Duke still couldn’t tell if he was Middle Eastern or White. He reminded Duke of Damian, so he could be mixed. However the most striking feature of this man was that he had no aura. Everyone has an aura, it’s normally just a small flicker of colour that emanated from a person. But this man has nothing, it was almost like Duke wasn’t allowed to see into this man’s soul. The same thing happened when they were in the alley as well, his Ghost Vision hadn’t let him see the potential victim, only Talia attacking. Even now when he tried to use his telescopic vision he couldn’t observe the man before him, he was too smooth, almost into the uncanny valley. Duke’s abilities kept sliding off of him like water off a duck. It was honestly kind of frustrating.

He was so distracted by his powers not working that he overreacted to the man leaning down to whisper in Talia’s ear. Signal held tighter onto Talia after the man stood up. Something about him made the hero tense up and his fear seemed justified as the man stared down Damian.

So Talia fucked Bruce Wayne…Why?

If there was one thing that Danny knew about his mother it was that she never would have a child willingly after he was born. And she clearly seemed to care about Damian, since she didn’t even want Danny to look at him. So Talia obviously had to care about Bruce Wayne to have his child but that brings up the question of why. There had to be something special about him for Talia to have a child with him.

Part of Danny wanted to ask her what about Bruce Wayne made her happy to have his child but his father made her consider filicide. But he knew he would never get the answer, just like Ra’s would never tell him who his father was. They were truly father and daughter in that aspect. So instead of cursing himself to a lifetime of what-ifs, he left.

“Thank you Signal and Spoiler, I would have been a goner if you guys hadn’t stepped in. Guess this will teach me about stranger danger.”

The vigilantes were trying to corner him and get him to give a witness statement or get medical attention for his hand but Danny wasn’t part ghost, and an ex-assassin, for nothing. He evaded them before they could get him in a bad position and gave them a salute on the way out. Danny had less than a week left in Gotham and then he was heading back home to Illinois. This would be the last time Danny would ever see an Al Ghul if he had anything to say about it.

Signal and Spoiler brought Talia to an abandoned warehouse owned by Wayne Enterprises and waited until everyone could converge in suit for a discussion. Talia had tried to escape three times in the hours they had to wait for everyone to get there. Duke’s abilities allowed him to predict what she was going to do but it did not help the stress of the situation. Especially since the assassin seemed determined to escape.

Her tenacity to presumably finish off her target had everyone on edge. Especially since the man in the cafe was nowhere to be found. Oracle hadn’t been able to get a visual on him as the footage from the cafe was too low quality and both Signal and Spoiler’s cameras weren’t able to clearly get his face. They had been forced to use a sketch made by Damian to try and find him. Not ideal but better than nothing.

Duke and Steph had been trying to get Talia to reveal who her target was with no luck. But the roar of the Batmobile let them relax, Bruce and Damian were always better at getting Talia to loosen up than the rest of the brood. Batman stepped out of the vehicle with Robin in tow.

“Signal, Spoiler, any updates?”

“Three escape attempts and no answers on who she was trying to kill.”

“Hmm.”

Batman looked at Talia and approached her.

“Talia, why are you in my city?”

Talia leaned forward and looked up to Batman through her lashes, a seduction technique she had used with him many times before.

She hummed, “Can’t I visit my beloved and child, or am I barred from even that?”

Batman growled.

“Don’t play games with me Talia, who was the man you tried to kill?”

Talia rolled her eyes and sat up straight, knowing she wasn’t going to get out of this. She’s never been so sloppy before and this was the price she was going to have to pay. However she needed to get out of here quickly, the longer she wasted time here the more time she gave to her target to plan.

“He’s an ex-league member. He escaped twenty years ago and now I must complete the task that should have been done when he left.”

“Twenty years ago, that doesn’t make sense,” Spoiler interrupted, “I saw him myself and that guy was barely into his twenties. You telling me a four-year-old waddled his way out of the League of Emos?”

Talia glared at the blonde girl.

“Danyal is in his thirties, though I do not know why he is so youthful. He might have found a Lazarus Pit for himself and harnessed its power. However it is not his physicality that concerns me, he demonstrated a phase shifting ability as I was following him, and the knife I stabbed him with had no blood on it when I pulled it out.”

Batman looked to Spoiler and Signal, Signal showed him the dagger that had been put in an evidence bag as proof. There wasn’t a drop of red on it.

“Beloved, I know you don’t kill but you must let me complete my task. Even if you must assist me in capturing him we have to take Danyal out before he is allowed to act. If not for me, then for our son, Damian cannot be tainted by that man.”

It was not the last time Danny saw an Al Ghul.

Danny didn’t want to know how, but for some reason, Damian Wayne had cornered him while he was on a walk through Gotham Park. Now, Danny was here because it was one of the few places in Gotham that shades didn’t bother him every ten seconds. There was something about an agreed neutrality zone that some spirit told him about in relation to the park. In the end it didn’t really matter, Danny just wanted to sort out his thoughts after seeing Talia and finding out he had a half brother. Frankly, he wasn’t super thrilled about discovering he had more family from his psychotic genetic creators. Maybe the kid was chill but not likely, the League was a stifling place that made a person freeze their heart instead of cope with their feelings. In the end, Danny just didn’t know if he could keep the bitterness of his mother away from the association of Damian.

Frankly the only reason Danny had recognized the boy was because Sam had called him about some article about a gala thrown to raise money against animal testing. She even made a joke about how the goth vegan rich kid tradition did not die with her when she left her teenage years. To which he joked that he wasn’t sure if the kid was goth or just angsty.

Danny had just stood up from the bench he was occupying with the intention of returning to his long term hotel when his brother dropped down before him in full Robin regalia.

Great, more information I didn’t want to learn today.

Once again the taste of death had spoiled the identity of Damian but Danny was going to elect to pretend that he had no clue who the teen before him was. Ignorance was a gift and he certainly wasn’t going to throw it away.

“Danyal, alias Daniel Fenton, here in Gotham to supposedly sell his security device company Spectral Protection to a well-known subsidiary of Lex Corp. A valiant cover, especially with the devotion to stay in Gotham for three months, however all your effort was for nothing when a League of Assassins member spotted you. Whatever your plans are, reveal them to me now and I shall not let you fall into their hands. We both know what they do to traitors.”

Robin’s voice was cold and confident, but his unease with the situation was apparent; his hand rested on the pommel of his katana, ready for any sudden moves. For a moment, Danny was tempted to play dumb, mainly because that actually was the reason he was in Gotham. However, it was clear that his mother had spoken to his brother and told him of who he was. Well, probably not everything; because a) Talia didn’t know anything about Danny and b) she was an Al Ghul through and through, if there was an opportunity to be cryptic and withhold information she would do it.

Danny sighed and resigned himself to the idea that his last week in Gotham was going to be way less peaceful than intended.

“Just call me Danny, I hate my full name being used, gives me the heebie jeebies.”

Robin narrowed his eyes, “You did not answer my question.”

Danny rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m sure Talia gave you some bullshit reason about why you should kill me, or let her kill me. But do you think you could do me a favor and let me go home? I promise I’m not here to take over the world or something stupid like that. I’m just a guy trying to get a sweet paycheck so that I can achieve my lifelong goal of retiring by thirty-five.”

Robin did not move, if anything his glare got more intense.

“I’ll promise to never step back in Gotham again. I can even sign a contract. Lord knows I’ve been signing a lot of those lately.” He mumbled the last part.

Robin still did not move.

“Want me to throw Metropolis in there too? I know the big bat has some kind of homoerotic situationship with the Man of Steel, would that make him happy?”

Danny swore he heard giggling in the distance, but it was hard to tell if it was a ghost or a snooping vigilante. Both were likely options, in fact both might have happened since Danny could see some spirits very badly pretending not to listen in. Damian however, did not seem to find his semi-joke very funny. If anything the shaking seemed to be from anger if anything. His half-brother did not seem to develop a sense of humor in his time outside the League. Damian breathed deeply and released his hold on his katana.

“Do not try to distract me by making light of the situation. What are your plans?” His voice was cold and steely. Effectively cutting to the core of the problem with as few words as possible.

Danny sighed. “Exactly what I told you before, and highly unlikely but do you think you can keep the information you have on me away from Talia? I tried really hard to disappear from the League of Assassins and specifically her influence. It really sucks that a stroke of bad luck is what got us back in touch after all these years.”

Unfortunately that hope died pretty quickly because Talia’s presence was immediately detected by Danny. She had just arrived and was getting into position over by the trees to their left. Danny has spent years perfecting his ghost sense, no longer did he just have a vague awareness of when ghosts were in a general radius. Now he was able to tell their exact position once they were close enough and he was even able to get their intentions by probing into their energy. If only that trick worked on the living, it would make his life so much easier.

Danny shushed Robin, who was ranting about his foolish behaviour, and turned to where Talia was.

“Twice in one day? Really trying to make up for twenty-one years of missed birthdays aren’t you?” Robin, who looked infuriated at being silenced quickly turned to his mother who was taking aim from the tree line. “Do emancipated children qualify for child support checks, or does that only count for genetic donors?”

Three things happened at once. The assassin shot a blow dart out from her hiding spot, Batman dove down from wherever he was hiding to tackle her, and Danny dodged the projectile before making his way to his mother. Robin quickly chased after Danny, making a motion to tackle the man to the ground. He missed. Danny wasn’t sitting on his ass for all his years outside the advanced ninjas club, he knew how to dodge a tackle. Robin landed on the ground but quickly rolled and popped up next to Batman. Who had a slight death aura, but that was to be expected after nearly thirty year of vigilante work. Danny ignored both and squatted before Talia.

“Two failed assassination attempts in one day, getting rusty in your old age.” He teased.

The assassin glared at him.

“You were fortunate enough to find refuge in a city where those who protect do not kill. Had I found you elsewhere, we never would have had a conversation in the first place.”

Danny felt a rueful smile grace his face.

“It’s not like I chose the setting; if it were up to me, we never would have met.” Danny stood up and looked at Robin. “You would have continued with your life thinking I was dead, and I never would have learned you had another son.”

Batman and Robin stiffened at the information, both so identical. Almost like they were father and son. Batman took his eyes off the man in front of him and looked down at Talia.

“You did not inform me that Danyal was your child.”

Danny scoffed. “Of course she wouldn’t, she hated me from the day I was born. I’m not really her child, just the unfortunate thing she was forced to give birth to. But instead of throwing me away like any rational parent would do, she tries to kill me.”

Danny looked up to Batman, who was very stoic despite the information that was being thrown at him.

“Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’ve spent my life trying to escape from the shadow of the League. Please, if you have any sympathy let me go back to my normal life far away from here.”

Well, as normal as a half-ghost’s life is, but he doesn’t need to know that.

Batman stared at him for a long time, thinking deeply. He was seriously considering letting the man before him leave. However he knew it would be fruitless to let him go now, Talia was aware of his presence and his team had given her that information. Batman knew they were being hasty with the knowledge they shared but when Talia said his son was a risk he believed her. Talia never played with Damian’s life, for all her failings as a mother she did love her son. Her hysteria and paranoia had fed his own, and now the consequences of that choice were staring him in the face.

Danyal, or rather Danny as he liked to be called, clearly operated as a civilian. His bangs sat too far down his face to be practical, the piercings in his ears were minimal but identifiable, and his clothes were professional but not fitted. Cheap and not name brand. The “cover story” was looking to be a reality and not a fabrication to get access to the city. It was tempting to believe that the young man before him had actually escaped the life of bloodshed.

Talia scoffed. “You can’t believe his story can you? He’s playing to your weakness, beloved. Your want for the violence of the world to be gone. The desire that a person could change from their upbringing. Danyal may be a blunt sword but he is a sword nonetheless.”

Danny glared at her but it didn’t cover up the raw hurt in his eyes. It would seem parents always knew how to hurt their children no matter how long they are apart. Batman turned to Robin to gauge his son’s reaction. Damian seemed conflicted, while he had long since become disillusioned with his mother there was still the hurt of finding out she had a child before him. That he was once again a shadow for someone else.

Bruce pressed harder on Talia.

Clearly she was worried that Danny would kill Damian. It was a fear Bruce shared as well. The prodigal son versus the one who was forgotten, a story of David and Goliath. Yet Batman wanted to believe in a world where someone who learned the trade of bloodshed, and decided to drop the knife. Someone who had seen the violence of the world and said they did not want to add to it. It was a naive thought, not suited to someone as old and jagged as him, so he looked towards his son.

“Why did you let Danyal go, mother?”

Talia stopped sneering and looked at her son, her gaze softer as she looked at Damian. It was impressive since her stoic features never betrayed her, yet something in her eyes softened looking at him. A flaw that both Bruce and her shared when it came to their son. Her brow arched at the question, the what do you mean was implicit.

Damian steeled himself and met her gaze.

“Never once in my life have I known you to leave a job unfinished. There is no world in which you would have let this man leave unless you wanted it to happen.”

“It’s because she didn’t know.”

Danny spoke up, Batman focused his attention back on the man before him. Danny seemed tense and ashamed, all the bravado he had earlier was quickly draining from his body. The broken boy was slowly being revealed.

“Her attention was drawn away from me. Some new recruit to the League that had impressed Ra’s. I was already quickly losing favor between the two, and when the new guy on the scene seemed like he was a potential successor to the Demon’s Head, I was to be discarded.”

Bruce felt his blood turn to ice. He was the reason that the man before him had to flee from the League of Assassins.

Danny smiled, but it was grim and weak.

“I had already been planning my escape for months, since Talia and Ra’s weren’t around to monitor me. The assassins pushed up my schedule, but I knew that those two were going to try something sooner rather than later. So I ran. They hunted me down and cornered me, left me bleeding out in the middle of a bazaar.” Danny shoved his hands in his coat pockets as a poor way to hide how they were shaking. “I guess they pitied me since they didn’t stay to confirm the kill and a passerby found me and brought me to the local doctor.”

Moments passed as his son took in the new information. Conflicting feelings passed through his eyes and Batman knew that this was one time where he could not help Robin. Damian looked to Talia.

“Would you have done the same to me, mother?”

Bruce felt his heart break. While he might not have approved of Talia’s teachings, he knew she cared about her son. That she was a ruthless instructor, but it was because she believed that was what Damian needed to survive. It didn’t excuse all the horrible acts she had committed towards her son – sons. But it gave context to the woman’s actions. With Damian it was never about hatred, but pride and fear. And now all of her choices were being brought back and presented in a new light, not for the first time Damian was doubting if all he had been put through had been worth it. Bruce longed to take his son away from here, where he could feel the love of one parent who would not give up on him. Unfortunately Batman could not present that weakness for all to see. He had to remain impassive to his son’s struggles else he risked getting distracted.

Talia squirmed below him, getting some leverage to force her torso upwards. She stared at Damian with all the love a murderer like her could muster.

She spoke softly. “No, habibi,” Danny flinched, turned away from his mother like the words burned him, “That never would happen to you, Damian, because you were so talented and because you are my son.”

“I was your son too!” Danny shouted.

Everyone flinched at the outburst. They turned to see the shaking form of Danny, his eyes glowing a familiar green. It seemed like air around him turned to ice as Batman tried to assess the threat before him. He still had a hold on Talia, but it was loosening. If Danny began to fall under the influence of the Pit then he would have to release her. Batman could not let Robin face a raged out ex-assassin alone.

But then the strangest thing happened, Danny calmed down. Like the strings being cut off a marionette puppet, all the tension left his body and Danny’s eyes returned to their ice blue. The man before him took a deep breath and then stepped back. He took one last look at his mother and half-brother before turning around. Danny barely even turned his head to deliver his last words.

“I’m done playing this game, I tried to do this peacefully but I’m only going to say this once. Talia, if you ever try to find me I will kill you in a way that not even your soul will reach the afterlife. Stay the fuck out of my life, enjoy the son you finally wanted and leave me alone. That goes for you two as well.”

And with that Danyal disappeared into the night. Fading far too quickly to be natural yet none of them could do a thing to stop it.

<- prev

#danny phantom #dc x dp #dc x dp crossover #dp x dc #dpxdc #okay so this is going to be the final part for this series unless I feel like continuing it #for now I feel like Danny has gotten the closure he needed #obviously not everything is wrapped up but if someone wants to make additions or suggestions I'm open to doing them #be aware that it might take me some time lol #this took me so long bc of the length but also I got really into dmc and kpop demon hunters #apologies if Danny seems ooc in the last part #but I feel like its justified due to the context #lots of feels going on with the batfam after the revelations of the night #jason is curious about someone else who has “pit rage” (it's not acutally pit rage)#duke is freaking out that his powers don't work on ONE guy #everyone freaking out bc talia has ANOTHER son #make your guesses in the comments who was giggling in the distance about the superbat joke

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lilybug-02 · 1 year ago

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Pain is a great motivator…

Part 26 || First || Previous || Next

—Full Series—

Meanwhile Toriel:

(Loud noises don't wake her up usually.)

Artist note: I’m so proud of this :))) I know it’s a lot of dialogue and reading, but dialogue is grueling work for me. I’m glad with the art and for the amount of pages I made in such a relatively short time span -w- page 5 was super fun to work on. A lot of blood, sweat, and hours here... :) The backgrounds were a big bore tbh, but I finished them! Yippie!

#CHARA WTF DO YOU MEAN “COMPUTER”????#lol i hope you guys dont hate me for what im doing in the next update.#IS THAT A MAC OS???#Yes......owo''#Kris and the Gang are LITTLE now. I've pixelated them and turned them into little game characters!#FINALLY!!#I never thought I would be going so far in the story to explain WHY Kris pulls out their SOUL and opens Darkfountains even when they killed #Berdly in Chapter 2. Pain can make people do horrible things.#Uhhhhhhhhh anyways. :3 I hope you liked it! I made this post a little too long for my liking and didnt get it out when i wanted too-#but thats okay! As long as people enjoy it :)#bread #art #deltarune chara timeline #deltarune chara timeline comic #seriously though #long post #man am I glad I switched over to the limited color palet! It helps me feel alot more relaxed uwu #This is....way over 16 hours of work q-q #chara #asriel #susie #kris #asriel dreemurr #kris dreemurr #kris deltarune #susie deltarune #deltarune #comic #my art

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prlssprfctn · 6 months ago

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I've been brewing this post for far too long in my drafts, but I need more doomed!Bruce and Jason throughout universes. And it is not even always about the same Jaybin, dying in the warehouse scenarios!

Sometimes Jason is just a kid, who died in front of Batman, who maybe jumped in between Batman and the villain recklessly, to keep him safe, and whose blood stuck under Bruce's nails. His face haunts him in nightmares, still.

In other realities, Bruce meets Jason as a teen, and they never even get to become father and son officially - but they slowly get into each other's lives, until something awful happens, leaving a ghost of a smirking kid stroll behind Bruce's hunched figure for the rest of his life.

Or maybe it is one of these realities, where Jason crawls out of the Alley Crime himself, and manages to become famous in Gotham; the one, where he opens a charity fond, dedicated to people, who fight with the drug addiction. Bruce Wayne is sympathetic of a kid he meets during some of the events, and as they slowly start contacting each other more often, getting closer, he promises himself to protect him. Expect, Batman is late to save Jason Todd from the hands of yet another villain.

It could be the priest Jason Todd that meets bleeding out Batman on the stairs of the church, and who helps him out, for what he later pays with his life. Or they are not really vigilantes in any of these universes - just father and son.

And in some of these universes, they reconcile. In one of them, some of the medics connect the dots that a catatonic boy, who is covered in dirt, calling for his dad, for Bruce is Bruce's Wayne dead son, and try calling him. In another, LoA!Jason with his memory still being in a haze, crosses his path with Batman, before getting dipped in the Lazarus Pit.

But the point stands.

In all of them, Bruce Wayne is too late. In all of them, Bruce Wayne fails to save Jason Todd.

#i actually have a specific scenario in my head #basically early 20tish Jason who works as a bartender in Alley Crime #and Bruce (still Batman) who never picked up anyone after Dick #but his relationship with Dick is still strained #they try to mend things but more often than not they can't find a common ground #Bruce once visits this bar where Jason works too tired and mourning his parents that day and Jason amuses him #Jason not instantly understands Bruce is Wayne until he leaves him tips higher than 1k dollars lol #Bruce starts visit more #Jason shares his lore a little - he was picked up by the owner of the bar as a kid #they talk about books and about the fact that Jason saves money for college #Bruce helps him out ofc #he invites him to meet Alfred and Dick #everything is okay #and then... Joker happens #he takes Jason as a hostage bc he figures out that Batman knows the boy #Jason atp knows that Bruce is Batman but never confronts him about it #this time Batman comes in time #Jason tries to kill Joker but Batman stops him #so Jason doesn't kill him #they hug #and when they hug Joker shots Jason #of course Batman blames himself lmao #he might or might not fail to keep himself in check and kills Joker after this #but he instantly leaves his cowl behind because he can't allow himself to live with what happened #if you want a happy ending red hood can return in the same manner as in canon but without beefing bruce ofc #jason todd #bruce wayne #red hood #batman

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humming-fly · 6 months ago

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Team Dark Week Day 7 - Live and Learning Experience

If he can pull this off he'll earn himself a wayfinding badge for his scout sash 👌

And that's a wrap on Team Dark week!! Bit quicker with the shading and background this time because 4 panels in this style takes forever actually h a h - that said I'll be touching them up before I post this whole week of panels as a master post soon (which will include some extra little doodles I didn't get to add to the main plotline), so keep an eye out for that!

And for those of you that have been following along daily, I hope you all enjoyed this silly little hiking story!

#team dark week #teamdarkweek #rouge the bat #shadow the hedgehog #sth #For those of you following me long enough the little sketchy compilation of jokes when I masterpost this should be quite familiar haha #I plan to touch up a lot of the panels first like adding actual backgrounds to this one and shading it properly lol #shadow's wearing hiking boots here so he's gonna have to hoof it manually wish him luck!#he'll definitely be leaning nonchalantly on the car by the time rouge gets there #(he only made it there 10 minutes before she did and was certainly not at all panicked he'd miss it no siree)#(rouge just so happened to be admiring her new jewels nearby for a cool 20 minutes so the timing worked out well~)#omega has gps but it's more honorable for shadow to win this fight to understand maps on his own #(it's funny)#comic #my art #doodles #realizing I inadvertently made rouge Way taller than shadow here lmaO #i'm leaning into it by this point she's tall and that's the canon I'll live by #okay time to sleep for 48 hours whOO

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chalkrub · 5 days ago

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final art fight revenges! the last two are woodburnings

had such an amazing year this year, thank you to everyone who attacked me i'm very overwhelmed with love and joy....never been so pummelled i really do appreciate it thank you <:'^) also managed to get 37 attacks done which is the most i've done since my first year i think? idk either way yippeee i'm feeling happy feeling good!! thanks for a great art fight!

#my art #art fight #artfight #artfight2025 #furry #anthro #dragon #woodburning #illustration #GOD. okay i'm gonna take. a few days off. partially through necessity cause i'm gonna be busy #with work and other more actually fun activities #but then i'm FOR REAL opening coms completely....which will take a while cause i hate all the previous prep i did for this lol #but not too long cause i need money #then i'm gonna make a genuine big effort to do my comic/graphic novel stuffs which is tbh mostly gonna be just for me #so i don't know how active i'm gonna be...august is usually slow for me anyway i'm busy as hell. and burnt out from art fight #also i love saying all this as if i'm ever consistent in sticking to plans #ANYWAY much love idk when i'll be posting again unless it's aforementioned com openings

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chubsonthemoon · 12 days ago

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AHHHHH oh my goodness!! I had the absolute pleasure of commissioning @moonartjb to illustrate a scene from my fic, when it comes my turn to lose you <3

thank you so much, moonri!! I'm so beyond happy with how it turned out, and it was such a pleasure commissioning you. forever in love with how tenderly you drew them, in love and in their own little world, together 🥹❣️

#arcane #jayvik #commission #art commission #my fic #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #this made my entire week i'm so!!! i can't stop staring at them T_T #like the LIGHTING?? HELLO???#i sent moonri like an 8-page google doc of vibes + poses + options ajslfkjs and GOSH did she deliver!!#this was my first time commissioning fanart for a fic i couldn't be happier #she was so communicative and sweet and wonderful to work with!! highly recommend!!#forever in love with the lighting and how tender they areee #gosh the environment is so gorgeously rendered like #every blade of grass and all the flowers and the trees and the SEA!! THE CLIFF!! AHHHH #and of course. Them. In Love. i'm melting #viktor's one little tear has me :'D #jayce staring at him like he's the whole world...bc he IS!!!#i wanna live here forever and ever!!#printed this out so i could add it to my fanart wall mwah <3 #okay crashout over lol #(for now)#tysm again!! <333

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inkperch · 1 month ago

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It annoys me when fic writers have Celine be like. Distant and generally non-affectionate to Rumi (and the other two, really)

Like... I know we don't get much of their dynamic, but what we do get is Celine gently braiding her hair while they sing together.

It's only the Patterns Celine couldn't love.

It wouldn't hurt nearly as much otherwise.

#Don't get me wrong she's absolutely portrayed as strict #But she's also portrayed as just casually reading magazines on the girls sofa while they try to invite Rumi to the bathhouse-#And mocking her BEING strict is a silly little in joke between the girls-#Like. This is mostly about Rumi but the other girls are ABSOLUTELY included lol-#Honestly it's an interesting little nuance to her character that for all she acts strict like. Her weapons were dual wielding daggers.#And for all she preaches the same 'our faults and fears must never be seen' that she was (presumably) taught like. Golden still exists.#It's not quite as raw and genuine as What It Sounds Like but it's definitely more genuine than that mantra would make you think-#And combined that with her absolute breakdown at Rumi pointing out that (by the mantra she believes in) Rumi should be dead....#(and the way Rumi reacts to that breakdown with 'aight imma break it. Clearly this isn't working-')#Celine is a lot more bark than bite when it comes to being a strict mentor is my point-#That is a LONG notes tangent lol #The tragedy of a character trying their best and fucking up more than if they never tried at all just gets to me okay-#I have a lot of Celine thoughts-#celine kpdh #rumi kpdh #kpdh #kpop demon hunters

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danieyells · 1 year ago

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Tokyo Debunker Stigmas, Artifacts, And Other Possibly Combat Relevant Information

Since we've met all of our current ghouls, I decided to share my non-comprehensive list of the stigmas and powers and weapons of the ghouls we've seen so far!! This isn't all of them because they haven't all been revealed or explained. But it should be everything we've seen so far! Let me know if/where I've missed things! I've also mentioned some other details for some of them, namely the less human ghouls.

Updated for: Episode 18

Jin Kamurai

Stigma

Incantation - Bianerus

Effect - forces the target to obey his command.

Currently cannot be activated without the PC's enhancement. At present, only Tohma, the PC, and few if any others know this.

Incantation can be recited mentally

Continuous commands("kneel") only seem to last a few minutes at most

Artifact

Sword - teleportation

Can be used to cut a portal into the air for teleporting someone with him, but doesn't appear to need this for just teleporting Jin

Teleportation takes more time depending on the distance from his current location to his target location

Cannot teleport out of a location that's being affected by an anomaly(such as an anomaly preventing entrance or exit from a location)

Jin is able to throw the sword quite precisely despite its size

Tohma Ishibashi

Stigma

Incantation - Argeas

Effect - "lets him send vibrations long distances"

Vibrations include the vibrations from his voice, allowing his voice to carry longer distances, making him heard further away

When enhanced he can break through anomalous soundproofing and better specify the direction his vibrations carry(as neither Kaito nor Luca heard his voice from outside the room)

Artifact

Halberd - ?

Able to tremble on its own. How much else it can move on its own is unclear.

Tohma claims it has a "troublesome" nature, and seeks to mow down anything in its path when it senses conflict and it takes a lot of effort to keep under control

Other

Tohma naturally has "brute strength" which, combined with his stigma, allows him to essentially make earthquakes.

Tohma has the trust of Darkwick, allowing him to easily get access to powerful common artifacts such as the skeleton key

Tohma takes alprazolam, "a fast-acting benzodiazepine used as both an anti-anxiety drug and a muscle relaxer. Used to manage anxiety, depression, insomnia, and physical symptoms caused by psychosomatic disorders." Tohma claims he takes them for headaches. Leo says they're very addictive and that Tohma has them refilled more often than is usual for headaches. It seems he's blackmailed a Mortkranken student into letting him have them. It's unclear if this is meant to be a sign of addiction or if they're actually necessary.

Tohma says he has "many attentive attending physicians" which may suggest some form of chronic medical problem.

Lucas Errant

Stigma

Incantation - Iggnaim

Effect - creates a barrier.

When enhanced the barrier becomes visible. It's significantly larger and supported by a large anomaly that's invisible to everyone but the PC and perhaps Kaito, even unable to be seen on cameras or by Luca himself.

The barrier doesn't appear to need to be around Luca specifically, as he protected Nina with it despite not being next to her. However it's uncertain how far he can project it as he was in the same room and for near her quickly to fight the Dullahan.

Artifact

Twin blades - ?

Appear identical aside from a difference in color.

Smashed through reenforced glass to choose him as their new master.

Apparently sound to Luca like a crying child. He believes the child must be begging for his help.

Other

Carries around a knife.

Kaito Fuji

Stigma

Incantation - ? (has an audio file, but the spelling hasn't been shown.)

Effect - "can see auras sometimes"

Does not need to be activated with his incantation, but appears to activate at random.

Auras have different colors for different people, allowing him to discern if an entity is the person they appear to be or not.

Hyde didn't sound certain about what it does.

Kaito has notably enhanced vision, able to see things that are further away and surprisingly makes him skilled at reading lips.

Kaito screams when Luca's stigma is enhanced, looking straight up at the anomaly it spawned despite no one else but the PC appearing to see it. While it's possible he only saw its aura, it's likely he saw the anomaly itself.

Artifact

Rogue bow - ?

Produces magic arrows that veer nonsensically off path when shot, except, seemingly, if there's a malicious or threatening target(?) at which point it will veer to save an endangered target(such as the ghost boy being taken by the arms) and/or go directly for the source of a threat or malice(such as the faceless anomaly about to attack the PC and Riku, the glowing grave of Natalie Hunt, or the mirror affected by the Mirror of Melancholy that was showing his grandmother.) When the magic arrow hit the glowing grave it "blew the whole thing apart." The same happened when it struck the mirror.

Other

Pretty acrobatic despite not training, flipping and cartwheeling across the graveyard to dodge the ghostly arms trying to grab him.

Alan Mido (Alan Todoroki)

Stigma

Incantation - Yagsal Olbalsa

Effect - ? "Seems to be an extremely dangerous ability" -B's Log

Seems to enhance his strength, as he punched Takeru's tulpa in half

Seems to make him uncontrollably violent, seeking to kill his enemies(looking for Takeru's tulpa's head and crushing his throat) and possibly reduces his awareness of his surroundings(light removed from the eyes of his sprite and panel art, grabbing and pulling the PC without realizing he was hurting her, continually attacking Takeru despite being aware he couldn't take him out with punching, only regaining his senses when Sho grabbed and spoke to him)?

Artifact

Lead pipe - ?

Leo Kurosagi

Stigma

Incantation - Haxs

Effect - super hearing.

Increases distance and precision of his hearing. Does not allow him to hear through anomalous soundproofing.

When enhanced increases distance further and allows him to hear through anomalous soundproofing.

Had the PC enhance it in order to find the escaping possessed guard during the prison riot. Uncertain if this allows him to hear ghosts or if he simply needed the increased precision due to the surrounding noise.

Makes Leo sensitive to sounds and noise even when it isn't active, resulting in noticing noises other people can't hear and frequent complaints when in noisy environments or around loud or high-pitched people.

Artifact

Bubble gum - can be manipulated into any shape when blown.

The longer it's chewed, the longer he can manipulate it

"So if I chewed this one a bunch and stuck it over your nose and mouth...

"...you'd suffocate. Bye bye Honor Roll."

suggests that it can't be removed until the time he's manipulated it runs out?

Cannot capture incorporeal targets.

Popping it can cause some form of damage, such as when he destroyed a Cyclops Eye in the staff room after covering it with the gum.

Shohei Haizono

Stigma

Incantation - Spurno

Effect - "just jams stuff"?????

Primarily seems to push things or result in change of direction, possibly able to cause sensory scrambling resulting in uncoordinated movement or temporary stunning(as with Takeru's tulpa?)

Leo says it can be used on incorporeal targets, but Sho says it can't take something down unless it's "super weak"

Used in Episode 2 to prevent Takeru's tulpa from walking straight

When enhanced in Episode 2, pushed Takeru's tulpa back with greater force, but didn't push him away, or cause him to release the PC(stunned him?)

Used in Episode 12 to remove the ghost of the prison guard possessing Alan and push the ghost into a cell to lock it there until it moved on

Artifact

Motorcycle - ?

Her name is Bonnie. She eats food placed in her fuel tank instead of gasoline, including chewing it and even burping. She's picky about what she eats. Her favorite food is barbecue sandwiches, but she also eats jerky.

If she isn't fed three times a day "she gets sulky and refuses to start." Her engine won't start at all if she's hungry.

She's described as a "large motorbike" by the PC's narration, and Subaru apologizes for the amount of space he's taking up on the wharf in Hotarubi to feed her, corroborating this.

She seems to have some control of her own movement as Sho rewards her for staying upright when stopped and made to buck by Luca's barrier.

Sho drives her just about everywhere and drives her around at Leo's request as well. She has a travel permit that needs to be shown when leaving and reentering campus, however she's able to break through the checkpoint with enough speed.

She's kept on her artifact chain when not ridden.

She's able to comfortably be ridden by two people but three is very tight.

Haru Sagara

Stigma

Incantation - Bahnti

Effect - reduces gravity's effects on his own body.

Reduced effect of gravity allows him to move extremely fast.

Makes his body much more fragile when used. Possibly includes weakening his immune system?

Artifact

Deck brush - ?

He rides around on it while distracting Otohime, skidding across the floor on the brush until he tips over.

Cannot damage incorporeal targets

Other

Right arm has been replaced with a prosthetic from Mio Susuhara after being broken by "Gen"(presumably Shion Genkai) which is currently damaged after he caught Ritsu's camera with it. Because of the current extent of the damage he was unable to perform labor tasks that require it and struggled some when playing volleyball.

Was an acrobat back in Dionysia, which explains his athleticism and flexibility and the like.

Claims to be a pacifist now, suggesting he was not while in Dionysia

Towa Otonashi

Stigma

Incantation - ? (has an audio file, but the spelling hasn't been shown.)

Effect - Controls wind and weather(?)

Towa exhibits control over weather as his primary ability, and he confirms it's his stigma when the PC asks in Episode 12.

Others' understanding of Towa's stigma is only that he controls lightning and that other weather patterns are random, not in response to Towa's feelings.

The weather reacts to Towa's emotions, causing the sky to darken in preparation of rain, lightning, or snowstorms when he's angry.

Towa is also able to predict weather that he doesn't control.

Towa can create lightning(which he uses to electrocute enemies), rain, wind(used to create a pillar of water for the PC to land on when falling off the boat, a whirlwind for gathering ducks, and to direct the rain sideways to wash bubble soap off of Kaito), snow, and possibly earthquakes(the ground is noted to start shaking in response to his anger.)

He 'rides the wind' in order to jump high as though flying

Artifact

Bubble wand - blown bubbles cause explosions.

The explosions are powerful enough to destroy glass that withheld a full grown Kraken.

Towa warns not to touch the bubbles, as they will kill you.

Not all bubbles seem to cause explosions as he blows bubbles from atop the Capybus without there being any harm done.

Other

Towa's nature is implied to actually be quite malicious and uncaring, especially towards things that are weak and especially towards humans, however he claims he changed because of "love." Several home screen lines, his full awakening line, and his response to being touched by the turtle anomaly in the Dragon Palace support that he hasn't fully changed his mindset, only represses it.

Towa cannot speak during the daytime and is only able to talk when it's night. This includes being in Obscuary, where it's permanently night, however the cover of clouds doesn't allow him to speak during the day meaning it's not related specifically to the visibility of the sun. However this is drawn into question when the presence of the giant cat anomaly in Episode 12 casts a shadow over him, briefly allowing him to speak.

Can speak to and understand anomalies, even those that lack speech capabilities(such as the tree on the hill.) Haru is aware of this ability.

Able to see and hear ghosts(Zenji) and possibly other things that only people who are "special" can see(the tree on the hill, which even Ed cannot see.)

When Towa is away from Jabberwock for an extended period of time(in Episode 4 it happened after 24 hours) the nature conditions deteriorated significantly, with water drying up and the sky dark despite it being sunny the previous day and the anomalies beginning to behave violently. According to Ed, if Towa is away from Jabberwock for too long the anomalies within will begin to die. Ed suggests that Haru is unaware of this fact. In Episode 12, despite being away for 3 days, this doesn't appear to happen.

Anomalies fear him and obey him, particularly when he's angry, even to the point of kneeling out of fear when he's furious. Normal animals experience the same fear, freezing and behaving anxiously in his presence.

Says the PC smells nicer than before, perhaps able to smell their curse's advancement due to the flowers that would grow on her as a Kyklos.

Ren Shiranami

Stigma

Incantation - Raothtas

Effect - ??????

B's Log: "According to him it seems to be a power with little use."

Was used to clean Calamari's ink from the floor when wiping it up normally failed.

Was used to boil water faster on the beach

Artifact

Swim ring - restrains target.

Cannot be removed by the wearer.

Has a rope attached that allows the wearer to be reeled in.

Cannot restrain incorporeal targets.

Taiga Hoshibami

Stigma

Incantation - Malab

Effect - ?

Artifact

Tommy gun - takes anything broken into small enough pieces and fired from it as ammo.

Damage type seems to vary based on what was placed into it. Shards of glass created a swirl of glass shards, whereas bronze from a statue shot heavier rounds.

Doesn't seem to require ammo to fire.

Doesn't seem to work on everything as Taiga says his bullets don't work on anything lately. Possibly limited to hostile entities? (He was able to shoot the Oblivion Dealer, but not able to shoot the Kyklos--which ran away--or the Barong--which was non-threatening.)

Other

Carries a knife and a pistol.

Appears to occasionally be aware of things that he has no way of knowing about, sometimes even seeming to know the future. Haru asks hin when several characters are returning, which suggests Haru is aware of this and occasionally asks him to predict outcomes.

Taiga asks Haru for a coin, saying he'll allow Haru to choose his desired outcome based on heads or tails. However it's uncertain if this means he can actually alter outcomes himself. His losing dialogue suggests that he attempts to, but doesn't always succeed.

Eats anomalies, though not exclusively, and gets hungry whenever he goes on a mission. His hunger for them results in varied behavior from minor irritation to nearly losing control of himself to the hunger. He can eat any physical anomaly thus far, being shown or referenced to eat anomalous animals, plants, objects, and "enzymes", and he finds anomalous plants and enzymes converted into beverages suitable for human consumption to taste unpleasant. He eats normal food and drinks normal alcohol without a problem. It's difficult to tell how he feels about and after eating anomalies, as it varies, although he enthusiastically expresses his desire to eat the Kyklos. It's hard to tell how new this behavior is as Romeo seems disgusted but not surprised by it and Taiga attempts to warns Romeo when he wants to eat the Barong mask(not in speech bubbles but able to be discerned in his audio.)

His hunger may be able to be triggered or increased by smelling or seeing anomalous blood(such as the PC's.)

His memory is very poor, although he can remember things and people with prompting.

Noted that, as he's not Haru, he can't jump up a building.

Romeo Scorpus Lucci

Stigma

Incantation - Tiris

Effect - "turns things into bombs".

Able to turn anything into a bomb, including non-explosive objects. Seems to require that he throws them?

The size of the blast depends on how attached to the target object its owner is. If Romeo truly values something he's blowing up, the explosion is quite destructive.

Hyde has him testing various types of prototype anomalous explosive materials for Darkwick on missions.

"To me, these prototypes are a path to catching anomalies in one piece." which implies most of Hyde's prototypes cause non-lethal explosions. One of his home screen lines mentions, for example, a tear bomb.

Artifact

Sniper rifle - bullets pursue targets until they're struck

Maintains his bullets himself.

Doesn't always carry the same types of rounds. For example, he only had smoke bombs in the prologue.

When used against the Arachne in Episode 9 it blasted a large hole into its head? However when he fired it to gain the attention of the audience and when he shot at the door in Episode 8 the impact didn't seem as great, suggesting the impact/size of his bullets varies as needed.

Other

Has the trust of Darkwick(or at least has Hyde's favor?) allowing him to carry around common artifacts as though he owns them(hammerspace briefcase which he added a custom case for; fox robe)

Implied to be missing his right leg or foot (likely having been replaced by a prosthetic like Haru's.) Kaito mentions that Romeo cannot run fast. He also shows noticeable pain and discomfort after being run into by Kaito.

Ritsu Shinjo

Stigma

Incantation - Acimo

Effect - hardens his body. Increases his weight.

The increased weight causes him to move more slowly while it's active.

Prevents damage from concussive attacks such as kicks and bullets. If you kick him while it's active it'll hurt you.

Doesn't seem to experience pain in this state.

Can survive explosions and escape from collapsed buildings unharmed, even to the point that his clothing isn't damaged or dirtied, suggesting that his stigma extends to his clothes.

Artifact

Compendium of Laws - ?

Has the contents memorized?

Taiga taught him to use it as a blunt weapon, although he forgot he did this.

Appears to glow somewhat when held, although what this suggests is unknown.

Subaru Kagami

Stigma

Incantation - Talnandio

Effects - psychometry.

Experiences memory fragments through almost anything he touches or that touches him.

Using it previously exhausted him to the point of needing a significant amount of rest, possibly even passing out shortly after usage. As of Episode 18 he has better control of it, having experimented in a way he couldn't explain the process of after Hyde had theorized during class that stigma control may be tied to a ghoul's emotional state, and he's able to use it without becoming as exhausted.

Passive, activates on contact with people, animals, anomalies, and objects without incantation.

He isn't able to see the residual thoughts of the Sky King on the riddle scroll in Episode 18, perhaps because he was too powerful of an entity to read the memory fragments of, or because his thoughts were beyond Subaru's comprehension.

Wears gloves and avoids crowded places to try and avoid accidentally setting it off. Feels bad about being able to learn people's secrets.

Artifact

Parasol - ?

Sturdy enough to destroy a possessed doll.

Haku Kusanagi

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Implied he prefers not using it?

Artifact

Flute - ?

Used flute to remove himself and the PC from Kisaragi Station, knocking them out with some sort of ethereal water and causing them to wake up back on the empty train car.

Other

Able to see and communicate with spirits.

Able to perform various rituals such as laying spirits to rest and making talismans that allow people close to a spirit to see and hear them.

"Cordoned off the area" of the train and station the PC was on, which should have prevented interference from civilians. May be part of his Artifact or Stigma, or part of his capabilities as a Shinto priest.

Performs the stigma test for Darkwick.

According to Taiga he's able to remove curses if the anomaly that caused the curse is in front of him. It's uncertain if this is his stigma, part of his artifact, or another power.

Haku has the trust of Darkwick, allowing him to easily get access to powerful common artifacts such as the skeleton key

Zenji Kotodama (Taro Kirisaki)

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Artifact

Doll - ?

Won't let anyone but Zenji and Jiro touch it. Protects Zenji and Jiro.

The PC dubs the doll Saburo when Lyca asks the doll's name as he cannot see or hear Zenji but he knows Subaru, the PC, and Towa can hear 'the doll' speaking. "Saburo" means 'third son', whereas Taro and Jiro mean first and second son respectively. Based on Zenji's reaction and that the Kirisaki brothers' naming convention was followed, this may be the third Kirisaki brother's actual name.

Heavily resembles his brother as a child, according to Zenji. When Zenji and the doll protected Jiro, Zenji said "You've always been there for him when he needed it most." suggesting that there may have been a third Kirisaki brother.

Appearance slightly changes to that of an oni when angered.

Has a mind of its own, or is perhaps possessed. Wanders around campus without Zenji, much to his concern. Has shown similar tastes and reactions as the little brother Zenji is reminded of, such as getting upset when Zenji fails to recognize a mask as not being "the red Powerful Ranger"

Able to damage and destroy ghosts?

Joined Zenji in protecting Jiro from being eaten by the Arachne and seemed to be fine after the Arachne was destroyed while it and Zenji were inside it. Attacked the Arachne from within (with Zenji?) to distract it with pain so Jiro could attack it.

Other

As a ghost, Zenji cannot be touched, meaning he can't be damaged or killed. However he covers his ears when Haku performs a ritual to lay spirits to rest and covers his face in Subaru's warding card with incense, suggesting that he would be laid to rest under the right circumstances.

Zenji is not bound to Darkwick despite being a ghost who died on campus, and can come and go as he pleases.

Darkwick is unaware Zenji is present as only Haku and Towa(and eventually Subaru and the PC) are aware Zenji's spirit lingers. If Darkwick were to become aware of Zenji's presence they would want him laid to rest.

Due to Obon, people in Japan are more sensitive to spirits and anomalies are more frequent, causing Zenji to sometimes be visible or audible during the summer.

Zenji brings his doll with him most everywhere, however people can only see the doll and not him. The same happens with his biwa. If he carries them, they appear to float.

Zenji is able to fly, although he normally sticks to walking.

Zenji can touch physical objects with sufficient practice(his doll, his biwa, and his phone) and his footsteps are audible if he doesn't silence them. When attempting to touch or even sit on something that he isn't accustomed to touching he simply goes through it. He can ride the Galaxy Express as well. Because one has to show their phone to the conductor cat to take the Galaxy Express, it's possible that the cats can see or hear him, but nonetheless they don't seem to report him.

Afraid of ghosts, possibly the dark, and maybe dead bodies. Seems to be afraid of 'scary' things in general.

Able to spawn clothes onto himself at will.

Edward Hart

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - ?

Artifact

Cane - ?

Ed mentions that their artifacts are frequently "inconvenient" during a discussion about whether or not Jin could use his sword to warp out of an anomalously affected location was possible, suggesting his own may have some sort of limitation. He implies this is deliberate on Darkwick's part.

Other

Edward is, or was historically, the world's strongest vampire, implying a great deal of hidden power. As he is 400+ years old, he knows a great deal about anomalies that Darkwick doesn't listen to for some reason. However being old has also made his body and mind much weaker. . .allegedly.

Ed has immense power, which we've only heard of him using on the singular mission he participated in. Using it he obliterated an anomaly and a building in such a way that Darkwick struggled to cover up(unlike Tohma's destruction which was able to be explained as poor maintenance and age) suggesting he more or less vaporized it. It's unknown if this is a vampire power or his stigma.

Ed is able to produce a purple mist that seems to be able to enthrall humans when inhaled(Rui and Lyca didn't need to hold their breaths when he used it but the PC did, suggesting it doesn't work on ghouls.) The PC mentions feeling "good", comfort, euphoria, her mind slowing down, light on her feet, and she began to think thoughts that aligned with what Ed wanted of her made and her body feel weaker. When she managed to fight against it and speak for herself Ed stopped producing the mist and she was able to recover quickly. When Ed used it on the humans in the mansion they experienced similar symptoms(feeling good and beginning to think they didn't need to call the police for help) but fell into sleep quickly unlike the PC. It is unclear whether or not this is his stigma or simply a vampire power.

Ed mentions on the home screen that there's a miasma in the garden of Obscuary that humans are susceptible to. He also mentions a miasma in the breeze during summer. It's uncertain if he's referencing the mist he produces, although it's unlikely in the second case as he mentions no desire to go outside.

If Rui touches him, the touched part will break off(at which point it can be reattached simply by pushing it back into place,) ache intensely for a time, or he will die temporarily.

As a vampire, Ed is immune to curses and is immortal. He claims that sunlight will eventually reduce him to ash and in the pre-prologue before jumping off of the balcony he implies that whatever is waiting for him at the bottom will be the death of him as well. One can become a vampire by drinking the blood of a vampire, and this will overwrite curses such as the Kyklos' curse. It's uncertain if this would overwrite Rui's reaper curse.

As a vampire, Ed is rapidly exhausted by sunlight. Sunlight won't kill him instantly, but it will cause him to collapse. He claims sunlight will turn him to ash eventually, and he cannot be outside in the sun without a parasol. If it's cloudy enough or he's in enough shade, Ed is able to be outside during the day. He's usually tired during the daytime, but still seems to sleep during the night. Despite these claims Ed was able to spend over a day exposed to the sun in Episode 17, although he was able to be in shade or inside of a building frequently, which suggests that his exhaustion by sunlight is somewhat exaggerated.

Ed seems to be weak to garlic, and he finds that it smells "unusual" when cooked.

Ed is physically and mentally weaker during summer months, but stronger during autumn and winter.

Ed primarily drinks tears, although he mentions that he does drink blood in his character story and on the home screen. He finds that human food doesn't taste like much of anything, and he doesn't need to eat it.

Ed is able to transform into a bat and fly around in that form. He doesn't seem to be able to speak in this form, only screeching and squeaking. Based on the campus chibis he may have bats as 'familiars' too.

Ed mentions that Lyca's soul is misshapen, however it's unclear if he can actually see his soul or if he was merely teasing him.

Ed cannot see the tree on the hill that Towa speaks to, but seems to be aware that something is there.

Ed has an enhanced sense of awareness, even to the point of slightly breaking the fourth wall on at least one occasion(referring to the PC's thoughts as "captions above her head".) He's aware of things like the presence of a forcefield around the island they were on in Episode 17 without any personal interaction with it as well.

Says he's saving his life force for Rui and won't easily give his life up to anything else.

Rui Mizuki

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - temporary relief of pain and discomfort

Incantation has only been said in his head.

It's unclear if blowing a kiss is required to activate it or if that's just for flair, but it did produce a gold smoke that applied to the hurt area.

Artifact

Scythe - allows Rui to conceal himself in darkness.

Rui admits to using his artifact to keep an eye on others on campus.

As long as there's shadows for Rui to hide in he's able to obscure himself, however the minimal shadows from the midday sun prevent him from having sufficient cover.

Other

Suffers from a 'Reaper Curse' which effectively makes him a reaper.

Cannot make skin contact with most living things without them instantly dying. This includes humans, animals, plants, and even mold! Sufficiently strong living things(such as Ed, a vampire) will not die instantly when touched, but most things are too weak to survive. On contact, the touched thing's life force is absorbed into Rui's body through his mouth as a sort of green smoke that emerges from them.

Absorbed life energy goes straight to his body, extending his life filling him with so much energy that it prevents him from sleeping. He keeps himself as busy as possible as a result of having so much energy to spare.

In the case of Ed the reaction we've seen in-game when he was touched was the touched limb popping off(resulting in a spray of blood.) On the home screen he mentions Ed simply dying temporarily on contact and Ed mentions places they accidentally touched aching nonstop. It's uncertain what other creatures are strong enough not to die right away and how they would be affected by contact.

Wears gloves, a turtleneck, and avoids crowded places to avoid committing manslaughter and killing anything he touches.

Has repeatedly told Ed that his "vessel isn't worth it" when Ed brings up giving him his life force.

Lyca Colt

Stigma

Incantation - Ramsochisa

Effect - allows him to follow any scent he's smelled before.

Artifact

Claws - ?

Other

Half werewolf. Able to show or hide his wolf tail and ears at will, but they pop up when he's sufficiently aggravated.

Transforms with exposure to the full moon. "The speed of his transformation is affected by how much he's exposed to moonlight and his mental state." Sometimes feels his skin crawling when the full moon is near?

Covering his head when he's outside under the full moon prevents or regresses his transformation. Collapses after his transformation regresses from half wolf and doesn't transform while unconscious. Nothing happens to him if he's not exposed to the full moon on a full moon night. Obscuary is always a crescent moon, allowing him to be there safely during a full moon.

Werewolves have four stages: Human, partial wolf, half wolf, and full wolf. At 'half wolf' Lyca is an anthropomorphic wolf. However, he loses control of himself after he's been transformed for a while, and may attack indiscriminately.

He doesn't remember much when he transforms. He might remember less if he fully transforms?

Yuri Isami

Stigma

Incantation - Agnihaet

Effect - "hyperstimulates his braincells"

"allows him to logically process information and solve complex equations almost instantaneously."

when enhanced seemed to make the information processing instantaneous and extremely accurate?

Artifact

Syringe - ?

Was used on Jiro before he fought the Immortal Inpatient. However because the reflected damage is because of Jiro's stigma it's hard to say what exactly the effect of Yuri's syringe is.

Other

Immune to Jiro's stigma for unknown reasons, allowing him to treat Jiro without taking damage.

Jiro Kirisaki

Stigma

Incantation - ?

Effect - Reflects any damage sustained back onto the one who dealt the damage

Activates automatically and involuntarily in response to sustained damage, without use of an incantation.

Anything that is injected into him will also be injected into the person who injected it into him. The same with someone trying to poison him. If someone tries to open him with a scalpel they'll also be cut open.

Does not work on Yuri for some reason, which is why Yuri is the only one who can treat him.

Artifact

Chainsaw - ?

Blunt, making it a bad match for webs(which simply got stuck in it) and things that need sharpness for effective cutting, but able to 'cut' through more solid things that don't require sharpness or precision, presumably by just crushing them with the rapidly spinning dull blades.

Other

Jiro is noted to be especially strong.

Jiro was in a coma from Eternal Slumber Syndrome until an undisclosed time ago, when Yuri was able to awaken him from it. When he was comatose and for how long and why hasn't been relayed yet, however he was said to be particularly violent during The Clash, meaning he was likely awakened before or during it, or fell into a coma during/shortly after it.

As a side effect of his condition and mysterious illness, Jiro has a poor memory, immunodeficiency, and his wounds reopen very easily. He occasionally has focal seizures.

Jiro normally needs four treatments a day, and they take around an hour to complete. Yuri is the only one who can administer them, and Jiro isn't able to do so himself. Even with his treatments he's forgetful and prone to being sick and has a bit of a fragile constitution. Abrupt changes in temperature, for example, make him choke.

As of Episode 9 and Episode 17, Yuri has worked on medication for Jiro that is able to be taken once every three and five days respectively while suppressing his illness and episodes to a minimum. Jiro is thus able to go on missions without Yuri, although he still intends to return in the event of emergency illness that his medication can't prevent

Jiro has experienced sudden attacks of his illness in the presence of the ghost of a young boy, mentions of his having a family, and at the sight of Zenji's birthday(June 19th.) In the latter case he reacted to the sight by ripping down the balloons that spelt out the date, which provided him relief. Hearing the PC say Zenji's name didn't result in the same response, however he did respond with an expression like hurt and a suspicious tone when the PC quoted Zenji.

Jiro doesn't react much to his wounds and being in pain, but he will eventually collapse from overexertion or illness if he misses a treatment or has taken too much damage.

#tokyo debunker #i was gonna tag everyone but i got too tired lol #danie yells at tokyo debunker #tdb ref #maybe someday i'll edit it to include sources for everything and maybe screenshots #but probably not because that's a lot #okay it's past my bedtime and i have dailies to do so #good night lmao #i'm sure i've missed stuff because i didn't do a lot of going back to double check lol #but this should be everything we know so far from the english translation and maybe some of the japanese #we didn't really get an explanation for how the pc's enhancement worked on yuri because the guy just kinda got brainblasted and figured out #what to do immediately so i just kinda guessed #take note of question marks because that's where i'm not certain i guess lol #okay time for dailies and bedtime #hope we learn more about the missing info soon

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125storejuice · 5 months ago

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Aaaand goodnight lol

#im eating carrots and hummus #and little bits of cheese #and i need to fold this huge pile of laundry on my bed #but also i wanted to do art and write #but its already almsot 2am #soooo yeah do i go for it #and stay up until got knows when #ph okay i forgot a part of the story #i forgot to get my sleeping meds and i ran out #because my brain is a little evil lol #so also i dont even know if i can fall asleep but #i sure can try #ive been doing the whole trying for an early bedtime thing #sometimes it works lolol #dsj

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northstarscowboyhat · 5 months ago

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The Empress and her loyal Guard.

Remember the UTY/UT cast Swap AU I briefly talked about a while ago? I finally finished my half of the designs, so @gaymeatcore and I can finally share our work LOL. They designed and drew Ceroba, and I designed and drew Starlo!

Ceroba swaps with Asgore, and is the ruling Empress of the Underground. Suffering from the loss of her daughter as well as her now ex-husband Chujin stepping down from his throne in order to focus on his scientific pursuits, she is consumed by grief and is desperate to obtain the needed human SOULs in order to break the barrier. She often isolates in her palace, not wanting her subjects to see how close to a break down their rule is.

Starlo swaps with Undyne, and is a humble-farmer-turned-Royal Guard. He took up the position solely to offer Ceroba some comfort and familiarity as her life turned to turmoil. Though he's miserable with the strict rules and protocol of Royal Guard, he maintains his post solely for Ceroba's sake, even if he knows deep down he can't kill any humans that may wander into the Underground.

Just for fun, here's my design notes for Starlo! In this version of the Underground, the royal guard (and Underground at large) has a Japanese theming and setting, so the guards have samurai inspired armor. Wanted Starlo's armor to, ironically, not fit him in the slightest since he's stifling himself into a role that doesn't suit him at all. (Forgot to put it in the notes on the image but the thing on his back is his rifle which is his main weapon here!)

#undertale yellow #uty #staroba #starlo x ceroba #starlo uty #ceroba uty #undertale yellow swap au #Staroba Swap AU #<- Tag for this AU #the cowboy hat draws #HI EVERYONE PLEASE LOOK AT EMPRESS CEROBA. QUEEN. QUEEN. ACID DID AN AMAZING JOB #I'm not super happy with how Starlo turned out but that's okay I'm just glad I finished this LOL #Hi I'm still insane over this AU!#I need to draw them together OMG I'm insane #No one is obligated of course! But if anyone does wanna draw this AU pleasee please please tag me and Acid #Even if you use your own designs or do your own spin I would LOVE to see it!#The people who drew this concept did amazing work I still stare at them all the time

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cowboyemeritus · 5 months ago

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this is a weird one chat I won’t lie

cw: mild gore, sexual content, discussion of self harm and suicide

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was…” How long has it been? The fact that you even have to ask yourself that only makes the well of shame burn in your belly that much hotter.

You’re already choking. So much for thinking this would be easy.

“It was,” a gentle, tenor voice prompts from the other side of the screen. You raise an eyebrow, expecting the gruff baritone of Father Myles. From your knees, you can just barely make out a silhouette through the lattice, but it’s nothing more than an indistinct blob of shadows. You swallow down a nervous lump, knowing the man’s identity doesn’t really matter; he’s a stand-in for something much, much greater.

“A month ago?” Already, your cheeks are burning. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.” The Father is silent; it takes you a moment to remember you’re supposed to be talking. “These are my sins…” You let out a long sigh, knowing you need to spit it out already. Repeating the sign of the Cross and clutching your rosary a little tighter helps settle your nerves. “I’m- I just feel uncertain, is all.”

“You are having doubts?” Something about his words, though spoken so softly, cuts through to your very center. Who is this man? A visitor to the monastery? A friend of Father Myles?

“I-” No use obfuscating. He has already read your heart. “Yes, Father.”

“I see.” You hear a page turning, then the clicking of a pen. “And why do you feel this way?” The question has the anxiety bubbling up in your stomach again. Your palms clam up, muscles locking. You shake your head, a quiet voice screaming at you to abort! abort! abort!

“I’m like Thomas,” you mutter. “I have to see the nail marks. I have to put my hand into His side and feel the wound myself.” What would His flesh be like beneath your curious fingertips? Would it be cold to the touch, dusty from the Sepulcher, or would it be as warm and supple as it was on the Cross? “I want to believe.”

“Of course you do.” More pages turning. “But ‘blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’” You want to roll your eyes. Even Father Myles could do better than that.

“I know.”

“Belief seldom comes easily, but it is always a worthy pursuit. Remember Peter, who despite his unbelief was able to walk across water.”

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

“I remember, Father.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.” You suspect he knows this is a lie, but he says nothing. “For these and all of my sins, I am truly sorry.”

You’re not going to back out this time. You told yourself you wouldn’t, and trying to ignore the problem had only made it worse.

“What troubles you today?” The stranger again. He asks not in the what could you possibly want this time way that Father Myles does, but in a manner that tells you he truly wants to listen, that he really cares.

It’s refreshing.

“I lied to you, Father.” You sigh, twisting your rosary around one finger. The tip begins to turn a purplish-red. “The last time I was here, I had more to confess, but…” Your throat feels tight, squeezed shut by an invisible hand. Already, your eyes sting with forthcoming tears. You feel weak, filthy, like a little bug. “It’s too shameful.”

“There is no shame here,” the man states. “Only truth.”

What an odd thing to say.

“Speak, my child.”

“I can’t.” You’re hair’s breadth away from turning tail again. “I-”

“‘If we confess our sins,’” he interjects, “‘he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’” Though he doesn’t raise his voice at you, his words carry commanding power like that of an emperor. Before you can stop yourself, your lips are moving, his melodic timbre bidding you speak, cementing you in place so that you can’t possibly run away.

“I’m been having thoughts, Father.” You swallow, feeling heat creep into your flesh at the mere mention of your problem. “Impure ones.”

The mysterious priest hums in acknowledgement. It’s a rich, sweet sound, like honey. “What are the nature of these thoughts?” You bite your lip, parsing out your next words carefully.

“Lustful,” you admit. “Mostly.”

“Lustful…” There’s something a little less tender in the way he says it. “Are these thoughts about someone in particular?”

“Not really.” Now that you’ve gotten the ball rolling, the rest comes easier. “Just about what it would be like to be with another person. Touching, being touched; what it would feel like to…” You suck in a harsh breath, trying to fight the warmth building deep in your abdomen, the tingling sensation blooming between your legs. “To-”

To be taken?

“Excuse me?”

“I said nothing.” You can hear pen on paper. Dear Lord, he’s taking notes. “Please, continue.”

There’s a fogginess in your head, like the booth is filled with smoke. You clap your hands against your cheeks, trying to wake yourself up. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“These are not the only thoughts you’re having?” Your head comes to rest against the wall, producing a small thump. You just had to go and open your mouth…

“No.”

“Then, what else?”

“I’m wrathful, Father.”

“Why?”

This gives you pause. You hadn’t really considered it until now, just felt the rage and then the shame that came with it. “I don’t know.” Your gaze wanders to the curtain, covetously eyeing the sliver of afternoon light peeking out from under it. “Probably because I’m stuck in here, when I could be out there, doing anything else.” Realizing what you’ve just said, you clap your hands over your mouth. Your rosary falls to the floor, beads drumming against the carpet. “I’m sorry,” you sputter, “I didn’t mean-”

“This is a life that demands personal sacrifice,” the Father says, silencing you. “You’re not the first person to feel this way, and you won’t be the last.”

“But I love Him,” you mutter, pulling a loose thread from your habit. “I thought it would be easy.”

“My child, nothing in life is easy.”

In your dream, the halls of the monastery are labyrinthine — twisting, winding, and seemingly endless. The shadows bend and warp, morphing into terrible, monstrous shapes. As you run by their clawed hands reach for you, grabbing and scratching at your ankles. One manages to get a grip and pulls you down to meet the cold marble floor, knocking the wind out of you. As you lay there, coughing and gasping for air, your eyes fall upon your assailant. In an instant, the shadow changes, shifting and bubbling until it coalesces into the familiar figure of Sister Felicity, who always has a kind word. Relief washes over you, and you extend a hand, begging for her to help you up. She just scowls.

“Sinner!” Her words are like a knife, gouging a hole in your chest. Confused and scared, you scoot backwards on the cold floor, trying to get away. When you make contact with a hard body, you look up and find the imposing figure of Brother Jeremiah looming over you.

“Blasphemer!” All around you, the dark figures transform into your Brothers and Sisters. They gnash their teeth at you, hurling insults. With a cry, you scramble to your feet, but only make it a few paces before you slam into another one of the creatures. To your utter horror, his one has the face of Father Myles, his normally indifferent deadpan plastered over with a fury that makes your blood run cold. He holds up a notebook, and despite your fear a deep sense of humiliation creeps in.

Scrawled on the pages in red ink are the words “DOUBTS” and “LUSTFUL.”

“Whore!”

The creatures begin to laugh. Their mocking chorus is amplified as it bounces off the vaulted ceiling, quickly becoming so loud that it shakes the whole building. Your ears scream, the pain splitting your skull as you run, not caring where you go as long as it’s away from this dreadful place. The creatures tear at you, their claws shredding your habit so that it falls away, leaving you naked and covered in stinging, bleeding cuts.

You blink, and find yourself in the chapel. It’s quiet and deathly still. Despite the late hour, a censer burns in the corner, the aroma of frankincense heavy in the musty air. The candles are still lit, casting the ancient space in a pale, orange glow.

“Lord, help me.” Your legs finally give out as you collapse in a sobbing heap before the altar. The air feels thin, like you’re on top of a mountain, and though you gulp it down like water, your head won’t stop spinning. “Why is this happening?”

A cold, forceful gust of wind blows through the room. You look up, expecting more of the awful creatures, but find that you are still alone. Candles extinguished, the room is cast in darkness, the shadows still and monolithic. Heaving a sigh of relief, you wipe away the tears streaming down your face. Maybe He can hear you after all.

Outside, the clouds part. The full moon shines in through the stained glass, bathing the chamber in a kaleidoscope of color. Mesmerized, you follow a beam of silver light across the room to where it lands on the confessional. The curtain is pulled back, though the inside is nothing but a black void.

You feel compelled to throw yourself into it.

Slowly, you rise to your feet. Your gait is jerky, oddly stiff as you stalk over to the booth, like your movements aren’t your own. As you approach a sense of dread overtakes you, a voice in your head screaming at you to run, to resist. Something terrible lurks in the inky blackness, waiting to swallow you whole.

Confess, the darkness calls. It has a soft, gentle voice, like that of an angel. Try as you might, you can’t possibly break the spell it has cast.

Suddenly, you’re on your knees, enveloped in the pitch black of the booth. The walls are closing in. You reach for the curtain but find only a hard wood panel. Screaming until you can’t, you’re stuck, kneeling as the breath is squeezed out of your lungs, your bones cracking and breaking. It’s agony, and even as the darkness consumes you, every nerve is on fire. In your last moments, you’re able to muster the strength to look up at the screen, desperately searching for proof that you’re not alone in death.

“Forgive me, Father,” you choke, vision fading.

A shadowy figure watches your suffering from the other side of the lattice. In one hollow socket, an eye glows ghastly white.

I cannot, my dear.

“They won’t stop,” you groan. “The thoughts, the dreams; they won’t leave me alone.”

“I imagine that is quite… distressing.” A severe understatement.

“I don’t know what to do.” The tears are coming back. “I’ve been praying, asking God for help, but it only gets worse.” A single droplet slides down your cheek, dripping onto your leg. You draw in a breath, readying yourself for the next admission. “I want to hurt people.”

The Father is silent, and for a moment, you fear he’s fled. “Who?”

“My Brothers and Sisters, Father Myles... Myself.” Your rosary hangs around your neck and you pull on it hard, feeling the beads dig into your skin. “Every day, I have to sit there and watch them judge me. They can see I’m a sinner, but no one will help me. I know I shouldn’t, but I hate them. I hate all of them.”

Not him, though.

“What do you want to do to them?” Your eyes screw shut, feeling the shame gnaw at the inside of your stomach.

“I just wanted to hit them at first. Punch them, kick them. But now…” The sobbing begins again.

“Now, what? Tell me.”

You let out a wail. “I crave blood, Father! I want to feel it, taste it, paint this whole place with it.” Collapsing forward, your fingers twist into your hair, nails digging into your scalp. “I’m so afraid. Why is God doing this to me?”

“His will is beyond human comprehension,” he says. “Job was an upright man, and yet his sufferings were endless.”

A node of something — anger? — forms in your chest. “You think He’s testing me?”

“It is not my place to-”

“What did I do to deserve this? What reason did I give Him to doubt my faith?”

“Be strong, and-”

“He wants me to fail!” You let out a few sobs, wishing you could take back your words. Your skin crawls, knowing He’s watching. “I didn’t mean that.”

The Father sighs. “It’s clear you are under a lot of stress. Humble yourself before Him, and He will give you the strength to overcome this.” You can hear him scrawling something in his notebook. “One hundred Hail Marys, and reflect on the blessings the Heavenly Father has bestowed upon you. What the Lord gives, he can also take away.”

Why you thought he was different, you don’t know.

You gasp, jolting upright. Your skin is dewy with cold sweat, your mouth dry.

Another night, another horrible dream.

With a groan, you pull yourself out of bed. It’s a short walk to the washroom, but your muscles, your very bones, ache with fatigue. Returning to sleep, though, will be nigh impossible. The next best thing, you’ve come to learn, is to rise off the stickiness so you can at least lay comfortably in your bed until it’s time to get up for Prime.

You shower quickly, still making an effort to not be wasteful. The feeling of eyes on you, lingering from the dream, helps. It’s as you’re toweling off, trying not to think about your chores for the day, that you catch a red stain on the off-white linen. Confused, you unfurl the towel, finding it covered in splotches of crimson.

Then — only then — do you notice the wounds on your hands. Through the deep gouges, you can see that your feet bear similar marks. Blood is smeared across the tile floor, leading from the door, to the shower, to the sink.

You cry out, whipping around to look in the mirror. Staring back is a vision of yourself in death, pale and emaciated. Your eyes are lifeless, the skin under them swollen and purple. Through cracked lips, your teeth are stained red, the taste of metal overpowering. There’s a twinge of pain in your side, and your heart stops when you see the deep, oozing gash between your ribs. You double over, retching into the sink. More blood issues forth, the droplets like rose petals against the porcelain.

“What’s happening to me?”

Overhead, the florescent lights flicker, and then shut off. The air grows frigid, your sallow skin breaking out in gooseflesh. Hacking up a clot of blood and tissue, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you become aware of a presence behind you. Your muscles lock up, fear penetrating to the very core of your being. You don’t want to look, but your body moves on its own, back straightening with a series of sickening pops and cracks.

By the light of that sinister white eye, you can just barely make out the vague, dark figure behind you. It towers above you, inhumanly so. You want to scream, to run, but you’re frozen in place, barely able to breathe. A chromatic, skeletal hand, gleaming in the low light, appears in the mirror, snaking over your shoulder to grasp you by the chin. The metal is so cold it burns, but the touch is delicate, as if afraid to break you. A tear spills over, cutting a trail down your cheek. The figure swipes it away with its thumb.

Do not be afraid.

The voice is at once comforting and hauntingly familiar, like an old lullaby. Though it chills you to the bone, you can’t help but hang on to every word, as if it were the key to your salvation. A second, cold hand finds your hip, though this time it sends a blissful sensation up your spine. You let out a pathetic noise, unable to control yourself, and the creature laughs.

“Save me,” you murmur, finding your voice.

It doesn’t answer, instead dragging its hand up your side, bony fingertips tracing the contours of your ribs. Your heart noticeably quickens as it approaches the wound, but with anticipation rather than fear. Slowly, it draws its index finger around the slit, relishing in the softness of the skin there. The pleasure is so intense your knees buckle, though the figure holds you upright. It’s otherworldly, like nothing you’ve ever felt before, and for a fleeting moment you have to wonder what good all these years of depriving yourself has really done.

That moment is over quickly. In a long, smooth motion, the metal appendage finds its home in your side. Your stomach flips, a moan wrenching itself out of you as blood pours from of the wound afresh, cascading down your body to pool at your feet.

“Save me,” you mewl, back arching as the shadow begins to pump its finger in and out. “Oh, save me, save me, save me…” You’re not sure what’s happening, but it feels like something is on the horizon; a tidal wave, coming to crash on your shore and wash everything away. This only encourages the mysterious specter, its pace increasing as it adds another digit.

Give in, is all the familiar voice says.

You snap awake. It’s like you’re falling, body convulsing with a frantic, wild energy. Rapturous. If you weren’t so certain of your damnation, you would think you had died and gone to Heaven.

The euphoria is quickly replaced by soul-crushing shame.

Tearing the sweat-soaked covers away, you take flight. Without thinking, your shaking legs carry you to the back corner of the chapel, and before you know it, you’re kneeling in the confessional, hands clasped tight. You try to speak, but only sobs come out.

“What’s wrong?” Of course it’s him, but at this hour? Your cheeks flush, finally realizing it had been that sweet, gentle voice that had brought you to the height of ecstasy mere moments before.

“I am damned, Father!” Then, more tears. The priest lets you cry until your throat is painfully tight and you think you might vomit. Once your sobs turn to whimpers, he speaks again.

“Tell me.”

You sniffle, gut twisting. Nevertheless, the words spill out like water. “My urges; I gave in.”

“And?” You know what he’s looking for. There’s no point in hiding it from him.

“I liked it.” Even now, you want more. “I’ll never be free of this, will I?”

“It is the nature of humankind,” the Father says. “You are only a prisoner if you allow yourself to be one.”

“No,” you whine, knocking your head against the wooden paneling a few times. “No, no, no!”

“You are at a crossroads. Will you live by your nature, or reject it?”

“I don’t know,” you whimper, snot dribbling down your chin. “Tell me what I should do.”

He hesitates. You can hear him let out a tense breath. “You have to decide for yourself.”

“Don’t make me.”

“You must!” A long, pregnant silence hangs over the booth, the same primordial terror you had felt in the dream gripping your very soul.

This man… No…

“Father,” you ask, “how do you know when God is speaking to you?” Grimacing, you pull on a thread of skin around one of your fingernails. “I’ve spent my whole life praying, worshipping, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt His presence.” A droplet of blood, like a ruby, begins to well up. “It is possible to be deaf to the voice of God? That’s what it feels like.” Without thinking, you stick the digit in your mouth, shuddering as the taste of iron coats your tongue. Realizing what you’ve done, you gasp, stomach churning with repulsion. Your breath starts to go ragged, fresh tears pricking in your eyes. “Father?”

“I cannot answer you, my dear, for I do not know.”

Something inside of you dies.

“‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’”

Leaves crunch under your bare feet. Twigs snap and splinter, digging into your soles, but you hardly notice.

“‘He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.’”

Between the trees, you can see the lake. The moon shimmers on the surface, the ripples like little silver fish. It calls to you.

“‘He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.’”

You’re in no rush as you walk out onto the dock, though it’s so cold your fingers and toes are numb. Breathing deeply, you can still smell smoke on the night air. They’ll be coming for you soon. It steels your nerves, the last traces of doubt ebbing away.

“‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’”

You look at your hands, covered in soot and dirt. Your fingernails are bitten to bloody stubs, cuticles picked away as if by carrion birds. They are sinful hands, once devoted to prayer but now are good for nothing but indulging in vice and doing the Devil’s work. With these hands, you have dragged yourself into the very depths of Hell.

“‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.’”

You take a step closer to the edge, and then another. A cloud passes over, plunging you into darkness. The surface of the lake resembles a black hole, eager to gobble you up. Like the vacuum of space, the water is deathly cold this time of year. It won’t take very long at all for you to succumb.

“Amen.”

Arms open, you’re about to let yourself fall off the dock when a familiar awareness overtakes you. The moon reappears from behind the clouds, and the terrain is once more cast in an ethereal, silver-blue glow.

He’s standing on the water, watching you from the deepest part of the lake. That horrid white eye twinkles like a star, a cheap imitation of the Heaven you’ll never reach.

Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.

Your muscles slacken, and you fall to your knees, screaming and sobbing and pulling at your hair. The figure stands there, motionless, as you crumble to pieces. He is at once alluring and repulsive, and for as much as you still want to drown, you are drawn to him like a moth to flame.

“Lord,” you croak, tears streaming down your face. You sniffle, then take a steadying breath. “If it is you, command me to come to you.”

Come to me, dearest.

Shakily, you rise to your feet, eyes darting between the shadow and the edge of the dock. He raises his hand, bones shining like diamonds in the moonlight, and beckons you forth. Your chest is tight with apprehension as you take a step down, fully expecting your foot to sink into the icy water.

It’s as firm as the wood beneath the rest of you.

The rush of adrenaline is instantaneous. It’s like you’re flying; it’s better. You plant your other foot down on the surface of the lake, take a few shaky steps, and before you know it you’re running to him, gliding across the water like it’s ice. It ripples with every stride, splashing your legs, but you never once sink or slip.

As you approach the figure, the shadows seem to pull away, revealing him to you in full for the first time. Most of him is still obscured, body draped in long, purple robes, his face hidden behind a mask. There is clearly flesh on him, though, as beneath the metallic, skull-like facade, his painted lips are full and temptingly soft. Curls of black hair frame his face in a manner reminiscent of classical sculpture. His other eye is light in color, blue or green, though it’s difficult to tell in the darkness.

Your angel of death. He is dreadful. He is beautiful. You fall on your knees before him, arms open in supplication, eyes full of joyful tears.

“Lord, save me.”

You of little faith. You must save yourself.

He extends his hand. Without hesitation, you take it, and know you are finally free.

#my writing #the band ghost x reader #papa v perpetua x reader #before you ask im… okay #I’m so afraid to post this but I’ve worked on it too much to back out now lol #I have so many Perpetua thoughts and it’s like a 50/50 split between normal and completely deranged #yall get the deranged today #UGH TAKE IT

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