#I know he's down there

[overdevelopedglasses]

Tojoctober Day 17 - Sport

(It's a fight for our paradise)

Alt title is from “Savior”, the opening song of Astral Chain

While on the run after the 3K plan is enacted, Daigo makes a visit to someone who could at least assist in taking his mind off of things. Baseball ensues.

(Yakuza 5/6 spoilers)

—-----------------------------------

Daigo walks up onto the rooftop of a familiar building in Kineicho. He really hadn't moved all this time? Daigo wondered, looking at the small squat room in front of him, blocked by a door he didn't really recall being that put together. Still, it had been seven years since he was here last time, and he had told himself he'd visit more often, but business with the Tojo Clan had kept him within the confines of Kamurocho. Even now, things were happening in a very strange way, and Daigo was once again making a huge gamble, with only a few people even in the know. 

If anything, this trip was to clear his head before he had to put it on the chopping block.

Daigo walks up and raps on the door twice. He hears a bit of shuffling, a swear, and the door opens.

The man on the other side doesn't seem to have changed too much. His shoulder length black hair is a bit more put together than it once was, and his scruffy mustache and beard were a bit more grown in. His brown suede jacket is entirely zipped up, which complimented his nicer pair of black pants he has on.

This man, one Tatsuo Shinada, doesn't say anything, but stares at the chairman, eyes and mouth wide.

“Um…. hi, Tatsuo.” Daigo shuffles around awkwardly, not entirely sure how to go about anything. He was too used to the yakuza, which is an even harsher adjustment when he's the one sitting at the top of the pecking order. He has to discern the people kissing up to him with the ones actually worth a shit. So, to speak to someone who's his equal, that's not something Daigo’s accustomed to, especially when they aren’t yakuza.

“Well, holy shit! Dojima-kun, you should’ve told me you were coming!”

Shinada's expression broke into a big grin as he enthusiastically clapped Daigo on the shoulder. "It's been too long!"

Daigo let himself chuckle, a bit of relief washing through him. "It really has. Sorry it took me so long to get here."

Shinada spins around and lets Daigo into his abode. It looks even better than when he was here last. All of the furniture that was now in the space looks more new than the dinky stuff Shinada had in here seven years ago. His futon, cabinets, everything just had a little bit more class to it. Shinada pulls out two different cushions, places them next to each other at the table, and the two men sit. Daigo stares at the table, a nice walnut finish, not exactly sure what to say or do. Shinada, thankfully, picks up the threatening slack.

"So, what brings you to Kineicho?" Shinada looks at Daigo quizzically. Daigo knows he can trust Shinada, at least, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. He makes eye contact with his former classmate. 

"Well… there's a lot happening within the underworld, especially the Tojo Clan. I wasn't safe where I was, so my best men and I went into hiding."

Shinada looks bewildered, "So, are you supposed to be here, Dojima-kun?"

Daigo shakes his head "Save for the ones I left Kamurocho with, no one knows I'm here. Have to keep a bit of a low profile, sure, but no one said anything about not having a bit of fun," Daigo flashes a mischievous smirk, and Shinada begins to laugh.

"Well, damn, never expected you to be a rule breaker!"

Daigo starts to chuckle again, and the room is filled with laughter. 

When the laughter dies, the two men quickly begin to fill the space with conversation. Daigo tells Shinada that he had gained and lost a father, which left Shinada looking both confused and worried. Daigo was quick to assure him that his advisors, sister's family, and uncle have been keeping him company. The Tojo Clan was a subject Daigo avoided, but after what happened in 2012, he is a bit relieved that Shinada didn't poke into that heaping mess. He does mention his trips to Okinawa, and Shinada asks if he could potentially join him one day, which brings a smile to his face.

Meanwhile, Daigo is shocked to hear that Shinada and Milky are planning on getting married, despite Shinada's living situation. Apparently he had been saving his money and hopes to get a house with her by the end of the year. He had started writing creative stories a few years ago, and was starting to make a name for himself as a writer. He had really found a second home within Kineicho, and Daigo’s heart warmed at this fact. He was already proud of his friend and former classmate before this impromptu visit, but he could sense his pride growing as their conversation deepened.

The long conversation found its way to passions, and Daigo mentioned baseball, as that was the start of everything for the two of them. Well, that and the yakuza. Daigo doesn't want to think about the second thing right now. Thankfully, Shinada answered his question with enthusiasm. 

“Yup! I still frequent the batting cages, although it feels nice that I don't have to play it in secret. I've been coaching a few of the kids in town too! Wait a sec… Dojima-kun, do you even know how to play baseball?”

Daigo gave pause. Sure, he liked watching the local team, and his advisors (along with Akiyama and Haruka's unit) dragged him to a game one day a couple years back for his birthday. However, in terms of the game itself, he barely knew a baseball glove from a bat, let alone how to swing it outside of a fight. “...No?”

“NO??? Well, I know what we’re doing!” Shinada leaps from his seat and snags a bag sitting near his bed. He darts behind Daigo, grabbing both of the baseball bats that hang by the door.

“Tatsuo, I just said I have to keep a low profile!” Daigo shouted, but his words are lost on the man, since Shinada is sprinting out the door. All Daigo could do was sigh to himself and follow after him.

After a cab ride, where Daigo somewhat scolded, somewhat laughed with Shinada, they arrive at the baseball field just outside of town. The stadium is empty, as the baseball season hasn’t started yet, according to Shinada. Daigo stood in the middle of the field, on what Shinada described and he remembered as the pitcher’s mound. The winter air was cold, but refreshing, and Daigo finds himself enjoying the peace and quiet the field held within. All he could hear were birds and the occasional car passing by. 

That is, until he hears his "coach" grunting in the distance.

“Dojima-kun! Could you help?”

Daigo looks to his left, and sees Shinada pulling on… a pitching machine? He only knows what that is from seeing one in the 80s at the batting cages.

“Where the hell did you find that, Tatsuo?”

Daigo walks over to grab the other end of the machine, and Shinada leads them back to the pitcher’s mound.

“I had a feeling there was one around here, at least there was one at my old field, and it turns out there was one here too!”

Daigo almost drops his side of the machine, “You mean to tell me you had no idea if there was actually one of these here?” “Doesn’t matter now!”

The two men place the machine on the pitching mound, and Shinada runs off to go grab some balls. Daigo is put in charge of getting the machine to turn on.

He looks around the machine, and finds a switch on the side of the machine. Flicking it into the “on” position didn’t do anything. He shakes the machine slightly. Nothing.

“Well… maybe this?”

Daigo decides to take a page out of Majima’s book, and kicks the machine at its base.

It roars to life.

“Nice job, Dojima-kun!” Shinada emerges from inside the stadium with a bag full of baseballs.

Daigo decides not to tell Shinada how he made the machine turn on. 

“Thanks. Works like a charm.”

Shinada pours the bag of balls into the machine, then goes to hand a baseball glove to Daigo.

“Knowing how you were built several years ago, and from the looks of it you haven’t changed too much, I think the best fit for you is fielding. Essentially, take that glove- no, it goes on your other hand. I’m going to hit balls into the field and your job is to catch them.”

“Uh… I won’t get hurt by this, will I?”

“If you don’t get hit!”

While the statement doesn’t encourage Daigo one bit, there wasn’t a better way to spend the evening. He takes off his jacket, the T-shirt underneath not doing much to shield his upper body from the wind chill. 

“Let’s do this thing, Dojima-kun!”

With the pitching machine fully working, the baseball field is filled with the noises of machinery, cracks of a baseball bat, and various noises from both men. Daigo doesn’t do too great fielding at first; some of the balls do smack him in various parts of his upper body, earning a loud laugh from the batter. Daigo soon learns where Shinada is most likely to hit the balls that come towards him. He ends up throwing the balls into the center of the field, sometimes landing them back into the machine, and Shinada always shouted in joy when he noticed it happening. 

There is a point in their practice where Daigo decides to completely take his shirt off, the promise of unhindered sweat winning against the discomfort of the winter chill. He hears Shinada shout something about his tattoo, but he ignores it since he’s almost hit by another wayward ball.

After a long while, the last ball Shinada hits is a pop-fly, and Daigo, to his surprise, catches it, throwing it swiftly back towards Shinada. 

“Nice one, Dojima-kun!”

Daigo shouts in victory, “Yooooooou’re out, Tatsuo!”

Tatsuo lets out a loud laugh, “You got me. You had great form at the end.”

Daigo meets him in the middle of the field, both men breathing heavily. The evening had turned into night, and the floodlights of the stadium were not turned on, leaving both men only illuminated by the moonlight.

“That was really fun, Dojima-kun. Thank you for indulging me.”

Daigo finds himself smiling. “No, thank you. I think I needed that. I’m supposed to be here for a few days… maybe we can come back out tomorrow?”

It’s hard to see in the darkness, but Daigo can just make out a sharp smile emerging on Shinada’s face.

“Of course! We’ll do it every day you’re here!”

The two men shared another laugh, and Daigo gets the feeling that this outing, the calm before what Daigo only assumes will be a storm, is going to be even more important than it already is.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Expertise can't help you here.

[asweetprologue]

this is so devastating. laois should have just shot him with a gun

[otto-doctavius]

Logan and Mary Puppins are so “dad and the dog he said he didn’t want” coded. He was acting disgusted by that dog for 90% of the movie, then when they were going to fight the Deadpools that almost baby-talk “You won’t wanna see this, bub.” slipped out. Then ofc there’s the bit at the end when they’re all at the table and he’s just sitting there playing with her ears and laughing as he makes her high-five Laura. I see you, mr “she is NOT coming with us”. You like that nasty little dog

[laughingcatwrites]

As a reminder that good exists out there, a coworker recently confessed to me that he found out his child is questioning their identity (kid's gender redacted for this post). The kid is keeping it from him, so he can't say anything to them or show that he knows, but he's doing his best to get mentally prepared and educated so that he'll be ready whenever his kid does feel comfortable enough come to him.

For context, this guy is a big, bulky middle aged dude who loves sports and typical outdoor "manly" activities. As his coworker and friend, I know he's a kind and sweet teddy bear of a person, but his kid probably views him as a stern, authoritarian figure, the way most teenagers view their parents. His family lives in a conservative area, so I'm sure between that, their dad's looks and interests, and the fact that their dad is a Figure of Authority, the kid is worried that they won't be accepted.

But you know what? When he found out about his kid, the first thing he did was reach out to his closest queer friend and ask for resources for parents of questioning children. His biggest fears are that his kid will be bullied or discriminated against and won't feel comfortable enough to be themself. His second action was to find himself a mentor in another parent who went the same situation (kid coming out in a conservative town). The other person is preparing him for some of the struggles his kid may face and the fights he may need to take on as a parent to make sure his kid is safe and treated well.

Something I want to emphasize for people focused on language as the primary method of allyship is that when we spoke, he used some outdated terms and thoughts about gender and sexuality. That does not make him bad. These were the terms and thinking used about questioning teenagers when he was growing up and he never needed to learn more current ones. But now that he does have that need, he's throwing himself in head first because that's his kid and he's darn well going to make sure that his kid feels welcomed and has a safe place to be themselves even if they never come out to him.

[chloesimaginationthings]

I know Vanessa regret saying this in the FNAF movie,,

[brainrotcharacters]

TW: Wolverine Badonkas

I laughed rewatching because like

[egophiliac]

doylist explanation for why Gidel is only in Fellow's non-idle lesson animations: probably something about space constraints and making sure two sprites in one seat aren't covering anyone else when they're not in focus

watsonian explanation for why Gidel is only in Fellow's non-idle lesson animations: he snuck in and is hiding from the teachers, don't give him away 🤫

(I've reached my limit of unsuccessful attempts at pulling them before I need to save keys for Halloween, so I've been living vicariously through youtube videos...but the fact that Gidel just pops up from under the desk to wave his arms around happily is really testing my resolve. D: I'm gonna die when they finally get to do alchemy...)

[bacchuschucklefuck]

no more fan-ta-sizing about it! everything's already changed~

[anna-scribbles]

last one i promise(<—lie)

[minecr-afton]

the mycle cycle

[bigfatbreak]

Birds of a Feather previous / next

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hey now, Let her cook!

[justanapparatus]

shoutout to lesbian drag queens who are also pigs. gotta be one of my favorite genders 🙏

[lilislegacy]

i think it’s the most funny and romantic thing ever that they’re so attracted to each other in dangerous/deathly situations. in both those scenes, they are an absolute mess - percy covered in dirt, blood, and spiderwebs, and annabeth covered in muck and sewer water - and yet they find each other so beautiful. they could literally be about to DIE, and yet all they’re thinking is “wow you look so hot right now.” i just love when they percabeth like that. they are so funny.

also. perseus jackson, where the HELL were you going with that thought about the way her beads looked on her throat before you stopped yourself, young man?

[hailsatanacab]

Family Dinners - dpxdc

"Holy shit, you're Bruce Wayne!" Danny gaped, jabbing a finger at the man sitting at the head of the table.

The bustling dining room goes silent as everyone turns to look at him.

"Danny, who did you think was going to be here?" Tim asks, disbelief plain in his voice and Danny feels his face flush red.

"Sorry, I, uh, I guess I just never put it together. Tim Drake-Wayne. Wayne Manor. It, uh, makes sense now." He laughs sheepishly and scrubs at his neck before slumping back down into his chair.

"Well," Tim says with an indulgent sigh, "at least I know you're not just friends with me for my connections."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, I just never thought about it, I guess."

Danny sinks lower as everyone around him laughs. Come to dinner, he said, the food is the best, he said, ignore the family, he said. Danny really wishes he'd listened to Tim and just ignored them—almost as much as he's regretting accepting the offer in the first place—but... he's having dinner with Batman.

Ancients, that's so weird!

The last time he saw Batman was in the future and, suffice it to say, it was not going well. There hadn't really been time for family dinners there.

Wait. Family dinners?

He peers around the table, openly gawking at everyone as it all clicks into place.

"Everything alright, Danny? Now realising who everyone else is?" Tim asks with a roll of his eyes.

"Uh... something like that..." Danny mumbles as everyone laughs again.

From further down the table, the smallest Wayne scoffs and clicks his tongue.

"I thought you said he was smart, Drake?"

"So, you all do it, too, then?" he asks, ignoring the jibe. Danny's only a little bit jealous as he thinks of how much easier they must have it, how much easier it'd be if his family had been on his side, too. "You all work together?"

"Nah," Dick says from across the table with a brilliant grin. "Tim's the only one that works with Bruce, we all have different jobs. I'm a police officer in Bludhaven."

"Disgusting." Danny blurts out without thinking—because seriously, what kind of self-respecting vigilante would also be a police officer?—before clapping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry."

The whole table laughs again, the loudest being the blonde girl a few spaces down from Dick. Look, Danny wasn't really paying attention to names when they were all paraded in front of him. Dick only gets remembered because his name is a joke.

Come on, Danny, recover!

"That's, uh, not what I meant, though."

"Oh?" Dick asks, cocking his head slightly to the side. Is it Danny's imagination or does his smile tense slightly?

"Yeah, I mean like, you know, in costume. It must make it so much easier to have everyone together like this."

"Costume? What do you mean?"

Yeah, Danny's not imagining it, everyone tenses up at that. It's really only now that he's realising that this probably isn't how he should bring up that he knows about their... night time activities. In fact, he probably shouldn't be bringing it up at all.

"Uuhhh..." Danny looks wildly around the table as he continues making his stupid noise. Think, think, think! There must be a way out of this!

"Danny?" Tim asks, looking concerned.

"Oh, Ancients, this isn't how I wanted it to go at all," he mutters, slipping even further into his chair. He's almost on the floor now and he so, so wishes it could just swallow him up.

His real first meeting with Batman was meant to be cool! He had planned to be Phantom, maybe save them from a tight spot, prove his worth as a mysterious and powerful ally as thanks for the help Batman gave him in the future.

"Danny, what are you talking about?" Tim starts tugging on his sleeve in an attempt to pull him back up from his pit of despair.

Eventually, Danny relents and sits up straighter, hiding his face in his hands and whining all the while.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect him to be here and it threw me off so now I look stupid and it's so embarrassing!" he wails, flailing his arms wide. "Why wouldn't you warn me that Batman was your adopted dad, Tim? Couldn't you have let me know?"

"I'm sorry, what? Danny are you alright? There's no way Bruce can be Batman, look at him!"

"Yeah," the blonde girl laughs from the bottom of the table, "look at him! That's a wet noodle of a man! Batman can actually do things, B is incapable of pretty much everything."

"Thank you, Stephanie," Bruce sighs, massaging his forehead.

It's... Those are the first words Danny's heard Batman say since everything went down and it's enough to knock him out of his embarrassment.

It's really good to hear his voice again. Especially now, when it's strong and healthy and full of personality—even if that personality is little more than a tired father right now—far better than how it had been, at the end.

Danny sits up, back straight, and grins. He's got this. He remembers it perfectly. Some people count sheep to fall asleep, Danny repeats his mantra to be certain that he'll never forget it.

"Gamma alpha upsilon tau iota mu epsilon, 42, 63, 28, 1 colon 65 dash 9."

Once again, the whole table falls into silence.

"Holy shit..." breathes the other D name (Duke? Danny's pretty sure he's Signal) from opposite Stephanie. "Isn't that...?"

"The time travelling code." The littlest Wayne says stiffly. "We have met in the future?"

"That's not just the time travelling code, Dami." Dick says, looking between Danny and Bruce. "That's the family time travelling code."

Danny's grin freezes in place.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"1 colon 65 dash 9." Dick explains, still flicking between him and Bruce. "It means you've been adopted into the family and we should all treat you as such, no questions asked."

"Tell you what, I'm about to ask a question." Danny says, dumbstruck. "You just told me it was a code to identify time travellers, not anything about being adopted! What the hell, B?"

Bruce looks about as shellshocked as Danny feels.

"We must have been close," he says finally, after opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water a few times.

"No! Not that close!" Danny reels back, taking a deep breath ready to refute it all, but... "Well, I mean, you found me when I first got stuck, and you helped me get better despite being... And then we fought together against the, uh, bad guy, before he, um, he... before you couldn't."

An uncomfortable beat passes while they all pick up on what Danny tried so hard not to say.

"So, you're not from the future, then, you travelled there and came back?" Tim asks, breaking the tension and leaning forward with a glint in his eye.

"Yeah, it was a whole end of the world thing, but don't worry about it," Danny says with a hand wave, "It's all kosher now, won't ever happen."

"What did happen?"

"Seriously, don't worry about it, we cool."

"How long in the future was it?"

"About ten years? You were pretty spry for an old man, B," Danny laughs, wishing they'd get off the topic of what happened and get back to the adoption bit.

Everyone shares degrees of a cautious smile as they relax out of the shock, and Dick—whose grin is the biggest—says, "No wonder you got the family code, you're already riffing on him like one of us. How long were you there for?"

"A week, before I managed to get back to my present and stop him then."

"A week? Jeez, B, that has to set some kind of record, seriously."

"Oh!" Danny says, sitting bolt upright and blinking in surprise before pointing at Dick and bouncing in his seat. "You're Nightwing!"

"What?"

"That's exactly what Nightwing said when Batman told me the code! Makes so much more sense now."

Dick laughs and claps his hands, delighted.

"You were not formally adopted?" The grumpy small one—Dami?—asks, his face pinched.

"I didn't even know I was informally adopted."

"And your parents? Are they alive or dead?"

"Damian, stop—"

"They were dead in the future, but they're alive now." Danny says, looking down. He fiddles with the tablecloth, twisting the fabric around his fingers as he fights down the pang of sadness that he always feels when he thinks of them now. He forces a bright smile on his face and hopes it doesn’t look too strained. "I just, uh, can't talk to them much, anymore."

"Damian," Dick warns, "1 colon 65 dash 9. Treat them as family, no questions asked."

"This is Damian treating him as family, the little turd has no manners." Tim scoffs, rolling his eyes, but he gently bumps shoulders with Danny to knock him out of his funk. Danny can't help but send him a watery smile.

"I have the most exemplary manners, Drake, unlike some people." Damian spits, crossing his arms with a pout. "I was merely ascertaining his status to see how he could possibly fit into the family."

"I know this is all a bit sudden, Danny," Bruce smiles, ignoring Damian and reaching out to lay a warm hand on his arm, "for all of us. But if I felt strongly enough to give you that code after spending a week with you in the future, then you are more than welcome in this family, if you so choose it. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we'd like to get to know you a bit more."

"I know a threat when I hear it, Bruce." Danny snorts. "But, yeah, I get it. I'm sorry this is all so weird, it really wasn't how I wanted to find you again, but... I'm glad I did."

"So are we, Danny." Dick says, with a warm smile. "And formally or not, 1 colon 65 dash 9 means you're family. Welcome to the fun house! No take backs or refunds, sorry. You're stuck with us."