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wolfjackle-creates · 5 months

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The Two Ghost Motel

So, as I mentioned, I joined the DP Ecto-Implosion Event this past month and it's Posting Week now! So I get to finally share with you the first chapter of my fic. Still working on editing the second half of the fic, but it's fully written as of this time.

For those who don't know, for the Ecto-Implosion event, artists drew/animated/composed some piece of art and writers then went in and wrote fics based off their art.

I was lucky enough to be paired with the super talented @i-think-in-metaphors who made this gorgeous artwork:

You can read on AO3 here (this fic is not locked to AO3 users only).

And for those of you who prefer to read on Tumblr:

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Minor Original Character Death (not in this chapter)

Fandom: DPxDC (though no knowledge of DC is necessary for this fic. I use a single character and he has amnesia, it takes place in an original setting or Amity)

Summary:

Danny is tired. Endless ghost fights with too many responsibilities and too little time; he barely passed sophomore year. When Ember visits town for a bit of fun, she mentions the Two Ghost Motel, a place of peace and refuge for restless ghosts who aren't ready to cross over. “I’m fine, Ember.” Danny’s got a home and friends. He’s fine, really. But when his parents begin experimenting with electricity to destabilize ghosts, it’s too much for Danny. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Tucker can host him for the night and he’s left wandering in the night, alone. Then he sees it: The Two Ghost Motel. He checks in. “Welcome.”

-----

Danny wasn’t sure when he first saw the neon sign. Honestly, he didn’t even realize it was something ghostly when he did. He just thought it was one more ghost-themed business that had come to Amity since the portal opened.

But when he mentioned the motel to Sam and Tucker, they looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’ve never heard of any Two Ghost Motel,” said Sam. “Where’d you see it?”

Tucker was typing into his PDA. “Nothing’s coming up online, either.”

“Oh come on, you’re pulling my leg. We’ve passed it at least a half dozen times. Last night when we were leaving Nasty Burger for one! And I think, what, three nights before that? On patrol? Where were we?”

“Dude, that night we were near the library. No where near Nasty Burger. No way you could’ve seen the same place both nights,” said Tucker.

“Danny, when was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?” Sam’s brow was knit in concern.

Danny waved off her concern. “Whatever. I know I’ve seen it. The sign is bright pink and orange with blue ghosts on it.”

Sam just shrugged and shook her head. “Point it out next time you see it.”

Before Danny could reply, his ghost sense went off and he groaned. “Ugh, looks like someone’s around. I’m too tired for this.” Danny glanced around. They were in the park and no humans were nearby so he let his transformation wash over him.

He flew into the air and tried to listen past the sound of his breaths echoing through his mask. Even though he didn’t breathe when transformed, something about the hazmat suit remembered and the sound was inescapable.

A guitar chord played behind him and Danny instinctively threw up a shield and fell ten feet right as a blast from Ember’s instrument headed his way.

“Hey there, baby-pop!” she called. “I was sitting around, bored out of my mind, when I remembered I could just come here to have some fun!”

Danny turned to face her. “Come on, Ember.” His voice always sounded so robotic when filtered through the mask. “I’m tired.”

“Too bad. I’m not.” She grinned at him and strummed a few notes, sending more attacks his way.

Danny dodged, only to have to watch one of the blasts hit a bench and destroy it. He flew higher, hoping her next attacks wouldn’t cause more collateral that would be blamed on him.

“What, you just gonna dance around like that? Come on, attack back!”

“My moves not good enough for you?”

“You need to step it up if you want to be my back up dancer.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and when she sent her next blast his way, he avoided it by doing a backwards dive towards the ground only to circle back up until he was facing her. “How’s that?”

“Better, but you’re still not there. Your moves have to match the music!” She played a tune with a fast beat and Danny dodged and spun. And if he added some flair to his movements, well, he deserved the chance to have a little fun.

Another blast his way, and he twisted his hips. Matching Ember’s beat, he sent a few ectoblasts back at her.

Ember laughed. “Now you’re catching on!”

Danny allowed himself a quick glance down where he saw Sam and Tucker not even trying to hide. Tucker was filming them.

Which, of course, is when it all had to be ruined by the unmistakable sounds of the GAV driving cross-country.

“Through the park?” he moaned. “Seriously?”

“Shit, that’s your folks, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“You’ve got it, babypop. I came here for fun, not to mess with them.”

The GAV came to a stop and Danny saw his mom rush out of the passenger side with one of their new, long-distance guns. He tacked Ember, only just getting her out of the way of the blast.

Without any discussion, both turned invisible and flew out of the park. Danny didn’t let them stop until they were in a forest out of range of his parents’ trackers. Exhaustion set back in as soon as he realized they were safe, and he just plopped down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

“Ready to resume your dancing lessons?” asked Ember.

Danny groaned and rested his head against the rough bark. It was probably stupid, but he let his eyes close. “Maybe next time. I meant it when I said I’m tired.”

She didn’t say anything as one, two, three breaths sounded from his mask. And then he heard some leaves rustle. He cracked open an eye to see Ember making herself comfortable on the ground a few feet away.

“You really are tired, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Finals are coming up and if I don’t do well, I’m going to fail sophomore year.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard of a place…”

Danny waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he hummed. “A place?”

“Yeah. Haven’t been there myself. But, there’s this place. It’s for ghosts who aren’t ready to move on from Earth just yet. Ghosts who live only on Earth without ever going the Zone get tired and weak. There’s just not enough ectoplasm around. Except for here, of course.”

“So what’s this place do?”

“Gives you somewhere to rest. And recharge. It’s not really on Earth. It’s a sort of in between place. Called the Two Ghost Motel. Might be worth checking in for a night if you ever don’t want to be at home for one reason or another.”

Danny hummed. “I’ve seen it around. Thought it was just a regular motel, but Sam and Tucker didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Ember picked out a tune on her guitar, but this time no attacks emanated from it. “It’s not a place for the living from what I’ve heard. Just the dead.”

Danny looked up at the stars through the tree branches, but he shook his head. “I’m fine, Ember. Just need to get some sleep.”

“Whatever you say, baby-pop.”

---

After that conversation with Ember, the motel began basically haunting him. Every night, as soon as dusk started to fall, he’d see it. Always a few streets away, just sitting there calling to him; it’s sign bright in the dark.

Sam and Tucker couldn’t see it, no matter how often he pointed it out to him. Jazz could sometimes see something out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked on more directly, it was never there.

Danny never approached. He was fine. He had a home and friends. There was no reason to go to some random motel.

Finals came and went. He managed to scrape by with at least Cs in everything. His parents, especially his mom, had not been happy with those grades, but Danny was just glad to have passed.

Didn’t stop him from being grounded and forced to help out more in the lab. One afternoon, he was in his room playing Doomed with Sam and Tucker when he got a message from his parents calling him back down to help them out.

“Ugh, I’ve got to go down to the lab.”

“Seriously?” complained Tucker. “Again?”

“Yeah,” agreed Sam. “Seems you’re always off helping them lately. Can’t you say no?”

“It’s this or having my phone and computer taken away. I’ll take the lab work.” He saved his progress. “Will you guys be on later?”

“Can’t,” said Sam. “My parents are forcing me to go to a fancy dinner somewhere. And they’re not giving me any more information than that to keep me from planning anything disruptive.”

“And mine have declared we’re having a tech-free family bonding night,” said Tucker, rolling his eyes. “With board games! Who plays board games in this day and age?”

Danny laughed. “I’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Later.”

Danny signed off and went downstairs. The hazmat suits were kept in a closet right next to the door to the lab, and Danny went through the process of pulling it all on. The mask that came with it was even more annoying in human form than ghost. The filtered air always tasted strange, but he’d given up complaining about that years ago.

He unlocked the lab door and went down to the lab.

“Dan-o!” called his dad as soon as he saw him. “Come here! You’re job will be to control the current!”

“Uh, current?” asked Danny.

“We’re trying to figure out how to disrupt the electrical signal in ectoplasm that gives ghosts their shape,” explained his mom. She had a bowl of ectoplasm in a glass terrarium and was arranging two metal probes so they dipped into it.

“Exactly!” agreed his dad. “So you’re going to sit at this computer”—he pulled out a chair before one of the lab computers and gestured for Danny to sit—“and adjust the frequency and voltage.”

Danny took a seat and stared at the program that was loaded on the screen. At least he wouldn’t be anywhere near the probes? A glance at the puddle of ectoplasm had him holding back a shudder.

“First we’re going to try and force the ectoplasm to form a shape,” continued his mom. “We’re going to do that with probe A. You’re going to start with a low frequency and voltage and slowly increase it while your father and I mark down how it affects the ectoplasm. We have some hypotheses about when it’ll start to form a shape.”

“And once it forms a shape,” said his dad, “you’ll use probe B to send a contrary electrical signal to destabilize it!”

“And then no more ghost!”

Suddenly Danny was glad his suit had a face mask. His parents were going to do what? Figure out how to use electricity to destabilize ghosts? It wasn’t possible. There was no way it could work. Right? He had to stay and prove to himself they were talking crazy.

“What—” His mouth was dry and he had to try again. “How should I start?”

“The settings are already loaded,” said his mom. She grabbed a tablet and sat down in front of the terrarium.

Dad sat next to her, grinning widely. “Go ahead, Dan-o!”

Danny’s hand shook as he placed it on the mouse. He sat on the other to hide it. Then he turned on the probe.

At first, nothing happened. The ectoplasm stayed a puddle and there was no visible change in it. But as he adjusted the current, it began to ripple. His parents loudly exclaimed over every change as they shouted instructions back to him.

Each change had Danny’s heart beating harder in his chest.

Two hours in is when it happened. The ectoplasm started to form a ball that rose up out of the bowl. Danny could feel something cold in the back of his throat. Not his ghost sense, but something close.

“This is it!” yelled his dad. “Danny, what’re the settings?”

Once more, Danny was glad for the way the mask muffled his voice just enough to mask how horrified he was by the thing that was forming. His parents’ theories about electrical currents couldn’t be true. They couldn’t.

“Now for us to try disrupting the current!” The glee in his mom’s voice made bile rise in Danny’s throat. But when she told him to turn on probe B, he did.

It only took twenty minutes to find the settings that made the ectoplasm fall apart back into a puddle.

Danny was up on his feet, chair toppled, in an instant. He held a gloved hand to his masked face as if he could keep from throwing up with the motion alone. It had looked so much like Ellie when she was destabilizing.

“Danny?” asked his mom, tablet forgotten on her chair as she rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I… I’m feeling a bit sick. Can I, can I go? Bathroom?”

His mom reached out to brush a hand over his covered forehead as if to check his temperature. “Oh sweetie, of course you can. You should’ve told us you weren’t feeling well. There’s some soup in the fridge if you think you can eat that.”

“I— yeah. Thanks.” He didn’t wait to hear anything else she had to say and just ran up the stairs. He shed his gear in record time and ran all the way up to his room. He slammed the door shut and grabbed his backpack from where it hung on his desk chair.

With shaking hands, he took out everything in the main compartment. Then he ran to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes and something to sleep in. He couldn’t stay here right now. He just couldn’t.

From the bathroom, he grabbed some toiletries and added those.

Less than fifteen minutes after leaving the lab, he was out the front door and walking down the street. It was late, dusk starting to fall.

He considered going to Nasty Burger to get some dinner, but then he remembered the way the ball of ectoplasm had melted and he changed directions. Eventually his wandering brought him to the park where he found a bench in an empty area and sat down, dropping his backpack at his feet.

Danny buried his face in his hands as he forced himself to just breathe. He and Tucker could mess with the results from these experiments just like they had so many times in the past. It was going to be fine.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Jazz: Hey, Danny. Mom said you weren’t feeling well? Jazz: Where’d you go? You’re not in your room. Danny: Sorry, Jazz. I had to get out of the house. Danny: Ask mom and dad about today’s experiments. Danny: You’ll understand why. I’m gonna spend the night at Tuck’s. Jazz: Okay. See you tomorrow? Danny: Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow. Jazz: Love you.

Of course, Tucker was having a family night. He couldn’t crash that. And Sam’s parents had banned him from their house. Where would he spend the night?

And then he noticed it. Right outside the park glowed the sign: Two Ghost Motel.

He was on his feet and walking there before he’d even consciously made the decision to go. A glance around showed he was alone, that night had fully fallen on Amity so he let his transformation wash over him.

He reached the street and, for the first time, was staring directly at the motel rather than catching glimpses from a block or two away. The parking lot had a few cars in it, the oldest looking like it might’ve been from the twenties with the newest looking like it was ten or fifteen years old.

A glance in either direction showed no cars coming, so Danny crossed the street.

As soon as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot, Danny could feel a change in the air. It was nothing obvious, but something integral was different. The sounds of the city were muffled, the sense of life dulled. The air felt lighter and the door seemed to call to him. Most importantly, it was easier to push away the memories from his afternoon in the lab.

The sign, when he reached it, buzzed softly in the night. He held a hand up towards it and felt an echoing buzz under his skin.

He stared at the lights for a moment more before continuing towards the building at the other end of the lot. It hadn’t been repaved in ages and was riddled with cracks. But the plants that grew up through them weren’t the normal grasses and dandelions. He wished Sam were with him to help him identify them.

Instead he knelt down and pulled out his phone to take a picture. They glowed slightly in the night, their stems ectoplasm-green with blue leaves and red bulbs. Danny reached out to touch one, only for the bulb to open and snap at his finger.

Danny laughed in surprise as he pulled his hand away. Something inside him relaxed. A night away would do him good and maybe he’d see other cool things besides the flowers.

The motel itself was a long, two-story building. The main entrance was smack in the middle of the building with rows of rooms extending to either side. Next to the office, a passageway through the building led to the back side of the building and had stairs leading up to the second level. It was clearly old, worn in the way only time could do.

The office door wasn’t automatic and the handle stuck slightly under his hand when he tried to turn it. But just a little bit of force had it opening.

Inside, the carpet was worn, beaten down and dull in the middle. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper rather than paint. Against one wall buzzed an ice machine and against the other sat a vending machine. A man with slicked back hair and a cane stared at the vending machine without moving. A two-seater couch was next to the vending machine with a wooden coffee table in front of it. Two women sat side-by-side on it: one in modern jeans and a windbreaker, the other in an old-fashioned dress that looked like it may have come from the sixties. They were holding magazines, but in the time it took Danny to look around, neither had flipped a page.

Cutting off the back of the room was a long desk, behind which sat a closed door. A woman sat behind the desk. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length and curled inward. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy eye shadow. But strangest of all, she wasn’t moving. Her chest didn’t raise with her breathing, she didn’t shift in her seat. The women on the couch, at least, made the little movements people make when they’re engrossed in their reading. And the man at the vending machine was tapping his fingers on his cane as he tried to decide what to get.

But the woman at the counter was utterly still.

“Evening.” Danny’s voice was loud in the small room.

The woman in modern clothes cocked her head slightly as if trying to hear a distant noise.

“What are you reading?” Danny asked her.

She just shook her head slightly and looked back at her magazine. Slowly, she turned a page.

“Oh-kay,” said Danny to himself. He walked past them as he made his way to the desk.

As soon as he reached it, the woman came to life. She turned and smiled broadly at him and her finger started tapping on a paper log book that sat in front of her. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Two Ghost Motel!” She had a slight southern accent. “What can I do you for?”

“Uh, well. I heard you might have a room I could rent for the night.”

“Sure do,” she agreed with a nod. “Can certainly set you up with one of those.” She looked him up and down then nodded to herself. “Ah, yes. We knew you might need a place soon so we made sure you’d be able to find us. Glad to see you finally stopped in.”

“What, uh, what do you know about me?”

“Same as we know about any of our potential patrons, sweetie. That you’re a restless spirit that isn’t ready to pass on yet. Two Ghost was set up to give you a place to rest while you’re still on Earth.”

“How much would it cost for one night?”

The receptionist threw back her head and laughed. Her teeth were sharper than a normal human’s. Behind him, another voice joined in the laughter. Danny turned to see the modern-dressed woman was finally looking at him, though it was only to laugh at him.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled self-consciously. “I take it that was a stupid question?”

“Honey, there’s no charge for spending the night. Wouldn’t be much of a place to rest if we forced y’all to pay when no dead has money.”

“Right. So do you want anything in exchange? I’m pretty good at fixing things up.”

“All we want is for you to have a good night’s rest.” She turned the log book around. “I’ll just need you to put down your name here and I’ll give you your key.” She waved her hand to indicate a pen that was chained to the desk.

Danny grabbed it and hesitated just a moment before signing “Phantom” on the page. The ink was ectoplasm-green.

She took the book back and made her own marks before smiling at him. “Well that’s all in order. Now just to get you your room key.” She opened a drawer which was filled with a number of small envelopes, each with a handwritten number on them. She flipped through a few before stopping on one, seemingly at random, and pulling it out. “You’ll be in room 214. Leave the office, take a right. You can’t miss the stairs. Climb ‘em, continue to the back side of the motel, and take a right.”

Danny took the envelope from her. On it, the numbers 214 were written, with Two Ghost Motel in cursive below it. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Enjoy your stay at Two Ghost,” she smiled one more time at him, then looked down at her logbook and froze exactly as she had been when he’d first entered.

“I appreciate your help. You sure there’s nothing I can do in exchange for the room?”

But the woman didn’t stir again. Danny shifted from foot to foot. Should he try and wake her? Was she hurt? Was this a normal ghost thing? He tapped on the desk again.

“Ma’am?”

No response.

Danny looked down at his key and back at the woman. Hesitantly, he turned towards the door, but he couldn’t help looking back frequently. He paused by the women on the couch, but neither looked up from their magazines. At the vending machine, he peered around the man.

“Do they have anything that looks good?” he asked.

The man didn’t move, so Danny shifted until he was standing right next to him and could look inside the machine.

The bottom two rows were filled with drinks, water and Gatorade took up space right next to shots of ectoplasm. And were those beers? What? Above those were a few types of nuts and candy bars and chips. Danny only recognized half the brands.

Then he noticed the package of bottle caps. “Oh man, been ages since I’ve had some bottle caps. Mind if I grab those if you haven’t decided yet?”

The man hummed and moved to the side so Danny could get to the bill input and number pad.

“Thanks, sir! Appreciate it.” He pressed the numbers for the candy to see the price, but the machine whirled to life and it was dropped down without requiring Danny to put in a single cent. “Oh, shit, did I just use your money? What do you like? I’ll get it for you as an apology.”

“I don’t… I don’t remember,” said the man. His voice was very quiet, but clear. Danny couldn’t place his accent.

“Are you looking for a snack or a drink? Sweet or savory?”

“My son always pretended he didn’t like sweets. I was going back to him. How did I end up here?”

“Dunno, sir. But if you like candy, I’d recommend the skittles if you want chewy, m&m’s if you want basic chocolate.” He opened his own package. “Hold out your hand, I’ll give you a few of these so you can see if you like them.”

The man did and looked at his own hand as if he’d never seen it before. Danny turned his package so a few bottlecaps fell out. “Thank you,” said the man.

“Sure thing. Hope you enjoy!”

The man stared at his hand a moment longer before bringing one to his mouth and chewing the candy with a pensive look on his face. “I think I remember these, but it’s been so long. Thank you.”

“Anytime. My name’s Phantom; I’m in room 214 if you need anything.”

“Phantom. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Tom.”

“Well, Mr. Tom, hope you find something to eat that you like.”

Tom hummed and turned back to look at the vending machine. Danny took one last look at the receptionist, still entirely frozen, before slipping out the door. He slipped the package of bottlecaps into his pocket; he’d eat them in his room when he could take his mask off. In the passageway to the back of the motel, two boys played jacks under a flood light.

Danny couldn’t help but pause to watch them. He’d tried playing a few times when he was younger, but Tucker wasn’t into the game and none of the other kids had been willing to spend enough time with the weird ghost-hunter’s kid to teach him.

He waited until the kid who’d been picking up the jacks tossed them back on the ground before asking, “So, who’s winning?”

Both boys looked up at him with the same blank expression. The one on the right was a red-head while the one on the left was brown haired. They were about the same age, maybe ten years old and Danny wondered what happened to bring them here.

“I never learned to play,” Danny admitted, waving a hand to indicate their game. “So I don’t know how to tell. Or, is there even a winner in jacks? I might be completely off the mark.”

The red-head raised his hand. “I’m wining. I’m on the foursies round. Alan is only on twosies.”

“Matt cheated and made me drop my jacks.”

“It wasn’t cheating, just strategy,” protested Matt.

“Cheating,” repeated Alan.

“Prove it by beating your threesies round perfectly this time.”

Danny smiled to himself as the boys returned to their game and ignored his presence entirely.

“How’d you do that?” asked someone behind him.

Danny spun around to see a boy around his own age on the stairs leaning over the railing. He had dark hair and light eyes and was dressed in modern jeans and a t-shirt.

“Do what?” asked Danny.

“Get them to talk to you. Everyone ignores me entirely.”

Danny glanced back at the two boys who were entirely absorbed in their game and not paying Danny or the stranger any attention. “They’re mostly ignoring me, too.”

The kid rolled his eyes. “But they still talked to you. I haven’t even gotten that much.”

Danny shrugged. “I just asked them about their game.”

He groaned and kicked at the railing. “I’ve tried that. Who’re you, anyway?”

“I’m Phantom. Staying here for the night because, well, just because. Who’re you?”

“Jay.”

Danny cocked his head. “Like the bird?”

Jay’s eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned back. “That’s it! I knew I was forgetting something. I’m a bird. Thanks, Phantom.”

Danny laughed. “Sure thing, birdie.” He adjusted his backpack. “Let me put this down. I’m in room 214. What’s there to do in this motel?”

Jay shrugged. “More if you can get the other people to talk to us. But the TV always has your favorite show or movie on and the vending machine in the office always has your favorite snacks.”

As Danny made his way up the stairs, Jay fell in step besides him. “What’s your favorite movie?” he asked.

Jay shrugged again. “Dunno. But every time I turn on the TV it’s playing.”

“What did you watch last, then?”

Jay hesitated a moment and when Danny looked at him, he was frowning. “I don’t…” He shook his head. “I don’t forget things. My d— Someone made sure I could give accurate reports. But I don’t remember.” He looked at Danny with his brow furrowed. “Why don’t I remember?”

Danny shrugged. “Well, when we get to my room, we can turn on the TV and see what comes on.”

Jay brightened immediately at the suggestion. “Duh! That’ll remind me. Thanks, Phantom! Come on, your room’s this way. We’re neighbors; I’m in 215.” He jogged the rest of the way up the stairs so Danny had to speed up, too.

At the top of the stairs, Jay took a right and Danny’s door was several down.

“Home sweet home,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Danny laughed as he unlocked it. “So how long have you been here?” He pushed open his door and took in the space. The carpet looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the seventies. A double bed sat against one wall covered by a faded, green paisley quilt. A low dresser and box TV against the opposite wall. Most of the wall facing the walkway was taken up with a large window, though the closed blinds kept it private.

It wasn’t until Danny stepped in and dropped his bags on the bed that he realized Jay had neither responded nor followed him in.

“Birdie? Jay? You okay?”

Jay was frozen outside the door staring out into the distance away from the motel. The back of the motel had very few lights, and the night made it seem like there was nothing out there but endless black. When Danny called out, Jay shook himself and grinned as he entered the room and sat down on Danny’s bed with enough force to bounce. “Course I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You spaced out there for a minute.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “No I didn’t. Where’s your remote?” Before Danny could do anything, Jay was already standing and picking it up from the dresser. He turned on the TV. “Oooh, the Godfather! Told you it always has your favorite movie.”

“So The Godfather is your favorite?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it all the way through.”

“Then you’re in for a treat! Come on, sit next to me. I’ll make sure you notice all the good parts.”

Danny did as told. Which is when he remembered he still had the candy. Wordlessly, he held it out to Jay who grinned as he took a few to snack on.

-----

Chapter 2

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! This was so much fun to write. I loved taking part in the event so much. Please consider checking out the rest of the art and fics from this event because there are so many talented people who took part. (My reading list is gonna be filled for at least the rest of the year, no lie.)

Just search the tag #ectoimplosion2023 to see what I mean.

#dpxdc #ectoimplosion2023 #danny fenton #jason todd #the two ghost motel #my writing #danny has electricity trauma #and seeing his parents make then destroy a proto-ghost #...#well it wasn't good for him #but will where he ends up be any better?

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yandere-sins · 1 year

Text

Downfall

[My Commission Info] | [My Ao3] | [Ko-Fi]

a/n: I mean, I did kind of teaser this one, but I had it written and only now got to clean it up a bit. But yes, I just really want to be smooshed between yandere please, roughly and brutally okay thanks.

Fandom: Genshin Impact Pairings: Yandere!Alhaitham x GN!AFAB!Reader x Yandere!Kaveh Warnings: Yandere, Sexual Content (Blowjob/Throatfuck, Creampie, Masturbation, Non-/Dub-Con, Lots of juices, Rough fucking, Degradation, Praise, DP mention), Violence (Manhandling, Biting), Jealousy, Possessiveness, Punishment mention, Forced Relationship, Forced Feelings

The long fingers raking through your hair didn't make the pain in your throat any more endurable.

His touch, as gentle and praising as it was, did nothing to stop your drool from overflowing. Nothing to make his cock less long and his hips less enthusiastic about burying every inch of it inside you. Your tongue was just a helplessly lolling muscle underneath Alhaitham's instructions, all while his other hand was busy working on the table above you.

He was angry. Not at you, per se. Yet, you hated how you were his outlet, regardless of which emotion that man felt. Or… didn't. He still used you when he wasn't particularly stirred, but that was another story entirely. Kaveh must have really ticked him off that morning, though, as Alhaitham had barged into his room, pulling you out of Kaveh's soft and plush sheets while you were still dozing, and taken you to the Akademiya with him before his roommate could even notice you were gone.

Only for you to go through the horror you had to face every day but in a much less comfortable space. Once again, you were the punished one in their argument.

Once again, you suffered the consequences.

No matter how much he appreciated you forcing yourself to wrap your lips around his cock, Alhaitham never cared to wipe away your tears. He never asked how you felt, squeezed under his table, sucking him off as if your life depended on it (a partially true sentiment, as the air was getting thin with the massive blockage of his cock). He never even so much but cared to put you into proper clothes rather than the skimpy nightgown Kaveh liked to dress you in when he was in the mood for admiring the sight of you.

You were cold, uncomfortable, scared, and felt like an object while in Alhaitham's care. Not a good look for a man who still declared that what he felt for you was love while he locked you up in his home, forced you to study his texts so he'd have someone to talk about them with, and then bent you over and fucked you roughly whenever he saw fit. Even worse than that, at times, Alhaitham, completely captivated by his books or missions, just gave you up to his roommate without a second thought, as if you were a pet in need of a carer. The two had created something akin to a schedule, who got you when, a truly disturbing concept considering you were all adults. However, you questioned their sanity every day. And Kaveh was… perhaps even worse than the roommate currently relishing at the feel of you choking on his cock.

"Alhaitham."

Kaveh's voice emerged pressed through his teeth, anger boiling under his tongue. You didn't need to see him to know fury replaced his pupils, his joints cracking under restraint. Alhaitham let out the hint of a sigh, noticeable by how his cock pulled out at the intake of air, only to fill your throat again as he breathed out, the gentle fingers from before now turning tense as they gabbed into your hair to shift responsibilities. Instead of fucking his hips into your face, he was now bopping your head up and down, pitiful gurgles leaving you as you stained his pants with your drool and tears, though he was relentless. The peaceful quiet was disturbed, so it was time to get it over with.

He wasn't too harsh with guiding your head, but he wasn't careful either. And while your wrists strained in the cuffs behind your back, you tried to elevate yourself to make it less painful to take him in deep, even beyond your capabilities. It would be over soon. Now that Kaveh had appeared, there was no doubt Alhaitham would finish up quickly to eliminate any nuisances like his desperate needs or Kaveh's nagging. Marking you with his cum, which would linger as a taste on your lips and a smear down your thighs, was an additional pleasure for him to piss off his roommate.

"Where are they?" Kaveh demanded to know, and Alhaitham let a shuddering breath, his demands of you becoming rougher as he neared his orgasm. "How dare you just take them out without telling me!"

"They're busy today. They have obligations other than to humor your sick fantasies, Kaveh."

"Sick fantasies–?!"

Interrupting Kaveh, Alhaitham suddenly rose from his chair, pulling you out from the legroom under his table. Your muffled complaints as he handled you undoubtedly pleasured him, vibrations quivering against his cock shoved deep inside you from above. Alhaitham pulled you taut against him, your lips kissing the fabric of his clothes, spluttering drool as you were cut off from a chance to breathe with your throat used to its best capabilities. Flailing in his grip, you were so helpless with your arms bound, having to rely on his strength to keep you upright. Alhaitham pressed you backwards, bracing himself with one arm against the table, hovering over you. His fingers clutching the edge were the only thing that kept your head from bumping into the wood with every push as he picked up the pace even faster.

Now in a less confined position, he pulled his hips from your face before plunging back down. Over and over, letting out moans and groans of pleasure, Alhaitham much more open and vocal while having sex than one might take him for. Kaveh let out a loud gasp at the sight of you being mishandled, but what could you do except endure being used and throat-fucked? Even if you had wanted to appease the other psycho in the room, there was no way you could have escaped.

Alhaitham's voice cut off suddenly, breathing ragged, and he stopped all the way down your throat, shuddering. Hot splurts of cum made you want to gag as they dripped into you, your only ability being to swallow it as it was given to you. Unable to catch a breath as he came, your body let out more tears while you felt appalled by his cum warming the inside of your throat, your insides burning as if they were on fire.

When he was finally done, Alhaitham slowly retreated, inch for inch, waiting for you to lick him clean before his tip finally popped out of you. Releasing you from his hold, you plummeted to the ground, coughing up spit and semen. You felt so pathetic and disgusting, but Kaveh was by your side in a matter of seconds, pushing Alhaitham away and wrapping you in his arms. Shivering and sobbing, he pressed your face into his shoulder and allowed you to cry. It was all you could do, even if you wanted to scream and howl, but you were too afraid of the repercussions of your actions to let go of your inner restraint.

Your life was so unfair, setting you up for failure no matter what you did. When Alhaitham approached you the first time, you thought he was taking pity on you. A handsome man showing interest in you never was a good sign. Turned out he had just been interested in you because of the information you had, useful for his mission. However, he never stopped visiting your place of work, and you two had developed a relationship—or so you thought. His interests seemed more peculiar than he'd ever let you know, and you never got around to understanding him, even after he took you to his home against your will.

"Why are you doing this to them?!" Kaveh hissed at him, clutching you to his chest. Once again, it was Alhaitham's roommate playing knight in shining armor, defending your virtue that he liked destroying at night. Not without his hands clutching you, of course, squeezing your body possessively, waiting for you to flinch, so he had more reason to go off on Alhaitham. "Do they mean nothing to you?! Don't you love them?!"

You couldn't see Alhaitham's reaction, but he didn't feel the need to respond verbally. You heard the slick sound of him cleaning off his cock of the excess fluids, jerking it a few more times to the sight of you before packing it away. Alhaitham's hand fell to the back of your head, his finger ruffling through your hair as if to say "well done". Kaveh cursed him under his breath, rubbing his hand reassuringly over your back. All of Kaveh's questions were just attempts to get under Alhaitham's skin, but his mind was resolute against almost anything Kaveh said. Would Alhaitham be stirred at the news of you getting away? He loved you, and he saved you from a miserable life; that's what he believed. Even though you suffered, Alhaitham had decided this was the life you should be living, by his side in revered admiration. So would he react at hearing something happened to you? Or would he be just as calm and composed as he was now? His attitude making Kaveh even angrier towards his roommate.

Producing a handkerchief from his pocket, Kaveh cleaned up the mess on your face. Even if the disgust didn't disappear with the wipe of the soft fabric, it helped to feel a little less dirty. A little less used and discarded. However, even without looking, you felt Alhaitham's eyes drill into your back, watching as Kaveh took care of you.

"You okay, Love?" Kaveh cooed, and you bit your lip, knowing it was better to lie than to further aggravate the two. Nodding, you lowered your gaze, not wanting Kaveh to read your eyes rather than trust your confirmation. "Everything's going to be okay. I'll take you away from this bastard soon. Don't cry, Love."

Sometimes it was easy to forget he was worse than even Alhaitham. Sometimes, with his warmth and care, the nicknames and sweet promises, Kaveh had you forgetting how cruel he could be. How his jealousy and competitive nature made him even needier and ruthless than the man who had carelessly throat-fucked you just to annoy Kaveh. It was hard to see how either of them could claim they loved you—love anyone, really—when you were more like a prize they were throwing back and forth, not caring about what you wanted or how hurt you got in the process.

Their egos were your downfall.

"Make sure you clean them up properly when you get home," Alhaitham muttered, and Kaveh's movements halted. You watched his chest puff with air, anger radiating from him as he returned, "Excuse me?"

"I said clean them up properly when you get–"

Even before the sentence was finished, Kaveh reached between your legs. Fingers digging into you without warning, you jolted, crying out pitifully before grinding your teeth, the tears returning. Kaveh pressed his pointer and middle finger inside you, thumb instinctively finding your little know at the front, causing a shock of electricity to jolt through you. You bit back a moan as he scissored his fingers, brushing against your wet and sensitive walls before pulling them out again to examine. Forth came two slick fingers coated in the leftovers of the creampie you received, and Kaveh's face turned from pale to a deep shade of red. He didn't need to be a scholar to know that wasn't his cum inside you from the night before. Not after he made sure to bathe you after his session yesterday.

"Leaving me the seconds to clean up, huh?" Kaveh mumbled eerily as he stared at the little strings of cum forming from his fingers, eyes darkening with terrifying anger as he knelt next to you, knowing you had been thoroughly used.

"Don't be so sensitive," Alhaitham sighed, the previously raging madness at what his roommate did to upset him that morning, lost in the thought of Kaveh being dramatic about the nice gift he gave you.

"Sensitive? Me? After you took my beloved darling out of my bed—kidnapped them even!—knowing fully well it's not your day! We have rules, Alhaitham. And now you are making your mess my responsibility?"

Letting out a surprised gasp, you were suddenly pulled to your feet. Digging his fingers under your ass, Kaveh demanded your cooperation and to wrap your legs around his hips. You didn't dare to disobey when his mood was fouler than both of their intentions towards you. Walking you around Alhaitham's table, for a moment, you were hoping he'd just let it be and take you home. Maybe vent his feelings to you while all he demanded from you was cuddles and to kiss him when he asked for it. Sadly, that was the only and best way to avoid his anger shifting onto you, no matter how appalled you were by his affection.

But it was wishful thinking anyway.

Instead of saving you from the horror that was Alhaitham's office and giving you the bath you desired desperately, Kaveh turned towards Alhaitham's desk, facing him. Before you knew it, your shoulders and back hit the table, your pulse racing as pain spread through your whole body. The hands shackled behind your back made this position beyond uncomfortable, and you cried out in distress as you were slammed on your limbs. Recovering from the shock, you took a deep breath, opening your eyes again, only to find yourself staring at Alhaitham's slightly disgruntled, slightly curious expression. At the same time, you felt Kaveh push your legs forward, the nightgown easily giving way and baring yourself fully to him.

"N-No! Please, no more!" you pleaded, forcing your chin to your collarbones to look at Kaveh. He only glared at you, his voice a frosty threat that you better not challenge him now too. It was as if he was blaming you for what happened, more tears springing into your eyes as you found no way to reason with him when his mind was deceived by things that didn't happen. You certainly didn't ask Alhaitham to steal you away and, even less, force himself on you. But in his jealousy, Kaveh wouldn't believe you even just a little bit.

"Shut. Up."

Immediately, you closed your mouth, letting your head fall back to give Alhaitham a pleading look for help instead. Even after such a long time, you still hoped that your eyes would one day let either of the two have pity on you. However, the latter had already leaned back in his chair, making no attempts to assist Kaveh or save you. His work was interrupted with you taking up most of the table, and his hand gripped into the fabric of his pants where his cock perked up, watching as you were spread out in front of him.

Horrified, you couldn't help but shiver at the sound of fabric between your legs. More tears streamed down your face. This time, you didn't hold back from sobbing out loud. If they didn't have the decency, why should you? So what if someone heard? If neither of them were to be reasoned with, maybe someone walking in and seeing you in distress would get them off you. Though it wouldn't keep you from the embarrassment of a stranger walking in on the three of you doing things that were definitely not permitted inside the Academiya.

Propping your legs over his right shoulder, Kaveh kissed your cold calves, taking a moment to really feel your soft skin against his lips and taste you on his tongue, a sight of worship for your body. Not like you could forget about his tip positioned to rub along your folds. Not even for a second. But as your thoughts drifted off to the danger waiting to pounce, Kaveh opened his mouth, perfect rows of teeth sinking into you the exact moment his hips snapped forward. Gasping, you stirred helplessly in your awkward position, the slickness of your cunt letting him slip in much too easily for your mental state. Yet, you moaned as he filled you, your walls recognizing his cock as if it belonged inside you. Though you wished you could have kept him outside by clenching down hard on his cock, instead, Kaveh let out a myriad of moans as he buried himself deep inside your warmth, thinking you were welcoming him.

Enjoying you, his personal toy, the anger he had felt after finding out what Alhaitham had done was only noticeable in the way his fingers dug into your skin as he turned you to your side, the wet noises growing louder as your thighs parted to give him access. No matter his feelings, now that he was fucking you, Kaveh couldn't resist being enamored, his hands unable to hold as much of you as his mind wanted. In his fantasies, it was you holding on to him, begging for and praising his cock, asking for more, and for him to make you his. Using you as he needed and wanted was just the build-up to make this fantasy into reality, he hoped. But it made him a little more attentive, even though that didn't mean any less rough and needy.

Though you tried to hide the moans slipping out between your sobs, you couldn't, the treatment of the two so cruel and yet leaving such a burning passion behind, crawling from your pussy up your stomach and to your brain with every thrust. You hated thinking your body had already adjusted and synched with them. Still, you knew that no matter who fucked you, you'd be betrayed by the joy of pleasure.

"So pretty," Alhaitham suddenly murmured above you, and you cracked open your eyes again to look at him. His eyes gleamed with mischievous affection, and he cupped your face from above, thumb wiping your cheeks in admiration. "Do you like it, Sweetheart? Does it feel good when he fucks you raw? Or do you prefer me?"

Kaveh let out a disgusted grunt at Alhaitham's suggestion as he pushed his hips forcefully into yours, lodging his cock so deep inside it made you squeak before you let out a hearty moan, surrendering to the fact you couldn't win no matter what you said. Weakly, you shook your head, barely noticeable as you focused on Kaveh's rhythm instead. He kept breaking it to punish you, doing a quick session of pounds before rolling his hips, creating delicious friction. Just as your limbs began to tense, he pulled out completely, leaving you whining without him inside you. With an especially rough push, your walls tingled with pleasure as he hit the sweetest of all spots with the slight curve in his cock. Angels singing and bells ringing in your head, you exhaled a shuddering breath.

"Don't lie," Kaveh grunted. "Tell that bastard how good you feel."

Nails digging into your calves, this wasn't a request but a demand. Everything in your body refused to say it, the signs so clear the two should have known that you were very close to cumming if Kaveh managed to caress that sensitive spot inside you again. You bit your lip, sniffling before letting your head hang, complying pitifully.

"... good," you mumbled, even though it was hard to temper your voice when you were so out of breath. You were constantly on the verge of tipping over into the abyss, your mind going down the gutter as Kaveh kept prodding against your sweet spot. It was a fight you couldn't win, no matter how hard you tried to keep any sound from leaving you.

"Louder!" Kaveh demanded, pushing forward and right into the place that made you tremble.

"IT'S GOOD!" you finally screamed, releasing all the pent-up tension. Your whole body was captured by violent shakes, muscles tensing up to your toes as you were pushed over your limits. It was pure mercy that Kaveh eased you after the orgasm, undoubtedly having a smug grin on his face.

"That's how you do it," he bragged proudly to Alhaitham, their tense eye contact lost on you and your muddled mind. Kaveh knew you, inside and out. He knew what felt good and what really hurt you. While for Alhaitham, you were an object to possess, perhaps even a golden bird that he put into a cage, Kaveh was out for your blood. He was the one forcing you to sing, or he'd tear out your feathers and strangle you. He knew the words to say to make you weep and those to comfort the wounds he inflicted on you. It was no wonder—especially not after being forced to experience pleasure by Alhaitham before him—that you were no match for Kaveh's expertise.

Releasing your legs, he turned you onto your stomach before slipping back inside. Looking ahead tiredly, you came face to face with a very eager, pulsating cock that you knew all too well from it being shoved down your throat minutes prior. But now, Alhaitham was all too happy handling himself while Kaveh finished his business inside you. This had never happened before. They had never shared you willingly. But things were changing.

You weren't sure if you liked that.

"That's it, babe," Kaveh groaned behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and sinking his face into your shoulder as he picked up a stimulating pace for himself, hammering his cock inside you as if his life depended on it. Desperate, thrilled, completely enraptured. He came in floods of his own cum, straining himself as he tried to press as far as possible into you, spread his jizz so far it would cover up his rivals'.

"You're doing so good, [Name]," Alhaitham cooed at you, placing his fingers around your chin and squeezing your mouth open to receive his tip, forcing you to play with it and lick off the excessive precum with your tongue. The taste tingled your memories, your throat clogging up as it anticipated being penetrated again, but even though your eyes opened wide and you tried to jerk away, there was no escape.

"Open up, Angel," Kaveh sighed blissfully, urging you on behalf of his rival. Alhaitham didn't wait for you to welcome him before making himself at home inside you again, his pulsing member only needing the nudge of your tongue and tight constriction of your throat to cum for a third time that day. Infatuated as he was, having watched you get fucked silly, Alhaitham was already so sensible after working your sore body over his length twice before.

"You're so hot," Kaveh mumbled, his hands massaging your ass. Their touch left nothing but hotness behind, your pussy clenching every time Kaveh squeezed you. And every time, he muffled his groans in your shoulder, unwilling to separate from you yet, kissing up and down your shoulder while clogging your pussy with his cock, making sure his cum would stay inside you. Making the sloppy seconds especially sloppy.

"I wonder if they could take us both," Alhaitham pondered, and your eyes snapped upwards, catching the hint of a grin on his face. A truly rare but even more so, frightening look. When it came to researching, one could always count on Alhaitham to have his curiosity picked. Especially when it involved you.

"No… No more…" you coughed as he finally pulled his cock out of your mouth. Your jaw felt like it was going to be permanently fractured, and your throat was sore and burning. And yet, your pussy still quivered around Kaveh, a smirk settling on his lips as well, suddenly having a change in opinion about his roommate.

"I think they'd really like that! Judging by how eager their pussy is."

You always thought Alhaitham was bad and Kaveh was worse. But them working together? It was your damn ruin even though you had to admit... Their cocks felt so damn good as they fucked out the last of your sanity.

Turning you into their pretty, perfect, darling slut.

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era-the-witchy-birdkid · 1 year

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DP X DC Prompt/Idea

Long time writer for the DC fandom (mostly Batman specifically Tim Drake joins the batfam early AUs and Titans Tower AU) on Archive, Danny Fenton also known as Astroboy2025, decides three days after his ‘Accident’ to create a Jason wakes up a Halfa in his coffin fic. He only does this to help himself process his emotions after well lets be honest his death and revival. And later once the ghost attacks pick up and he picks up the mantle of a hero as a way to covertly get advice/figure out on how to fight ghosts better by transplanting all his ghosts into Gotham for Fic!Jason to fight.

Danny wasn’t expecting much to come from this, he wasn’t expecting the fic to blow up in popularity for ‘creative storylines’ and ‘unique original villains with a ghostly flare to go against the ghostly Robin now named Phantom’ it was just a vent fic with a bit of wishful thinking on his part with Ghost!Jason and Bruce's relationship being so close (He ends up writing Jason getting hugs and affirmations that Bruce still loves despite all the ghost stuff that happening now whenever his Parents go on a tirade about how all ghosts are evil and need to be ripped apart molecule by molecule)

He definitely wasn't expecting his fans to find out about the real Phantom and figure out his identity from there. (Blame Penelope Spectra she had a history unlike the others in his rogues gallery with a bloody trail across America of sharply increase Suicide rates in more isolated smaller cites/large towns that was being tracked by Redditers that had hard stopped in Amity park just a few days before he dropped the chapter of Jason facing her himself)

While the Amity Park tourism to see a IRL Hero in action, and the Anti-Ecto acts Riots, as they would later be called, made by DC fans throwing a fit about the threat to the world’s first superhero were the lesser consequence in the grand scheme of things. Finding his fan Discord was a trip and a half especially since Tucker had to hack into it into the first place because his fans we're extremely protective of his secret ID and reinforced the server a crapton to be stronger then most banks.

While Sam was insisting on this being a horrible Idea and he should try to dissuade his thousands of fans from the truth of his Identy. Danny was just chill with it after the brief panic. And the Fan Discord was super helpful for getting Advce with! while the jokes that he was Batman Adoption bait was annoying the group was amazing for ideas on how to train his powers and advice on how to better fight ghosts. the Discord even make a Power list for him so he wouldn’t forget a power because he wasn’t training it. plus the comfort they gave after Circus Gothica was A+ even with the jokes about how the Batfam curse of clown trauma, despite matching the look as a human batman isn’t real so as much as his fans joke about him being the prefect Bat bait that will not happen.

To bad after a particularly nasty ghost hate rant in front of him in ghost form while being shot at by his parents that before the server would spawn 3 chapters of Family fluff in his fic, was whatched angrily by a fan who in a fit of annoyed rage said these words. “I really wish batman WAS real, then maybe you could be safe in your home for once”

unfortunately Desiree was out and about and heard the wish granted she had no idea who Batman was so went to read the DC comics after that. Good news the DC universe is so messed up as is that Desiree decided no twisting was necessary she’d just to bring everything to life. Bad news all the supervillains now exist along side the now existing superheros and Desiree is now Kaiju sized and now way to powerful for Danny to deal with alone...

At least the now real Batfam are taking their sudden existence well? and are willing to help Danny stop the Mad Genie dispite the risk that they would pop into nonexistence (with the entire city of Gotham and the other cities, villains, and heroes made real by Desiree’s power) if she’s stopped

#dp x dc #dc x dp

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clockwayswrites · 1 year

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Thank you.

Truly, thank you all for your wonderful response to my writing. You really are delightful! Replies or tag talking or watching someone start a fic back at part one and work through the series by liking it is bringing my such joy. I don’t always reply but know that I am always so grateful.

When I started to write my big fic in 2021, I hadn’t posted a full fic in a decade. Even then, it was one single fic back on ff.net. (Where are my D.N.Angel dears at?) I only had a small handful of very small snippets I had posted on tumblr in between. I had done a few (mostly lost) nanos but no one got to see any of those (to be honest there wasn’t much to see).

It took me about 2 months to work up the nerve to post the fic, and I honestly didn’t know what to do with the response it got, other than work extra hard and trying to live up to the attention! I am still so very proud of ‘Sunshine and Madness’, which caped out slightly over 151k. I knew it would be big, but not that big!

It took me a year to write.

And then it was done and I won’t lie, I was a little bereft. It had been my companion through a lot of low points in my life and it was done.

I struggled to write anything else because it wasn’t sandm. And what if it wasn’t as good? What if I couldn’t really write? I still didn’t consider myself a writer then, not even after that big of a work.

See, words are a struggle for me. I have a few disabilities or health matters, both mental and physical, that can make words hard for me. And both children and adults can be cruel about that, when growing up, so I’ve some bad insecurities that have stuck.

And then I decided to do nano to encourage a friend doing it and I got the bug and started writing again. Still nothing I published (I likely have 30-50k just written in unfinished ideas not counting the 50k of nano). Nothing until I decided to make this little side Tumblr and start posting an idea that got stuck in my head. And you all found me! The dp x dc fandom especially has been truly special- you all are absolutely feral in the very best way.

So thank you, deeply and sincerely, to all of you for helping me believe that maybe I can actually write. That ‘Sunshine and Madness’ wasn’t just a fluke. That it’s okay to call myself a writer.

I hope you enjoy everything to come. As always, stay delightful, darlings!

#blathersandbits #that writing mood #insecurity #don't let my apparent confidence fool you I am an insecure bean

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ayamari-no-goshi · 2 years

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Chasing Shadows (7)

AO3 -> first, last, next

Fandoms: Danny Phantom (DP) / DC universe

Summary: THIS IS A CROSSOVER. As Bruce Wayne begins to slowly recover from the loss of his son, two separate mysteries open up old wounds. Who is the unknown leaving clues hinting at a return to Gotham, and who is the phantom pretending to be his lost son? Is it just a coincidence they’re active in Gotham at the same time? Or are they connected?

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, and questionable mental health

Parings: none

Notes: originally uploaded to AO3. Cross-posted to tumblr

“Batman!”

Bruce glanced to his left to see Phantom rushing towards him moving through the tight alley as if there was no debris or criminals with weapons before silently coming to a stop. Unlike the other times he’d seen the meta, the boy had seemingly paid no attention to his surroundings. He also kept to his right while trying to keep his hands still. Definitely nervous, but why?

“Phantom.” He greeted as he punched another one of the low-level grunts still trying to fight him. With his associations with Red Hood now well documented, Bruce was teetering on going back to his original plan of capturing him. But he hadn’t harmed anyone and had even helped Stephanie escape Black Mask. Whatever his goals, he hadn’t strayed from attempting to help them. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Did nothing come through on the comms? Don’t answer that. That can be saved for later.” The teen shook his head before letting someone with a bat harmlessly pass through him. The criminal in question dropped the weapon and fled in fear. “We need to go!” His voice was becoming frantic.

Pressing a finger to his comm as he knocked out another gang member, he attempted to reach Barbara, but he heard nothing on the other end. Not only was it strange, but it was also worrying. “Explain,” he instructed the teen, who had started dodging gang members.

“Spoiler is in trouble. You need to go to her.”

“What happened?”

“She’s injured. We need to go, now!” There was desperation in his voice he hadn’t heard before. Unless he was acting, Phantom believed the injury was severe enough that Stephanie couldn’t handle it herself. “Hood’s trying to help, but he doesn’t think he has what he needs to properly treat her.”

“The Red Hood is there? And you just left her with him?” Dodging another blow, he threw a bola towards the three that were approaching Phantom. The teen let it harmlessly pass through him and tie around two of the criminals. The third tried to grab Phantom, but unlike every other time he’d seen the boy interact with the various criminals and rogues of Gotham, he jumped out of the way before punching the guy. It was a move achingly familiar.

“She’s a lot safer with him than she was with Black Mask.” Insult colored his voice. They really needed to find out the reason why Phantom was so loyal to Red Hood, especially after he came to them about Hush. Whatever issue that caused that temporary break in trust between them had seemingly been resolved. “But are you seriously going to continue messing around with these idiots?”

If Stephanie was in trouble like Phantom stated, he needed to finish this and get moving. However, there was a distinctive possibility he would be led into a trap. He needed more information.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re seriously going to finish this first? Right. Guess I have to do something drastic.” As he said that, the air around them seemed to cool until the breaths of everyone, save for Phantom became visible. The strange glow around him intensified as his appearance seemed to blur. The gang members, many of whom had already become uneasy by the teen’s presence, slowed their assault. Bruce caught the barest hint of a smile before the teen let himself fall into the ground.

The gang members immediately began to back away, some muttering about spirits and ghosts. That wasn’t too surprising as many of the criminals of Gotham were superstitious. Yet, he wasn’t sure exactly what Phantom was planning.

Seconds later, Phantom appeared behind one of the lieutenants and reached his arm through the man to grab his gun and pull it harmlessly through the man. Once it was out of the man, he held it up as if he was presenting the end of a trick before putting it on the ground. The man who experienced it, grabbed at his chest to make sure he was whole before fleeing an abject horror. The others, having witnessed it, also fled.

Satisfied with himself, he gave a slight nod before turning back to Bruce. “Now that that’s done, follow me. I need to get you to Spoiler.”

“Give me the coordinates.”

At the request, the meta seemed to blankly stare at him for a moment. “If you’re going to follow, why…? Wait, you don’t trust me? Unreal.” He shook his head and gave him the location and which room Stephanie was supposedly in. “Just don’t attack Hood on sight.” He vanished from sight.

As he began his trek, he attempted to radio the others. There was still silence from Barbara, but Tim, Cass, Dick, and Selena all checked in. Everyone, save for Dick, who’d been grazed by a bullet, were unharmed. Stephanie was also suspiciously silent which lent credence to what Phantom said, but it could also mean she was captured. Still uncertain whether or not he was walking into a trap, he requested Tim to meet up with him and for either Dick or Cass to check on Barbara. Selena agreed to check on Dr. Thompson and let her know that he might be bringing someone.

The building he found himself entering was a three-story office building near one of the railyards. Judging by its appearance, it hadn’t been used for clear work for years. As he located an unlocked window, Tim reached his side. Upon entering the building, he sent Tim to clear the upper floors as he made his way to where Phantom stated Stephanie could be found.

Entering the basement, he found the Red Hood kneeling in front of Stephanie, who appeared to be sitting unrestrained on a chair. Instead of listening to his desire to attack the man, Bruce took another moment to examine the scene in front of him.

The former Robin was gripping her pants as if she was in pain. Her left sleeve had been rolled up, and a make-shift splint had been placed on it. Her left pant leg was also rolled up, and it appeared Red Hood was finishing tying bandages to it. Bloody gauze and an open medical kit rested beside his boot. Whatever happened, it was unlikely Hood was the cause.

Steph’s head snapped up when she noticed him. “B, you came.” Although she tried to sound strong, her voice held notes of pain and relief. “Black Mask got the better of me. He got away. I’m sorry.”

When she shifted, Hood gently smacked her uninjured leg. “Stay put. That leg needs proper attention. Standing on it isn’t going to do you any favors.” Even through the modulator, concern could be heard in his voice. Hood then stood and turned slightly to better face him. Though his face was hidden, Bruce could see the tension in his shoulders and how his fists balled. He wasn’t happy to see him.

Briefly, Bruce noted that the man’s jacket sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms. There were no signs of the strange green marks from Dick’s video. They were unlikely to be tattoos then.

“Move away from her.” Although he knew a confrontation was going to happen with the man eventually, it wasn’t currently the time. Not waiting for the other man to make a move, he rushed forward and knelt to check on her. “What happened?”

“She just told you, Black Mask,” Hood responded before Stephanie could. Even through the modulator, Bruce could hear the anger in his voice. “I sent Phantom to fetch you at least fifteen minutes ago.” he hissed causing his modulator to make a strange crackling sound.

Electing to ignore Red Hood’s words, Bruce focused on Stephanie. Other than her wrist and leg, her injuries appeared minor, just bruises and cuts. The way her arm was splinted suggested either a bad sprain or a possible break. As for her leg, Bruce wasn’t entirely certain of the damage. There was evidence of gauze hidden under the expertly done bandages with some bloodied gauze on the floor near her feet. As he finished his checks, Tim radioed he’d cleared the other floors and would be joining them momentarily.

“Word of advice, Batman,” Hood warned as Bruce stood. “Sionis is dead set on killing anyone who gets in his way. If you want to keep these little birds alive, keep them off the streets.”

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be able to handle anything.”

At the sound of Tim’s voice, Hood turned to find the boy standing in the doorway. Both of them seemed to stare at each other for a moment before Hood turned to face Bruce. The man’s fists tightened, and if Bruce wasn’t mistaken, green markings were beginning to form on what was visible of his skin. “How many children are you going to brainwash into being your good little soldiers.” He turned back to Tim and gestured at Stephanie. “Black Mask shot her in the leg before deciding he wanted to finish the torture session I interrupted the other day. Between what he was planning to do and the apparent lack of care Batman,” Hood’s modulator seemed to crackle as he hissed the title, “gave about checking in on her, there’s a good chance she would have been dead before anyone came to check on her.” His gaze seemed to return to Bruce. “Did you learn anything from your first dead bird?”

“You don’t have the right to speak of him,” Bruce warned as he stood and protectively hovered in front of Stephanie. The more Bruce and the others interacted with him, the more it seemed he was acting as an avenger for Jason.

Even through the helmet, it seemed as if Hood rolled his eyes. “Your priorities are skewed. Spoiler is injured and in need of medical attention, and you want to pick a fight. You had a chance to prove me wrong and choose the kids over fighting a crimi... Hmm?” He paused mid-word. If Bruce wasn’t mistaken, he was listening to someone speaking on a comm. “He what? Shit. Stay put. I’m on my way.”

Without another word to Bruce or the two teens in the room, Hood turned and seemed to harmlessly pass through the wall and vanished. Bruce immediately went over to the spot to check for evidence of a hologram or some type of cloaking, but he touched solid brick. It was still possible there was some sort of cloaking that ended when Hood passed through the opening and closed the entrance. However, the action reminded Bruce too much of Phantom’s powers for his liking.

“Robin…” he couldn’t finish his thought as a loud booming sound seemed to rock the entire building. An explosion, but where? It felt like it was within the city limits, but not close enough to do damage to the building they were in. Was that why Hood left? Had someone, possibly Phantom, tipped him off? That was likely, but for now, he needed to find out the specifics.

“Oracle, come in. Oracle.” The only answer he received was static. That was concerning. He needed to get to the Clocktower. Turning, he found Tim slowing helping Stephanie off the chair. “Robin, get Spoiler back to the cave. Make sure to tell Agent A to call Agent L while you’re on your way.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be able to get back on my own.” Steph tried to put on a brave face, but it was ruined when she jostled her injured leg. “You’re going to need backup.”

“Between myself, Nightwing, Catwoman, and our other allies in the city, I’ll be fine.” He let his voice soften to try to convey he wanted her to worry about her injuries instead of him. Was this lack of concern for herself what Hood meant when he called her and Tim soldiers? He would have to ponder that later. “Robin, I might need you to be my eyes in the city if Oracle is out of commission. If you learn anything, let me know immediately.”

“Gotcha!”

As Bruce rushed from the building, he hoped Tim would listen and take Spoiler to the Cave. The last thing he needed at the moment would be the two of them getting involved in a situation that could result in Stephanie’s injuries worsening.

Using a grapple to take to the air of Gotham, he tried reaching Oracle again. When she once again didn’t answer, he tried Dick. His son’s answer was brief, but at least it confirmed he was alive, even if he requested assistance at the Clocktower.

As he came closer to the building, he found smoke slowly dissipating both in the air and the streets. As he cleared another building, he nearly missing the timing with his grapple. The Clocktower was gone. The remains of it were blackened and scattered on the streets below. Had it been destroyed by one of the rogues of Gotham? Or had Barbara caused the detonation? There was too much he didn’t know.

Getting closer, he could hear the sounds of a battle. Moving around to the side where the entrance of the Clocktower was, he found Dick, Selena, and Dick’s acquaintance, Tarantula, fighting what they had dubbed ‘Scarebeast’. The Penguin once dosed the Scarecrow with something, they were still trying to determine if it was a variant of Langstrom’s serum or something else, turning him into a hulking monster. They had hoped it had been a one-time thing, but the effects of it apparently still lingered. This was problematic as instead of needing some form of container for his fear toxin, in this form, he was able to secrete it from his body. He was also much stronger than normal and deceptively fast. They had to be extra careful as a result.

Seeing an opening, he threw one of his exploding batarangs at the creature, allowing the others to fall back and regroup. There were already noticeable burn marks on his body suggesting he’d been caught up in the explosion of the Clocktower. Good, that meant he was already injured and possibly weakened. If they kept hitting him from a safe distance, they should be able to wear him out enough for him to collapse.

The problem was Selena was more of a melee fighter and had no desire to stay back. Tarantula also wasn’t interested in fighting from a far. That left Bruce and Dick to monitor for signs of fear toxin release and alert the others.

…

Dick hated how long the battle with Scarebeast was taking. They needed to find Barbara. She had been in the Clocktower before it exploded, and with her line going dead, he wasn’t sure if she had been in the building or not. But due to the criminal’s transformation, his strength and endurance without had exponentially increased without affecting his intelligence making the fight that much harder.

There was also the concern on whether or not the Clocktower would collapse. He could hear the unsettling creaks and groans of the building as the damaged supports reached their limits. Sure, they were currently outside, but they were fighting at its base. Over the years, Dick learned just how dangerous being too close to a collapsing building could be.

At one point, Tarantula got a little too close, giving Scarebeast an opening. However, a black and white blur appeared at her side right before the attack seemed to harmlessly pass through her. Phantom had arrived. Instead of thanking the kid, Tarantula immediately scooted away from him. The woman was a former FBI agent, but Phantom’s presence seemed to deeply unsettle her.

The teen’s presence also seemed to bother Scarebeast as he immediately tried to attack him. When the attack and the next three didn’t connect, Scarebeast seemed to give Phantom a curious look. According to Bruce, Phantom’s first properly documented appearance was during a fight with Scarecrow. While the criminal had heard Phantom speak before, they weren’t sure if he ever laid eyes on him prior to this instance.

“Phantom, fall back!” Bruce shouted as Scarebeast began releasing toxin. Phantom was an unknown when it came to its effects, and on top of that, he was a meta which automatically made him harder to subdue if he got affected by it.

The warning was too late. As the teen stumbles as the toxin began to take effect, he couldn’t get out of the way of the next attack. But it never hit. A shot rang out, and the Scarebest shrieked in rage as he cradled his arm. A few more shots rang out, hitting near the man’s feet, causing him to back away as Phantom fell backwards and shivered.

Quickly glancing behind him, he noted a glint off a red helmet. The Red Hood was watching.

“Don’t come near me!” Phantom yelled as he scrambled to his feet and backed away. The temperature in the immediate area dropped, causing Dick to involuntarily shiver as his breath misted. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Please!” He raised his arms as if he was shielding himself. “Don’t give me to that monster! I don’t… I don’t want to die again!” His voice cracked as spikes of ice began sprouting from the ground around him and quickly spread in an uneven circle around him.

Scarebeast chuckled, a strange and unsettling sound worsened by the rustling of the straw on him, before attempting to strike Phantom again. As another shot rang out, hitting him once again in the arm, ice began in casing his feet. Bruce used the moment to use an exploding batarang. Before the smoke cleared, Dick used the distraction to activate the electricity on his escrima sticks before rushing to Scarebeast’s back and tasing him. It seemed to finally do the trick as he slumped and slowly began shrinking in size.

Dick barely had time to move as the ice around Phantom increased. The one thing he didn’t want to do was risk getting trapped, especially when he was nursing an injury on his leg. Even if it was just a graze, bullet wounds hurt, and after everything that happened in the last couple days, he was exhausted.

“You don’t happen to have the antidote on you?” he asked as he retreated to Bruce’s side while trying to ignore the increasing frequency of the groans from the Clocktower’s supports. “And since when could he manipulate ice?”

“It seems to be a spontaneous evolution of his powers,” Bruce replied as he pulled out a vial from his utility belt.

“Are you crazy?” Tarantula snapped at him. “The building isn’t going to last for much longer.”

“You can leave.” The hint of anger in Bruce’s voice caught her off guard. “Right now, Phantom is a danger to himself and everyone else due to the fear toxin. We don’t know the extent of this new ability.”

Bruce ignored her and gave him a slight not. Most other people wouldn’t understand what that meant, but Dick had been Bruce’s partner for years. He wanted him to distract Phantom so he could sneak up and use the antidote. Thankfully, the teen seemed to have the frozen in fear type and hadn’t move too much from his spot in the middle of the ice. Thankfully, the giant spikes of ice had stopped forming, but frost was still spreading across the ground. If this continued, there was a real possibility he could freeze the entire square and accidentally harm someone in the process.

“I hate to say it, but I think she’s right,” Selena grabbed Bruce’s arm preventing him from running forward. “The boy can pass through objects, right? He should be fine, but we won’t if we don’t get out of the way.”

He was about to retort and explain that he refused to let another young hero die, but his words were cut off as someone ran in between him and Bruce. “Hold that for me,” the person called as he threw a helmet into his hands and swiped the antidote from Bruce. Glancing down, Dick realized that he was holding a familiar red helmet.

“Ah hell,” he muttered to himself as he and Bruce ran after Red Hood. As they followed, Phantom responded to them by causing more ice spikes to shoot out towards them.

Hood surprised Dick by showing off his athletics. He dodged around the ice spikes with little trouble which continue to push forward. The strange thing was Hood’s movements were familiar, and it wasn’t just him who believed that. Tim had rigorously reviewed the footage from his first encounter with Hood when he was impersonating Jason and mentioned he saw similarities. Though Bruce surprisingly brushed it off, Dick couldn’t. He was certain he helped train this man.

When he was just a few yards away, Hood slowed his pace and gently called out to Phantom. The teen recognized him, even through the toxin-induced hallucinations.

“Stay back! They’ll catch you too!” he called out as more ice shot out towards Bruce. The fear in his voice made Dick’s heart break, but what was he seeing? Who was going to catch him? While they needed this to end as quickly as possible, sometimes the hallucinations gave hints about the past. He hated that he wanted to hear more.

“No one’s gonna catch me. We’ll get out of this together.”

“Hood… no, you’re not him! You’re working with them!” Crap. Did Phantom see the antidote? But instead of the spikes, ice started forming on Hood’s jacket.

“You need to pull back!” Dick shouted as he dodged more ice. “You won’t be able to help him if you get frozen solid.”

Ignoring him, Hood closed the gap and knelt in front of Phantom. Ice continued to race across the material of his closes and an unsettling blue tint was starting to become noticeable on his visible skin. “It’s alright, Dove. Listen to my voice and close your eyes. You can feel my presence, right?” What did that mean? Could Phantom sense all of them?

“I… yes.”

Taking the temporary distraction, Hood quickly scooped the teen into a hug. Not liking the movement, Phantom screamed as walls of ice began forming. Hood used the distraction to inject the antidote into his arm and continued to hold onto him while it took effect. As Phantom went limp, the tension from Hood’s shoulders lessened. “I told you to stay away from the criminals.” An unidentifiable emotion filled his voice. It definitely wasn’t anger, but it wasn’t pity either.

“Huh…?” Dick was surprised to hear Phantom’s voice. Even with the antidote, it usually took at least a few minutes before it took full effect. “J…Err… Hood? What happened?” He glanced over the man’s shoulder towards him and Bruce. “You’re covered in ice! Did… did I do that?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Hood stood and helped Phantom stand.

“But I could have killed you!”

“The cold isn’t a bad way to go. You don’t feel a thing. Much better than explosions or fire.” That statement was too matter of fact for Dick’s liking. “We need to get you out of here. Nightwing, I’d appreciate if you gave me my helmet back.” When Hood glanced back towards him, Dick dropped the thing.

He knew that face. Sure, he was older, but he couldn’t forget him. Especially since his image frequently haunted his dreams, screaming for help. Sure, he’d seen the footage of the battle in the cemetery, but this was different. He wasn’t looking at him through a lens. This was real, but there was no way it was possible. “Jason.”

====

Notes:

It was the War Games arc where Stephanie was shot and "died." As you can see, I've made the executive decision not to do that this time.

Scarebeast is a thing. Apparently the Penguin hired Scarecrow as something of a body guard during As the Crow Flies and injected him with something that turned him into a monstrous creature. Apparently the effects were dormant after that story line until he got caught up in the explosion at the Clocktower during the War Games arc. A weird thing about this transformation is that he can release fear toxin from his body instead of needing a delivery device. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't shown up more.

#danny phantom #dcxdp #dp x dc #dpxdc #dc x dp #danny phantom au #dp au #dp crossover #danny phantom crossover #Chasing Shadows #odyssey au

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home-of-renn · 1 year

Note

Imagine if Danny ends up marrying Sam in the DPxAddams AU.

Honestly, I’m not really a Sam x Danny shipper. Mostly cause I didn’t really grow up watching the show (I still haven’t actually watched it even though I somehow got sucked into the fandom) so I don’t really ship any of the characters in the DP. I’m a big fan of platonic love/affection and love the idea of Sam, Danny and Tucker just being absolute ride or dies for one another but having it be completely platonic. I feel like romantic love tends to overshadow every other kind of love like; familial love, love between friends etc.

Plus having a romantic couple in a trio always leaves someone left out which always ends up being a bit cliche and sad.

But I guess if Danny and Sam were to get married, then Sam would be over the moon about finally being officially a part of the Addams family (even though Sam and Tucker had already been long since accepted considering the three of them are a non-negotiable packaged deal).

Before they got married Sam always felt weird visiting the Addamses without Danny. She would drop hints that Danny should check up on his relatives in the hopes that he would let her tag along as well. It didn’t take long for Danny to figure out what she was doing and It kinda got on his nerves a little when she’d bring it up too often, mostly cause it would mean that he’d have to leave Amity unprotected while he was away and it made his Obsession feel uneasy. But he’d give in half the time cause he thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Addamses. Their home always made him feel relaxed and safe and he enjoys having people he could trust to openly talk about his ghostly side and asks questions. That and he always felt a little bad when he’d snap at Sam or turn down her hints when he knew how often she fought with her parents and that the Addamses were kind, accepting people. He knew how much she wished her parents would accept her and he always felt a little guilty.

Honestly I don’t think much would change in how the Addamses would treat Sam. The biggest change would be that Sam would just be a lot more comfortable coming and going without Danny in tow. She’d love the family reunions (even though Danny had dragged her and Tucker along many times before) and would definitely bring her grandmother.

Her parents hadn’t been happy that she married the Fenton boy and her mother had almost fainted at the very first sight of the Addamses. Her parents refused to step a single foot in their direction and said that it wasn’t as though they needed to get to know each other since they were only distantly related to Danny.

I don’t actually know much about Jewish traditions and celebrations so I'm not going to elaborate too much on that aspect without doing some proper research - but the Addamses would be very accepting of Sam and her beliefs and would definitely be respectful and take part in her celebrations if she asked them.

#dp #dp x addams family #dp x the addams #dp x the addams family #dp x addams #home of renn #danny phantom #the addams family #sam manson #ask #renn #ask renn #renn replies

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dungeonsdragonstdelinquents · 1 year

Note

Hii, saw your post about dps fics being really poetically written, do you have any favourites or recommendations? Have a good day!! :D

Hi thank you for the ask!! Oh goodness my favorite dps fics…I will include in general fics that I liked, but the ones that I have placed an asterisk with are pieces that had me–for lack of a better phrase–crying, screaming, shitting on the floor from how poetic they made me feel. Which really doesn't make much sense, but when i say poetry within me i just mean this strange feeling that is difficult to describe. Also these are all anderperry because i am a basic bitch, so apologies if you were looking for any other pairs! Maybe after finals I will look into some of the other pairs and put together a list for them too :) also I tried formatting this the best I could, I typed it all out on google docs so apologies for any fuck ups.

(in no particular order)

What We Stay Alive For **** by PiscesVanity on ao3, 18/18 chaps, 66,485 words.

Summary: “Do we get second chances in this life, Todd?” Neil asks him like he expects a negative answer. Todd doesn’t give that to him.

“Yes. we do. I know it.”

“Do you?” Neil grins, playfully elbowing him. “Did you at least wait to take it? That second chance? Until the world was more peaceful? More kind?”

Ten years after the death of Neil Perry, Todd Anderson wakes up with a second chance.

My notes: This incredibly crafted piece of art was the first dead poets fic I ever read. It honestly set the bar for me, for future reads. Also i didn’t have the chance to reread this one because this baby is long as FUCK and as much as I love long fics to read, I have to study for finals today so I can’t right now. I’m like 80% sure this is the fic where they confess by the lake and say something along the lines of “if you feel something even similar to what i feel…” but again i can’t be sure. Either way all I remember is that this fic is fricken good. Just for context, this is a time-traveling fic, but the type of time travel that happens in 13-going-on-30. Todd prays for a second chance on the eve of the 10 year anniversary of Neil’s death and he wakes up in his 17 year old body, on the day that he started school at Hell-ton. I think in general I just love the dead poets fandom because it combines some of my favorite tropes in any form of reading–50s/60s time period, boarding schools, and well…being gay. It is a fix-it so there is some angst, but there is a happy ending. But it will hit hard, especially since it comes close in the end so be wary. When I first started it, I was concerned about my own interest dwindling because the fic was going to cover the entirety of the movie, and since I have issues rereading or rewatching pieces of media when I know the end or the majority of it, I didn’t know if I was going to last. But the author of this stunning work (I know it sounds cheesy BUT IT IS) crafted it in a way that didn’t leave me bored. Even though several lines were pulled from the movie due to it being a time travel fic I still felt involved and captured by the story. It was comforting at the beginning to see how Charlie and Todd took care of each other after Neil’s death, and it was also intriguing to see how Todd almost started where he left off with Neil when he went back in time. He was more open than he had been prior, but eventually had settled back into his ‘old’ personality that he had before his first encounters with the poets.

to be alone with you by wordshakers on ao3, 1/1 chaps, 3,602 words.

Summary: “Thursday evenings were, unequivocally, Neil’s favorite part of the week.

On the surface, the explanation for this was simple enough. It was his opportunity to turn his focus entirely to the topic that made him happiest: Shakespeare. He savored the time he was able to spend sitting out on the dock, overlooking the lake, reading and reciting the words he loved so much.

The other reason–perhaps the more prominent one–Neil wasn’t able to explain quite as easily. In fact, he could hardly admit it to himself. Thursday evenings…they meant being alone with Todd.

An anderperry first kiss fic, set in a near-canon universe of the film (minus the death). Fluffy mutual pining.

My notes: I can’t recall everything about this one because my mind has been scrambled the last few days, but it is fluffy, it is cute, and it has Todd and Neil practicing lines together–what more could you want?

letters to my dearest beloved ****by UniversalSatan on ao3, 4/4 chaps, 34,162 words.

Summary:

“My dearest beloved,

It is with great relief that I finally write to you. I think it doubtful for my words to ever reach your ears, but spare me this chance to lend you a piece of my thoughts–and only a piece, for I must write with caution lest I be discovered.

Neil, amidst his own internal emotional conflict, accidentally stumbles upon letters Todd had been writing in secret to an unknown recipient. Neil (an idiot) continues to intrude on Todd’s privacy by reading each new letter in secret, continuously agitating over their purpose.”

My notes: I’m not 100% sure how well this fic is known because as I stated in the post you mentioned I am extremely new to this fandom, I think I only watched the movie the Saturday before last. Let me tell you, my heart was beating all over the place during this. I cannot believe the audacity of Neil! I don’t want to spoil it because it’s literally a masterpiece, like this should be published and printed and given awards to–the letters and the imagery in them were so *shakes author like a squeaky toy* I LOVE YOUUUU RAHHHHH. Anything i have to say just will not convey how fucking amazing this fic is. Please go read it if you haven’t. And also Neil is an oblivious little man in this fic, the best type of Neil.

A Midnight Summer’s Dream: A Story of Hope (chapter 2 specifically) by cc tinselbee (thearchivistonmars)

Summary: (my words) an almost main au that will tear your fucking soul from your body. Beautiful, amazing, life altering, makes me cry in the best way. The bittersweetness of it all is POTENT. It is an Almost Maine au (I am scared to look into almost maine now from how heartbreaking this fic was. I have only read the SECOND chapter, I’m sure the first chapter is magnificent but as of now I am in the midst of finals so I will check it out when I am done.)

My notes: Someone printed out this fic, tied it to a brick, and threw it into the window of my heart, shattering my soul into pieces. How could you do this to be, author? This piece has me able to physically feel my brain putting up barriers to stop thinking about the ending that is implied. Nope, nope, nope. If you are one for incurable angst, please go ahead and enjoy. It’s a wonderful story and it evoked emotions in me that I couldn’t even stand. The author is very talented for this and I’m manifesting that alternative/possible happy ending they mentioned in their notes/comments. I haven’t read the first chapter, so this is specifically about the second one because up until a few moments ago I didn’t realize that there was a first chapter–I clicked on the link to the fic from the author’s tumblr and was sleep deprived and thought it was the beginning of the fic 🙂

Gentle Lover, Remedy ****by violet_sunset on ao3. 1/1 chap, 13,135 words.

Summary: “Todd’s first semester at Welton marks the moment he stops going to church. There are regular Masses offered in the chapel, but whenever Todd thinks about going he’s overwhelmed by nausea and has to hover in the bathrooms until he is sure he won’t vomit. When he was a kid and he thought God was just a pair of arms open in embrace, he would have jumped at the chance to attend, to sing from the hymnal and listen to homily and absorb the sacrament of blood and body. Now, God seems like a distant thing.”

My notes: HOLY FUCK, RELIGIOUS GUILT MY BELOVED. That’s one of my favorite tags to see in a work, and it isn’t often that I have seen it in some of the pairings that I like. Of course, with religious guilt comes internalized homophobia and period typical attitudes–the fic actually made use of words used in that time period that were used to refer to queer folk, so if any of those trigger you please be wary as well. I love, love, LOVE the usage of religious metaphors and words that are littered all around in this piece as well as the descriptions that show Todd’s pathway of his beliefs. As we know Todd has a deeply ingrained inferiority complex and WOW does it shine in this fic. It made me cry feeling the second-hand guilt that Todd feels. Also, the author tackled the controversy of appropriation in the film–meaning Charlie’s preference of the name Nuwanda–and expanded on his ethnic background which was really nice to read. They also touched upon Charlie’s relation to gender and (semi-canonical?) non-binaryness (it's a word because I say so) in a beautiful and delicate way that is very rare in most works that I have seen. In general there are very few fics that I have read that have included Charlie as being anything other than cisgender, so it was wonderful to see it included in this work. As well as this, Todd having a panic attack/sensory overload when a certain ginger starts being homophobic was incredibly well written and it felt like it captured those feelings that you have during an overwhelmingly stressful moment, though that is an understatement. Todd’s inability to realize just what the fuck is going on and being sort of spacey during it all–been there and done that baby. This author is so fucking talented, and this is probably my favorite dps fic of all time. I dont have the words to effectively describe how amazing it is, so if you are able to, I highly suggest reading it to experience it for yourself :)

It’s Rotten Work by cc tinslebee (the archivistonmars) on ao3, 1/1 chap, 2,774 words.

Summary:

“I was hoping…” Neil peered back up at him with those fervent eyes before he broke his inconspicuous character and cracked a smile, “my favorite scene partner would help me test it out?”

In the midst of Todd’s continual crisis of what exactly Neil’s ‘no’ means, Neil asks him to read from a scene from Orestes. You know, for practice.

My notes: Short and utterly sweet. I love reading pieces that just show how much characters love each other whether it’s platonic, romantic, or somewhere in between. I’ve always been one for a slowburn, and it wasn’t until I realized that I was aromantic that the reason I love that trope is because in between the first ‘hello’ and the inevitable kiss, that love that I read about was similar to how I felt. Just a simple fondness that the characters had for each other that made them feel alive and safe etc. I could go on forever about that, but what I mean to say is that this fic captured that feeling of affection in a fleeting moment between Neil and Todd, and I think it’s lovely.

The Pepper Ghost Effect by Anonymous on ao3, 6/6 chaps, 19,472 words.

Summary:

“1964. Todd Anderson, now a successful playwright, whisks away an old flame from a horrifying mental asylum. That old flame, Neil Perry, becomes Todd’s new muse.”

Notes: Beware of the tags. It is a very angst ridden fic that addressed Neil’s mental health and the possibilities of what could have happened if he survived his first attempt on his life. Key word, first attempt. There is period-typical homophobia, past abusive partners, and ableism and abuse stemming from the sanitarium that [spoiler] is placed in for some time. There is a happy ending, so it’s not just angst and I feel that this fic is severely underrated. There are like only 24 kudos on it right now and 4 comments which?? What?? It’s an absolute masterpiece, and effectively captures the feeling and emotion of hopelessness and depression of a situation. Neil’s emotional response and numbness to everything around him resonated with me and I felt like it described my own brush with darkness from the lower points in my life. Read at your own risk and don’t push yourself if any of the tags may be triggering, but if you are able to this is a wonderful read that will elicit all sorts of feelings in your heart.

In the Subjunctive by ghostlin on ao3, 1/1 chaps, 5682 words.

Summary:

“The night the play opens, Neil turns left.”

My notes: This is a sort of fix-it fic with Neil coming back to the dorms after his fight with his father. It leaves off sort of ambiguous–and I do adore a good ambiguous ending–leaving the reader to imagine a happy ending. I consider it a happy ending because Neil is alive, but he is less than well mentally as of what he has endured. It also centered some on Charlie and Neil in the aftermath of it all which I enjoyed because I feel that sometimes fics forget that they are all friends. Todd wasn’t the only one mourning Neil–they all were. Also I liked the way the author captured the surprise of Charlie’s acceptance of Neil’s sexuality amongst the blunt hatred of the time. Often I feel like some fics don’t try to keep the edge of fear or vulnerability that that time period called for–which is totally fine! You do you, boo. I just have a preference for it because I feel that it almost adds to an ambiguous read of a situation. I also liked how the author wrote about Todd’s perception of Charlie and how he perceives him–whether or not Todd is supposed to be unreliable (I think it’s made somewhat clear that Charlie likes Todd–he wouldn't be encouraging Neil to spill his feelings if he didn’t) in his narration.

Also as a side note i love your pfp ive been needing to read the picture of dorian gray but ive been so busy 🙁 and you have a good day too !!❤️

#ask #dps fic rec #anderperry fic rec

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ao3feed-brucewayne · 1 year

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Father's Gifts

by Katlover98

Turns out, Sheila Haywood is an even bigger liar than anyone knew.

Willis Todd wasn’t the one who got her pregnant (although she still left Jason with him), she had a one night stand with another man at the same time she was seeing Willis. She never learned his name but she hadn’t really cared at the time.

She probably should have, since Jason inherited some particular traits from him… such as only being halfway successful with dying as a teenager (but hey, at least he made it a year longer than his bio dad by halfway dying at 15 instead of 14!) and having a part of their teenhood spent as a hero/vigilante.

https://ift.tt/g6boiQ5

Or the one where Danny is Jason's bio dad, Jason still doesn't know how he came back to life (for now), and Sheila is a creep

Words: 3005, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of DC x DP Tumblr Prompt fills

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Characters: Danny Fenton, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Sheila Haywood, Danny Fenton's Parents, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne

Additional Tags: Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Older Woman/Younger Man, Character Death, dont worry he gets better, The Fentons A+ Parenting, Alcohol, Past Child Abuse, Halfa Jason Todd, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Danny is Jason's father, Dc x dp, DP X DC, Batfamily (DCU), Protective Batfamily (DCU), Resurrected Jason Todd, Episode: s02e19 I Only Have Eyes For You, Oh God Yes, that doesn't stop me from writing in this fandom, Don't copy to other sites

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/44390266

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the cape crusader #gotham #dc universe #ao3 #ao3feed

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epicspheal · 2 years

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Pokemon Journeys Episode 114

I have to say I really enjoyed this latest episode a lot. As someone who was a huge fan of the Pokemon anime during the DP eras (this was when I started watching the sub and really getting into the online Pokemon fandom) watching the development the rivalry between Ash and Paul. Easily the best done in the entire anime. So obviously once I heard that Paul was coming back I was curious to see how he would be handled And Journeys did not disappoint. I really like how they kept Paul’s seriousness and blunt approach (intimidating Goh and downing Ash’s name for a technique) but still showed how much he improved. Seeing him treat both Ash and Infernape as equals was heartwarming after all of those heated exchanges in the DP era (especially the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament and the Lake Acuity battle). It was nice to see that everytime his Pokemon fainted he told them “job well done” which we didn’t see until the final battle between him and Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference once Electivire is finally defeated by Infernape. He even told Electivire to go play with the other Pokemon. If I went back in time and told my middle school self that Paul would do that, she’d look at me like I was crazy.

Now even though I would have loved to have seen Paul participate in the World Coronation Series (as one of my complaints about the WCS is that there was a lot of time spent on random COTDs that could’ve been used to have battles against past rivals/league opponents as well characters from the games that had yet to debut), I’m okay with his rationale for not participating being that he isn’t one for such festivities. First off this is a super relatable reason as I’m not one for big public events either. But most importantly this is very in character to his DP persona. Back in Sinnoh his main drive to get stronger was to be what his brother couldn’t, someone capable of being able to beat high tier trainers like Brandon. He didn’t care for festivities back then either, as he wasn’t super enthused to be in the Hearthome tag battle tournament and he criticised Ash for his pariticpation in the Wallace cup. Even his participation in the Lily of the Valley Conference had more to do about him one-upping his brother. But now that he’s grown as a person and no longer ties his gains of strength to one-upping Reggie he’s more secure and can train and battle his own way. Which means no big showy tournaments. Before I talk about the Ash vs Paul battle, I want to back it up a bit and talk about seeing all of Ash’s Pokemon at the Oak Ranch. I’ve mentioned this before but I got into Pokemon through the anime back in the Original Series 4Kids era. So seeing Pokemon’s mons from Kanto to Kalos was a really heartwarming touch for me as a long time Pokemon fan. While I am a little upset that his reserves won’t get a chance to shine in the Masters 8, I’m still glad they could help train his journeys tema. Special props goes out to the fire type squad teaching Gengar how to utilize Will-O-Wisp, with Oak commenting that this was a new observation even for a seasoned academic like himself.

Now to the battle. I loved how Paul didn’t use Pokemon he’s used before in Sinnoh to keep it from being a repeat of both the Lake Acuity and Lily of the Valley conference battles. Even more amazing, how he used the aces of three of the masters’ 8 opponents: Gyarados for Lance, Metagross for Steven, and Garchomp for Cynthia. And it was cool to see how Paul could easily go toe-to-toe with Ash even now. But the highlight was definitely how Paul acted through the battle, pushing Ash and using a wake-up call speech to motivate him. Not only is it indicative of how much Paul has grown to respect Ash (as he didn’t resort to cheap insults like in DP) but it’s also nice foreshadowing the fact that Paul had been asked to beocme a gym leader. How he pushed Ash in that battle is something that would definitely be needed for his future challengers at his gym. All in all this was a superb episode!

#ash ketchum #professor oak #paul pokemon #pokemon goh #pokemon journeys #epic spheal reviews #character analysis

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aprocessionofthoughts · 6 months

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Calling All Bats

ai-less whumptober 2023 day 26- came back wrong fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Jason starts looking for Danny

ao3 ailesswhumptober23 masterlist part 5 of DLM

Danny found himself pleasantly relaxing with this strange liminal. Which he figured was why Gotham had directed him to that apartment. He had been surprised when he reached Gotham’s border and immediately felt the city’s presence. He had never encountered a living city before even though he knew they were possible. He had hesitated at first, not wanting to intrude on what felt like a haunt. But Gotham had assured him with feelings of temporary protection, she couldn’t do much. She was too weak from constantly being surrounded by corrupted ectoplasm from all the disasters. But she could offer temporary asylum and let Danny know when the GIW entered Gotham’s border.

Of course Danny hadn’t known that Gotham would be sneaky and direct him to a liminal’s apartment. Danny had not expected a liminal to come in, usually he could sense a haunt, but with Gotham as contaminated as she was, he figured the criminal's presence was hidden. It was also probably because Jason’s ectoplasm was also corrupted.

He wished he could have stayed longer in that apartment. He might have even been able to help Jason. But when Gotham whispered to him that the GIW had come, Danny knew he had to leave before the agents found Jason. Hopefully Gotham’s corrupt ectoplasm would help hide Jason. It might even make it more difficult for the agents to track him down as well.

But he couldn’t risk it. He wasn’t sure where he’d go next. At least he had gotten his bandages changed and eaten a few cookies.

-------------------

Jason didn’t know what to do. The kid was just gone.

How was he supposed to look for him? Where even did he go?

And these GIW agents or whatever were clearly after him. Jason wasn’t about to abandon the kid.

Leaving behind his hot chocolate and cookies he walked over to his room and put his uniform back on.

The kid was like him. They both came back wrong. Jason grimaced. He’d always described himself as coming back wrong, but thinking about the kid like that was wrong. The kid was fine. Who cared if he’d died before. And maybe, Jason wasn’t messed up either? Danny acted like all this was normal. And maybe it was.

Whatever. Existential thought could wait till after he’d found Danny and beat the GIW to a pulp.

He left through his window and made his way up to the roof. He paused. He wouldn’t be able to search the whole city by himself.

That meant he’d have to call in reinforcements.

Ugh. What a pain.

He activates his comm. “Hey, Oracle. Anyone out tonight?”

“Hood, I thought you were ending your patrol early today?”

“I did. Then I found something. I need anyone out to help me out with the situation.”

“Red Robin’s out right now, but Nightwing is still suited up if you need him too.”

“Go ahead and patch them both to my comm.”

“Will do.”

A moment later Dick’s voice came through. “What’s up, Hood?”

“I need your help looking for someone.” Jason said, grappling over to the next roof. “Who are you looking for?” Tim asked.

Jason hesitated before answering, “He’s a kid about fourteen or fifteen, he’s some kind of meta. I was talking with him and he just disappeared. But he mentioned he has government agents trying to hunt him down to experiment on him.”

“What’s he look like?” Dick asked, voice serious.

Jason paused before getting it over with. “He was wearing jeans and had a black hoodie on. And he has black hair and blue eyes.”

There was silence for a moment before Dick started cackling. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know this is serious, but really Little Wing? You’ve found us a new brother?”

“Shut up. We need to start looking for him.”

“Of course.” Dick said, sounding serious, but Jason could tell that the man was still smiling.

“Do you know what agency is after him?” Tim asked.

“A group called the GIW. I don't know anything else.”

“I’ll look into them. I’ve also got my systems looking for any black haired, blue eyed kids.” Babs said.

“We’ll find him, Hood.” Dick said.

Jason hoped so.

#ailesswhumptober2023 #ailesswhumptober #day 26 #came back wrong #jason is liminal #Jason todd #Danny fenton #dpxdc #dcxdp #dp x dc #dc x dp crossover #fanfic

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ribarukirikaindenial · 2 years

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So, JN114 aired!

I liked those months of speculations ever since the news dropped w. Going from “so I guess Shinji will be back in the context of the tournament? That seems like a fair assumption” to “Okay, it feels less likely now but in what context is he going to show up? In Sinnoh? The trailer showed a lake” to “Wait, are they actually going to train together?” to “Wow, so they are going to train together? And in Kanto?” was fun. I liked how his role was kept unclear for a while and how we had time to think about it and speculate the more crumbs we got w (the only thing I got right was that the Gaburiasu was his)

Lots of thoughts about the ep below, this doesn’t really have a structure, these are just the long ramblings of a snst baka. Perhaps I’ll edit this to include all screencaps as ref eventually.

- Atsuhiro Tomioka is taking care of the screenplay for the episode and Masaaki Iwane is animating it. Tomioka was basically in charge of almost the entirety of eps involving Shinji and Satoshi in DP: their meeting and first battle (DP003), them getting lost together in the forest (DP006), their first gym battles at Kurogane Gym (DP015 and DP016), Shirona’s introduction (DP040), the tag battle (DP050-DP052), Reiji’s introduction and times involving him too (DP066, DP067, DP069), Hikozaru’s episodes and evolutions (DP081, DP163), Shinji VS Jindai (DP128), their full battles at Eichi Lake (DP131, DP132) and the league and their eventual parting (DP186-DP188)… so basically, pretty much everything lol. I think there are very few episodes with them in comparison that were not handled by Tomioka (like DP046, and DP118, and the beginning of the Sinnoh League), but that’s not much in the grand scheme of the series. So basically I was relieved seeing Tomioka’s name on the episode staff list w. It would have been a bit strange to see anyone else writing this reunion. This episode is handled by veteran staff who were there during DP and crafted the important beats of the rivalry. I feel like the writers had a clear vision of how Shinji’s character and his dynamics with Satoshi would be post DP, and I am glad they got around to it because they really went all out with the parallels and put so much care into this.

Iwane also often animated episodes with Shinji and Satoshi back in DP, and this man has been dropping hints for the past decade that Shinji is his favorite rival and that he sure would like to draw him again someday, and he carried the fandom on his back so I am glad he took care of their reunion as well. It’s what we deserve!

- I liked how Shigeru's appearance in 113 was already paving the way for Shinji’s return, by making parallels between the two rivalries. The way he talked about rivals helping each other and giving up one’s pride because it can get in the way was also a good indication, to me, of what we were going to get for snst. Also, it’s not the first time this kind of transition happens as there is a precedent in DP, with Shigeru appearing in DP045 and Shinji appearing right after him in DP046. And back then, it indicated the shift in rivalries as Shigeru wasn’t really this kind of character anymore (he had his own path to follow as a researcher), and Shinji was becoming this kind of existence (rival) for Satoshi. Not to mention the tag battle was also happening right after this, truly setting into motion the conflict between Shinji and Satoshi (and Satoshi getting Hikozaru on his team), so it’s just neat. Also it’s funny how this is the second time we have Satoshi’s rivals from past series appearing one after another but they still aren’t meeting w

- Shinji’s return is also paving the way for the appearance of Hop, in a way. They really didn’t have to advertise the two characters at the same time but I think it’s intentional. There is something to be said about how these two characters are probably the only “character who is a little brother and who look(ed) up to their older brother (and whose older brother is critical in their story)” in the franchise (and in their respective verses, because the same thing won’t necessarily happen with Hop in anpk). It’s such a popular trope, but I don’t recall any other character who has this kind of setting in their story in pkmn except for these two actually, so it’s interesting that there is a transition from a rival to another (Shigeru -> Shinji), and from a little brother to another little brother (Shinji -> Hop). A single loss against Jindai caused Reiji to quit the challenge entirely and witnessing that made Shinji hung up on the past, and fixate on trying to not be like his brother and achieve what he couldn’t do VS Dande who is standing at the top and remains undefeated, never lost once, and how that might affect his own lil bro in turn, etc. I have connected the two dots—

Now, will there be similarities between these siblings or not… (maybe Hop calls his brother “aniki” as well, like Shinji does with Reiji—)

- JN114 is airing on (almost) the same date as DP131, the first part of Shinji and Satoshi’s first full battle (which came out years ago on June 11, so this reunion on June 10 is basically happening for the anniversary of this episode), and I just think that’s a neat coincidence. That full battle was an important shift for snst, so I think it’s fitting that the reunion is happening now, too.

- I thought it was interesting how the title was already indicative of a shift in the dynamics by mentioning the word training. The only other one clearly framed as a training episode was Citron’s (Great Friendship Training), which is already saying a lot. With Citron, it was training with a close friend to get ready for an opponent that is Elite Four level. With Shinji, it’s training with a rival in preparation for confrontations with Champions. Most of all, the aim in both situations is to guide Satoshi along. Shinji isn’t there as an obstacle to overcome or as an opponent to beat, he is there because he is the most fitting to help Satoshi in his current position and I really like that. They don’t need the shackles of competition tying them down or a battle with pressure or high stakes for their reunion. They had enough pressure in DP and at this point, they don’t have anything to prove to each other anymore. So they need a different context and a different kind of battle, which doesn’t take place in a competitive and restrictive setting. I think this kind of battle is exactly what they need for their reunion and the next step of their dynamics, and it’s the best direction they could have taken for them imo. The fact that Shinji, of all characters, is framed as being the final push before the tournament, too… him specifically and not any other friend, or rival (who are obviously important as everyone had their own part in supporting Satoshi recently and encouraging him/lifting him up at specific points during his journey but it’s not framed as the final thing Satoshi needs, this reunion is happening right before the beginning of the M8 for a reason). In a way, It’s interesting how this encapsulates many things at once. Shinji is training together with Satoshi (like Citron did), he is supporting him (like everyone in Alola did) with his specific choice of team and this battle, and he acts like a guide and pushes him towards his next challenge (for a character who has lost his way as a trainer and who had to be humbled by Jindai during their battle, it’s interesting that he is now in a position where he is able to guide instead of being guided). He is in a very unique position and brings something specific to Satoshi that no one else can and accompanies him for the next step of his evolution as a trainer… It’s good. And the Citron and Shinji parallels make sense in retrospect since Citron is a Gym Leader and Shinji was offered a position as one, so this direction is intentional!

- The fact that the reunion is happening in Masara Town in Kanto!! I actually didn’t know what to expect for this, I was wondering where they would meet again… I thought they were going to meet again at Eichi Lake in Sinnoh because of the initial trailer (I think they did it on purpose to keep us wondering lol, a lot of people assumed that the place where Gaburiasu and Kairyu were battling was that lake). Eichi Lake would have been interesting on its own as it is a place that holds a lot of memories for them, but this choice is really much better and much more meaningful to me. The entirety of Shinji and Satoshi’s rivalry in DP took place in Sinnoh, which is Shinji’s home region. And for all Shinji kept to himself during the course of DP, Satoshi ended up knowing a lot about him, probably way more than Shinji intended, and was present several times in places which symbolize Shinji’s origin and starting line as a trainer — Satoshi literally went to Shinji’s house in Tobari City and met Reiji and he was watching him when Shinji challenged Jindai to a battle in Kissaki City. Jindai was the reason why Shinji was so hung on the past since he witnessed his brother's loss right at the beginning of his own journey as a trainer and it influenced his course of action from then on. And for all Satoshi reached out to Shinji during DP, Shinji actually doesn’t know that much about his past as a trainer. So the fact that their reunion is now happening in Kanto, Satoshi’s home region, restores a balance between them. Now it’s Shinji’s turn to come to the place which is Satoshi’s starting line as a trainer ;) It’s equality!

It also feels really special because hello, Masara Town is a place that was usually mostly visited by Satoshi’s traveling companions and friends such as the OS trio or the Alola group (and some of the companions never had the opportunity to go there). The only rival character who got to be there is Shigeru but Masara Town is literally his hometown as well (and he’s a childhood friend). So the fact that Shinji is in Masara Town, Satoshi’s origin and roots so to speak, and the place he always comes back to before setting off to travel again, is just… good :’) Shinji is slowly but surely finding his way in the nakama group… (and next time, they should go to Alola together methinks)

- Their first battle in DP003 happened at Nanakamado Hakase’s lab in Sinnoh and now their reunion battle is happening at Ookido Hakase’s lab in Kanto and with exactly the same rules as well (3 VS 3 with no substitutions). Shinji is also in a position similar to Shigeru’s at the end of AG: Satoshi and Shigeru battled at Ookido’s place in AG192 and Shigeru was his push towards his next challenge — Sinnoh, and more specifically Shinji since Shigeru had an Elekible during that battle, and Elekible ended up being Shinji’s ace and the last Pokemon he used during the Sinnoh League. Just like how Shinji is pushing him forward right now, with a team of the ace Pokemon of some of the Champions in the M8. Things really are coming full circle.

Not to mention that Shinji is actually acting like his brother in a way too, since Satoshi and Reiji trained together at Shinji’s place during the Tobari City arc, and now Shinji is training together with Satoshi at his town. Satoshi got to train with both brothers c: In both cases, Satoshi’s Pokemon got to master a move thanks to them.

- That moment when Shinji went all the way to Masara Town and also carefully prepared a team and brought along the ace Pokemon of Shirona, Daigo and Wataru as well, to help Satoshi prepare for his potential future opponents… Sounds pretty suspicious, if you ask me! Why are you, a rival, doing so much for your rival huh??? :/ I wonder when he got these Pokemon, he might have been preparing this special training regimen for a while because he just genuinely wanted to help Satoshi in his own way and also knew Satoshi would be able to climb to the highest ranks. That’s just how much he trusts him :)

In order:

Gyarados VS Lucario: I like this matchup because they both have Pokemon representing each other’s regions. Shinji has a Pokemon from Kanto, and Satoshi has one from Sinnoh. It’s like they are greeting each other’s regions this way. I think it also symbolizes their influence on each other and I like how it shows a balance. It’s equality, etc. (I wonder if he caught a Koiking first before evolving the ‘mon, because Koiking isn’t exactly the kind of Pokemon you’d imagine him getting in the early DP days.)

Gaburiasu VS Kairyuu: I like this one because it’s a dragon vs dragon confrontation c: Not only that, but they also have Pokemon representing their respective regions and Champions of said regions. Shirona in Sinnoh has a Gaburiasu, and Wataru in Kanto has a Kairyuu. And I like how Shinji has a Gaburiasu in the first place. I like thinking it shows Shirona’s influence on him and that it’s kind of an homage to her. He challenged her to a battle once (facing her very own Gaburiasu) and she accepted it, and she kept watching over him and Satoshi in DP. So it’s just neat that he has the same Pokemon as her now and that he went out of his way to raise one. Also noteworthy: they both got a win over each other in the Kanto vs Sinnoh matchups specifically. Satoshi won with a Lucario, and Shinji won with a Gaburiasu.

Metagross VS Gengar: I don’t have much to say about this one compared to the others, though it’s neat that Shinji has the same Pokemon as known ikemen Daigo and how he has a team that shows he traveled through many regions. By the time he and Satoshi met in Sinnoh, they had both traveled through the same regions (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn) so his team reflects that too. And I like how Shinji’s team has the same color palette as him mostly ww Color coordinating with his nakama-

It’s also interesting how despite both of them having their Elekible and Pikachu around, they don’t use them during the battle. Like there is this unspoken mutual agreement that they aren’t bringing out their respective aces for their battle if the other won’t. The fact that they are battling with Pokemon they never used against each other in DP before shows the beginning of a new chapter in their dynamics too (especially on Satoshi’s part). During DP, Satoshi made a point to specifically use his Sinnoh team during their full battle at the league (and that was the only league battle where he did so) because he had something he wanted to prove with this specific team after his loss at Eichi Lake. Now, it doesn’t have to be like that anymore and they aren’t bound by the past. And Shinji specifically asked him to use Pokemon that he would bring to the tournament, so it’s cool and thoughtful.

Random thoughts on Shinji:

It won’t be in order (lol).

- I actually really like that they kept it open and unsaid whether Shinji actually managed to beat Jindai or not. I think there were enough hints to make assumptions on what he’s been up to lately. The fact that he came to Ookido’s place might indicate that he was offered a Gym Leader position in Kanto, so he probably has been traveling to Kanto again. Perhaps he went through all the Battle Frontier there and got all the symbols. I just think it’s interesting that they specifically made a point not to bring up the Jindai thing. Maybe he finally defeated him, or maybe he didn’t. But at this point, perhaps it doesn’t really matter anymore? He was fixated on this because of his brother, his reason for challenging Jindai in DP128 was to “achieve what his brother couldn’t do” and he tried to not be like his brother and considered that the way he handled things was wrong after witnessing his loss. I do think that his mindset might have changed at the end of DP when he decided to challenge Jindai again (perhaps it wasn’t really about his brother anymore, and he wanted to check something for himself), but I like that he grew past this. It wasn’t really good for him to fixate on it and try and prove something for the reasons he had. He thought he really needed to do this, but maybe he doesn’t need to anymore and he is fully letting go of his old obsession. So the fact they didn’t mention Jindai shows that he is not defined by this anymore and that he wants to pursue other things for himself.

- I also really enjoyed the simple explanation on why Shinji wasn’t participating in the PWC. At first, I expected him to come back in the context of the tournament when his cameo was announced but I underestimated the fact that his Healing Era(™) had already started. I thought that was fitting of him to say that he doesn’t like festivities lol. I really like that he isn’t participating. Back in DP, he was entering different tournaments, with festive atmospheres, to power up his Pokemon. He participated in the tag battle and the Pokeringer tournaments to get stronger. Some characters and even the audience sometimes wondered why he was participating in them because festive stuff didn’t really seem like his thing even back then. And we know how the tag battle ended. He was fixated on strength and, again, it wasn’t necessarily good for him. He tried to get stronger and for what? In the long run, his fixation hurt him and others around him, and closed him off from others too, in a way (until he met Satoshi). He kind of clung on to a frustration that wasn’t really his own, he didn’t understand why his brother was not frustrated with his loss and went like “why aren’t YOU frustrated about it? if you won’t, I’ll be angry for you”, which yeah, lol. Not necessarily the best mindset. Now, he isn’t obsessing over strength anymore and it seems he has redefined what it means for him. Early DP Shinji would have wanted to take part in such a tournament to get stronger, but now he doesn’t really force himself anymore and seems to pursue strength in other ways, and focus on other interests like learning more about Pokemon. He didn’t really seem to have other interests in DP beyond training or taking rest from training, he was very focused on that. So, it’s all around really good stuff that he is looking at the world around him now. It really feels like he is pursuing things for himself now. The fact that Jindai wasn’t mentioned and that he isn’t participating in the tournament shows he is healing and moving on from his early mindset. And it’s not even like he isn’t invested in battling anymore, we saw he is still strong and holds well in battles. But it really feels like he was able to raise even higher as a person and as a trainer by not being so focused on strength anymore, the way Satoshi did in Alola. It feels even more fitting now that his cameo is happening right after the SM series too, because Alola really was the soothing and healing arc. Whatever happened to Satoshi in Alola and what he learned there, I think the same thing happened for Shinji and that he had an Alola-like arc of his own. Just Foils Things, etc.

- Something, something about the battle taking place next to a stream of water like their first full battle, how water is deep and serene and shows one’s reflection, and how they both used their battles against each other as a way to reflect, learn, think about each other and themselves. In both cases, Shinji really felt at peace and smiled after the battles (DP132, JN114), like he finally figured out what he wanted to do or found some answers to some questions. I enjoyed how the push was mutual in this battle. Shinji was symbolically the final push Satoshi needed before the M8 and in turn, Satoshi was the first push for Shinji as a potential future Gym Leader as Satoshi stood before him as his first Challenger. Satoshi represents his starting line before he heads for this direction (if he decides to take this path, which I think he will because he seems to put work into it). It is really That Deep. I like the thought that Shinji may have wanted this battle to figure things out for himself as well, because meeting Satoshi changed him so perhaps he thought that facing him again will bring him to new realizations, and that he could figure out through the battle against Satoshi if being a Gym Leader was something he could truly do. And I do think this battle is his way of thanking Satoshi, on top of helping him. Hence why he planned all of this ;)

- During the battle, he seemed to enjoy himself when Satoshi and his Pokemon got something out of the battle (when Lucario awakened a new move, for example), he took a very Gym Leader-like stance with his words, too… He was pushing Satoshi to bring out his full potential and his words had a sense of humbleness and strictness to me. He wasn’t putting himself above Satoshi but testing him the way a Gym Leader makes sure to prepare Challengers for the league. In a “if you want to go even higher, you need to get past me first” kind of way.

- I liked that he got offered a position as a Gym Leader and that he is taking the offer very seriously by seeking guidance. He was humbled by adults (Shirona, Jindai) several times before in DP even if he didn’t necessarily ask for it and now he goes out of his way to ask Ookido for help and genuinely wants to know more about Pokemon as a species. I wonder who offered him the position, but it implies that he is considered worthy enough of a candidate for this title. The thought of him considering the offer seriously shows that he is more interested in growing as a person and helping Challengers along the way to bring out their potential than pursuing strength for the sake of it. Gym Leaders have to be humble and guide others, after all. It is really an interesting position for him to be in, especially as a rival character since we never really got that before, and I think he figured out why he is together with his Pokemon and why he is battling. We got companion characters who were Gym Leaders before and they often insisted on the fact that being a Gym Leader means constant humility (especially Citron), and learning from your Challengers, not just teaching them. So, this kind of position for Shinji is especially intriguing. Moreover, I like how his own starter Pokemon (Dodaitosu) already had been in a mentor position before in DP, trying to help Satoshi’s newly evolved Hayashigame adjust to the evolution, so it implies that Shinji had the potential to be like that too, and that he learned from his Pokemon. I do understand what Shinji’s VA meant when he said in the interview “so he is in this kind of position now.” I felt like this was the missing piece to Shinji’s character. I thought “oh, so this is what his character was about all along.”

- I wonder if he got offered the Gym Leader position for Tokiwa City? I think it doesn’t have an official Gym Leader in the anime, at least it didn’t during the Battle Frontier. It would be interesting if he stayed in Kanto.

- It felt to me that Shinji came to Ookido’s place many times before, he didn’t seem out of place at all in the episode and seemed to know his way around too. Goukazaru didn’t seem surprised to see him either, and Shinji seemed to have some familiarity and closeness with him there, like he came to talk to him several times before… He spoke gently to him too ;; I think many things were implied with context cues there. Ookido even told him he was free to come by anytime, which was super sweet. He really is supportive and helping him in his growth and desire to learn. He wanted to surprise Satoshi and set up their meeting, he encouraged them to catch up… It’s just nice that Shinji is welcome to Ookido’s place anytime, that’s such an important place for Satoshi and he gets to be included there now. I like how Ookido was just smiling at the end, I am sure he knew what Shinji wanted to do and he got to see him succeed in doing that. And according to the after story art from anipoke PR, even after Satoshi left, he is still studying with Ookido at the lab and even taking notes which is nice to see. He really has a mentor of his own now (also more Shinji and Shigeru parallels because they both learned from Ookido at some point). He chose Kanto’s professor to go learn more about Pokemon (so he is symbolically leaving the nest of his own region and redefining what Kanto means for him — it’s not the place where he witnessed his brother’s loss anymore but a place for him to learn and grow), which gave him the opportunity to see Goukazaru again, and it was also a way for him to see Satoshi again so he could help for training (so three birds with one stone). The flowers in the opening meant “I am waiting for you” and “come here” among other things so it felt like he was waiting for this opportunity for a while.

- Just, all the moments of Growth(™). Shinji appeared really content and relaxed and it showed through the voice acting too, he sounded much more gentle in general. He told Elekible to go play with Pikachu and Sarunori (Pikachu and Elekible always got along way before their trainers did in DP lol, so I liked seeing them acknowledge each other), calls Pokemon partners, worries about their conditions, thanks them after being defeated in battle (the only one who got that before was Elekible in the Sinnoh League, so now it extends to the rest of his team). And he seems to walk around with Elekible a lot, too. This time when he leaves, he is not walking alone but with his Pokemon. It was also sweet seeing Shinji talking with Satoshi and Gou, just casually sitting on the grass and relaxing with their Pokemon around. I wish we could have seen more of them talking and catching up but it’s nice to see they can be like that around each other now. Just casual and soothing stuff.

- Gou and Shinji meeting was good! I liked the comic relief there (Gou finding him intimidating at first ww) and truly, the biggest tragedy of the episode was not having more comedy when Satoshi went to call his Pokemon for the battle and left Shinji and Gou alone for like, two minutes (it would have been funny to see Gou being like “oh no, are we gonna have to awkwardly stand around each other now or do I have to continue the conversation somehow, Satoshi come back pls-” or something but ww). And Gou eventually thinking Shinji is too cool ;) I do like that Gou realized during the battle that hey, Shinji’s team is weirdly similar to some other trainers that Satoshi might eventually face and that he actually brought it up after the battle and asked if it was really a coincidence. Gou knows a thing or two about rivals secretly helping you but not saying it out loud (he is fluent in Shigeru-speak now!). I liked that Shinji didn’t even try to deny it or anything, he just smiled. Actions over words in this case, and it felt very Shinji-like. This battle was his words of encouragement and support towards Satoshi, and I think Satoshi understood that. (And more Shinji and Shigeru parallels, because they are like: “if I openly admit out loud to my rival that I am trying to help him, I will d*e or something I guess??”)

Random thoughts on Satoshi: (Again, it won’t be in order lol).

- Satoshi finally called Shinji his rival and introduced him as such to Gou! Which is something I’ve been waiting for. (Long story short: he didn’t call him his rival until now.)

Basically, the writers put lots of work into the meta vs in universe terms to describe Shinji and Satoshi’s relationship, there are different perceptions and terms used depending on characters during the course of the show (and it’s something I find very interesting, they put lots of care into this in DP). I’ll keep this short because I could go on a lot about it and this could be a whole separate post in itself lol.

On a meta level, the dynamics was set up to be a rivalry and still is considered as such (the summary for JN114 refers to Shinji as Satoshi’s rival, the narrator calls him a rival in the cameo too). In DP, there were only three episodes involving the characters that mentioned the word “rival” in their titles: their first episode with their first battle and which set up their conflict and differences as trainers (DP003 - Rival Battle! Three VS Three!!), and two of their league episodes that would eventually conclude their story (DP186 - Rival Decisive Battle! Satoshi VS Shinji!! and DP188 - Conclusion of Rival Battle! Satoshi VS Shinji!!). So, the curtain opens by describing them as rivals and closes by using the same term. It comes full circle.

There were two recap episodes during DP that introduced Shinji as a rival (DP048 and DP120). His segment in DP048 introduced him as “a new rival” and was narrated by Satoshi, and DP120 had the usual anime narrator who referred to him as Satoshi’s rival who has a completely different stance towards Pokemon than him.

In universe though, it’s a rivalry that takes time to grow and settle itself as one as the characters meet, battle, and butt heads — it’s not taken for granted. It takes 96 episodes for a character in the show to bring up the word “rival” and say it out loud to describe Shinji and Satoshi, it didn’t happen before that moment (and it doesn’t even happen in an episode where the two characters are present together).

In DP096, Satoshi and his friends meet Shirona. Shirona mentioned meeting two trainers who are complete opposites in every single aspect to her grandmother, and it’s Shirona’s grandmother who is actually the first character in universe to refer to them as rivals (“Shirona told me about you and your rival”).

After this episode, the word rival comes up a bit more often by characters surrounding the rivalry, as if Shirona’s grandmother using that term was the trigger that allowed it to be actually said afterwards.

In DP128, Nozomi meets Shinji for the first time and asks who he is. Hikari tells her that he is Satoshi’s rival and that they always end up fighting when they meet. Suzuna points out that it seems to be something different from Nozomi and Hikari even if they are rivals as well (the anime often contrasted those two rivalries).

Afterwards, Reiji also brings up the word rival too before the beginning of their first full battle in DP131. He says that as rivals, they can find out about the other’s progress [through the full battle] and how strong he’s become so far, etc (he also said that they were meant to meet and that they are two sides of the same coin, so he describes them in many different ways, not just one).

After that, “rival” is brought up by the narrator during their league battle (“... the biggest rival confrontation in history will now begin” in DP186) as well as during their last episode together when he narrates their ending in DP188 (“The battle with the greatest rival, Shinji, is finally concluded”). So it’s something that took time to be built before earning the title of “the greatest” and I find it especially fitting that this is said during their closing scene, as if the narrator was looking back at their whole story while affirming that this was the greatest. So, all of these are instances of characters in universe (and the narrator, meta) around Shinji and Satoshi referring to them as such.

On the other hand, Satoshi’s perception of Shinji changes and grows with time. Since Shinji is unlike anyone Satoshi has ever met, there is a careful choice of words on the writers’ part as to how he thinks and talks about him. Initially, Satoshi considered Shinji as “someone I don’t want to lose to” and it is said multiple times so this is a pattern.

At the end of DP006 (the forest episode, where Satoshi loses his 1 VS 1 against Shinji), Satoshi says “I won’t lose to him, I definitely don’t want to lose to /him/” (that’s when he starts considering him as someone he doesn’t want to lose to).

In DP016, this comes up again when Satoshi is getting ready for his first gym battle and watches Shinji leave after they have an argument over battle strategies. Satoshi says that he doesn't want to lose to him specifically. In the first recap episode (DP048), Satoshi narrates the segment introducing Shinji as “the new rival”. As the segment starts, Satoshi’s words are (basically) “Other than Gym Leaders, there is someone else I don’t want to lose to no matter what: that’s Shinji” (so it’s written “rival” in the introduction segment, but Satoshi’s words are quite different).

In DP066, Satoshi talks to Reiji and says that he doesn’t agree with Shinji’s way of doing things and says, again, that he won’t lose to him. After that, Reiji says that he’d like to see Shinji and Satoshi battling, which makes Satoshi visibly slightly surprised and pause. That’s the last time Satoshi refers to someone he won’t lose to — a shift starts happening after meeting Reiji.

With time, words that were negative (“I won’t lose”) become a bit more positive: Satoshi starts saying “I’ll win!” way more in his encounters with Shinji, especially after Shirona’s grandmother describes them as rivals. Satoshi’s shift in words coincides with specific meetings, and it strikes me as intentional. And sure, at first he also wanted to win to prove himself and his methods (see DP131, that’s what he says before the first full battle, that winning against Shinji means making him acknowledge their methods), but I think it grew into a genuine competitive desire to win the more time went by (during the league, they both repeat several times that they’ll win against the other and it felt like something they said spontaneously because of how fired up they were in the competition).

And the more time went by, the more Satoshi thought about Shinji and tried to understand him. Satoshi later admits in DP186 that he spent a lot of time thinking about Shinji and the kind of strength he has, which in turn made him wonder about his own. Just, the way Satoshi figures out more about himself by thinking about him. It does feel significant that he described him as “a trainer who has a lot of things that I lack”, too (it sounds almost poetic coming from Satoshi).

With all this in mind, it does feel intentional that Satoshi actually never referred to Shinji as a rival during DP, despite the meta and other characters referring to them as such. I think it was a conscious choice on the writers’ part to have the characters totally dance around using that term to refer to each other. To me, it stands out even more because Satoshi sometimes goes “yay, everyone is rivals!” in other series (such as Best Wishes, which happens after DP), but since Shinji is different and that Satoshi clearly puts a lot of time trying to understand him and his perspective, he isn’t careless with his words for him specifically. I really like that, and it feels natural to me that Satoshi finally refers to him as a rival now, after everything that happened between them. Like, he had a lot of time to look back on his relationship with him, there was a distance between them for a while, and now that they are meeting again, that’s when he puts a word on what they actually were/are. I just really like how carefully crafted it all is… :’) (I like how they are the slowest of slowburns, they’ll be partners down the road and still be like “hmm, so what are we though” lol)

- I also like how Satoshi is now the one saying stuff like “don’t worry, he is always Like That” (re: Shinji’s intimidating stare lol).

Usually in DP, when Satoshi got pissed and said “smh, what’s up with that guy”, it was Takeshi who told him that “well, that’s how he usually is.” But now Satoshi just feels completely used to him, so he is in the position to casually say “yeah, that’s how he is'' (kind of like how he told Gou that Shigeru used to tease him too in the past). Satoshi just feels much more chill now! The way they actually banter now too, it was really cute how Satoshi made a pun during their battle (the “Kairyuuseigun”!) and how Shinji told him the pun was lame, and Satoshi thought it was good actually… Shinji and Satoshi joking around and having these kinds of comical scenes is just Good. Honestly, I liked how casual all their scenes were. Even their goodbye was casual and mirrors their last one in the league but it felt really different at the same time. Satoshi wants to battle Shinji again someday, and Shinji acknowledges it too. I think this time, they both know they’ll see each other again. Shinji is welcome anytime at Ookido’s place (and clearly wants to go back there too), so he is in this part of Satoshi’s life now!

- No thoughts, just the way Satoshi getting support from everyone in Alola mirrors the way he is getting support from everyone in Kanto. In JN112, he tells Kukui “I am glad I came to Alola” while staring at the sea at the end. It was a serene scene and he was alone with Kukui. In this episode, he is surrounded by Gou, Ookido and his Pokemon. And this time, when he says “I am glad I came”? He is staring at Shinji leaving when he says it. It happens right after Ookido tells him Shinji got an offer for a Gym Leader position, so I think at that moment, Satoshi fully understands the intentions behind the battle. So he says he is glad he came. And he adds that thanks to everyone, he is all fired up for the tournament. Shinji really is included in the big chain of love and support Satoshi is receiving… His help and support will probably be very valuable to Satoshi in his upcoming matches. I think it’s interesting that it’s almost a reference to the tag battle arc too and what it was supposed to be about (connecting hearts with people and Pokemon). Back then, they didn’t get along and didn’t work together well when they were actually teaming up. Now, Shinji will be absent and won’t actually be a tag partner but he’ll be there in some way, lifting up Satoshi thanks to his training. The whole episode emphasized teamwork. Goukazaru and other Pokemon who were released in the past helped Gengar (also a Pokemon who was abandoned in the past) learn a new move. Shinji helped Satoshi. Pokemon helping other Pokemon, and trainers helping other trainers, and all of them becoming closer through the experience. The atmosphere was full of warmth. I hope that Shinji, along with other characters, will be shown watching some of Satoshi’s battles, since he seems invested in his progress.

Basically, I really enjoyed everything. This is Shinji’s Healing Era and we are just living in it. This was the missing piece we needed after DP tbh.

Shinji and Reiji, two brothers, being humbled, facing their own immaturity and redefining their paths. Reiji taking on the path of raising Pokemon as a Breeder. Shinji heading on a path to raise Challengers as a Gym Leader.

Shinji and Satoshi, he was a rival, he was also a rival, what more can I say.

#comashipping #staticshipping

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