#ghosts are way op

[chaoswarfare]

dp x dc prompt #53

Bruce thought he knew what to expect when it came to a fight between ghosts.

Danny had always phrased it like some sort of schoolyard scuffle, or a brawl in a ring. Looking back, Danny managed to gloss over or completely deflect any details that could worry them, but Bruce really thought that it was because his son didn’t want to worry him with any concerning details.

He was really starting to regret that.

Phantom and the ancient clashed like two natural disasters converging, howling and clawing at everything around them as they forgot to put any effort into maintaining their form. Dark clouds blew cold rain down on the barely visible combatants, and it was impossible to distinguish the shriek of the fighting ghosts and the wind. Bruce could hardly find it in himself to react as crumbling stonework rained around him, and Dick pulled him completely off his feet to get him away from the calamity going on in front of him. It was nothing less than apocalyptic. It was beautiful.

(Danny was finally getting the chance to be, maybe not normal, but human with his new home. It was an unbelievably easy transition to get settled in. That should have been his first sign that something would inevitably go wrong.)

[temeyes]

answer the question sir

[forsaire]

no but I've been thinking about Soap with temporary Prosopagnosia (face blindness) after his injury

---

Price had put Soap on medical leave after he got out of the hospital, his only responsibility being rest and recovery. Of course Ghost took time off to be with him as well. He didn't even need to ask either, Price just did the paperwork for the both of them at the same time.

Some days were better than others. Sometimes Soap had trouble remembering words or doing delicate tasks with his fingers. Ghost always waited patiently for him to work it out, only helping when Soap asked him too.

For the past hour, Soap had been lying in their bed, his lighthearted laughs filing their flat as he watched something on his phone. Ghost was sitting in the other room and reading a file Price had sent over, informing him on their continued investigation to find Makarov.

Ghost heard a particularly loud laugh before the box spring squeaked lightly, the sounds of Soap shuffling off the bed following soon after. He heard footsteps begin to approach him and he glanced over.

"Ghost!" Soap said cheerfully as he looked down at his phone. "You have to see this funny cat vid-"

Soap abruptly stopped speaking as he looked up, the words getting caught in his throat. The wide smile that always spread across his face with enough brightness to light up Ghost's entire world suddenly fell, swiping down in one smooth motion. His eyes widened slightly, almost as if in shock, and his mouth dropped open a sliver. His eyes locked onto Ghost's face, but there was no warmth to be found.

It was fear.

"Who are you?" Soap choked out, taking an apprehensive step backwards.

Ghost was immediately on his feet, the look on Soap's face shattering his heart. He raised his hands out in front of himself and curled his shoulders in, trying to make himself look less intimating.

"Johnny... it's me..." Ghost said slowly, the words coming out calmly despite the rising worry in his chest. "It's Simon."

Soap tilted his head as a deep furrow scrunched up his brow. His eyes jumped back and forth across Ghost's face, refusing to focus on one thing.

"What..." he let slip from his lips, breathless and confused. "I... I don't..." He squinted slightly. "...Simon?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said quietly, taking a careful step forward. Thankfully, Soap stayed where he was and he let Ghost approach him, although he still looked unsure, small.

Ghost gently took Soap's hand and placed it up against his face. At the same time, he wrapped his arm around Soap's waist and pulled them closer together. Once their bodies were pressed up against one another, Soap let out a shuddering sigh and he dug his face into Ghost's neck.

"I..." Soap started hesitantly, holding Ghost back tightly. "I don't recognize you..."

His usual confidence was gone, the words coming out weakly, almost broken in shame.

"But you recognize my voice?" he asked.

Soap nodded in silence.

"Okay..." Ghost said quietly, letting his fingers trace up and down Soap's spine. "Just close your eyes then. Listen to me speak."

Soap closed his eyes.

"I got you," Ghost murmured soothingly. He wanted nothing more than for his imperfect words to reach Soap and rid him of his fears. He wanted Soap to feel safe. "It's me. Just listen to my voice, love. Everything's going to be okay. I won't let go. I love you, Johnny."

[s0fter-sin]

it’s the sound that tips him off.

it’s late, half-past hell by his last count, and mactavish knows there shouldn’t be a single soul in the showers this time of night. though he’s sure if he asked, he’d be told a soul isn’t in there.

just a ghost.

he almost chokes on the thick steam filling the locker room; humid and hazy and the perfect cover. or it would be, if the man collapsed in the far stall cared about hiding.

mactavish hates himself a little for the low sigh that falls from his lips. he wishes he wasn't so disappointed; that the promises he's heard over and over and watched be broken as many times hadn't wedged their way into his heart and convinced him that maybe, maybe this could be the time it sticks.

he doesn't know what's worse; the disappointment or the lack of surprise.

he holds his breath through the steam and leans over the limp body; stinging hot water hitting his back, instantly soaking through his clothes and already starting to burn. he flicks the tap enough to take the bulk of the heat out and straightens; a groan startling out of the man beneath him at the sudden lash of tepid water.

mactavish crouches, knees clicking and hooks a hand under his bicep to pull him up straight against the wall. if there was any vomit on his skin, it's been washed away by the pelting stream and he supposes he can count himself lucky for that. he tilts his limp head back and slips his fingers into his mouth; holding down his tongue and ignores the way it lazily jolts under his fingers to check his airway.

clear.

another small victory.

mactavish pulls his fingers out and cups his chin, keeping him tilted up and moves in the way of the water again so he can pull at his eyelid.

the eye he's met with is cloudy, so dilated there's hardly a ring of blue left.

he sighs again; hand falling away and letting his eye fall shut. "god damnit, riley."

riley moans, all his weight resting on the hand holding his jaw.

"aye, 'm talking ‘bout you," he grunts tiredly.

he lets riley's head fall forward to grab his arm, pulling him away from the wall to sit behind him; propping his body up against his chest. he leans his head back over his shoulder, keeping his face out of the water and his airway open just in case he hasn't actually finished throwing up.

he takes the rag riley'd half-managed to soap up and mechanically runs it over him; cataloguing new bruises and cuts and checking if the old ones are healing. sickly yellow fingerprints ring his hips, red splotches paint his ribs; too new to have settled into the deep purple he knows they’ll become.

riley slowly makes more noise as he rubs life into his body; still lying limp against his front but his head's starting to roll restlessly on his shoulder. he swipes between his legs and carefully doesn't think a single thing about what he finds.

"sean?" he rasps and mactavish's hand stills; eyes falling shut. he bites his check, hand clenching around the rag tight enough to shake and breathes hard out his nose.

he doesn't say a word, just forces himself to go back to cleaning.

he's not sure what would come out of his mouth if he did.

riley isn't conscious enough to hear him anyway.

he runs his fingers over his inner elbows for tracks and manages to muster some relief when he doesn't find any. seems to be a pill and booze night; far from the worst condition he's found him in.

he rinses him off, running a curtesy hand over his shaved head only for it to fall back to his jaw; his thumb stroking over the thick scar carved into his cheek.

"you gotta stop doin' this," he whispers.

he isn’t sure if he’s talking to riley or himself.

mactavish gathers up riley's too-light body into his arms and turns off the shower. his head lolls into his throat and he throws a towel over his dripping body and another over his shoulder. it doesn't stop him from tracking water all the way to his quarters but he'd like to see someone try to put in a complaint about it.

he lays out the other towel on the bed and sets riley down; moving his body into the recovery position in an all-too familiar routine. he dries him enough that he won't soak the covers as he pulls them up to his chest and kicks the waste bin within grabbing distance of the bed.

he goes to pull off his sodden clothes when a different noise makes him freeze.

a low sniffle.

mactavish slowly turns back to the bed to find riley's eyes squinting open; glazed with tears as he kneads at the covers.

he stares at him for a moment as he looks around the room and those hazy eyes lock on him for the first time. "cap'n?"

he swallows. "aye; s'just me, riley."

his hand pokes out from under the covers and for all the promises he's made himself - all the “never again”s and “this is the last time”s - at the end of the day, he's weak.

he sits on the side of the bed and takes riley's hand in his; already so cold after nearly boiling himself alive.

"y' mad a' me?" he sniffs.

mactavish runs his tongue over his lip and slowly shakes his head. "no, i'm not mad at you."

"prom'se?" he pushes.

he reaches out and caresses his temple with his thumb. his hand almost covers his head and it cuts like a knife to remember just how small riley is. "aye," he says, hushed. "i promise."

riley's eyes fall shut, voicelessly murmuring 'promise’ to himself over and over.

"I’ll ge’ bett'r," he slurs and between one breath and the next, he's out.

mactavish sighs, running his hand in a final pass over his head and stares at a face that looks so much younger in sleep; bruised and sallow skin hidden in the shadows. "i know you will."

he presses a slow kiss to his forehead, shutting his eyes against the grief that wells in his heart and gets up to pull a chair over to the bed; settling in for another long night's vigil of watching his broken lieutenant sleep, ready to tilt him over if he throws up, eyes locked on the slow rise and fall of his chest fearing tonight may finally be the time it stops.

[chimeracreates]

Wake up with a hatchet over your head

You wake up with a hatchet over your head

[broken-clover]

It's eternally a little funny whenever I see someone say something along the lines of 'everyone in Strive is so happy now! Everyone's stories are getting resolved! It'll be hard to make a new game when everyone's retired and living peacefully and resolved their problems' and then there's a haunted semi-sentient mecha corpse in the corner constantly screaming from being trapped in limbo

[andromedaprime]

ES Megop find out Optimus is pregnant. What are their reactions?

It's a mixture of joy and terror.

They've wanted their own sparkling for a long time, and more Cybertronians will always be welcome as their species is dwindling in numbers. Optimus wants to see Megatron be a soft sire with their little one, and Megatron wants to see how much of a badass carrier Optimus is (and ngl he's a little bit turned on by the fact that his old self managed to put a baby in Optimus).

The terror aspect comes from, well, they don't trust GHOST despite working with them. What would the organization do if they realized that there would soon be a very defenseless sparkling among them? And even if GHOST weren't in the picture... this is a brand new sparkling. They were going to be terrified either way.

[illeaadante]

Concept: Ghost Empathy and why Vlad is Emotionally Invisible

So, in the DP fandom we all play around with ghost abilities and characteristics, but one of the main fanon things is that ghosts are emotion, they are empathy. Ghosts are ectoplasm which is emotion manifest.

Why, and in fact how, then would Vlad be Emotionally Invisible?

Simple! Repression.

Vlad's half human (at least, personally I love the fanon that Vlad's not a full halfa because he didn't die in one shot) which means that he has more ability to emotionally regulate than beings that are made entirely of emotion. Vlad's also an adult, a billionaire, a politician, and a business man; all things that require emotional control and compartmentalization. Why would that not carry over to his ghost side?

I like to think that Vlad started to feel the ghost empathy, and he was like "cut that shit out" immediately. He walled himself off from feeling anything from other ghosts, which dampened his own emotional signature/projection.

Ghosts, who are beings of empathy, don't feel Vlad. He disappears from their perception if he's not within eye/ear shot or just close enough for his cut off trickle of empathy to reach them, because all ghosts rely on emotions for spacial awareness. The empathy is probably how they can tell if they're getting too close to someone else's haunt.

Danny does the rest, not that he realizes that he's masking Vlad from the rest of the ghosts.

Danny's a teenager and a ghost, i.e. the Most Emotional Being possible. Danny's projecting his feelings everywhere, all the time. So, whenever the ghosts come to Amity to blow off steam and stuff, they come across this fountain of frustration and their empathy goes "ah, upset baby, a good fight will help him calm down." Of course, not realizing that they are the cause of a lot of that frustration.

Once Danny learns what ghost speak/ghost empathy is and what it feels like, his relationships with his rogues get a Lot better, because now he understands! These guys are just looking for enrichment/ a way to let off some steam. Meanwhile the ghosts feel accomplished that the baby has calmed down and started using his words.

But what Danny doesn't understand, at least at first, is why the ghosts seem to believe Vlad, even when his lies aren't that great. Especially when it seems like he never gets anything past them.

It isn't until the next time he fights Vlad and feels how-- empty-- Vlad is that he gets it. Then he catches on, his emotional signature is giving him away.

None of the ghosts take the time to think that Vlad would lie to them, because what's the use lying to the dead? The living, sure, they're easy to mess with because they can't sense emotions, but none of the ghosts ever think that Vlad would cut himself off from the rest of them. He's just got a weak emotional signature, right?

That's also why Skulker doesn't hunt Vlad. He doesn't think that Vlad is a halfa, or if he knows, he thinks Danny is the stronger halfa due to the difference in their emotional signatures, so of course he'd go for the more difficult hunt. (he's right, but only partially because of the empathy)

I also like to think that the empathy is the reason that Danny gains so many new powers and control so quickly (compared to Vlad, anyway, he had 20 years to learn and he's still got fewer powers than Danny.)

Oh! It would also be fun if Danny had, like, a Resonant Core. Like, because he's so empathic he can alter his core to Resonate with the cores of the ghosts around them and copy/borrow their abilities. He's a halfa, and still growing, so his core hasn't settled and won't settle fully until he's Full Dead. (at which point the boy has an Officially Recognized Resonant Core, which means he is Certified Terrifyingly Powerful and it's a good thing for the Infinite Realms that he doesn't want to be a despot.)

[fauvester]

tgcf as a long rambling bedtime story shang qinghua tells xuejiao (because story time is one of the few times his little half-demon whelp will cuddle with him) intended to teach a spoiled ass ice prince the value of humility and goodness and dedication to the people. it backfires horrifically because XJ thinks that xie lian is extremely cringe and in true airplane fashion the epic bloodthirsty demon antagonist ends up being a supreme simp househusband. how does this keep happening to SQH

[ghostdoctor]

Nami doodle 🫶 egghead nami I LOVW YOU

Closeups :D

[elithemiar-blog]

Danny gets adopted by the Batfam.

Dani gets adopted/recruited by the Young Justice.

Dan gets recruited for the Suicide Squad by Amanda Waller.

No one realizes they're related and when it does come out it's a 'you didn't ask?' situation.

-----

It'd be hilarious if neither of the three were even aware of the others situation, just that Amity is a no longer a good place to be. They find out each others situation a 'yeah that tracks'.

Take the head canons and fill it up.

[forsaire]

How Ghost and Soap demonstrate the five love languages to each other. They don't have just one as they will shower each other in love in every single way they can 😊😊

Physical Touch

Ghost loves touching Soap’s face. He’ll gently cup the side of his face and let his fingers trace down his chin, cheeks, and lips until he’s memorized every mark and feel even with his eyes closed. Ghost revels in the way that Soap looks up at him with complete trust and feels privileged he’s able to look into those beautiful blue eyes for one day more.

Ghost can’t get enough of Soap’s strong thighs either, their size just perfect for grabbing onto. He’s also quite the fan of a cheeky little ass grab when he’s feeling particularly frisky.

Soap loves touching Ghost’s hands and hair. Soap has gotten into the habit of absentmindedly playing with Ghost’s fingers when they sit together for meals, talk, watch a movie, or even rest their eyes in bed before falling asleep. He loves these hands that Ghost so often says are killer’s hands. But they feel so soft under Soap’s touch as Ghost allows them to be controlled so easily and maneuvered without fear.

Soap will also curl his fingers through Ghost’s hair, gently tugging at the strands and scratching his scalp in the way he knows Ghost likes. He usually tends to do this in the evening or when Ghost can’t sleep. Under his soothing touch, Ghost will quickly relax and soon be overtaken by sleep once again.

Words of Affirmation

Ghost hasn’t always had the most eloquent way of speaking. Words don’t necessarily come easy to him and he struggles with the awkward feel of them in his mouth some days. Often times, the words that Ghost expresses have deeper meanings that they both understand.

“Stay sharp.” – Stay safe. I can’t lose you.

“Do you want something to eat?” – Let me take care of you.

“I’m with you.” – I love you.

He way he speaks Johnny’s name is so tender and sweet that it can convey everything he ever wanted to say.

Soap on the other hand doesn’t have the same troubles with his words. He’s like a bull in a china shop in a sense. He has no reservation to say he loves Ghost’s. But one of his favourite things to do is pepper Ghost’s cheeks with kisses and softly whisper how beautiful he is into his skin. He’ll do it over and over again until he’s rewarded with a faint blush that spreads across Ghost’s cheeks.

Quality Time

Soap is an avid football fan and loves to watch the games on TV, getting very animated and passionate when he does so. Ghost isn’t that interested in the sport, but he still enjoys sitting next to Soap while they’re happening. He finds great entertainment in watching Soap’s face light up with happiness or fall in despair. Soap is also so passionate when he tries to tell Ghost who all the players are, what teams to root for, and even all the drama that has unfolded off the pitch. Although Ghost was never a huge football fan when he was younger, he recently found himself cheering for an amazing save alongside Soap during one of playoff matches.

Ghost is a fairly decent cook, having had to teach himself at such a young age, while Soap tends to like things that are done fast and easy. They enjoy cooking together, even if Soap just acts like an assistant the whole time. At first Soap was only allowed to cut certain vegetables and stir but the two of them have enjoyed learning together.

They both love going for drives and being outside when they’re on leave together. They’ll plan to enjoy the fresh air of a hike, climb, or swim when they get the chance. They’ll be out for 12 hours a day and come home exhausted to fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Acts of Service

With Ghost having overused his body as a weapon for so long, he tends to get sore nowadays. When Soap notices one of these days, he will happily provide Ghost with a massage, especially around his shoulders and back. Rolling out the knots and pain, Soap will watch as Ghost melts under his firm and delicate touches.

Ghost also tends to forget to charge his phone at night, so Soap will do it for him. Usually Soap will find his phone buried in the bedsheets and put it to charge after Ghost has fallen asleep or he’ll remember to do it in the middle of the night. Ghost’s phone has never run out of battery but not for a lack of Ghost trying. To this day, Soap thinks Ghost still doesn’t realize.

Ghost will clean Soap’s weapons and sharpen his knives whenever he is doing his own. He always makes sure to take extra care with Soap’s belonging because it could be a matter of life and death. And Ghost is going to make sure they both come home at the end of the day.

Ghost also doesn’t mind cleaning, the monotony and routine of it comforting in a way. He never thought he would get the chance to do domestic things so it welcomes it when he can and enjoys the feeling of being “normal”.

Gift Giving

Neither of them tend to give each other many gifts and only do it occasionally. Their lives in the military have taught them to be able to pack light and move fast. Both of them find that no object can ever replace the excitement and joy they get from just being together.

After they get married, Soap gifts Ghost a set of dog tags engraved with Simon MacTavish. Professionally, Ghost still answers to Riley – they learned this the hard way with a couple of mishaps and callouts to the wrong person while on a mission which led to undue confusion. Therefore it made sense to keep separate names while on a mission. But everywhere else in Ghost’s life, he is a MacTavish through and through.

Ghost always knows when Soap is nearing the end of his notebook and gets him a new one before its done. He will also give Soap a new set of nice pencils to work with as well.

But the most important gift they ever gave each other was their simple, gold wedding bands that lay proudly on their hands.

[secretlythatsme]

i really love dc x dp tbh but i hate how so many fics end up making the batfam dumb as shit. and i don't mean in a "loveable goof" kind of way but in a genuine "these people don't have the skills or intelligence to be heroes" kind of way. which is just antithetical to their entire thing

sometimes it's because the writer just genuinely doesn't know anything about the batfam or what they've been through so they come across as idiots. and other times it's because the writer is writing op ghost king danny or just generally op danny and they genuinely think he could outsmart or beat them. more often than not, it's a combination of the two.

it's just so sad. like not only is it disrespectul to the batfam, essentially getting rid of all the skills and experience they have just to prop up danny, but it also makes things a lot more boring imo. don't get me wrong, i don't mind the occasional "main character is super op" kind of story, but it's boring when like 70% of fics are like that and there's no real challenge or obstacle for him. part of why the show danny phantom was so fun was that it was exciting and chair gripping to see danny have to deal with his new ghost powers, figuring out how to deal with ghost attacks or vlad, and dealing with school and his parents on top of that.

but often, dc x dp fics just,, get rid of any challenge for him. sure batman is a skilled detective but danny will always be able to trick him! sure cass has been trained since birth to read people's body language but this random ghost teen knows how to conceal and control everything!! yeah damian has also been trained since birth to fight and kill but this random guy from the midwest who just started fighting in his teens is so much better!!! like, alright. it's fun every now and then but it sucks when so much of the dc x dp content is just people acting like the batfam are the worst vigilantes/detectives in the world.

and honestly i still feel this way even with the ghost king danny fics because how? he's never had to deal with people obsessively reading his body language or reading between the lines. he's had to deal with hiding stuff sure but his parents aren't the most observant people - their whole deal was being neglectful. even as a ghost king, why would he know how to outsmart, take advantage of, or beat the batfam in any capacity when he would still mostly deal with ghosts. it's a completely different skill set here - one that he likely wouldn't be prepared for. it'd be fine if they at least attempted to explain why danny would have those skills (like league danny aus) but most of them don't.

and i'm not saying danny couldn't do it at all, especially if it's a ghost king au, but i'm just tired of seeing the batfam constantly downplayed in these fics Just to make danny look better, smarter, stronger, etc. ik most people in the fandom are just danny fans but it really shows with how they treat, characterize, and shit on the dc characters just to prop danny up. it also serves to occasionally make danny look like an asshole when he intentionally messes with them and basically commits psychological torture for a goof.

[lunarriviera]

for the fic meme: liu sang and hei xiazi, ghost AU. one of them is the ghost. please and thank you :D

"Could you keep it down, please?" complained the young man, whom Hei Xiazi had not seen standing there one second beforehand. He blinked, and slid on his sunglasses. He must have been snoring. "You could scare an elder to death like that," he said. Then he squinted, and studied the young man a little more closely. There was something odd about him—not just the fact that he'd randomly appeared in Hei Xiazi's hotel bedroom, and not his slenderness, or his russet hair barely pulled back into a ponytail. He seemed somehow...evanescent. And he was wincing, and holding his ears— "Okay, okay, sorry," said Hei Xiazi, in a much quieter voice. "Something wrong with your hearing?" "You could say that," said the young man sourly. "Why am I here?" "Good question," Hei Xiazi said. He pushed back the bedclothes and sat up, unselfconscious in boxers and no shirt. "What's your name?" The ghost frowned. And that's clearly what he was, because now that Hei Xiazi was looking, he could see right through the kid. "I'm...not actually sure. Also I think I might be...dead?" "Extremely dead," Hei Xiazi agreed. "Do you remember what happened?" The ghost took off his glasses and cleaned them on a corner of his shirt. Hei Xiazi doubted that accomplished anything at all. "The last thing I knew, I was on a tomb raid with three men. There was a trap—some rocks, maybe? Something sharp? I really can't recall." Three men, huh? Hei Xiazi thought. Sounds about right. He felt like he should offer something—water, or tea, or maybe something stronger. But ghosts probably couldn't hang onto liquids.

"Well, you're here now," he said, and patted the mattress next to himself. "Come on, sit down. Might as well have a chat, see what you can remember."

The young man looked hesitant, but took a step forward anyway. "As long as you keep your voice down." "If you promise not to put me to sleep, I promise not to snore," said Hei Xiazi, placing one hand on his chest in mock avowal. The ghost huffed a half-laugh, as if unwilling to admit that Hei Xiazi was both funny and charming, and that couldn't be allowed to continue. If he'd ever seen a ghost that needed cheering up, it was this one.

Hei Xiazi grinned. Trust Wu Xie to send him an attractive ghost to entertain him in the middle of the night. He was never going to hear the end of this.

[thychesters]

LUFFY CHEWED THROUGH THE CAGE

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

Randall felt a bit like a yo-yo during this conversation, going from brightening at the suggestion of a courthouse wedding, only to falter when Emily pointed out the time discrepancy. She was right: It'd need to be open very late for their wedding, and that just may not be a possibility...

However, it didn't take June to say, as she took a sip of her tea, "Well, tell you what: I treat a couple of the justice's grandchildren at the clinic, and we've spoken a few times when he's brought them in-his daughter and her husband sometimes can't get out of work, so he steps up. Why don't I talk to him, and see if there's anything we can arrange?"

"Really, Ma?" Randall asked, brows rising in surprise at this suggestion, at which his mother shrugged with a little smile, saying, "It's worth a shot!" She could tell him that her son and his bride-to-be both worked very late and wouldn't be able to make it any earlier than the evening-given the odd hours his daughter and son-in-law worked at their joint law firm, he might understand.

"Unless you two have any other ideas?" Wilhelm ventured to ask, at which Randall smiled, admitting, "Nothing in particular," before turning to Emily-did she have an alternative suggestion?