#time to keep it going in the background

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART SIX (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E6)

- thunder is happening outside where I am right now, so let’s buckle in!!

- Still such a good silhouette for Miranda Richardson.

- BATTERY OPERATED CANDLES

- “Will you answer a simple question?” “If I hear one, of course.” THIS EXCHANGE. SO GOOD.

- “It all looks so simple in Jane Austen.” Because other people’s love lives always seem more simple, angel. Especially fictional ones.

- JANE AUSTEN THE BANK ROBBER

- okay. Did Crowley just know that about Muriel? He doesn’t even know their name, how can he tell what rank Angel they are? More sensing and how Crowley is uncannily good at it??

- BEES. BEEEEES. REMEMBER THIS.

- “I had brothers” PREACH

- IM DONE WITH BEING SCARED

- SHES BRAVER THAN ANYONE I KNOW

- MAGGIE AND NINA ARE EVERYTHING

- MAGGIE NO TOO MUCH BRAVERY

- I fully missed the implications of that the first time around btw. Bc I’m dumb I suppose.

- Activating the portal and using it as a meat grinder for bottlenecked demons is such an elegantly simple solution.

- “You’ll be hurt” HA OMG

- The headstones in the opening credits don’t change inscriptions, btw. Though I still can’t make out Adam’s

- The guitar in the intro music does though!!

- I think it might be two completely different bridges meeting up after the first one parts? I can’t quite tell.

- This episode’s theater is just called Every Day, with a picture of Aziraphale’s halo on the screen.

- THEY LITERALLY PASS MICHAEL AND URIEL. BEES.

- “It’s a bit lonely. That’s why I was so pleased to go to Earth.” That feels awfully significant. File it away next to demons not especially wanting to fight angels.

- Crowley having…grills, I think? Like Sandalphon. Oof.

- Finally did a bit of digging on Neil Gaiman’s views of angel hierarchy. Still don’t know that I entirely buy Angel Crowley was an Archangel, but higher up? Deffo buy it.

- Bottom of the barrel. Deffo they’re that stupid.

- So. Still a nuclear exchange, eh, folks?

- Nah is the funniest possible response.

- So Aziraphale doesn’t know the details of Gabriel, the Supreme Archangel, not being above getting demoted…hang on. Bit early to be trying to put that piece together. Just going to stew nervously I’m not even Gabriel being safe in going against “God’s” plan

- Nina and Maggie standing up to demons using fire extinguishers and encyclopedias. I love them.

- Wondering if it was Aziraphale’s nerves that caused these measures to be taken, or…Yknow. The nerves of the person who ran into the burning bookshop himself.

- Crowley having holes in his memory is true but also it’s so much funnier that he just. Doesn’t have a good memory for people. Not funny but also yes funny.

- EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANGEL. Yknow I can see why some people think it’s a bad thing that phrases like that were likely lifted from the fandom directly and tossed in, but I love it, shut up.

- Refused to exercise his celestial authority. Sometimes an angel just has to say “guys, enough.” HMM. HMMMMMMMM. HOW VERY INTERESTING.

- INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM.

- The way Gabriel looks so BORED.

- The way Metatron looks furious. Disgusted, even.

- The fact that a memory wipe can be performed remotely: dangerous. Important.

- The fact that angels can be tracked entirely while in heaven: dangerous. Important.

- The fact that it seems to hurt Aziraphale to remove his halo: DANGEROUS. IMPORTANT.

- the way the bookshop rumbles and shakes when the halo lands tho

- ERIC NO

- Poor Eric.

- Shax being knocked out but not discorporated…interesting.

- Oh sure the mass transporter works just FINE for Heaven XD I love this train wreck of an awkward elevator ride.

- Interesting how Furfur is the one to come along with Dagon (who, I still can’t stress enough: FABULOUS this season)

- Electricity again not being used by an angel, but by a demon. All lightning is demonic this season. Hmm.

- Crowley maybe it isn’t wise to admit the two of you doing a miracle together is what caused the giant plume

- The moment I could NOT believe we were actually getting Ineffable Bureaucracy but was SO HAPPY ABOUT IT ACTUALLY

- Important too that Crowley shares pertinent details but not the actual scope of how he knows what he knows and what it all might mean before Metatron steps in. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

- Okay but was the entering of the eye necessary. Argh.

- I do like how they made the recasting a joke XD

- I’m sorry but the way the vibes of their meetings is so pitch-perfect for how the fandom was interpreting them for years makes me so proud of us all

- I just wish there was MORE

- You can’t always get what you live for. Every day it’s a getting closer

- Still wondering how in the heck that statue exists

- Gabriel being incapable of ordering drinks XD

- “You people. Amazing.” So important to Gabriel and Beelzebub’s love story that they explicitly fell in love with EACH OTHER, not earth, not humans, but also that even while on earth, Gabriel still has things he likes and appreciation for the atmosphere it can have. Earth is cool. Time they all admitted it.

- “No one’s ever given me anything before.” Anyone else suddenly emotional about the idea of Aziraphale introducing things like kindness and respect to Heaven? No? Just me? I know it’s not just me, “Aziraphale is a bee in the hive about to shake things up more than anticipated” truthers

- Aziraphale looking pretty terrified at Gabriel being back and Jim being gone. I know. Me too.

- But. But!! The way they’re openly affectionate now when it seems like they weren’t there yet in the past! The way Gabriel hugs himself when thanking them! AUGH!

- FOUND SOMETHING THAT MATTERED MORE TO ME THAN CHOOSING SIDES. THE SHOULDER TOUCH. I CRY.

- Michael. Michael they’ve been there the whole time. Calm down.

- I really do want to know if Crowley just casually brought Mr. Brown back from the dead, or just healed him from terrible maiming, or just wiped his memory bc he’s actually fine. THESE ARE IMPORTANT DETAILS DAMMIT.

- “Unless you’d like some help?” THEYRE SPEAKING. THEYRE COMMUNICATING. INSTEAD OF JUST ASSUMING WHAT THE OTHER NEEDS/WANTS.

- Aziraphale the angelic kindergarten teacher.

- “But we’d be the ones doing it.” They’re just saying all the quiet parts out loud, huh?

- Crowley offering Alphi Centauri ;A;

- The fact that THEY GET THE BANISHMENT OPTION when Crowley and Aziraphale DID NOT. Granted, they diverted six thousand plus years of planning, not just collaborating ambiguously to sappy unknown ends. Because AC LOVE EARTH. And GB DO NOT.

- The fact that they turn on the lights when they leave bc an angel and a demon doing miracles together is POWERFUL

- Aziraphale’s entire expression ;A; so tender. So loving.

- That was a weirdly erotic fist bump, Furfur and Shax

- “Do people ever ask for death? So predictable.” There’s that angelic arrogance, Metatron.

- And the Book of Life extreme sanctions again. Which makes me VERY nervous for s3, probably more nervous than anything else. That’s a very big Chekhov’s Gun to be laying on the table half-forgotten.

- Okay the fact that Saraquael picks it up before any of the others, too. As implied by her hands going folded and expression going nervous.

- “Have we done anything wrong?”

- “That remains to be seen.”

- HMM. OKAY.

- Take the coffee or take the death, Aziraphale. DAMN.

- The way Metatron neatly separates and snips Aziraphale and Crowley apart. The ominous organ music. The dressing-down of the Archangels but backhanded compliments to Muriel (the dim one I’LL KILL YOU). A master manipulator at work and he’s only just getting started.

- Crowley trying to get rid of Muriel feels weirdly protective, in hindsight.

- Crowley putting the bookshop back together ;A; the cello version of the theme waltz. <3333

- Aziraphale really should have been here for this conversation. I WEEP.

- Noooo not the soft romantic music again, it hurts. Also just realized that Nina and Maggie are still wearing their ball outfits.

- THIS CONVERSATION IS ALREADY A TRAIN WRECK. CROWLEY ASKING AZIRAPHALE IF CROWLEY CAN GO FIRST. AZIRAPHALE TALKING OVER CROWLEY.

- The thunder outside is getting massive as Metatron butters up Aziraphale. The ominous real world foreshadowing.

- The fact that keeping Crowley a demon isn’t even on the table. Going right for Aziraphale’s issues.

- THE CLOCK IS MAKING A FROWNY FACE

- Some other time I want to see Metatron’s assessment of Aziraphale next to Crowley’s assessment of Aziraphale bc I want to study the ways this hurts me.

- The EMOTIONS. DAVID AND MICHAEL PLS IM DYING.

- The manifold layers of mutual misinterpretation. I am BEGGING for a season 3 so I can see them untangle this.

- “I don’t think you understand what I’m offering you” just like you thought he was exaggerating the danger you were in just last episode, angel?

- No nightingales HOW DARE

- I fully believe Crowley is kissing Aziraphale goodbye here, tbh. Not showing him what he’s missing. Just saying bye. Maybe hoping on an off chance it will work but knowing it won’t. One spectacular kiss that I kind of love we don’t get every sloppy detail of. Makes it intimate even as it’s heartbreaking.

- The one thing he wanted to take with him won’t come. I CRY.

- Crowley is too smart for this but I’ve seen art of Crowley as the next grand Duke of hell and that would be a DELICIOUS setup, actually, and one I believe he could give into if he felt low enough. But. Crowley has always known better. He’s always wanted out, wanted better. If it was just him alone in the bookshop, maybe, but with Muriel there…idk. I feel like that’s not gonna happen, that Crowley is going to side with humanity. But I also didn’t think Aziraphale would ever go back to heaven so what do I know??

- The Second Coming. Phew. The event supposed to kick off after Armageddon, I think? Gonna be big.

- And here we have…the closing credits. The ones I was too overwhelmed to cry over the first time and maybe too entranced in my note taking to fully feel it here now but the sad piano and cello are certainly having an impact.

- Aziraphale not having all the details for what was happening to Gabriel makes me wonder how far he thinks he can push making a difference. Because the Supreme Archangel of Heaven was deposed for not doing what the rest of the archangels and the Metatron wanted. They can erase beings from existence. They can wipe memories remotely. They can track his every move. He’s walking into a trap.

- But. BUT.

- Crowley won’t let Aziraphale face this alone. Crowley and Aziraphale have swapped faces before. Crowley and Aziraphale have been on the wrong sides of the screen all season. Aziraphale’s determined face is very close to Crowley-As-Aziraphale. This season has been about lies and misdirection and sleight of hand. I like the theory that the kiss was another swap, that there was a time freeze where they came up with a plan, but. Also.

- I just. REALLY like the power of The Final Fifteen as-is, too. Because it’s been building all season, a head of steam that blows at a very critical moment in time. It’s the hard work of realizing their problems and issues and triggers haven’t been worked on at all, and if they’re ever going to be happy, they need to do the work. It’s not hand-waving their development off screen and actually putting us the audience in the front row of that development. Which is tasty as all heck too.

Okay. Second time didn’t hurt as much, knowing it was coming and pointing out all the clues that foreshadowed it. Next watch through I do without the buffer of constant pausing to record my thoughts and theories. I’m sure it’ll be fine.

[egophiliac]

A-anime?

you know, sometimes I forget that Twst is actually an isekai that starts with the protagonist getting run over by an inexplicable horse-drawn carriage. and every time I'm reminded is a delight because that's AMAZING.

also. look. okay. there's a lot of very fun stuff in the trailer but I am obsessed with that Crowley surprised pikachu face. me when I spend all my keys and gems literally hours before they announce overblot SSRs and drop the anime trailer:

[wojtekaneko]

Haha I've got a whole minute (out of 11) of this Part 47 animatic!!! It's not much, and idk when I even finish it, but I just wanted to post this c: Animating Yorick yapping was my favourite part ^^

[naturecalls111]

don't interrupt the kage meeting

[radiance1]

The Ghost Prince does not, under any circumstances, answer a summoning after it was made aware he existed. None know why he doesn't, some are bitter and hateful of it while others are thankful that it's one less bloodthirsty manic to deal with.

The Ghost King meanwhile hasn't been seen in multiple eons, so the magical community who wanted to use his power just, stopped, trying to summon him for a long time.

Most magic users knew that the Ghost Prince never answered a summons, and that the Ghost King just dropped off the radar.

So could you really blame Constantine for not taking it that seriously when some wannabe hotshot cultists try to summon both of them in the middle of a city to wreak havoc?

He'll give them some credit though. Points for doing it in broad daylight and actually being somewhat of a threat with not relying on just summoning the Ghost royalty and figuring out what to do from there.

The area they were in was somewhat destroyed, then the cultists manage to complete the summoning circle to summon both of them and Constantine, well he just light up a smoke.

It isn't going to work anyways so what does it matter?

...

Is that a fucking Ice cream truck he hears? Who the fuck is driving an Ice cream truck while their city is being under attacked with cultists trying to summon eldritch ghost royalty?

He'll give them some points for dedication, though.

Then he looked at the cultists and nearly had a goddamn heart attack to see that the summoning circle is actually fucking lighting up and working.

The Bat is so gonna give him a headache over this.

----

Danny Phantom, crown prince of the Infinite Realms. Does not answer summons.

For one, it is annoying as shit, whenever someone interrupts his day just to ask for infinite power (that he can't give), world domination (that he won't do) or infinite riches (which he also can't do).

It just got annoying being summoned all the time so. One day he just, well, no. And hey, it worked out well enough for him to not continue doing it.

Then he also learned that Pariah Dark is basically the same, after he got out the coffin and stopped trying to take over the world for whatever reason. He was actually a pretty swell guy!

He was just with him too, with him being not so swell at the time for making him go through lessons about Ghost etiquette, rules, stuff that's expected of him as the crown prince.

And don't even get him started on the engagement and marriage proposals.

Overall, he just wanted to find an excuse to leave. Then he felt the familiar suggestive pull of a summoning and, instead of rejection as he usually does in a second. He thought for a bit if he wanted to go with that or crown prince duties.

It was tempting, but dealing with cultists seemed worse than this so he was about to reject.

At least, before he heard an Ice cream truck playing in the background. He doesn't even know how the hell that popped up through the pull but by the gods has it been a while since he's had Ice cream.

So he answers and is gone with a pop.

Pariah Dark just stares for a good second or two, before breathing out and deciding to also answer. Fright Knight is just there, off to side, questioning what he should do now.

Danny wastes no time with the cultists on the other side and in fact, he pushes them out of the way and goes diving for that Ice cream truck he hears. Only to realize he doesn't, have any money on him.

Fuck.

Pariah Dark is less inclined to follow the rules imposed by humans like money, but he does know it can be important. Once in a while. Not that often, but it has its times.

So when he sees his adopted son being sad over being unable to pay for some kind of human delicacy, he digs around in his hair (yes, his hair.) and pulls out some money and puts it on the counter as payment.

The man inside the tiny vehicle had shrieked before getting what they wanted. Which is good. Fear is a good motivator, Pariah thinks.

Unknown to him, it wasn't out of fear (Well, mostly) but because the Ghost King placed down a coin made of pure, solid gold on his counter.

The two then go about their business in the human realm, completely forgetting about the fact that they were summoned here for something.

Constantine is both relieved and about to have an aneurysm at seeing Infinite Realm royalty only answering a summon because of Ice cream.

[turtleblogatlast]

AU where Leo is trapped in the Prison Dimension for months instead of minutes and the only way he gets by with his sanity intact is through recording himself talking to his wrist comm.

When they finally manage to get Leo back and make him rest up to heal, Donnie can’t help but listen to the recordings left behind.

He’s not sure what exactly he’s expecting, only that his subconscious is screaming at him that it has to be heartbreaking, that it has to be torturous.

Instead, what Donnie is subject to is a full thousand hours’ worth of Jupiter Jim and Lou Jitsu crossover fanfiction. More than one part in the series. Spanning well over a million words.

(The worst part is that it’s actually good.)

[dirtytransmasc]

I think I need MelVik connecting when Viktor was on his sick bed. they had been amicable before, maybe a little more than that due to their connection through Jayce and her presence around Hextech and such. but they weren't entirely friends. not yet.

and she goes to see him. perhaps she feels a tinge of guilt at assuming the worst about Jayce, or her bleeding heart makes her feel responsible for keeping Jayce out of the lab when Viktor had needed him. maybe Jayce needs to step out for a moment, and she soothes his worry by promising to sit with Viktor. maybe she just wants to be closer to the man that's so painfully important to the one she loves, wants to befriend him, wants to know him, all before it's far too late.

maybe it's a little bit of each.

but she goes to see him. she sits in the chair that Jayce has nearly worn a hole through, and keeps a semi-awkward distance between them, not knowing what is too close and too far.

this man is dying. he is dying and he has accepted that. he looks like a corpse. cold emanates off of him. he is something she doesn't fully understand.

she doesn't know how to approach.

but she does.

she greets softly and speaks softly and hesitates to touch, but rests a hand over Viktor's and feels how cold he is, even as a sickly warmth brews in his bones, leeching the warmth from his skin and the energy from his body.

he seems surprised she's there. it feels out of place. like the song and dance of their dynamic has shifted, and now he needs to relearn the steps. and now this is a dance of two, not three.

she will tell Viktor, in enough detail to be understood and not enough to be awkward, where Jayce was. because it feels right to confess. it's not an apology, but the avoidance of keeping something like a secret from a dying man.

Viktor will probably just nod and say something self deprecating, because what else do you say when your body is already making a joke of itself? before assuring her that Jayce is not his keeper, that she is not to blame, but even that comes off as some twisted attempt at humor. sue him for being sardonic as he lay dying.

but unlike Jayce, who will cringe at the jokes, she will hide a smile behind her fingers, muffling a soft, if not saddened, chuckle in her palm.

Viktor's eyes will light up ever so slightly.

she'll feel awkward once more. should she have laughed? was this playing into a complex? was this right of her?

Viktor will smile weakly.

she'll feel a little less awkward.

she will realize Viktor needs someone to laugh with. that Jayce, bless his soul, cannot be that person for Viktor. his worry has brewed too long. it's too strong.

but maybe a fresh face like Mel's can be there to smile when Jayce cannot. will laugh when Jayce cannot. can make cheeky jokes and pokes and prods.

the three fit together like 3 pieces of 3 broken puzzles. they fit together, not perfectly, but they fit, and create a finished object, even if off kilter her and uneven there. but it's ok, they're making due.

[nexadarling]

Watching tristamp: oh vash has mommy issues

Watching trigun 98: oh vash has MOMMY ISSUES

Reading Trimax: Actually Vash went through an extremely traumatising event at a young age and had to face the realities of humans. Rem was there, as the twins' mother figure, to represent the good. Reconciling humanity's differences is what made him how he is, and he projects that onto Rem. In this essay I will-

[elvenbeard]

Sonic Surge Issue 04/2025 - Exclusive birthday interview edition

Did I make a whole new appearance with custom tattoos, new bandana, edited hair and beard and everything just for his birthday? Maybe, because I am one of those people that celebrate the heck out of fictional characters' birthdays xD And I will forever love that he's only 5 years older than me XD

But yes, I got one more thing planned with this appearance, because if it looks familiar, it's because I took a ton of inspo from the little pic on his netsite in game XD Only the neck cyberware is missing (but I have headcanons for that) and I'd like to try and see if I can give that to him somewhere down the line too to finalize the look :D But even so, this was fun, both from the modding and the VP stance! Making something a little more elaborate VP wise again, which I've really missed, and trying something new (editing vanilla hair) when it comes to modding! I mean, it is basically his 2077 hairstyle, but I tried making it a little bit messier xD I like how it turned out, even if it's not a huge difference, but the different color and the bandana help selling it I think uwu

ANYWAY I also have a part two and three planned for this so stay tuned XDD

Also, some "raw" photos for everyone who read my ramblings this far:

[wardingshout]

what if my found family was some girl who's totally not imprisoned in a tower, her totally alive bodyguard father figure and some demon who was totally not kidnapped to fix her dreams of burning to death every night what then huh

[remxedmoon]

attack on @startagainaprologue!!!! go follow it neow.

(also greyscale version below the cut. ik this design is in greyscale but i will die without my colors (silly))

[theartingace]

I am FASCINATED by Kayne as a character and the way HE is fascinated by John and Arthur, makes for a fun dynamic that surely wont end in fire and brimstone.

[lynxfrost13]

Isa humilde, accompaniame cuando no puedo encontrar lo que busco

[gods-favorite-autistic]

Track list for Fig and the Cig Figs independently published Junior Year album (officially named “Infaethable”)

Teenage Rebellion

Night Yorb (a heavy metal banger)

Summer Scaries

Devils Nectar

Time Quangle (a love song about Ayda)

Multiclass (Gorgug sings on this!)

The Ballad Of Lucy Frostblade (Kristen was the one who convinced Fig to write this)

So Late, So Tactical

Do You Have A Fucking Warrant

Cassandra (Can You Hear Me)

Hall Of Mirrors

President Applebees (written entirely in the night after Kristen gets elected by a drunk Fig with extremely drunk notes by Kristen)

Raging For Love (inspired by Gorgug, of course)

The Elven Oracle (Has A Day Job) (So Stop Bothering Her)

Maximum Legend

Fury Of The Ball

Cursed

Infaethable

The Bad Kids

[starry-bi-sky]

I am absolutely loving your Danyal Al Ghul au. While I have a soft spot for the whole plotline of Danny becoming his canon personality almost right after breaking away from the LOA all because of Jazz, I'm just as much for your take in which he goes through the same character development as Damian.

Now I'm curious. You already tackled his relationship with Dani, will you eventually take a stab at when he, Sam, and Tucker meet Gregor? Given that it's one of my hated episodes as I couldn't stand Sam's infuriatingly hypocritical attitude to Danny's suspicions of him, I'd kill to see your spin on it.

Aw, thank you! Danyal Al Ghul aus are what got me into DPDC first, so I have a major soft spot for them. That being said, uh, its exactly that soft spot that causes me to have Many Opinions about the trope you just mentioned. Like the trope is all fine and dandy, i don't blindly hate it, my main issue with it is that most aus i've seen treat his backstory as an ex-assassin more like a pretty cosmetic accessory rather than something that actually should have had an impact on him. Especially if he remembers being in the league.

Like i cannot stress enough the fact that being in an ecofascist assassin cult (regardless of his standing in it) should've left him, in some way or another, screwed up morally and psychologically because that's just how development works. Nature vs. Nurture is like a game of tug-o-war that never ends, where they are constantly fighting against each other and one side usually has the upper hand or greater influence. Children model the behaviors of the adults around them (ex: bobo the clown doll experiment), and what impacts them in childhood can stick with them permanently.

Like how my psychology professor put it: a baby's brain is like wet cement; if you slap your hand on it, it leaves an imprint, and the cement dries that way. The same rings true for small children.

I could go on, but I frankly have so many thoughts on that alone that I would end up completely derailing from the second half of your ask, and I don't want to be more critical than I already have. Especially since you just mentioned you have a soft spot for the trope.

[Okay, hold onto your hats because this is long. Naturally lmao.]

Gregor! Man, I'll admit I last watched the show back in middle school on a dodgy illegal website (it had surprisingly good audio and visual graphics, and full episodes. But really annoying porn ads.) but I only made it to like season 1 before my hyperfixation faded and I lost interest. So I never actually saw the Gregor episode.

But... it is relatively easy to find free websites that stream Danny Phantom :), so finding the episode took me like. Thirty seconds. Plus the Tv.Tropes recap page because my damn earbuds just died and im out in public as of rn.

I'm not sure if I'll write something for the gregor episode like I did with Dani, since Dani's a bit of a special case in that she's a clone and tends to be a reoccurring presence in DPDC, and I thought the new dynamic with Danyal would be interesting.

Plus, I'm not a big amethyst ocean shipper for the pure reason of I'm just not all that interested in it; its kinda bland to me. I'll admit I've entertained the thought in this au due to the whole balcony scene i wrote, but I would've entertained the thought anyways if it was Tucker in that position instead. Big multishipper, me.

But, if I had to make it official? Danyal is not interested romantically in Sam when the Gregor episode happens, regardless of his relationship with Valerie. Who, speaking of I'm trying to think about how that would go, and I'm torn between including him almost-dating Valerie or not.

Because on one hand it helps point out Sam's hypocrisy (and i love her but i am always happy to point out her flaws and address them in au) in this episode in terms of Danny spying on them, but on the other hand I'll want to include a lot of set up in order to make Gray Ghost work in this au and wow will that take a while.

Especially with the Flirting with Disaster episode because it happens due to Technus' meddling, and Danny is, well, the son of the Batman? A trained assassin? An ex-assassin nonetheless, but still an assassin? A prodigy child in this au? He might not have needed to use most of his skills in the last few years, but like... there's just a bunch of 'what if' and 'well technically...' and 'would he? he could, but would he?' things that is getting in the way of my thought process and making my head spin.

.

Mmm. Okay. Flirting with Disaster occurs relatively the same as canon with a few exceptions; like Danyal noticing the strange coincidences, and he might take the idea into proper consideration because Sam has a point it is strange, especially out of nowhere.

However,,, he really enjoys Valerie's company, and he does really like her. He's been adjusting to civilian life for the last four years and while he's made a lot of progress, he's still. an ex-assassin child living like a wolf amongst sheep. This is normal, typical teenager stuff, and usually his friends like to encourage him doing normal teenager stuff.

So he's stubbornly holding out on the thought that this is normal, that ghost stuff isn't interfering here. He's a little hurt that his friends are discouraging this, he's not bothered by the fact that Valerie is a ghost hunter and he a ghost -- his mother is an assassin, and his father is Batman, and they still had a relationship. (Granted, he's not gonna tell them that)

If anything, being diametrically opposed to each other but still being in love is part of the family! Granted, usually both parties are aware of said opposition to each other, but he'll make a special exception this time around.

(And man now that i'm thinking about gray ghost, im now thinking about various like. scenes i could write between the two of them. maybe in a reblog.)

Anyways uhhh things relatively go the same as canon. Yeah. I think Sam still has a crush on Danny and still spies out of jealousy with Tucker.

.

Now, the Gregor episode! With that out of the way; the TVTropes recap for this episode isn't the best because it doesn't go into detail about the entire episode like it does with Flirting With Disaster and Shades of Gray.

(which i looked at earlier because I made a section of this post talking briefly about what changes I'd make to the Shades of Gray episode to help set up Gray Ghost, but ended up deleting because it was kinda irrelevant for the matter at hand.)

So I'm taking in bits of the episode clips at a time, I'll try not to get too nitpicky about how each scene goes because then it's gonna take me a longer time to write this.

But! First thing's first; since Danny is not romantically interested in Sam, he is also not jealous of Gregor. He is however, a bit eyebrow-raisey at him in their first introduction, but that's because Gregor is coming off as obnoxious.

Danny thinks he's kinda annoying, and it doesn't take a genius to see that Gregor is trying to impress Sam. But since they've only known him for five minutes he takes the good faith assumption and assumes that Gregor is genuinely trying to show interest in Sam's interests too because he likes her, so he keeps mum. The fake hungarian accent is weird, but it's overall harmless, so he doesn't point it out.

He does do the spying thing when he starts suspecting that Gregor might be working for the GIW. The episode only has this happen twice, but for the au this happens a handful of more times over the course of the week, with Danyal's suspicion steadily rising more and more each time.

Hah, when he brings up wanting to spy on Sam and Gregor because of this reason, Tucker still does his "woah! you wanna spy on Sam?" thing.

Danny immediately turns to him, completely unimpressed, and crosses his arms. "Tucker," he says, deadpan, "you and Sam spied on me and Valerie."

He uses a combination of his ghost powers and his regular stealth ability to spy on them. He's hiding in a tree when they're skipping rocks, close enough that he can use his powers to hear them talk but far enough away that he has a good view of their surroundings.

He's invisible in the cinema, but doesn't accidentally get in front of the projector. He checks the inside of the room for the GIW, and then waits outside the actual room itself, keeping an eye on the area and occasionally flying in to watch the movie out of boredom. It reminds him of being back on a recon mission with the League, but it doesn't end with him orchestrating someone's death.

Then when they're at the mall he stays in human form, blending in with the crowd. He runs into the GIW there, but realizes that they're not there because of Gregor; they're just shopping. They didn't show up at either of the last two locations, and he follows them to make sure they're not also trying to blend in. But they're literally just there for shopping.

Danny is rather pleased with this turnout; so far Gregor isn't a spy, he's just annoying. The next day at lunch he asks Sam how her date with Gregor went, and that's how she figures out he spied on them, because well, she didn't tell him that.

"Have you been spying on me?"

Danny messes with his food a little bit, and Tucker is sinking into his seat with embarrassment. He frowns, "Only last night. Those incompetent government dodos--"

His lip curls up; he gets all 'Shakespeare-y' (as Sam and Tucker put it) when he's insulting someone, "--kept appearing whenever Gregor did. I followed you and him last night to make sure he wasn't a spy."

A roundabout way of saying, "I was worried".

Sam is, as canon, furious. Danny understands why, he knows generally speaking that people don't like being spied on. But he's confused on just how angry she is, and is a little irritated by it.

"Why would you do that!" She exclaims, "That's way out of line, Danny."

"How? You spied on me when I was going on dates with Valerie." He narrows his eyes, and points his fork at her, "I'm not blind, I noticed."

"That's different, we told you why we were suspicious. And we don't have ghost powers like you do."

"I don't need ghost powers to sneak around, Sam, you've seen this firsthand. And I just told you why I followed you, I thought he was working with the guys in white--"

"So you think someone can only be interested in me if they're after you?" (this is a paraphrased quote, folks ;D)

"No! If that was the case I would have voiced my concern the moment I thought it. I don't get why you're so angry, you spied too."

Iiits.... a mess. Sam storms off with Gregor, Tucker tags along because okay, yeah, maybe Gregor isn't with the GIW, or maybe last night was a fluke. Either way he ends up tagging along. Danny overhears that conversation between the GIW and Mr. Lancer, and maybe he's right, maybe he's wrong; but something is up.

I've gotten to that scene in the locker room where Gregor tells Danny that he knows he doesn't like him, and I've paused at Danny's reply to say this: Danyal doesn't even bother trying to deny it.

"I know you do not like me."

"You're right; I don't."

"Ah, let me finish. I know you do not like me because you want to protect your friend, Sam, and I respect that."

"...That's correct."

"Good! Because I am going to ask her out."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," he stands up, claps his hand tight on Gregor's shoulder, and leans close to him with a threatening smile, "so you understand me when i say; if you break my best friend's heart, you're as good as dead, right?"

"Ah,, yes. I am so glad we got that cleared out of the way, and now I hope after we can.. how you Americans put it, hang out?"

In the episode he hugs Danny and gives him a la bise (which is that french greeting where you kiss someone on the cheek two or more times) after they end their conversation. But here, when he goes to do that to Danyal, Danny leans away, points an accusatory finger at him, and says; "Absolutely not; we are not close."

The next scene after that is like, end of day. Sam, Tucker, and Gregor walking away. Sam looks over her shoulder to glare at Danny, then gets forlorn. Tucker looks back and just looks forlorn.

(When did I start narrating each scene?? Eh, I'm writing this in brief spurts of time throughout the day. Don't fix what's not broke)

After that there's this whole scene with the two GIW agents that have been chasing Phantom all episode. They're there because they have Tucker's PDA that Skulker took, and it's got the information of their purple backed gorilla assignment on it. They've been going around seeing who Tucker associates with in hopes of catching Phantom.

Uhh ahaha and that is where this gets a little interesting imo, and also allows me to mention that im retconning Danyal's (already) redesigned ghost form. Which I've wanted to retcon even before this moment bc it was just too busy. I'll get to that in a moment.

The GIW suspect Gregor for being the Phantom because of his white hair and green eyes, which is all fine and dandy until you remember: Danyal (and by extension Phantom) has that very noticeable, rather identifiable facial scar that goes across the middle of his fucking face. The GIW could easily suspect that Phantom hides his scar with makeup if he's in disguise, but if they meet a kid with a seemingly identical facial scar and similar disposition? Hoo boy.

Solution? I've got two: Gregor is canonically a kid from Michigan who faked everything to impress Sam. Considering he knows she's gothic and knows that she's ultra-recyclo vegetarian? He probably watched her from afar or got information on her somehow. His hair is dyed, his eyes might just naturally be green, but if he notices that she's got a crush on either Danyal or Phantom? A little sfx makeup could help him recreate a similar looking scar.

My second solution that's gonna happen anyways bc its that suit redesign; Danyal does hide his face as Phantom. Ghosts are emotional creatures and its a popular headcanon that their interests, ambitions, etc, influence the way they look as a ghost, not just their death. A big reoccurring theme of my au is that Danyal did not leave the League unscathed, and that being an assassin is an important part of his identity.

So i'm discarding the hazmat suit look entirely and leaning into the 'assassin' thing. But the general (stylized) feel is like, white ribbon/cloth vambraces that he has used as a garrote at some point, a hood, a gaiter scarf-type thing. I'm keeping the cape. I did a doodle a few days back that's not the official redesign, but a redesign for Phantom. I may reblog this post with that attached because it's got the general feel down. There's very little white involved, but the inside of his cape flares out and looks like the night sky.

Now, the hood and gaiter scarf gets rid of most of the problem, but Danny's hood doesn't stay on all the time, so the GIW have likely seen the upper half of the scar. :] Gregor's own drawn-on scar doesn't have to be 1:1, but it looks close enough, right? A small scar cutting through the edge of his brow and ends right below the corner of his eye. A 'cool, badass' one opposed to Danny's 'garish' scar.

But! Back to the episode scene. Canon Danny gets written off as being 'too prepubescent' to be Phantom, and honestly it'd be hilarious if Danyal was written off for the same reason (he's calling them idiots in his head if they do). But instead -- leaning into the GIW's incompetence here -- he gets written off as being too mature or too talkative. Or something equally as absurd.

Sam breaks up with Gregor for canon reasons, but when Gregor does his "i really like you, but, come on-!" and gestures to tucker, he adds on "and that scary friend of yours too, seriously!"

Things go relatively the same as canon after that. Danny does end up apologizing for spying, however. Sam does it first. Sorrows, prayers, all that.

.

Things usually end up changed or different when I actually write it down, so I'd likely add more or adjust different scenes according to the flow of the oneshot. This is just like, a general vibe of how things would go, and where some of the more obvious changes would be if I did write this oneshot.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the ask :]

[wtftaylr]

Falloutober Day 3 - Tall Grass | I love the Botanical Garden @ Big MT guys...