#strangers like me

[it-happened-one-fic]

A Strange World of Wonder and Beauty - Malleus

Author Notes: This one was actually written to the "Strangers Like Me" song from Tarzan. In a weird kind of a way, I though it fit Malleus and so, a fic was born. To be honest, I was actually rather unsure about writing another Malleus fic after my last one since I wasn't sure I could do as good of a job. But, here we are anyway. As per usual Reader is gender-neutral

Type: Fluff/romance

Word count: 944 words

Malleus had found his days gradually changing since he’d met the Prefect of Ramshackle Dorm. 

Before, it had been the usual hum-drum of going to classes and then going home, being guarded all the while. Before his only escape had been when he’d sneak out to look at gargoyles, which was, of course, beyond enjoyable. But now…. 

Now he found himself sneaking out more often, testing his limits as he went on yet another venture to see his friend.

Lilia was, of course, onto him. But Sebek and Silver were thus far clueless as to where he disappeared off to for such lengthy periods. And it was liberating. 

He had a secret that few people knew of. He had a friend who did not care about the pomp and circumstance of his status. They didn’t even care about who he was. It was a blissful relationship, unimpeded by rank or ceremony. 

They’d learned his name and had taken it in stride, continuing to refer to him as Hornton rather than some clunky title or even by his own name. And he found that he was gradually growing to prefer Hornton to his other titles. It was more than just an alias. It was a pet name and, in Malleus’s eyes, the most venerable title he possessed.

Green lights flickered into existence around him as he teleported and felt a grin slide onto his face. A childish show of petty pleasure at having eluded his bodyguards yet again as he slipped through the dead trees. 

Ramshackle Dorm was not a pretty sight. Though it had once been a grand house, at this point it was…well…ramshackle. Run-down. Dilapidated. There were many words for it but none of them implied attractiveness. 

And yet, despite its less than glamorous appearance, it was a sight that Malleus quite liked. Even before meeting you, he’d enjoyed this little haunt. But now he’d come to delight in the sight of the building even more, because the sight of it had become synonymous with both escape and seeing you. 

Now he waited, wandering the grounds of your dorm as he awaited your appearance. And, right on cue, your door opened, and you emerged. A smile on your precious little face as your eyes met his.

All at once, he felt it. That warm feeling that seemed to spread from his very core and envelop his entire person whenever he saw you. It wasn’t an unpleasant warmth, but one that left him chasing the sensation and appearing before your person more and more frequently. 

He stepped up onto the porch, joining you as you gestured through the door you held open to let him into your home. Your smile and invitation were a clear sign of your lack of fear and full trust in him.

He found himself hesitating though, pausing before he entered and turning to you with a grin on his face, “Child of man… I wonder if you would like to accompany me for today?”

You tilted your head, expression curious as he held out his hand, a silent but impulsive invitation. 

Why was he inviting you?

Perhaps because you’d invited him into your home and your life, making him a piece of your world, and now he wanted to do the same. 

Hiding his identity had initially been a bit of fun, but it had swelled into something different when you’d shown him that his status didn’t matter to you. You’d taught him a great deal about the ways of humans and provided him with companionship, so now he wanted to show you everything and hold nothing back.

With a slight smile you slipped your hand into his and he let his gloved fingers curl around yours. Holding your hand like it was mere glass and precious beyond belief. 

His smile spread as green lights flickered around the two of you, and you glanced around. Enchanted.

Strange how you looked at such a minor spell with such wonder when it was mundane to him. But then he supposed you viewed him the same way. Enchanted by things that were most likely ordinary and run-of-the-mill to you.

Your hair stirred in the wind that he conjured around the two of you and your eyes widened as your surroundings changed. Transforming from the aged exterior of Ramshackle to the gothic interior of Diasomnia. A dead forest to a looming castle in an instant.

You stepped forward, seemingly forgetting his presence for the moment as you looked around in awe at the vaulted ceilings and impossibly high walls. Green flames flickered in sconces and upon candles, the only light present. It was a dark, dreary atmosphere, but you gazed at it all with eyes full of wonder.

Malleus felt himself smiling, not his usual smug smirk, but a far tenderer expression that seldom graced his face. 

It seemed to be appearing more now that you were in his life, a precious piece of his world.

“Hornton, it’s…” You trailed off, turning to him with a wide smile that had him chuckling to himself.

He reached, hesitating and stopping himself just before he touched your face. Your eyes were wide with confusion, but he only smiled and shook his head. He wanted to explore this warm feeling and look at the world with a new viewpoint from beside you.

Aborting his previous gesture, he stepped back. Holding out his hand like a gentleman asking a lady for a dance, “Come, there is much I would like to show you.”

Yours was a strange world of wonder and beauty. A world he could hardly imagine, but one he desperately wanted to live in nonetheless.

#Twisted wonderland x reader #Malleus x reader #Twisted wonderland #Disney TW #twst #Malleus Draconia #gender-neutral reader #Hornton #romantic #fluff #Malleus x y/n #Malleus x you #Twisted wonderland x y/n #twisted wonderland x you #twst x reader #twst x y/n #twst x you #strangers like me #Yes I used a Tarzan song for a character based on Sleeping Beauty's villain #reader is prefect #twisted wonderland imagines #twst imagines #my writings #fanfiction #diasomnia #fanfic #disney fanfiction

[elijones94]

🦍 Young Tarzan ( sketchbook drawings I based on drawings by Disney animator John Ripa) 🌴

#Young Tarzan #Tarzan #late night drawing #character studies #Disney fanart #jungle #Two Worlds One Family #You’ll Be In My Heart #Son of Man #Strangers Like Me #sketchbook #sketchbook drawings #jungle boy #Kala #Kerchak #Terk #Tantor #Flint and Mongo #vine swinging #John Ripa #Glen Keane #Alex D. Linz

[moveslikeanape]

i actually don't play disney magic kingdoms myself, it's just not really my type of game, but i've seen some gameplay of it and read a lot of the little dialogue from it online and it's always seemed really charming and cute! so it really is too bad we might never get to see tarzan characters added to it. i do play disney dreamlight valley on the switch, which is sort of a life sim game like animal crossing but with disney/pixar characters all living together, and a lot more of a story to it with quests you get to do for everyone. it's a lot newer and doesn't have nearly as many characters in it, but a recent update added a jungle biome that would've been perfect for tarzan and jane. i know they'll probably never be added, but if they were then they could live together in the treehouse and we could see how tarzan would feel about living in the valley among so many other humans! there would be so many new things that jane could teach him about.

i recently started collecting lorcana cards after seeing one of rapunzel wearing a green dress, which i found really cool because that was what she had in so much of her concept art! i was also pretty excited to be able to get cards from the emperor's new groove, the great mouse detective, treasure planet, and hercules. i bet they could make some beautiful cards for tarzan... but yeah, that copyright issue is incredibly frustrating. some of my favorite movies may be a bit overlooked or underrepresented by disney, but at least they don't have the legal problem that tarzan has. i guess with once upon a studio they must've wanted to really go all out to make sure every single walt disney animation studios feature could be included! i'm grateful they did, because it would've been a huge shame to see tarzan not even allowed into the special 100th anniversary short. the new movie "wish" also has a tribute to past WDAS films during the credits, where gold-colored drawings of characters from each movie appeared across the screen in chronological order. strangely they actually left out a handful of movies including the black cauldron, but they did include tarzan!

also, i'm sure you already knew about this haha, but just the other day i came across an article from a few years ago where several of the people who worked on tarzan were interviewed and talked about the production. and i learned for the first time that it was originally planned as a direct-to-video movie which would stick closer to the source material with tarzan going to england. i'm obviously very glad that that didn't happen and we got the movie we have now instead. -🌟

Sorry, was out of town for the weekend visiting family.

That's fair about Magic Kingdoms not being your type of game. I think the only real reason I play it is because it's something I can play casually and more of less keep up with, with out it taking too much time.

What I've seen of Dreamlight Valley looks like so much fun! And that would be amazing to see Tarzan and Jane in that game. Probably will never happen, but we can dream!

Ooo, I haven't seen that Rapunzel one, will have to look it up. I've always loved the concept art. So insane to think there's actually even Treasure Planet art in them!!!

Sadly we may never get Tarzan in Lorcana, but I found this artist during the Disemeber challenge on instagram, and he's actually done art for Lorcana. Looks like it was just the one card, Chief Bogo (which he's posted if you go though his stuff). May not be official, but at least here's a Christmas themed idea of what could be if they included Tarzan

OMG, I never expected any reference to Tarzan in Wish!! I haven't seen it yet (live in a small town, starting to think we may not even get it in our theatre), but now I'm even more excited to see it!

Oh wow, I actually didn't know that! That's so interesting (definitely so grateful they didn't go that route though). Would have been interesting to see how close Disney would get to the source material… don't know if you've ever read the books, but there's a lot of not so family friendly stuff. Also would have been such a waste, given the quality of D2V animation, would have been such a shame to only get Tarzan & Jane quality animation.

#strangers like me #character: tarzan #adult tarzan #character: manu #fan: art

[mermaidinthecity]

Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins

#phil collins #tarzanedit #lyrics #lyricsedit #strangers like me #tarzan album #mine #edits #tarzan lyrics #mermaidinthecity

[music-in-my-veins14]

#Strangers Like Me #Phil Collins #Disney #Tarzan #Music #Youtube

[that-one-greml1n]

HEHEHE

I HAVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE

I HAVE HIT 2 WHOLE FOLLOWERS ON TUMBLR

EDIT: 3!!!

EDIT: 5!

EDIT: 8 REHEHE

#therian #furry #I AM POPULAR #rehehe #STRANGERS LIKE ME

[yen-sids-tournament]

Beauty and the Beast (1991) v Tarzan (1999)

Beauty and the Beast: The opening ensemble, "Belle," is a fun and exciting introduction to our heroine, and her reprise not moments later takes us from the perception others have of her to her own feelings of her life. It is a great way to really let us bond with Belle.

Tarzan: Each song, and each version there of, in this movie is perfect at communicating very core human desires. "Son of Man" tells us we can grow with confidence and "Strangers Like Me" shows us that no matter our backgrounds we are all more alike than we think.

#beauty and the beast (1991) #tarzan 1999 #disneyanimatedmoviemusictournament #yen sids poll #disney music #disney animated movies #disney #disney tournament #beauty and the beast #tarzan #son of man #strangers like me #belle #phil collins

[sailor-aviator]

I'll wait patiently, but I'm so excited for fucking Tarzan!Bradley for the first time! 🤤

Lmaoooooooooo I think everyone is, Nonny!

#answered #anonymous #hey nonny nonny #tarzan!bradley #slm #strangers like me

[tarzan-ofthe-apes]

Strangers Like Me # [Clayzan]

@vcnatorr​

The sheriff’s department was where JT remembered it. He hadn’t been back in Swynlake since Christmas three years ago and he hadn’t had any reason to be visiting the sheriff’s department. Honestly, he still didn’t really think that he had a reason to be visiting the sheriff’s department. It was at his mother’s insistence that he was here. When she had her mind made up about something, it was impossible to change it. And she had her mind made up about JT reconnecting with his Clayton family.

Though, was it reconnecting when you’d never really had a connection to start? His parents had died when he was five and he’d lived in Tanzania that whole time. He’d maybe been to the Clayton estate once? Twice? And he didn’t remember it at all. Not to mention, his cousin was nearly twenty years older than he was. And, if rumor was to be believed, enjoyed a good round of hunting.

But, Mama wanted him to connect, so that was what he was going to do. His mama had eyes everywhere. She’d know if he didn’t.

The receptionist was kind enough to let him back, directing him to William’s office. Jane, his wolfdog, was at his side as he knocked on the half open door.

“Uh, William Clayton?” JT said, ducking into the doorframe. “Uh, hi. I’m JT. John, er, Clayton-Menga?” His own name was spoken like a question.

[lookbook just regular trainers why would u wear oxfords w this outfit]

#swynclayton #clayzan #the way it felt weird to tag this 'clayton' #strangers like me #lookbook #wow look at me with another mama's boy #i gotta unpack that at some point #i just think mama's boys are pure and good #loving ur mom is a green flag if you are a boy #if you're a girl it's like...a yellow flag #lmfaoooo

[lt-catbolt]

have some animatic content :)

#melatron #melatron mercer #ellis #ellis avalon #CoH #RVS #red velvet seats arc #strangers like me #animatic #youtube #Youtube #OC animatic #oc #oc art

[artrealla]

#yall have no idea how long it took to do the colors on this #i feel like my brain melted out my ears #but im SO happy with this theyre so cute god #my art #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #st fanart #steddie fanart #please rb with tags they make me so so so happy and i screenshot them and show my friends and its so cute

[elijones94]

🍃🐾 Young Tarzan & Jane Porter 🦍

@moveslikeanape

#Young Tarzan #Jane Porter #Tarzan #Tarzan and Jane #character study #vine swinging #jungle #Disney fanart #Son of Man #Strangers Like Me #Trashin’ the Camp #Two Worlds One Family #You’ll Be In My Heart #Phil Collins #Edgar Rice Burroughs #Alex D. Linz #Minnie Driver #Tony Goldwyn #John Ripa #Ken Duncan #Glen Keane #late night drawing #Kala #Kerchak #Terk #Tantor #Professor Porter #Clayton #Sabor the Leopard #Tarzan’s parents

[moveslikeanape]

hercules does have amazing lyrics, you're right! it's another one of my favorite disney movies and that's definitely one reason why. one last hope has so many clever lines! another disney song lyric that i've always really liked, from hunchback of notre dame, is in bells of notre dame: "they gazed up in fear and alarm, at a figure whose clutches were iron as much as the bells". and in the reprise: "whatever their pitch, you can feel them bewitch you, the rich and the ritual knells of the bells of notre dame". they're just such satisfying rhymes, and i feel like most of the songs in that movie have really nice lyrics.

i agree with you about the quality of disney lately. i actually enjoyed encanto, but many of their other recent movies have been disappointing to me in one way or another, and it's especially frustrating that they couldn't do better with wish. people have been creating fan works based on the concept art that i think are so much better than the final film was. i also agree about mulan! i love that movie so much, and the music in it too--i especially love the extra lyrics to reflection, that unfortunately ended up getting cut to save time. but i agree that true to your heart should've been kept in the credits instead of in the movie itself.

i think that makes sense about phil collins! wish's songs sound a bit too much like what you'd hear on the radio now, to the point that whenever i hear the song "knowing what i know now" i just get this nagging feeling that i've basically heard the same song multiple times before. and, as i mentioned in a previous message, the song "at all costs" sounds incredibly out of place in the movie. i won't explain the context of that song just in case i'd be spoiling it, but i'll say that the lyrics make it sound like a romantic duet and it very much isn't. i was baffled when i found out what it was actually about. tarzan's songs, on the other hand, are perfectly crafted for the movie and for the feelings they're meant to convey.

this also reminds me that elton john had never written broadway-style music before working on the lion king, but it's mentioned in disney's art of animation that one reason he wanted to join the project was that he loved disney's romantic duets and wanted to write one! and from everything else i've read, it seems like he loved disney music in general and really wanted to be able to capture the same magic that the movies that came before TLK had. it also must've helped a lot that he was working alongside tim rice, who did have an established career in musical theatre.

i'd definitely recommend reading the art of animation book! i still haven't finished it as life got a bit hectic for me this past week, which is also why it took me a few days to send this. but this edition has a huge section dedicated to the making of hercules, which was actually the main reason i picked it up: when i read the actual art book for hercules, i felt that it had a lot of beautiful artwork but wasn't as detailed about the production as it could've been. so far, this book seems to have a lot more of the detail that i wanted.

maybe i'll give tarzan 2 and the tv series a watch at some point! it's interesting that the tv series had episodes based on the novels. although it's too bad the characters weren't very well written in it, especially jane. i've had a similar experience where a movie i loved got a tv series based on it, and although i enjoyed certain things about the series, the characters felt really off and i ended up having mixed feelings about it as a whole. it's always disappointing when things like that happen.

it's also really cool that one of tarzan 2's songs was reworked for the broadway show! that reminds me of how the same thing sort of happened in reverse with the lion king 2: the song "he lives in you" was first used in the broadway show, and then later included in the lion king 2.

(also, sorry if this appears in your ask box multiple times. i'm having a strange sort of issue while trying to send it and i'm not sure if it's my internet or the site itself causing it.) -🌟

OMG, I live for the Hunchback soundtrack!!! If I was forced to choose, I'd say Hunchback is my fav Disney movie after Tarzan. The songs and score are so gorgeous. And that line you chose, "whose clutches were iron", is a perfect example of brilliant lyrics. It defines Frollo's character perfectly and sticks to the subject of the song. And then there's Topsy Turvy… every line of that song is pure gold!

From what I've heard of the movie, and what I've heard about/seen of the concept art this is probably the first time where it's a disappointment seeing the concept art… getting to see what could have been and knowing we got so much less. They need to stop running the studio like a business and go back to Walt's ideals. "Quality will out". Let the artists to what they're best at, let them make the movie properly. They're going so far downhill they're almost at the point where they can't rely on people just buying it because it's Disney anymore.

I know that they need to "keep up" with modern tastes and style, but the songs should feel fresh. If they feel like you've heard them before, it should be because they feel like Disney songs, especially for something meant to celebrate Disney. And I don't think I've ever heard a Disney song that was as far off as you say "at all costs" is. If a song is done properly, you should know exactly what's going on without having context. Otherwise, the songs meaning is not getting through, a definite sign of poor writing.

That's a good point about Elton John and Tim Rice. Tim knew what he was doing, and Elton wanted to do that very thing. Obviously they needed to bring some of themselves into it, that's why they got hired in the first place, but it still needs to serve the movie. Kind of like the animators themselves… you have many people working on many characters, but they all have to feel like they fit in the world of the movie. The artists bring some of their own style, as you can see in concept art, but at the end of the day they have to serve the film and make it feel whole, not just a bunch of stuff thrown together. (I also love the trivia about Can You Feel the Love Tonight, that they wanted it to be completely sung by Timon and Pumbaa until Elton put his foot down. He'd written it in the tradition of the great Disney love songs, and didn't want a "big, stinky warthog" ruining it, lol)

Ya, that's one thing that's kind of disappointing about the "art of" books, they're more artwork and little notes than an actual in-depth making of… true there's only so much room and a true making of book would be huge, but still. Hope things slow down for you soon!!

I'm sorry that happened with the movie you mentioned, it's so disappointing when that happens… I get lower quality because of a smaller budget, but the characters should at least feel the same.

Tarzan 2 and the series are definitely worth at least one watch, if for nothing else than the new adventures. Tarzan 2 is seriously cute though. And although it's different actors playing Tarzan, Terk, and Tantor, Glenn Close and Lance Henriksen came back to voice Kala and Kerchak!

You're right about He Lives in You! Love how the broadway productions inspired by a movie can turn around and inspire the movie series.

(Ugh, that had to be frustrating! I only got the message once though. Hope it was just a one off problem!)

#strangers like me

[hailsatanacab]

Family Dinners - dpxdc

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ancients, that's so weird!

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

Wait. Family dinners?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Come on, Danny, recover!

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

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

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

"Costume? What do you mean?"

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

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

"Danny?" Tim asks, looking concerned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once again, the whole table falls into silence.

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

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

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

Danny's grin freezes in place.

"I'm sorry, what?"

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

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

Bruce looks about as shellshocked as Danny feels.

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

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

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

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

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

"What did happen?"

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

"How long in the future was it?"

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

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

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

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

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

"What?"

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

Dick laughs and claps his hands, delighted.

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

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

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

"Damian, stop—"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#dpxdc #dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc crossover #batpham #hailsatanacrab🦀🦀writes #look. this has been in my mind for so long guys so long - and idk if its canon that the batfam have codes for time travel situations or what #but i feel like ive seen it before and if its not canon it should be #so here - how i think that would be funny to go down #i have so many thoughts about TUE and its place in a dpxdc crossover like holy shit there's so many ways it can go!! #i have another wip in the works thats kinda similar to this but with superman and i cannot wait to work on it again #there are so many ways i wanted this to go but i just couldnt get there - i wanted to keep it on the shorter side but like #perhaps ill have to expand #i just love the idea that like. theres a stranger at your table who knows you and knows you well. who knows the secret that youd die to keep #there's a stranger at your table and he says something and you know he's family. you know you're strangers but now... #now you have to be something more #oh man theres so many juicy ways it can go and I KNOW I DID NONE OF THEM #i want to write this whole plot again and make it angstier #(me with everything) #anyway! sorry love you all hope you enjoy it!!

[music-in-my-veins14]

#Strangers Like Me #Phil Collins #X-Men #Music #Youtube

[elodieunderglass]

Horror isekai where Perceiving the Weird Eldritch Thing gets you catapulted into a nightmare labyrinth of puzzle-solving.

I.e Those Who Perceive The Hunt of the Goblin King Must Partake In The Labyrinth and Can Only Be Freed If They Complete It In One Day and One Night. By Fae Law. For Reasons.

But the definition of “perception” clearly needs to be updated because some normal guy simply films the Hunt of the Goblin King Behind Arby’s, and puts it on Facebook -

No, not instagram or TikTok, it’s important that it be Facebook -

Because the rules are pretty clear, “the rules are the rules” as is carved ominously in elvish runes above the grim gate, and the Contract is Sealed. and so therefore the guy and 25 of their most random real-life acquaintances must run the gauntlet together. It’s Some Guy, their immediate neighbors, their first partner’s mom, their friends from hobby Facebook groups (oh this poor guy and their hobbies; the elderly birdwatchers from Facebook and the young up-and-coming drag king community), their random teen kid niece, college friends, a dog who also watched the video, a couple consisting of a woman who is the guy’s Facebook friend and showed her husband the video, and the husband doesn’t even know Some Guy, so he’s in the labyrinth and absolutely furious about being forced to be involved, and they proceed to break up over the course of the puzzle.

It’s important that the narrative keeps trying to be a sexy dark horror isekai! but within this the comedic reality of Catherine, 52, the guy’s horse-riding instructor, being passionately involved in escape-room-style puzzle solving and grappling with minor goblins. They are in fact speedrunning the gauntlet.

The Goblin King finally has to say: all right, actually, I only really set all this up to fuck with one (1) guy at a time, thanks for your willingness to participate, but I think all 25 of you can consider the gauntlet fully run.

And the group would be quite hurt by that. The rules are the rules. We have a contract, actually. Let Catherine cook.

#this feels extremely like… 2015 tumblr to me #but it also feels a sort of comforting honesty in this time #thank you for giving me this safe space #this plot idea just feels like some kind of nostalgia . to me. #writing it out I felt like I knew it was unfashionably written AND YET #I was thinking last night about how Stranger Things works quite #well because it’s set in the 80s… it is load-bearing that it be set in the 80s… it’s plot relevant and worldbuilding #well for some reason this plot has to be set pre-pandemic post-impact-text-memes