#I don't even go to cafes

[thevoidstaredback]

It's always graveyards. Why is it always graveyards? They're creepy as hell and, well... that's it. On the bright side, the Protection Spirits watching the gates recognize him and realize the danger he's in. Well, maybe he wasn't in real danger because the Bats and Birds don't really do the whole purposefully harming civilians things, but they are scary as hell! Chasing him down like a bat straight outta hell- obviously he was gonna run! They cornered him! Maybe he'll invest in getting them lessons in how to interact with people in and out of costume?

Honestly, Nightwing, Danny expected better of you. At least Red Hood and Signal know how to treat innocents.

Here's the thing about Protection and Guardian Spirits, though. They don't like intruders. If you're running from something and you don't have time to ask permission to enter, you best say "thank you" and bring them shiny things on your next visit. If you do have time to ask permission, you ask permission. If they think you're a threat or rude, they won't let you enter whatever they're guarding.

"Thank you," Danny said as he slowed to a walk further into the graveyard, the sound of the gates slamming closed behind him confirmation that the Bat and his gaggle wouldn't be following him in.

Wasting no time, Danny pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. It was a handy little thing he'd picked up during his stay in the House of Mysteries. Draw and door, tell it where you wanna go, open it, and go through! Beetlejuice style. Though, unlike what the Handbook for the Recently Deceased says, these doors won't actually open a door to the afterlife. He fixed that tiny glitch a while ago.

Anyway, a quick few chalk lines on the side of a mausoleum later, and Danny was opening a door to Fawcett, Philadelphia. Probably not the best choice, considering that he was trying to stay away from the Justice League, but it's better than Metropolis.

"Whoa." Damn it! He should've stayed home. "What was that, mister?"

Danny made sure the door closed behind him, praying for strength. Why did he feel like several deities were laughing at him? "Hey, kid. Can you, um, maybe not say anything about that?"

The kid, short brown hair and a red jacket stood out the most to Danny for some reason, seemed very amused. "You're gonna have to buy my silence."

Again, Danny let out a quiet, long suffering sigh. "Coffee is so not worth it." Looking at the kid, he said, "Alright, fine. I was getting coffee anyway, I'll buy ya lunch. Know any good places?"

Grinning, the kid cheered, "Hell yeah! Follow me!"

Resigned, Danny followed after the kid, easily keeping pace. About a block later, he figured he should probably get the kid's name. "I'm Danny."

"Billy."

"No last name?"

"Fae rules, dude. What's your excuse?"

He had to give it to him. "Touché."

Another three blocks of walking, Billy finally stopped at a cafe. It was a quaint place with stained white brick and a dark grey roof. There were metal chairs and tables outside the building surrounded by a wrought iron fence. The table umbrellas and the awning over the black door were light blue, matching the curtains in the inside.

The inside walls were painted baby blue with a white ceiling and a pinewood floor. The tables and chairs were all stained black with light pink cushions and table cloths. The curtains, as observed before, were all baby blue, tied back with baby pink ribbons. The lights were barely yellow, giving the room a warm feel. The counters were white with black paneling on the outside and white granite as the tops.

"Welcome in," the young man at the register greeted with a smile, "What can I get you two started with today?"

Danny envied the man. He'd obviously not been doing this long enough to gain the veteran's shine to his eye. He turned to look at the menu after telling Billy to get whatever he wanted. A mistake he'll probably pay for. "I'd like a large Red Eye, equal parts coffee and espresso, with cinnamon, honey, chocolate syrup, mint, and vodka, please."

The 'newbie' light in the man's eyes dimmed a little bit. "Um, we don't carry vodka." Glad that's the only thing he's worried about. Priorities.

Danny clicked his tongue. "Oh, well, it was worth a shot. I'd like everything else, though, please. Mix it at your own discretion."

"Alright," he was very valiant to go back to grinning, "Anything else?"

Danny motioned for Billy and the kid stepped up. "Can I get a large mocha, three chocolate chip cookies, and two sandwiches?"

The blond entered the order. "Of course! That'll be $25.37." A quick card swipe from Danny. "Thank you very much, we'll have your order out to you soon!"

The two didn't say a word as they chose a table in the corner. Danny let Billy take the seat that was open to the rest of the cafe so he wouldn't feel cornered. He had a good view of the door, though, so he wasn't complaining.

"So, how'd you do that?" Billy asked after they'd gotten their orders.

"How'd I do what?" Danny sipped his drink.

"How'd you walk outta that wall? It's solid!"

"Magic."

"I guessed that much."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Will you teach me?"

"No."

"You didn't even think about it!"

"Okay," He paused. "No."

"Not fair." he pouted.

Putting his drink on the table, Danny summed as much fake-it-till-you-make-it energy as he could. "Magic isn't a toy and takes years of practice to get a handle on, not to mention you have to actually have an aptitude for it before you can even try. Besides, I don't know you nearly well enough to trust you with anything else."

Billy finished the cookie he was eating. "I can do it! You just gotta teach me!"

Another sigh that Danny had stopped counting. "Look, you seem like a good kid, but I'm not gonna teach you magic."

"Why not!"

"However," he continued, ignoring the demand, "I'm not gonna leave ya fully defenselessness."

"What do you mean?" Billy backed away slightly, his eyes narrowing as he moved to be able to run quickly.

Another sip. "Based off of the dirt you're covered in, the grease in your hair, and the overall poor condition of your clothes, I'm gonna bet that you're a street kid. So," he pulled a small card from his pocket, very aware that Billy was watching his hand aptly, "I'm going to leave you with this."

Slowly, the brunet took it and turned it over. "What it is?"

The white card had the initials DP in the middle, circled by an Ouroboros. The initials were completely solid, but the snake of the Ouroboros was made up of tiny runes of protection and health and healing and good fortune.

"My calling card. If you're ever in danger, hold that to your chest and ask for help. I'll be there."

Still obviously suspicious, Billy took a moment to scrutinize the card. It was cute to watch the kid act like he knew what he was looking at or for. When he seemed satisfied, he shoved the card into the inner pocket sewn into his jacket. "Thanks."

"No problem, kid," Pulling out his phone, Danny saw the time and stood, "I've gotta go now. I assume I've sufficiently bought your silence on the whole magic thing?"

Billy grinned, "I guess, but you gotta come visit me, okay?"

He chuckled, "Sure thing. See ya."

Part 2 Part 4

(I don't drink coffee, so Idk how that shit works)

Tag list: @zaiothe4th

#dp dc crossover #dc x dp #dc x dp crossover #dp x dc #danny phantom #dc comics #dcu #dc #billy batson #shazam #ghost king danny #magic #coffee #cafe #I don't drink coffee #I don't even go to cafes #Idk if that's how it works #it is now #in this economy? #Hopefully #protection sigil #I made that up on the spot with very little research #If anyone draws it please tag me #Do we like where this is going? #part 3 #Enough Caffeine to Kill an Elephant

[canisalbus]

hi i ride motorcycle year round and wanted to chime in. for vasco's small around-town trips he'd probably be fine with his ears free, but for longer trips at higher speeds or when its cold out he'd want them protected. probably by tucking them under his chin into the collar of a jacket and then putting a scarf or bandana on. also goggles would be helpful if a full helmet wasn't wanted. since they're in europe and around italy specifically he could have a nice ducati (fast rockety sport bikes) or a cafe racer (much more like a motorized bicycle but they can still have a lot of power) a cafe racer would offer a lot of seat space for machete to be thoroughly uncomfortable in lol

i love your ocs they're great thanks for all the cool art :)

.

#oh that's really good practical advice actually! I've never riden a motorcycle so I wouldn't even know where to begin #the ears tucked under the jacket collar is a smart way to go about it #having hard time choosing a bike for him there's too many options #it looks like lots of ducatis have a very sleek and sporty vibe to them #loving the bright colors and the shapely design #cafe racers on the other hand come across as iconic looking to me and could potentially have a sort of vintage aura which I personally like #and the flat topline (I'm sorry I don't possess the right vocabulary for these things) that some of them have is visually pleasing #they'd be a nightmare to draw though since the frame is a lot less covered and there's a ton of complex mechanical detail in the midsection #bike viscera if you will #I don't know but it's fun to think about #thank you for chiming in! this was genuinely helpful #answered #anonymous #modern au

[kebriones]

I thought about going on a dating app to find hiking buddies but my god do people around my age hate walking. Who wants to go on a hiking date with me, I'll make you rings out of twigs and take nice pics of you in the sunlight. We'll go at some nice rock areas to find nice rocks. I know some plants you can safely put in your mouth. It'll be epic.

#I'm serious people do not like walking or hiking #especially when it comes to dating everyone wants to go to a cafe #i hate sitting at cafes #do you know how much better you get to know someone when walking in nature? #or not even nature or hiking #people don't want to just go for a stroll

[goldentigerfestival]

no but listen. i love. domestic fluri.

i am a simple person. i just need them to come home and say "i'm back" while the other is doing whatever their daily business is. i need yuri to have to teach flynn to cook like a normal person bc he can't keep coming home to monstrosities. i need them to talk about their day over dinner and laugh at each other's shenanigans. i need one of them to go to bed before the other some nights with a very comfortable and relaxed "i'm heading to bed now", "okay be there in a bit". i need them to talk briefly in bed before going to sleep on nights they go to bed at the same time or one hasn't fallen asleep yet, and then sleep very close to each other but not always cuddling because they're just perfectly comfortable being that close while still having their "own" space.

i need them to be able to sit in silence and do things around the house near each other without having to always acknowledge each other. i need them past their honeymoon phase where they're so used to each other being around all the time that they're relaxed and it's perfectly normal to just be in the house together. i need them to get to the point where they're like "well damn wait, we've always been this way together". i need them to realize how comfortable and at peace they are with each other's presence that being in the same space is just completely normal.

#Fluri #in stark contrast to richbel which is like... they're never fucking home they're ALWAYS on dates together #they are ALWAYS skipping out on responsibilities bc it's more fun to be together #skipping responsibilities since 11/12 years old why fucking stop now!!! #yuri and flynn doing all this work and being responsible adults even at home #richard and asbel pretending work and responsibility don't exist bc they'd rather fuckin' go to a cat cafe together #there are two kinds of adult couples and they are those two kinds #and you know realistically i should be writing this stuff but will i actually get that far

[sfsolstice]

the prayer plant in the corner

is dying i think, and i'm worried

because when i picked it out

at the nursery across town,

i had you in mind, and they say

a plant named after somebody

reflects that person's soul, so

i'm worried you're not alright;

when all i want is for you to be.

#poetblr #poets community #poets corner #poets cafe #women poets #female poets #poets of tumblr #poets on tumblr #spilled ink #spilled poem #spilled poetry #spilled thoughts #poetry #poem #original poem #sfsolstice #in a mood tonight :/ #no but fr i'm really worried about the plant #i might need to repot it to see what's going on :/ #but also not a day goes by where i don't wish you well #even when i'm angry #even as things didn't turn out the way either of us wanted them to

[aces-and-kings]

The Hourglass Grand Re-Opening Event

You're cordially invited to join us at the Grand Re-Opening of The Hourglass, now under the ownership of Alexander Hawthorne! We're thrilled to welcome you this Thursday CST to our beloved bookstore in the brume of Ishgard.

Step inside and be captivated by our extensive collection of new tomes and texts. From literary classics to contemporary masterpieces, there's something for every reader's taste. Take your time to browse and discover literary treasures that will transport you to realms unknown.

But it doesn't stop there! Indulge your taste buds with our delectable offerings. Treat yourself to a mouthwatering deli sandwich, a delightful dessert that will satisfy your sweet cravings, or perhaps a steaming cup of coffee, tea, or even a glass of wine to enhance your visit.

At The Hourglass, we believe in the power of inclusivity and hospitality. No matter your background or where you come from, all are welcome within our cozy haven. We embrace diversity and foster a safe space for everyone.

--

This Grand Re-Opening is a casual event where you can fully immerse yourself in roleplay or simply treat it like any other shop visit. Understand that Alexander may be occupied in roleplay at times, so feel free to interact with an unseen friendly NPC at the counter, who will be delighted to assist your character.

Remember, at The Hourglass, time stands still as you get lost in the magic of books!

THIS THURSDAY 07 - 14 - 23 | 6-8pm CST!

MATEUS | EMPYREUM | WARD 4 | INGLESIDE WING 1 | ROOM#48

Alex's studio too, and the alcove he rents out for those weary travelers in need of reprieve.

#as a heads up if you don't use moon magic be aware I will be writing Alex that evening even if you see Thor! ty #alexander hawthorne #the hourglass bookshop and cafe #07/14/23 6-8pm cst #come and go as you please or just pop in and check it out but pls be respectful of those rping! #mateus #it'd be helpful if anyone interested in attending could comment an x so I know to expect you! (not required though)

[sleeperagentclone]

Why do coffee shops close so earlyyyyy??? I'm so sleepyyyy

#I could arguably go to the capital one cafe across the street but they don't even have good bake goods #Also I hate the idea of capital one cafes

[hanaaria]

sometimes you read something in a fic and just immediately go "oh the author's definitely from the us"

#i was reading a fic. set in japan #and two characters wanted to go from a cafe to a bakery #and what immediately alerted me to the author being from the us was that instead of walking/taking public transport #they drove there #like?? i really can't imagine living in a place where you have to just drive everywhere #OH ANOTHER THING #it didn't happen in this particular fic but i've seen it somewhere before #is characters handing over their cards to the waiter/barman to pay #like???? why can't americans use the little machine that is used literally everywhere in europe #also for a long time i was wondering how that even works like do u tell the waitwr your pin code too or what #until my brother told me that american cards don't have pin codes??? apparently???? fucked up if true #how r u guys not afraid of the waiter stealing your card #.....aaaaand this post turned into me just being confounded by the us as a whole. lol #hananans

[mwagneto]

main thing that scares me about moving to the west is that i'm so used to the comforts here that i won't be able to adapt. like what if i move to a city that doesn't have door to door public transport that literally costs like 3 pennies and this gum i found

#n just in general even the stuff that's like. technically less developed here #like i haaate how the west barely has paper based anything anymore #like FUCK you let me hold my train/bus/whatever ticket in my hand im gonna explode irl i hate screens #also cash going more and more out of fashion when so many places don't even take card here.... #i haaaate technology and modernisation and everything being online #DUDE I WENT TO A CAFE IN CARDIFF THAT DIDNT HAVE MENUS AND ASKED ME TO SCAN A QR CODE #DUDE IM NOT DOING THAT. JUST GET ME A HOT CHOCOLATE??? #i literally had to be like my phone can't even scan qr codes what is this😭 #they terrify meeee stop moving everything online please please please please please #if i move somewhere where you have to scan stuff to eat and get groceries and ride the bus im moving home #barking

[depoteka]

call me weird but hanging out with friends at a restaurant is the worst possible hang out option

#it's so awkwaaaard #eating and talking in this setting feels so weird to me #i don't have any food related issues btw it just. it's awkward #maybe if i came from a more restaurant going country it'd feel natural #but here going to a restaurant is a whole Event #whenever me and my friends from uni times want to meet up one of them insists we go to a restaurant #even if we go to a cafe she wants to go eat something afterwards #but i just feel so uncomfortable #i don't like lots of stuff and don't have that much money to spend on stuff like that #so i always end up ordering the plainest and cheapest thing on the menu #while everybody else is eating basically anything they want #nobody's ever judged my choices or anything but i feel sorta embarrassed anyway #i don't want to be a killjoy or whatever but uuuugh #if i wanted to go to a restaurant i would. but if i haven't seen you in months i'd prefer to talk over coffee

[bylertruther]

i fucking . LOVE byIer AUs so much every time i see a new one in the ao3 tag i go running n sprinting to gobble it all up i want to read every headcanon for every AU ever no matter how niche it may be i want to read every AU ficlet i want to consume every AU moodboard ever I Want Each And Every AU Please Put Those Boys In A Situation And Give It To Me Right NOWWWWWWWWW 🥺🤲

#especially supernatural ones omfg..... not to tell any of u how to live ur life but werewolf!mike would fuck SEVERELY #lycanthropy as a metaphor for being gay.... being seen as a monster by society bc of ur lycanthropy being a mirror for homophobia #not wanting to be seen or be close to ppl bc u don't want to hurt them being a metaphor for a fear of intimacy bc oftentimes growing up gay #limits ur 'options' and u don't have as much experience at certain ages as some other ppl might etc etc like Are U Understanding The #Monsterhood Ideas Are U Feeling My Vibes rn #and him being protective and loyal to a fault honestly. i mean. puppy behavior 100% #black hair... he could be a big black wolf ... OMG BIGBY MIKE X SNOW WHITE WILL LIKE A WOLF AMONG US AU .... FUCK #i have a lot of feelings abt monster theory n how it relates to queerness especially which is why i always make #will a monster in my fics ngl . NBDJHKFKDJH #BUT YA ... ANY AU I JUST WENT OFF ON A TANGENT BUT I LOVE THEM ALL even the 'cheesy' ones like the cafe x tattoo shop or whatever #they're all so good..... they've had such a rough go of it in canon i think they deserve to have a funky time #if barbie can be a chef n a surfer n a teacher n a painter n a doctor n so on then so can they :)

[bednbunfast]

wip that i will be finishing later

im just very tired rn

#i have their appearance memorized but not the colors so uhhhhhh #ref it is babyghorl #that reminds me...ref...refrigerator... #may donut pa kaya sa ref namin... #gago gutom nako sana may ulam na tas donut dessert hehe #i don't wanna look at them anymoreeeeeeee it's so tiring #🎐 ily but i hate you. bane of my existence fr. but also...light of my boring life. #i enjoy acting as you sometimes but... why did you have to inherit my inability to say the things they want #why did i instill that on you #even while playing around you're consious of everyone's thoughts and feelings and it often leads you to letting them 'go first' #what do you have to gain other than losing a possible 'future' where you're probably happier? #can't you be selfish? #even in the seperate lore i have ready just in case. you mend people's bonds but in the end they're just customers #and you're still bound to the cafe you were first hanged as just... a windchime #customers will come and go and what about you? you'll be stuck welcoming them with a gentle chime #you were a windchime yet you wanted to become human. was it love for their love of others really your driving force? or were you envious? #why am i ranting in the fucking tags

[thedreadvampy]

glad that Jay is around to help me with planning my Please Diagnose Me pitch bc when we ask 'how is this negatively affecting your life' I'm like hm. can't open jars bc my fingers come out of joint. can't have sex without my hip dislocating. it's fairly inconvenient that all shoes make my feet bleed and I can't brush my teeth without tearing up my gums.

and they're like. yes these are all good points you should mention. have you considered that Being In Constant Pain is also an effect it has on your life?

yeah. hadn't thought of that cause it doesn't actually stop me doing things most of the time. but now that you point it out, that is only bc I'm incredibly stubborn and don't take care of myself. so yeah.

they very astutely pointed out that a major part of lifelong disability is that you develop a lot of coping strategies to the point that you kind of don't notice that some things are affecting you bc you've found ways around them that mean you can still do the things you're trying to do. but that doesn't mean that they're not affecting you or that a doctor is not going to want to hear about them.

it's really easy to normalise stuff is the thing. like as per my bio I refer to myself as 'slightly disabled' a lot bc I am still. broadly speaking. capable of doing most things. it's just that it's often painful/exhausting, I need a lot of workarounds, and I can't sustain it long term.

but the thing is that uhhhhhhh that's only """slightly disabled"""" if I assume other people are also struggling with those things but maybe slightly less.

one of the revelatory things about having these conversations is how much I'm finding that many people don't even have a slight manifestation of these issues.

like it doesn't hurt people's hands At All trying to open a stiff jar lid or clap or pick something up at a slightly wrong angle. other people Aren't In Pain unless something's actually wrong. to most people 'my feet hurt after a 10 hr standing shift' doesn't mean 'my feet and legs physically will not take my weight for 48 hours after a 10 hr standing shift'. some people's feet just never bleed at all unless their shoes are WILDLY the wrong size. when most people say 'I'm tired' they mean 'I'm ready to take a break' not 'I feel whole-body sick and it's a painful struggle to string a whole thought together and I will feel unbearably ill if I move or open my eyes.'

like there's a lot of situations where I only register as Problems the things that I legitimately can't work around or ignore. like I started using a cane bc I was uncontrollably falling in the street bc my knees and ankles would just give way without warning. but now I have the cane so I've stopped noticing that - my legs still sometimes abruptly lose integrity but I can catch myself with the stick so I no longer fall (except occasionally when I trip myself up or I'm wearing inappropriately high shoes that make an ankle slippage harder to correct for) so I don't. consider it a thing that greatly affects my life. but like. it is, right? it's a thing I have to account for that other people don't. idk. it's all very interesting.

#red said #disability #also you know. I'm 29 and still just now realising that stuff that's affected me since i was 6 or 7 at most is Actually An Issue #so idk that's also interesting #bc none of this is new #i don't generally notice New Symptoms i notice that Other People Don't Have This Thing #or sometimes i try and do something I've not done much before and go 'huh. that's a problem.' #like i always had trouble with pain and instability in my legs and feet on long cafe shifts #but as a teenager i did 1-2 8hr shifts a week which knackered me but was manageable #and at 21 i tried to hold down a job doing 5 10-12 hr shifts a week and it fucking destroyed me #literally. i would spend all the time i wasn't at work in bed bc i was in so much pain #i missed a bunch of shifts bc i wasn't physically able to walk two streets to work let alone actually do a shift #like i called in stock several times bc the pain was so bad it took me like an hour to get from the kitchen to the bathroom #*sick #and obviously i got fired within a month #but like. that was the first time i registered that this was harder for me to do than other people. #even though I'd had a similar job with similar physical strains for i think 5 years as a Saturday job? #bc it has to get to the intensity that you CAN'T just work through it in order to register as a limitation. at least for me. #bc i naturally just assume that everyone feels some degree of this shitty and they're just hiding it better than me #bc I'm trying to hide it and get on with things! don't want to be a whiner! #so it's only when it gets to the point that no amount of willpower will make it hideable that you notice that nobody else has it at all #bc you will say to someone 'i am experiencing The Suffering very strongly today you know we've all been there haha' #and they'll be like 'what's The Suffering? that sounds like you have a serious medical condition' #and I'm like 'no dude no I'm not explaining it well. you know the Suffering? the Suffering that we all get #as a natural consequence of this everyday task? well I'm being a bit pathetic about it today so i can't move and it hurts to breathe' #and they're like 'no i literally have never heard of the Suffering' #shocked pikachu emoji