#If you can't impress

[petricorah]

scenes i loved from Real Enough to Get Me Through by @marriedzukka <333 [ids in alt]

#zukka #zukka fanart #sokka #sokka fanart #zuko #zuko fanart #atla #atla fanart #avatar the last airbender #zukka fic rec #myart #yall. yall. dani. this FIC #first off it made me cry twice. not like 'oh im crying' internet speak no. like. eyes are too blurry to read let me stop this for a sec #it is SO GOOD #your prose? amazing #your insights on grief? life changing #THEM??? THEM their relationship and trust #'zuko looked at him and his world shifted on its axis' #ive been thinking about that line for WEEKS STRAIGHT #i can't tell you how many passages i screenshot just because of how beautiful or cute they were #the moment of seeing the painting of sokka's mom? how did you manage to make it so telling character wise--so sweet so PAINful AND so #cute with their relationship?!!?! #'oh so you think i'm beautiful too' #GOD #i had so many scenes i wanted to draw it was crazy #also #'Our loved ones leave impressions on us that can still impact our decisions and feelings even after they're gone' #fuck. had me crying AGAIN #seriously this fic is so wonderful and not just through a zukka lens. truly life changing you're an AMAZING writer #the fandom is so lucky to have you and i can't Believe it took me so long to get around to reading this masterpiece

[hussyknee]

I know some dickheads have now decided that Judaism is the "bad, violent, terrorist religion" and Islam is the "good, peaceful" one, which is only to be expected of white people, but how much of an issue is it currently? Like I've seen some USAmericans sharing how the Islamic faith shapes Gazans values and perseverance (good) except with that distinct white hippie "I'm about to imprint on this like the world's most racist duck" vibe (bad), but I didn't think they're already turning on Judaism in numbers.

Do they realize that Christianity is also the same kind of comfort to Christian minorities in Asia and Africa? That it was Buddhists that genocided the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Tamils in Sri Lanka? That Hindu fundamentalists are even now trying to ethnically cleanse Muslims in India? How Hindus and Christians are terrorized and persecuted in Pakistan? That Muslims have a history of persecuting and ethnically cleansing Jews too?

Really tired of asking y'all to be normal about people's religions man. There's no religion that's inherently violent or exceptionally peaceful. It's just like any other ideology that becomes a weapon in the hands of ethnic power. Interrogate power, not religion, and respect people's belief systems insofar as they aren't in your business.

Edit: I've amended the "long history" of Muslim persecution of Jews because it might be misleading in the current political climate. Zionism and antisemitic Arab nationalism are twin births resulting directly from Christian colonization, and Islamic empires tended to actually be more tolerant of other religions compared to Christianity, especially Judaism, which was considered a sibling religion. Antisemitism wasn't ideologically entrenched in Islamic tradition. It's simply that ethno-religious power will lead to ethno religious domination and intermittent cleansing of minorities, and Islam is no exception. Humans be humaning always.

#Edit: please boost the edit #why can't white people just be fuckin normal for once #tbh this site was so weird about Judaism that it felt almost culty #I had several crises about whether I was being antisemitic before I realized no I'm just reacting to the idealization-demonization binary #that seems to be all western leftists know how to do #white queers are the worst about this #and now some of the asks I've been getting gives me the impression that the west thinks ''Islamist'' is some kind of dangerous cryptid #y'all attach insane levels of importance to people's choice of headgear #the only common denominator of all the Muslims I know is their fixation on biriyani idk #a lot of white lefties just want to use religion to distance yourself from your white privilege #same reason as why communism is so attractive to you #y'all want to share in a legacy of oppression because it's easier than self-reflection and unlearning #antisemitism #anti Zionism #Islamphobia #philosemitism #white queers #western leftists #racism #religious fundamentalism #genocide #religious violence #knee of huss

[egophiliac]

happy new year Ego!!! Just wanted to let you know that I absolutely adore your twst fanart and the tags are just an absolute pleasure to read! You are my greatest inspiration for my personal twst art and I just wanted to thank you for your wonderful masterpieces <333 if possible, may I ask what are some of your headcanons for the diasomnia family? If not for diasomnia then any other characters are fine as well!

thank you, and happy new year! 💚💜💚 that is amazing to hear; it's always a little bewildering but super flattering that other people like my silly little doodles so much!

I don't think I really have any really solid headcanons and also canon keeps validating me left and right (FLUFFY DOMESTIC DIAFAM IS REAL). mostly just kind of...impressions and general thoughts, if that makes sense! lately though I've been kind of obsessed with thinking about Lilia's hair, and specifically when/why he ended up cutting it. (l-look, we're bouncing around the timeline and I gotta make decisions about these things when I draw, it's relevant) (I mean I would probably be weirdly fixated on this anyway, but.)

I think I've settled on the idea that he kept it long until he went to NRC, partly because 1) I like drawing The Ponytail, and 2) I think he thought of NRC as a chance to reinvent himself a bit! he gets to go and be a wacky carefree teenager for a few years and have fun! (officially he's there to keep an eye on Son #1, but how much trouble could he get into, really.) so he gave himself a Cool Teen Haircut to go with his fresh new Cool Teen Persona!

also maybe he had some reflection on his hair's troubled past with three kids...

...and had to weigh his vanity versus the fact that he was going off to be around hundreds of kids on a daily basis, and. the choice suddenly seemed obvious.

#art #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #twisted wonderland episode 7 spoilers #twisted wonderland episode 7 part 6 spoilers #twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers #twisted wonderland book 7 part 6 spoilers #this is my blog and i'm going to write a million words about lilia and you can't stop me #but anyway i do genuinely get the impression that he's using Pretending to Be a Teenager as a chance to be even sillier than usual #he's a very silly man he's just being EXTRA silly #supported by his recent birthday card where he says he was specifically trying to cast himself as an adorable little brother-type #because he wanted the other students to give him free shit and save him seats and things like that #it worked for about a week before he turned out to be way too good at stuff and everyone just kind of ended up in awe of him instead #and he was like DANGIT. I'VE RUINED IT FOR MYSELF. #(then he and epel went on to talk about their hypothetical vtubersonas because the birthday cards are INSANE but anyway) #i'm bad at headcanons :( sorry! #unless it's dumb things like...what pokemon they would have or whatever #(malleus would have some kind of special fancy-colored dragapult) (but i digress) #i have a hard time putting things into words. just know that i love the grampa bat and his weird kids very much. #my brain is also still kind of fried from the last couple of weeks #i am however starting 2024 off the way i intend to continue it: in deep contemplation of anime hair #(sorry if these look weirdly aliased) (i realized about 3/4 of the way through i was using the wrong brush and i didn't want to restart :U)

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 129

Danny, now an adult, has just moved to the city of Gotham. Actually he’s been an adult for a while, but every once in a while he has to end his life, at least legally, lest someone get suspicious. Usually whenever Dan or Ellie does an oopsie and pulls a firebird with being reborn through their core. 

So legally, one Danyal Nightingale, has just moved to Gotham to open a bakery (Thank you for the wonderful recipes and bonding Clockwork) while taking care of his practically newborn son Jordan. Of course Elnath- Ellie- had to pull a core retreat too, which is just his luck. 

It wouldn’t be a problem, but he’s trying to not be so broody. A ghost- even a half-ghost- carrying another core though, has instincts turned up to like, eleven. Which again, wouldn’t be much of a problem if not for someone falling into his dumpster late at night bleeding. A vigilante, which he’s sworn to stay away from that life years ago. And it’s not a lethal wound…

But his instincts are screaming to not let the person bleed all around his nest, and he knows from experience that it would continue to bother him. Which is how he ends up with Batman on his couch to Dan’s glee if the ghost chirps are to go by. 

#dcxdp #dpxdc #prompts #potential spirit halloween #This is before Tim joined as robin but after Jason dies me thinks #Bruce is on a self destruction spiral and there was a lucky hit that managed to give him a concussion #He might cry a little when he first sees tiny baby Dan peeking at him from the crib #There's no proof of it though and he was out of it so it doesn't count #Danny is not impressed with this man's self destruction spiral #No you can't go back to wherever your base is you are sitting your ass down until your ribs are no longer bruised and youre not concussed #You can also just stay right there until breakfast is done you ancients damned idiot #Eventually Bruce will definitely realize the Nightingale family aren't human but for now he's stubbornly trying to leave #Normally when ghosts reform from cores they don't deage but that's not how it works for halfas who have living bodies #Hence them joking about it being like phoenixes or firebirds #does this count as mpreg??? #idk it's like 3am rn lol

[liverteeth]

Cool awesome fanart of my and @avephelis 's Krunker Strike Suckening RP. You had to be there.

#jrwi #jrwi the suckening #the suckening #jrwi grefgor #shilo bathory #Avephelis told me to post this #From our aggie session #Baby's first jrwi art (And baby's last jrwi art) #I say this like I did a Shilo impression but 90% of it was me laughing bc I kept killing Avephelis while he was doing a Grefgor impression #MY PRINCE YOU KEEP SHOOTING ME IN THE CHEST MY PRINCE #IT'S OKAY MY PRINCE ANYTHING TO GET YOU THAT VICTORY ROYALE #MY PRINCE I CAN'T FIND YOU (Moving at 2fps)

[canisalbus]

Imagine if Machete was Muslim instead of Catholic. His name would be something like Saif سيف, and Vasco would probably be something like Dhahabi ذَهَبِيّ

.

#I don't know Arabic so I can't weigh in that much but if you say so! #it seems like these mean “sword” and “golden” respectively that's neat #Machete wouldn't be able to cling to his Catholic guilt in that case #I don't think Islam has the same concept of original sin that Christianity does #I'm simplifying but it's a belief that humans are born with an innate tendency for evil sinning is part of our nature #and staying on the positive and in God's good graces requires a lot of repentance which can lead to excess guilt and shame #I could be wrong but I'm under the impression that this idea of a manufacturing error is a very Christian thing #sorry I know you didn't sign up to hear me try to talk about big theology things and I don't want to make it weird #but I find this stuff really interesting I unironically like to read and think about how religions work #and how they shape things they come in contact with #in Machete's case in particular his troubled relationship with God and his career choice are big parts of his character #and why he turned the way he did and thinks the way he does you know #answered #kachavashka #Dhahabi is such a regal sounding name #I'd steal that in a heartbeat if I didn't already have one extremely gold-coded character

[thefrogdalorian]

A little love letter to Din Djarin writers... 🤍

I love that some of you write him as soft and gentle while others focus on the darker, harsher parts of his personality. I love that he can be both a quiet, kind man caring for his child or an intimidating, terrifying bounty hunter who is a lean, mean killing machine... depending on what the fic warrants.

I love how you write him with other characters from The Mandalorian or even with those who would never cross paths with him in canon, from Star Wars or elsewhere. I love how you write him interacting with yourselves and us, and some of you even create your own original characters to exist a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away alongside him.

I love that some of you ship him with that one other special person, while others recognise how desirable he is and ship alllllll the ships. Not forgetting those of you which are here for none of those ships and/or even headcanon him as ace. I love that any of those options allow you to explore your own identities and sexualities through him.

I love that you can write the most tooth-rotting fluff or filthiest smut, and all of those things in between. Whether it's for general audiences or explicit and strictly 18+ ... all of your fics have an audience and someone out there who appreciates your writing.

I love how differently you can interpret him, but there are also so many common themes and tropes running through your writing. I love that there is room for all of your Dins here.

I love that he means so much to you and that all of us here hold him in our hearts a little bit. I love that we can all watch the same episodes and come to entirely different conclusions about him. I love how much we love him.

Getting to be a part of this wonderful community and interact with so many people who love the space tin can man as much as I do has truly been one of the best things that happened to me recently. I'm so glad I made this little blog... It reminded me just how good fandom can be. I am blown away by the number of talented people here!

So, I just wanted to take a moment to express some gratitude towards all of you! Thank you for writing your Dins and please don't ever stop. Finally.... last, but not least:

I love Din Djarin!!!

#din djarin #the mandalorian #din djarin fanfic #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian fanfiction #i got a uhhhh not nice anon a couple of days ago lol and i'm not posting it here (truly speaking to the wall) but i didn't want to dwell on #that and instead spread some love around!!! because anyone who is brave enough to put their writing out there is amazing to me #and especially a character as well known and beloved as din... that's far more impressive than sending anon bs lol #anyway i truly mean it i don't read as much as i'd like to because my brain can't take it when i'm focused on my own stuff sometimes but #you all ROCK and i don't want anyone to ever feel like they don't or their din is 'wrong' or OOC bc truly only favreau writes him #100% in character bc he made him lmao. all fanfic is by definition ooc BUT THATS another rant for another time

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

continuation of this post (bird adeptus reader)

Foul Legacy is naturally bigger than almost all mortals, and some immortals, too- he's taller than both Shenhe and Ganyu, your sisters, and even towers over Cloud Retainer, human or adeptus form. really, you shouldn't feel bad about the size difference! it's normal, especially for an Abyssal creature!

but while your human form's height is relatively ordinary, your adeptal form is... small. as in, finch-sized. easily carried in a child's palm. it's also your most natural form, even after you master shapeshifting, so you often wake up as a tiny songbird nestled on top of your pillow, the rest of the bed empty- it scared Legacy at first, when you would seemingly vanish, but he quickly put the pieces together when the same small bird would keep showing up where you last were, chirping at him sheepishly and bounce around on the mattress. he simply chirrups back, extending a hand palm up so you can hop into it if you'd like.

as embarrassing as your adeptal form is, you'll admit that Legacy's hand is quite comfortable, especially when you nestle down and fluff up your feathers. he curls his claws in slightly so you won't fall, carrying you around your domain and letting you enjoy the sun- he knows the feeling of wanting to be in the form that's most natural to you for a few hours. it's what Ajax feels after days of not using Foul Legacy, the urge to transform and curl up amidst several soft pillows gnawing at his subconscious. sometimes, if he also wants to bask in the sunlight, he'll set you on his head, allowing you to nest in his soft copper hair as you take a nap together.

you apologize profusely once you transform back into a human, face warm as you bow your head. but Foul Legacy just purrs, leaning in to scoop you into his arms again and cradling your human self, giving you a playful lick on the cheek. don't worry- he'll hold you close always, adeptal or human form.

#genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #gi ajax #foul legacy #foul legacy childe #genshin tartagalia #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #genshin x reader #childe x reader #you're embarrassed that you can't be as impressive or majestic as cloud retainer #but foul legacy thinks it's so cute #sometimes he just watches you snooze in your bird form #of course cloud retainer goes off on a tangent about your childhood when she hears about it #ah one remembers when one could hold you in the same manner #short scenario #wifi's brainrot #good evening

[penofwildfire]

If the Movie Ninja went through Skybound Jay would wish it all away the second the pirates tried to do anything and Nya would kill Nadakhan with her bare hands I think.

#“uh he can't be killed like that--” yeah yeah whatever she'd do it anyway #ninjago #skybound #tlnm #movie!jay #movie!nya #nadakhan #ninjago movie #I love my boy movie jay but he doesn't have the level of spite and self-loathing you need to survive what show jay went through #not many people do which is why it's such an impressive thing for show jay

[hop-a-lot]

Okay wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute… *SAXTON* is the CEO? The one with the hat who’s very rarely got a shirt on? Not the little suit wearing fellow?

Oh, I am delighted! 10/10!

Yes the bulking shirtless guy is the CEO himself! funny that he has his own distinct definition of 'dress to impress' if you compare Saxton to his two elders, he just simply do not like wearing clothes (he's so cat coded), however proud with his cargo shorts and crocodile teeth fitted Akubra

while the suit wearing fellow(s) are Mr Bidwell and Mr Reddy! His two conscientious assistants who are the backbone of the company, Saxton's employees are mostly well dressed (and probably armed) except Saxton himself, who possibly would fight off a wild animal out of nowhere in the middle of employee morale building

#i wonder if most people (who dont know about tf2) having the impression of suited man as the superior when Bidwell and Saxton were putted #in a image #its kinda funny but the thought of boss!Bidwell and Bodyguard!Saxton also kills #can't resist the urge to talk bits about them you guys have to survive against it (Blue i hope you won't mind lol) #ask #tf2

[just-french-me-up]

I was telling my partner how I was probably going to publish something on AO3 by the end of the day, and although he knows next to nothing about fandom spaces, he does know some things he learnt from me, so he went:

"Oh yeah, gotta pick the right tags, right?"

And then proceeded to look through the window with a very tortured poetic expression, unprompted:

"Hashtag anus, hashtag balls, hashtag deep inside"

I think he got the gist

#he's impressive like that #he does believe every piece i put out there is smut #every single one #which is not that far off jut still #ao3 #archive of our own #fanfiction #fanfic #his usual question when he comes home is 'did you smut well' which #i can't ask for more really #mine

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

*sniff sniff sniffs but in a charismatic anteater/hedgehog-nibbling-ripe-pumpkin flesh sorta style* ah new tumblr feature

#freeeeeeeeessshhhhhhh #or sliiiiiightly more likely #i am just really impressively bad at noticing routine update alerts #who knows *shrug emoji i still can't pronounce* #you have my Most apologies. #sincerely i have NOT been sleeping recently in a respectable NOR conscientious pattern #hashtag ignore me im a disgrace #BUT sidenote a disgrace that has learned 3 different salsa recipes and TWO AND A HALF STEW RECIPES #in the last week alone so #it's possible i may be incredibly attractive and charismatic actually? #...no no nope. just deeply sleep deprived probably. #it's 6 A dot fuck the M #ok ok ok MORAL OF THE STORY IS: #BASICALLY ANY MIXTURE OF BROTH AND ROOT VEG CAN BE TURNED INTO A STEW #YOUR PREFERENCE OF MEAT/GREEN VEG CAN BE ADDED FOR YOUR OUR SATISFACTION AND I RECOMMEND IT! #but fundamentally root veg + broth will give you a good start #AND BE GENEROUS W/ THE GARLIC + SEASONING AS PER USU #basically just throw in the shit that gives you good vibes and simmer on low for 2.5 hours #ok that is NOT a valid recipe #but it's like. 75% of it. so google the rest you lazy ass sugar tongs #(fyi the new feature i only just noticed is the Featured Tags thing) #(i really like a lot of the User Interface changes tumblr has made recently and I feel sorta defensive about it #like im back in middle school and feel the terrifying need to prove to the other lunch table kids that my Transformers OC #could kick THEIR transform OC in the AC/DC socket! #...i wasn't even in the fandom i didn't know what a transformer OR a socket was I JUST WANTED TO DRAW FAST CARS

[stephendorff]

Bill Skarsgård II Allegiant (2016)

#bill skarsgard #allegiant #my gifs #pascow #i was almost crying from laughter while making these #look at gif 2 #there are several scenes where he's looking at her like that #like what did she do KING😭🤣 #he looks like he's mentally insulting her #roasting her to filth #you can see it in several of the gifsets i made 🤣 #i didn't watch this and screencapped it while on mute so i have no context #i got the impression he was suppose to be like... the 'threat' to her boyfriend or whatever #but his character looks like he can't stand her 🤣🤣

[marzipanandminutiae]

Yknow sometimes I think about collecting more antique clothing to wear but then I remember that I'm 5'10" and ladies weren't that tall back then

Oh, they were! Just fewer of them (throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, average height fluctuated as low as 2" below the modern average, or as close to it as no difference at all). And their clothing is less likely to survive, because larger or longer garments could be more easily cut down to make clothing for smaller relatives and/or children. That's called "survivorship bias," and in clothing history, it's the reason small clothes tend to be overrepresented in museums. There are other factors, like formal milestones for which clothing might be a significant memento happening mostly early in life, when you're at your smallest adult size, but that's the most relevant one to your situation.

Also, don't feel too bad- a lot of antique clothing isn't wearable for not immediately obvious reasons. From concerns about silk "shattering," a form of damage that's literally unrepairable, to iron mordants in black dye making black garments fall apart faster over time, your best bet re: wearing antiques is to stick to things like undergarments and maybe blouses and outerwear. Sad but true.

#ask #anon #clothing history #fashion history #dress history #I'm 4'11" and I've never been average height for an AFAB person in all of human history #I checked #alas #jewelry can be a great way to break the false impressions of historical size I've found #because it's not subject to survivorship bias as much #you can resize a ring but most people won't need to if it's of an average finger size #bracelets usually can't even be altered that way at all #most Victorian rings and bracelets that I've encountered are still too big for me #so there you go

[stainedglassthreads]

shipsinker.com has been inaccessible for the past couple months. For those unfamiliar, that's the site of the comic artist Rich Morris, who created The Ten Doctors. Perhaps the best and most complex Doctor Who fanfic in the fandom, which beautifully interweaves all the Doctors, most companions, and a good number of aliens from the show's start to 2007--I could even class it as one of the best fanworks in general. And that's not counting other works of Rich Morris' that I'm not very familiar with.

Fortunately, parts of his website can still be accessed on Web Archive, including the page where you can download all his Doctor Who comics. I encourage any fans of the show to do so, to help preserve them, since they're just a really incredible fanwork.

You want Rose Tyler making friends with a short ex-waitress from an ice planet whose hobby involves making explosives? You want Grace Holloway to briefly mistake Time Lady Romana for a regenerated Doctor and decide that she's still down for a relationship with a female Doctor(and for Romana to later patiently explain 'I'm not the Doctor, but you shouldn't be embarrassed about that kind of mistake, and I'd be interested in doing it again with full knowledge of who we both are if you are')? You want REALLY old characters from Classic Who like Omega, Susan, and even the Meddling Monk? You want wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey shenanigans up the wazoo, and the Doctor outsmarting entities in the most unlikely, glorious ways? I invite you to check it out.

#doctor who #tenth doctor #ninth doctor #eighth doctor #seventh doctor #sixth doctor #fifth doctor #fourth doctor #third doctor #second doctor #first doctor #leela #tardis #the ten doctors #can't promise anything that exists later because of retcons like river song or clara #but believe me you WILL be impressed by the sheer number of companions aliens and enemies they fit in here!

[hailsatanacab]

@the-ghost-trader - ooooh, i love this! it has the potential to be so incredibly sad, too, like poor Damian just trying to carve out something normal for himself only for it blow up in his face

BUT, shockingly, i'm not about the angst today! not yet anyway 😇

---

“So, how was your day?”

Despite his answering groan, Damian likes this. This. This whole… thing he has with Danielle. With Ellie. 

And, yeah, he’s not exactly told any of the others yet, but can you blame him? For wanting to keep something, anything, to himself. Wanting to keep this small little slice of goodness he’s managed to carve out, untouched and unmarred by his family, by their other lives, by the rogues, the vigilantes, the assassins, everyone.

“That bad, huh?”

Being with Ellie is freeing. That’s the best way to describe it.

She knows. Damian surprised even himself when he told her—not about the others, mind, but he supposes it’s not hard to put two and two together and Dani has always been smarter than most—but it’s the best decision he’s ever made, and no matter what the niggling little voice in the back of his head says (the one that sounds suspiciously like Father), he can’t bring himself to regret it.

He won’t. Because having Ellie know gives him freedom.

She’s a safe place, a hand to hold, a warm, welcoming presence when things inevitably turn ugly. It’s the freedom to just be normal when everything else in his life spirals into stranger and more stressful missions.

“Richard is being insufferable again. I do not understand his incessant need to know everything about my life.”

“Oh? What’s he done now?” 

“I was subjected to an hour long interrogation about my love life, like it’s any of his business. It’s infuriating!”

“Ugh, tell me about it. I get the same thing from Jazz, constantly. It can be suffocating.” Ellie says as she curls herself tighter into his side. “But it’s just how they show they care.”

“Yes, well, sometimes I wish he wouldn’t—”

“Hey!” Ellie pushes herself up to glare at him, punctuating her shout with a soft whack to his arm for good measure. “What have I said about using that word?”

“Yes, yes,” he placates with a roll of his eyes, “‘Be careful what you wish for.’ I apologise, it won't happen again.”

“Damn straight it won't.”

She maintains eye contact with him for a second longer before tucking herself back into his side, squirming around with a long, contented hum that Damian can feel rumble through him. He smiles and doesn’t complain even when he has to shift to give her more room after a particularly strong elbow jabs him in the ribs. It means leaving the warm patch on the couch, but he’s rewarded with another long, happy moan as she settles and Damian can’t bring himself to mind.

Ellie constantly makes noises. Little mews and hums and laughs and songs known only to her. It reminds him of a cat, sometimes. He likes it. It calms him down; it means she’s happy, so he's happy.

They settle back into the cushions and Damian lets the subject drop, not wanting to spoil the moment. Outside, the wind changes direction and from where he’s laying he can watch as the snow starts to come down thick and heavy. Hopefully it’ll mean a quiet night's patrol.

“Is that why you haven’t introduced me yet?”

“What?” He can't help it, he stiffens at the thought of losing his secret, of the scrutiny he'll be inviting if he lets anyone know.

“Are you worried I’ll embarrass you?”

Damian’s eyes snap down quick to reassure her, only to see her light, teasing grin. He lets out a breath of relief. It figures she wouldn't worry about that.

“Of course not, don’t be absurd. You could never embarrass me.”

“I don’t know,” she muses, her voice taking on a dangerous lilt, “that sounds like a challenge.”

“Believe me, having been subjected to Father’s Brucie persona at every gala I’ve been to, it would take a lot to embarrass me.”

“Alright, bet. I’ll get you, just you wait.”

“You’ve already got me.”

She flicks him on the nose. “You’re such a sap.”

He hums his agreement, enjoying the tinkling sound of her laughter. And then, before he can think otherwise, he asks, “Is that why you haven’t introduced me?”

“That’s different,” she scowls. “You know how hard it is to get there, there’s no signal, and Danny only gets a break like—oh, Ancients!”

Damian gets another elbow to the ribs as she bolts upright, a manic grin on her face that has him laughing.

“What is it?”

“It’s the holidays! It’s nearly Truce Day! You know I said I had a family thing around Christmas?”

“Yes?” 

“Well, do you want to come to it? I can introduce you then! I mean, it’s going to be a bit formal and you’ll have to meet everyone, not just family. There’s going to be some banquets, you’ll have to sit through some long speeches and you have to be on your best behaviour at all times, okay? Absolutely no fighting, it’s called Truce Day for a reason!”

“What?”

“Yeah, it’ll be perfect! I think Jazz is going in a couple days earlier to help with the preparations, so I’ll get her to let Danny know—and fair warning, he will try to give you the shovel talk, but this is great! It’s Truce Day, so he can’t actually do anything about it!”

“I’m sorry, but you're going to have to explain a bit.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s a bit much—but that’s family, right? Danny can get pretty protective over me, which is why going on Truce Day is the best time to do it! He can’t even command the Fright Knight to stab you! It’s genius!”

“Ellie, what?”

“Like, yeah, sure, he’s the king, but even he has to obey the rules of Truce Day—and then once you’ve spent all day with him, he’ll see that you’re a fantastic, wonderful, kind, brilliant, smart, strong, capable person and he’ll get over himself and everything will be good!"

Damian collapses down onto the couch, the wind knocked out of him. This is… He had not expected anything like this at all. For all that Ellie talked about her family, she had never mentioned this.

“Did you… did you say your brother is a king?”

“Yeah! High King Phantom, have I…” The manic grin slips off her face as she turns round and notices Damian. “Have I not mentioned that before?”

“No. No, you have not.”

“Ah. Sorry. Probably should clarify that I’m also a princess.”

“Right. Yes, that follows.”

“And I’m not really his sister, I’m his clone.”

“What?”

Damian blinks and tries to say more, but he has no idea what he’s meant to do with… any of this information. 

Normal. He thought she was meant to be his normal. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

Not that it changed anything, of course, of that he was certain. It’s just… a lot to take in. Overwhelming. But it's okay! He takes a deep breath, and another, and a sense of calm washes over him. Ellie makes one of her little hums as she cocks her head to the side to consider him and he can't help but relax at the normalcy of the sound. It'll be okay, he's dealt with stranger and he can deal with this.

“I’ve, uh… I’ve told you that we’re half ghosts, though, right?”

“What?”

#dpxdc #danny phantom batman #danny phantom crossover #damian wayne/dani phantom #do they have a ship name? probably but idk it sorry #this was fun!! damian is strong and smart and capable and he won't let this stop him! #sure it's a shock but what does that matter when he has the love of his life by his side!! #he can get through this! at least his girlfriend's brother/original/...father? can't get his knight to stab him #that's a point in truce day's favour - even if damian is regretting asking to be introduced #in ellie's defence she thought he knew! he's slightly liminal himself she just assumed he could pick it up! ... he could not. #when they actually get there damian loves it - he fits right in with all the ghosts #there's a little adjustment period where he is VERY prickly with everyone but he gets the hang of it very quickly #all the ghosts are very impressed with his willingness to throw down and he has to be reminded by a very stern ellie that it's TRUCE DAY #stop fighting!! #ah i really enjoyed this thank you for the prompt! i hope you enjoy it too!! #as always it came out a lot longer than i intended - i don't know why i even bothered with the whole 'five sentences' #it was obvious i wasn't going to stick to it smh #anyway i hope you liked it!! #(also but sorry i prefer to call her ellie sorry i know i'm in the minority here haha) #my writing #(shit how is it four in the morning eep) #cab writes