#and the town only likes phantom when it's convenient

[hypewinter]

The expectations from everyone around him had been too much. His sister and teachers wanted him to be a good student. His friends wanted him to be the perfect hero. The town wanted him to be everywhere, all at once. And his parents wanted him strapped down to a table.

Danny couldn't take it anymore. It was all just too much. So he left. He disappeared, covering his tracks and only leaving a note to let everyone know he was okay.

He traveled a while before he eventually encountered some heroes investigating an occult crime. All he did was give them a little hint and suddenly they were all over him. He had panicked for a second. Memories of his suffocating past came to him. But to Danny's surprise, these heroes were more worried about him than anything. Something about the knowledge he possessed being dangerous.

It actually felt a little nice being worried over like that and before he knew it, Danny found himself tagging along with these heroes. Apparently they were called the Justice League Dark and their whole schtick was investigating the occult.

Danny had thought he was over the whole hero thing, but he didn't mind helping the JLD. There where finally capable adults in his life who protected him. Who cared for him. They never expected him to balance two contradicting responsibilities. Nor did they expect him to be their main heavy hitter when facing a threat.

For the first time since he had turned on that stupid machine, Danny was allowed to be a kid again. He was allowed to be annoying, to ask a million questions (no matter how dumb) and most importantly, he was allowed to have fun.

Being a hero with the Justice League Dark never felt like the world ending pressure he was under back home. They had even told him he was welcome to quit anytime! Not that he wanted to.

Sure, Danny felt guilty about never contacting his friends and family and letting them know how he was doing. But he was scared. Scared that they might try some way to force him back home.

He could never go back to that place, he just couldn't. To do that would truly crush his soul.

#dp x dc #dc x dp #dpxdc #dcxdp #winter's tales #everyone from amity park sucks this time around #his parents are obviously too obsessed with their research #and the town only likes phantom when it's convenient #sam and tucker started getting a little too excited for the heroing business #and as danny grew and got more powers #they stopped understanding why he was getting so fatigued from the constant battles #even the great jazz isn't infallible in this one #she kinda understands danny'd struggles #but at the same time still expects him to be on top of his grades somehow #all in all #danny gets pressured from all sides and just dips

[calxia]

Prompt: What if Phantom just…ran away? Withdrew whatever money ghouls get paid in cash, donned a human disguise and just *poof* gone. He leaves a note, maybe. In the hopes that this is what makes the others care about him, knowing that he’ll probably get himself killed out there by himself or something.

Thank you so much for bearing with me while I've been sick!

I like to imagine the ghouls don't get paid (their payment is not being sent back to the pit) and they have to rely on the clergy to buy them stuff. Maybe they get pocket money like you give a little kid, but it's only about £10 a week or something minor. Phantom's not really versed in everything human though, so he probably doesn't think to take his meagre funds with him.

He's been on earth for about four months at this point -and has even played his first leg of the tour- but the other ghouls still seem to want nothing to do with him. They range from ignoring him to being hostile towards him, yet not a single member of the pack has shown him any sort of compassion or kindness.

He's had enough of not getting a second glance. Of being ignored and berated for things he didn't do just because he's a convenient victim to blame. He'd seen the road that leads away from the chapel for the first time when the band had left for tour. Since then, he had tried to walk it multiple times but was stopped each time by a clergy ghoul or sibling of sin. It didn't make sense why they would be so against him leaving, given how nobody even took much notice of him anyway. He would be easily replaceable by any other clergy ghoul. He was not necessary.

Phantom decides to try one last time to escape the clergy and, along with it, the malice directed towards him. He leaves under the shadow of the moon after a ritual when most siblings and ghouls would be busy in the festivities. This time he sticks to the densely wooded land that borders the path and blends into the shadows. All he has to do is make it off clergy grounds and then he can glamour and escape somewhere he could rot away in peace.

He makes it to the gates with no issues and quickly throws up his glamour before setting off towards the nearest town.

~~~~

Phantom doesn't show up for rehearsal the next day. Or the day after that. Or the next day either. It gets to a week before Copia sends the ghouls to try and find him. Sister Imperator was breathing down his neck about the absent quintessence ghoul. They were difficult to summon and there was not enough time left for a new ghoul to be fully trained before the next leg of the tour started.

The pack split up to search the abbey grounds for any sign of the missing ghoul. Rain was sent to search the newest summon's room and the ghoul's quarters. None of them had seen his door open the entire time he had been absent, and Rain was half expecting it to be locked when he tried the handle. It was not.

The door creaked open to reveal a bare room. There was a thin layer of dust beginning to settle in the room and the half-full glass on the desk had a layer of mould beginning to grow on top of it. Nobody had been in this room for a while.

A piece of paper was on the window seat. Rain approached slowly and picked it up.

In crude handwriting, it read: I've realised that I'm no longer wanted so I'll no longer bother you with my presence. It was signed Phantom.

How on Earth were they going to explain this to Copia?

#i might do a part 2 eventually #phantom ghoul #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #ghost headcanons #ghoul headcanons #calxwrites #the runaway

[rainybyday]

You never know what you have until it’s gone. 

The first thing that Danny lost was his life.

He lost his mortal fully living body to a mixture of rotten flesh and flowing veins. He was a Schrödinger cat, a boy that defies all that lives and all that are buried. He’s a freak, an entity, a god, and a boy. 

He was is a boy that lost his life to his own childish ideas he lost his life to his parents creation.

The second thing he lost was a normal life. 

When listed down, it would seem like the expected habits of a teenager going astray. He wasn’t at home as much; he skips classes and sometimes days' worth of school. He would go missing for hours, he would be seen at the oddest of places, he was skittish, and tried. He had eye bags dark as the night, hunched over shoulders, lose clothing to hide away in, and closed off from the world. 

At best, he was rebelling, at worse, he was being hurt abused. 

But the real reason for missing classes was because he felt the responsibility-fear-sorry-my-fault-need-help-clean- responsibility that was his fault for opening the portal, hence, he had to go fight all the ghost that cross the portal. 

He had to submit himself to sharp ragged teeth, decomposing corpses, hell fire, trapped enclosed prisons, nightmares and fears. He submits himself to having his body thrown miles away, the burning of a ray on his back, betrayal and emotional manipulation. He had to face voids, monster, sins, and desires where his powers are more of that of the unknown rather than a blessing. He faces the dangers what we once thought were stories as a child.

He still is a child.

So, he would always get up once a ghost shows up, he would always take them back to their home, he would always sacrifice his wellbeing for the mess he made. He will give up his education, his future and himself to ensure his mistakes won’t hurt anyone. 

But he’s just a child

Being pushed by Dash felt normal now deserved, being isolated by the school was calming so cold, look at the disappointment of his teachers' eyes was just a minor convenience his hard work was all for nothing.  

Amity Park was not small, but it was small enough that everyone has seen and knows of you in this town. 

So, he walks through alleyways to avoid all the eyes trailing after him. 

Both the light and the dark are scary. 

The third thing he lost was he safety. 

Or maybe it was those that he loved. 

No... he didn’t lose their love, they still live him!

His parents don’t hate phantom as much as they are curious about him. Curious to capture, curious to study, curious to open his insides and watch him wither in pain. 

His parents love him.

But they hate Phantom. They want him.

They always tell him so.

Only when they see him, only when he forces their attention on him, only when they lift their heads from their research. 

His parents love him, they would do anything for him. 

They told him so.

The fourth thing he lost was his childhood.

If to be corrected, he lost that a long time ago. He just opened his eyes. 

He lost his freedom to dream of his future when it was already decided. 

His lost his freedom to smile so easily when he was the reason others are endangered. 

He lost the ability to be ignorant and naive. 

He lost a life he could have had.

He lost so much.

Yet he gained so little. 

No... the correct wording is that he was able to keep to little.

He was able to keep his friends and maybe a new one. He was able to keep a roof over his head a place with his own nightmares is in the basement. He was able to keep Jazz and the image of his parents. He was able to keep his secret. 

Until he couldn’t. 

(Oh Time, they sighed, why oh why must that be so?)

(Because, Time said, that is how the story goes.)

(This is the story of how a King can still be a boy)

[There will be a time where one must lose to gain so much more.]

[There will be a time where you have to let go of the poison of your life to be cured once more.]

[Once upon a time a boy was killed to be something else.]

[There was a time the boy-not-a-boy-but-is-a-boy must face the wrongs of his-it’s-their-his life-dead-life-dead-life-time.]

[Here is the time the boy-boy-boy-oh-so-small-boy would lose the family he once had by betrayal and crushing hope.]

[Then there will be a boy who would lose his hope]

[The boy is cold.]

[Until a hand just as scar-hurt-pain-suffering-want-warm-love-mine would reach out for his and the boy would grab on to the hand in hope.]

There is a father of many and oh so empty.

There is a boy cut oh so deep and alone.

And Time asked sister Fate to let them cross just once.

But Fate smiled and said that it was already meant to be.

So this is a story that begins in lost and pain. 

But it ends with a father who wanted to protect and a boy who wanted to heal.

Bruce Wayne would stop to buy a small item, nothing that deems importance of this story any longer, as he turned to peek of an alleyway that was supposed to be empty. 

Danny Fenton would rest his tired body and mind for a chance of peace, a peace so fragile and small that the smallest of words would break his heart and closed his eyes to drift away.

But their stories already have intertwined with one another the moment their eyes met. 

They didn’t know it, but the entity that was responsible for their meeting laugh, a sound of old church bells, forest winds, and rumbling thunder. 

Gotham could only watch as another bond was formed.   

#Danny Phantom #danny fenton #bruce wayne #batman #dp x dc #dc x dp

[scientistservant]

I'm sorry for sending in another ask 🙈 But I need to know your opinion, as I haven't had a chance to read it. Sooooooo, why is Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, bad? Did they fuck up the doc and Sally that badly? Like are we talking about Love Never Dies level of shitty? (musical sequel to Phantom of the opera that most of us fans loathe.)

Oh boy, okay

This is gonna be long, please bare with me 😭

So the book completely changes/“fixes” Sally’s origins. She wasn’t a creation, or never even FROM Halloween Town.

She’s a special princess of dolls from “Dream Town” and has parents who are also dolls. She was kidnapped from her bedroom when she was like 12 by Finkelstein.

This is fucking bullshit.

How she even physically ages or how dolls can even conceive is never brought up or explained. Nor is how Fink even kidnapped her in the first place. The book and author just expects you to accept this new canon, which conveniently comes out like three decades after the source material.

Because the book is in first person and in Sally’s point of view we NEVER hear any perspective or proper explanation from Fink or any other character about anything.

Fink is just reduced to a one-dimensional villain who kidnapped Sally all because he apparently can’t create life or bring things back to life via science. You know… HIS FUCKING JOB.

He despises that Jack and Sally get married, despite that Fink would be ecstatic at this (Sally’s his creation and Jack one of his very old friends.)

Sally is also reduced to a one-dimensional protagonist who never questions anything and every third word from her mouth/brain is either “sad”, “ragdoll”, or “stitches/seams”.

She just believes these two doll people who she’s never met before, and doesn’t bother to leave “Dream Town” to ask the elderly scientist she’s known for her entire existence about this (not to mention everyone in the entire world including the holiday realms are dead asleep at this point at this part in the book anyway…)

Oh yeah, the book has a main villain too, surprisingly. It’s not Fink, even though the book certainly treats him like it.

It’s the fake ruler of “Dream Town”, Sandman, who’s actually kind of cool and creepy. But his reasoning for his villainy is bullshit, just like everything else in this damn book.

He’s just tired.

Yeah.

The Sandman is tired because he can’t sleep and his sand doesn’t work on him so he can’t get to sleep. You’d think a being as powerful and seemingly dangerous as this guy wouldn’t need sleep, but apparently he does. He’s cranky and needs a nap with his blanky, boo-fucking-hoo.

The ONLY thing I actually sort of enjoyed in the book was the bit where Sandman was stalking Halloween Town, putting everyone to sleep, and Sally was hiding from him. That was actually kind of suspenseful and I wish Sandman was that threatening throughout.

And does Sandman get any punishment for taking over “Dream Town” and putting everyone in an eternal sleep?

Nope. But FINK gets punished! Firstly, Jack completely believes these two random doll creatures he has never met before and that say they’re Sally’s parents. He yells at Fink, without asking his dear old friend if any of this is even true. And then Fink gets 100 years of prison and community service, which is stupid because why the fuck would Holiday realm laws, much less HALLOWEEN TOWN laws, function the same as the real world’s?

Speaking of which, apparently Halloween Town’s an actual monarchy, and the Pumpkin King isn’t just a cool title for the face/mascot/figurehead of the realm. The book even lampshades this, but doesn’t take this anywhere further aside from Sally complaining she has to wear a crown and Jack doesn’t.

This whole book is stupid and I will never accept it as canon, ever.

What sucks about this is that I fucking PREORDERED the book! I thought it was gonna be a story about how and why Sally was created, and get some backstory/lore for Fink, as well as explanation of why his relationship with his creation got so bad. Maybe a little extra plot of how Sally and Jack met.

But it didn’t. I fucking cried. This book made me cry my fucking eyes out, out of anger and betrayal because my favourite character and his creation/daughter was butchered.

After reading the whole thing I threw the book in a little library and never looked back.

I’m still working on a complete and total rewrite/fix-it-fic, it’s just gotten put on the back-burner because of other projects I’m currently working/fixated on. Apologies for that. But I promise it won’t be forgotten!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the Holiday rulers have a meeting about climate change. Because Holidays have super importance with the weather or some shit. I’m not fucking kidding.

EDIT 2: The author is also a New York Times best-seller which is already pretty suspicious since that is basically a huge scam. The book has hundreds of 4-5 star reviews that don't even really get into the specifics of WHY it's good. They're all either extreme Jack x Sally fans (the book starts off with them getting married and Sally's main dilemma is worrying about being "a good enough queen") that like anything tnbc/Jally related OR a bunch of people were paid to give this book glowing reviews.

#the nightmare before christmas #tnbc #long live the pumpkin queen #sally finkelstein #sally skellington #dr. finkelstein

[tourettesdog]

Scenario where Danny and Dani are fucking around with the Fentons’ latest invention— some sort of device that disorients ghosts and makes them really dizzy and uncoordinated. Works wonders on Boxy. Skulker divebombs himself into the river. 10/10 results.

The cain instinct takes over and Dani fires it at Danny — only to quickly realize that the results are a Little more potent on a halfa. Danny can hardly think straight, keeps babbling, is getting physically ill, and keeps passing out. Dani panics at this point— Sam and Tucker are MIA, and she does Not want to take this to Jazz because she’ll be in deep shit.

Doing what any child whose only experience with emergencies involves watching a lot of dramatic TV shows does, Dani takes Phantom to the hospital and just sort of dumps him there and hopes someone helps. At this point most of the town loves Phantom, so she’s about 92% sure they’ll help him. Thankfully, Danny’s practiced maintaining ghost form while unconscious at least.

The poor doctors find a completely addled, very ill Phantom and are just like “welp, this might as well happen” and take him in. They try to question him when he’s conscious, to figure out what happened to him and who did it. Between his incoherent babbling, Danny manages “it was Dani FFFF” before promptly passing out again.

Well, as far as the doctors, the media, and the rest of the town is concerned there’s only one “Danny F.”, and considering he’s the son of two prominent ghost hunters it fits the bill well enough. How convenient that Danny just so happens to be missing at the same time.

By the time the sickening effects have worn off and Phantom is coherent enough to give the doctors a very confused and rushed thanks before escaping the hospital, Danny finds a full scale prayer circle for Phantom— and a manhunt for his human half taking place.

#danny phantom #dp #dani fenton #danny fenton #dp prompt #prompt #vomit mention/ #well implied

[innocentlymacabre]

NOW THEY CALL ME THE PLAGUE ⤳ 7 snippets, 7 tags

I'm so sorry to whoever originally tagged me in 7 Snippets, 7 Tags, but I cannot find your post (gonna just deflect blame to tumblr here 🙃)

They say time slows down when you’re in the eye of the storm. When you’re seconds away from making a decision that could change your entire life in one fell swoop, the world starts to move more slowly around you, and you begin to see every tiny detail with previously unimagined clarity. Or maybe you start to move faster, whizzing around at speeds high enough to give you the time to stop and overturn each stone – either way, the world presents itself to you in the most convenient way it can; a quiet act of compassion, allowing you the luxury of altering the course of your life with conviction.

“Hello there, Trance,” Eda said, punctuating it with an elaborate mocking bow. “Still high then?” “Darling, when am I not?” he said, putting the blunt out in deference to Eda’s dislike for the smoke. “Not as much of a brag as you think it is, T.” “Please, if you worked normal hours like moi, you’d be right here with me.” “While we both know that’s not true, that is half a good point – why are you here? Your shift ended.” “Yes, but Dee and all her lovely rum is here. Why would I be anywhere else?” “Hmm, in case you missed it, that there is cannabis, not rum. Two very different things, I assure you.” “Ah, but this,” Trance said, raising the blunt from the cushion and waving it about, “is not one of her’s. A rather handsome man in a manbun sold me this just outside.” Leather Jacket, Eda thought, smirking inwardly. “Smoke before Smokey’s?” Trance said, affecting a voice much smoother and thicker than his own. “That was his pitch. How could I possibly turn down a pun as awful as that?”

Maya stared at Eda silently for a while, her lips flowing between variations of a playful smirk Eda couldn’t quite fully decode. She raised a hand to Eda’s face, brushing back the hair that had fallen forwards in all her bustle. “You have pretty eyes,” she said in her slow voice that Eda was beginning to like very much. She smiled by way of reply. She didn’t trust herself to speak while she could feel Maya’s skin on hers.

I’ve been in this realm for a long time. I drifted from port to town to port for a long time, but eventually chanced upon Thredfrost and saw immediately that it would be a fitting place to wait out the rest of my days. For one, it’s far less boring than those under the control of some ruler or monarch or man-child or the other. Two, Thredfrost takes care of its own. We don’t much care for laws or lawmen here, but we don’t take kindly to threats. And three – perhaps most importantly – no one asked questions. Asking the wrong people the wrong kind of questions could get you killed here. I wouldn’t, of course, but most others wouldn’t hesitate. And when you have the same face for several human lifespans that can come in handy.

There are many tales about the seas of the world, all chronicling a new and terrifying monster of the deep. Some of them were indeed thought up by the minds of landlocked poets and weary parents, but there is truth to every claim. Sailing on the open waters taught Eda that the hard way, and while she too had initially hunted down comfort at the bottom of endless bottles, it only worked while the rum was flowing and her throat was on fire. The moment the heat died down, everything they had stared down – or run away from – plagued her every moment again.

There have been no shortage of situations in Trance’s life where the prudent course of action was abundantly clear – in this case, mind your own business and go back to bed. Unfortunately, they had never been good at taking these courses or minding their own business, so their course of action was just as clear: grab a dagger off the cabinet inside, then scramble back down the stairs and scurry over to the dock to investigate this strange, glowing, phantom ship. All in all, not the worst decision they’ve ever made.

“Just when I was beginning to wrap my head around one crazy thing, another crazy thing rams into it, throwing it all into a crazy tizzy once again! Typical!” he complained. “Oh, I really need to work on my impulse control. I shouldn’t be outsourcing something like that to Eda. Although, it could be argued that she only has that impulse control because of her time at sea, so in a way, I’m just training myself like she did. Momentary moment of self-doubt crushed!” As Trance watched with renewed – but not entirely earned – confidence, the choppy seas morphed. They twisted and lapped over each other until the waters of the seas turned into landscapes of deserts, forests, mountains, beaches, and geological formations that he couldn’t even name. They continued to cut through it all as if it was still water, speeding along rolling dunes, endlessly growing trees, and plains stretching to the depths of the ocean bed before coming to a mercifully balanced halt at a port thrown into ravaging disuse. It waited there for a moment, as if the ship itself was surveying the scene below. Seemingly having made whatever decision it needed to, it rocked forward slightly and made a sharp nosedive.

no pressure tags! @ajnata @junypr-camus @ellafoxglove @sourrcandy @enchanted-lightning-aes @authoralexharvey @lexiklecksi

#writeblr #horror #fantasy #historical fiction #gothic fiction #fiction #writing #bookblr #wtwcommunity #chaotic aesthetic #pirates #piratecore #dark academia #dark academia aesthetic #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #wlw #sapphic #bisexual #queer writers #this is a secondary blog so i can only interact through reblogs!

[underforeversgrace]

the walls you hide behind (I saw the truth inside the real you) - 8

title: the walls you hide behind (I saw the truth inside the real you)

words: 6,206

Story Summary: Jazz is tired of the ghosts, tired of her parents not doing enough, tired of Phantom's recklessness and her brother's persistent exhaustion. When she yells all of her frustration at her parents after nearly getting killed by a ghost, she gets sent to Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin for the weekend - where she's offered a chance. She could have the ability to fight back, protect her brother and her town. Jazz leaps at the prospect. When she returns to Amity Park at the end of the weekend, it's with abilities and strength of her own, and she's fueled by anger and disdain. And she's got her eyes, first, on Danny Phantom.

Chapter 8 of 10: If The Sky Does Fall

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

(Tumblr Chapter Nine Will Be Here When Posted)

Beta by: @probably-dead

(Also, check out the AO3 link for some really awesome art by @englandamericaitaly!)

~~~~~~

Time slowed to a crawl for Jazz in the following months. She helped cover for her brother when she was able, especially with their parents. She continued fighting as the Violet Trapper, never shooting Danny (though still pretending like she was, always conveniently missing). It was a delicate balancing act - Jazz Fenton, student extraordinaire with a disdain for her parents’ ghost hunting versus the Violet Trapper, the nameless huntress who appeared to fight ghosts no matter the time or place - but it was one she had managed to toe the line of, with painstaking precision.

She tried not to cringe every time she saw Phantom get blasted into concrete, tried not to notice when Danny would favor one side over the other whenever that happened. She tried to take on as much as she could as the Trapper, but Danny was often faster than her.

Danny had begun to grow in power, she’d noticed. Phantom had always been a mid level ghost - never more than a four or five on the scale, but he had gotten stronger rapidly, now a level seven entity, based on her suit’s readings. His fights ended quicker and he took less damage.

She was worried for him, though, as she saw him in the crowd in front of her, a despondent look on his face as Lancer explained the CATs to the freshmen class - proudly proclaiming how Jazz had earned the highest score ever on the CATs while Irving Burns had managed the lowest ever.

Jazz could see the stress in her brother’s face even from this far away, as the bright lights above her made her uncomfortably warm. He wasn’t ready for the exams and he was terrified of failing them. Her heart ached in her chest at the sight.

She wanted to hug him, to reassure him that no test could ever truly show what he would become, he was already so far beyond the scope of what could be tested. He was a hero and a good person - most of the time - and whatever number he got on the exams wouldn’t change that.

But Jazz also knew the strain of coming from a family of geniuses, of feeling like she had to live up to their expectations. Her own grades had dipped since she started ghost hunting, but even though she still had A’s across the board, their parents still seemed to expect more from her.

If only they knew how much their children gave, how much they sacrificed.

Jazz flexed her hand and felt the rush of the nanobots tingle under her skin.

If only they knew neither child was fully, entirely, only human anymore.

By the time the assembly ended, Jazz was ready to bodily grab Danny and shake him until he believed in himself. She knew enough, though, that invalidating or trying to negate his feelings would do nothing to help.

While she knew what not to do, she didn’t entirely know what to do in its place, especially when she found Danny studying in the kitchen that evening, gnawing on his pencil as he thought, so engrossed in whatever he was doing that he didn’t even notice her enter the room.

Grabbing a water from the fridge, she settled down at the table beside him. He glanced at her as the chair squeaked slightly against the linoleum before returning his attention back to the blank paper in front of him.

He smiled a little at the paper, confidently going to fill in option A.

Jazz made a small noise of protest without meaning to - the paper with the questions on it was beside her and the correct answer was most certainly D.

Danny glared at her slightly and adjusted his pencil to select option B instead. Desperate not to lead him into the answer, Jazz rested her chin on her hand, slightly covering her own mouth as she looked away. Apparently, Danny was able to read her body language better than she thought.

“What’s the right answer then?” He snapped at her.

“It’s D,” she mumbled, swishing the bottle around and watching the liquid inside swirl.

She flinched slightly as he threw his pencil, snapping into several pieces when it struck the wall, a testament of just how hard he’d thrown it. “D was the one I was confident it wasn’t!” He shouted before dropping his head into his hands. When he continued, it was with a softer tone. “You’re brilliant, I’m stupid, and I’ll never be able to get as high a score as you. So far, I’m not even qualified to scrape the grease off the Nasty Grill.”

Jazz placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I want you to succeed, Danny. I’ll help however I can, okay?” She said, and she meant it with every fiber of her being. Whether it was helping him contain the ghosts plaguing Amity or helping him study for a quiz, she would always help him.

Danny sighed and sat back up, fishing another pencil from his backpack. “Okay, so, I thought D couldn’t be the answer because -" he started, angling the paper so she could see it better, but was cut off when something loudly collided with his head, making Jazz jump. “Ow!” He said, clutching the back of his head and picking up the object that had struck him. “A boomerang?”

Jazz sighed as Jack and Maddie came running into the room, Danny chucking the boomerang through the door. Of course - if it wasn’t ghosts interrupting her brother’s studying, it was their parents.

“I call it the Booo-merang!” Jack said, waggling his fingers spookily. “It locks in on a ghost’s unique ectosignature and seeks it out wherever it goes!”

In comically perfect timing, the Booo-merang reappeared, again thwacking Danny in the head, eliciting another pained yelp from him. Maddie caught it as it fell, before it could clatter to the floor, and frowned. “Although, why it’s keyed into Danny is way beyond me.” She said.

Jazz bit back the sigh that tried to escape her. Her parents were both verifiable geniuses - how could they not realize why all of their equipment locked onto Danny?

“What’s that?” Jack asked, leaning over the table to study the papers on it. “One of those stupid CAT tests? I failed that and I didn’t turn out to be a cat!” He grinned widely, looking proud of himself.

Jazz didn’t stop the sigh that time. Verifiable geniuses, yes. Possessors of common sense, not so much. She and Danny watched the two adults leave. He abruptly stood, sweeping all of the papers and books to the floor in one angry swipe. In the instant before the materials clattered to the ground, the nanobots in her seemed to scream, they were buzzing so violently in her chest. A ghost was nearby - very, very nearby. How had it gotten so close without her sensing it? Even invisibility only worked at long ranges, she could tell when a ghost was getting close.

Danny muttered something under his breath before turning to her. “Now get out of my room!” He yelled.

“We’re in the kitchen?” Jazz pointed out in confusion, before noticing a small ghost in overalls floating behind Danny and then playing along. “But if that’s your attitude, I don’t wanna see you - or anything you might do in here in the next several minutes!” She proclaimed and hurried out of the room.

Smooth, Jazz, she chastised herself internally, pressing herself against the wall and listening as Danny and this new ghost - who introduced herself as Box Lunch, daughter of the Lunch Lady and the Box Ghost - fought, though she quickly lost them, as both phased out of FentonWorks and out into the town.

Jazz tiredly ran her hands through her hair, going into the kitchen to begin picking up the mess that was left behind. She knew Danny could handle this fight and - as much as she hated it - there was nothing for her to do.

So she kept her word to herself, where she’d promised to help Danny however she could, and cleaned the kitchen without complaint.

Several hours had passed by the time Danny returned, immediately blowing her off when she offered to help him study.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “We didn’t even get through the first question.”

Danny smiled at her and shot her a thumbs up, his entire demeanor changed from what it had been. “I’ve got it in the bag!” He said before hurrying up to his room.

She just sighed and leaned back onto the couch. Hopefully he had just ran into his friends after the fight and studied with them.

The next day, when she was yet again the one called for a family conference with Lancer, was when she learned that that absolutely was not what had happened.

“So you’re saying Danny stole the CAT test answers? But how?” She asked. If she hadn’t noticed the change in Danny the night before, she wouldn’t have believed it. But…

“I don’t know,” Mr. Lancer admitted, holding up the briefcase he had handcuffed to himself. “Unless your brother suddenly gained the ability to turn invisible and reach through solid objects.”

Jazz had to fight the flinch his words nearly caused. “But Mr. Lancer, you still have no proof Danny took the test answers.” She protested, still fiercely protective of her brother being accused of something, even if he had done it.

“Fair enough. He has up until the test to return the answers. But if he cheats, I won’t just fail him. I’ll destroy his future.” Lancer warned her, his face dark and serious. Jazz gulped. This seemed a little… excessive. Danny was still a fourteen year old kid, kids make mistakes!

Instead of telling Lancer off - for ignoring bullying, for being a bully himself, for threatening a child - like she wanted to do, she just nodded and left, taking to the sky as soon as she could. She flew up high, sitting down on her sled and staring at the bright city hundreds of feet below, the city she and her brother were giving their lives to protect.

It was times like this she wanted to shout both of their secrets from the rooftops. They deserved a break, they deserved respect. Both of them had more than earned it at this point. The Trapper and Phantom both largely had the support of the people - there were very few hold outs for either of them.

Yet Jasmine Fenton was the only one respected of the two Fenton kids. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against her knees, still high above Amity. She retracted the mask, enjoying the breeze against her face.

She spent several minutes in the sky, enjoying the sun and wind, pretending she was a normal person with no worries. Someone who didn’t fight ghosts, who didn’t have microscopic robots in their blood, someone without a portal to Hell in their house, with normal parents and a normal brother, who didn’t have nightmares of her brother dying, of her brother being caught.

But she wasn’t a normal person. And she never would be.

She stood again, finding her balance on the hoverboard and once more encasing her face in the mask. For now, she needed to go see if Danny was home and demand an explanation.

If she just so happened to take her time getting home, no one needed to know. A flyover of her house confirmed the GAV was missing, so her parents were likely out. She dropped into a nearby alley, shedding the suit once she was sure the coast was clear.

“Danny?” Jazz called as she pushed open the front door. Nothing. She closed her eyes and focused. She’d gotten better at detecting Danny’s ectosignature, even when he was human. It was slightly different and much more faint as Fenton than as Phantom, but only just barely, and she’d had months to practice honing in on her brother by now. When she still sensed nothing, she sighed and trudged her way up the stairs and into Danny’s room, his backpack laid out on the desk.

Jazz really didn’t want to check. She knew Lancer was right and she hated him for it. She hated Lancer for giving Danny this much pressure to begin with - it was just a test!

But Jazz was the big sister, Jazz was the responsible one. And she needed proof before she confronted Danny. She took a deep breath and marched to the backpack. There, as soon as she opened the bag, a big manilla folder was the first thing she saw. She pulled it out and slipped down to the floor, tired. How could Danny use his powers like this?

All she could do was stare at the folder, the words CAT ANSWERS in big, red, bold letters. “Danny’s a cheater,” she whispered sadly.

Gathering herself, she shoved the folder back into his backpack, resolving to talk about it once Danny got home. She hoped he’d see reason. But there was no avoiding talking about this without also talking about the fact she knew he was part ghost. As she settled into her own room, tired from all the lies and secrets, she realized admitting she knew his secret would probably reveal her own as well.

She hoped he was ready for that confession.

~~~

As soon as Jazz heard the door to Danny’s room creak, she went to him. Putting off this talk would help no one, least of all him.

“Danny?” She asked as she pushed open the door. “We need to talk.”

Danny scowled at her and she just crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. “What do you want, Jazz? I’m busy.”

“Busy cheating?” She asked, reaching over to his backpack and pulling the answers back out. “Lancer was right, you did steal the answers! Don’t you understand?”

“That I’ll be destroying my future?” He chuckled darkly, roughly grabbing the packet from her hands. “You don’t know the half of it.”

Jazz stepped forward, grabbing Danny’s free hand in her own. She ignored the fluttering in her chest of her ghost radar - it wasn’t uncommon for it to flare whenever she had contact with her brother, though it did seem to be stronger today. “You’re the one who doesn’t know the half of it.”

Danny rolled his eyes, but he didn’t pull his hand away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know, Danny. About you, about all of it. I know you’re part ghost,” she confessed and the shock written across his face was almost laughable.

“You knew?” He asked, his voice breaking slightly.

“I know,” she confirmed. “I’ve been covering for you with Mom and Dad because I’m proud of you and the good you do. And… and because you’re not the only one in this family with a secret identity and an alter ego.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jazz sighed and let go of his hand, turning away from him. “I’m the Violet Trapper, Danny,” she whispered.

“That… that isn't possible…” Danny said.

Jazz studied the floor for a moment, noting the Booo-merang that was for some reason there. She bent over and picked it up, fiddling with it. “I’m sorry,” she said, calling the suit to her.

Danny said nothing and she finally turned to look at him. She’d never felt so exposed while wearing her suit, never felt so small, as she did right then, seeing the horror struck look on his face.

“You… you’re the one who kept stabbing me back then? Shooting me and stabbing me when I had done nothing wrong? My own sister?” Danny asked, anger and hatred steeped in every word.

Jazz flinched slightly, dismissing the suit again. It felt wrong, being in it around him, when he was so clearly furious and hurt. “I blamed Phantom for you being so scared of ghosts. Convinced myself the only reason they were even here was because of him. I didn’t know it was you until the Spectra incident. I’m so sorry, Danny.”

The next thing she felt was the burn of an ectoblast against her shoulder and her back slamming into the wall behind her. She clutched at her shoulder, blood seeping between her fingers. She stared at her brother, his fists still glowing green and his nostrils flared angrily.

“You’re the original Violet Trapper,” he hissed. Original?

Jazz pushed herself to her feet, biting back a cry as her shoulder ached. A full force blast without her suit to protect her hurt. “The one and only,” she said, unsure how to address how he’d just shot her. He’d never truly done that before, especially not that violently.

“Actually, it would seem Valerie Gray replaces you when you die. I thought she had always been the Trapper,” Danny said, his voice suddenly deepening. “Should’ve guessed you knew my secret, though. You always were smarter than I gave you credit for.”

Jazz’s blood ran colder than ectoplasm when Danny - whoever was disguised as Danny? - dropped the act, the disguise, and left her more confused. There was no denying the insignia on this ghost’s chest, but nothing else looked like the Phantom she knew, especially not the flaming hair and the blue skin and the red eyes and the sharp teeth. “You’re not Danny,” she said, horrified.

“I was,” the faux Phantom said. “But I grew out of it. The Danny you know is floating helplessly in the Ghost Zone ten years in the future.”

“He’ll escape,” she hissed, calling her suit back to her, but not before another blast from Phantom burned her upper stomach. She gasped, grabbing at the wound and falling to her knees, feeling the blood ooze down within the suit. “He’ll beat you.”

He would have to. Two blasts from this Phantom and she was down for the count, her shoulder and abdomen burnt so bad she could barely breathe.

“How?” Phantom snarled. “Is the answer A, the Fenton Portal? Destroyed it. B, the only remaining portal? The one my idiot cheesehead archenemy has? As soon as I find it, that’s going too.”

“Cheesehead? Vlad Masters?” She asked between struggling breaths. Is this what a cracked rib feels like? “He’s your archenemy?” She could deal with that particular bombshell later - did Vlad know Danny was Phantom? Why would he set her on the task of hunting her own brother?

“Is it C, you? No, you can’t stop me from cheating on the CAT and solidifying my future, so it must be D - none of the above!” He growled, blasting so much ecto energy at her that all she could do was scream as every nerve ending she had was set ablaze - she was too slow summoning her shield.

When the blackness of unconsciousness finally came, she eagerly welcomed it.

~

Her entire body hurt as she slowly woke up, feeling like she'd faced down a battering ram. She groaned and tried to push herself up, only for pain to make her arm spasm when she put her weight on it and she collapsed back down.

Jazz groaned again, her eyes tightly clenched shut. She could feel the vibrations in her damaged skin, the bots within her working overtime to try to heal her. This was the first time she’d ever been blasted like that without her suit on, and it hurt.

And Danny had been the one to hurt her.

The thought made her eyes fly open and she hurriedly sat up, ignoring the pain seizing her shoulder and stomach. Not Danny, that wasn’t Danny!

The memories from before she passed out rapidly returned. Memories that didn’t quite make sense as she finally realized she was in her bed, in her room. Had that evil not-Danny tucked her in?

“I’m alive?” She wondered aloud, lifting her shirt and studying the injury. Her confusion only grew as she saw white bandages wrapped around her abdomen, covering where she could feel the burn, though the bruises radiating out still snaked out from under the bandages. A glance to her alarm clock beside her and she started. She’d been unconscious all night - the test was about to start! She forced herself from her bed, but nausea and pain immediately brought her to her knees, fighting not to cry out. “There’s no time for this, Jasmine!” She scolded herself, reaching up to her nightstand and using it as leverage to help pull herself back to her feet. She focused on her little internal radar, desperately searching for any small trace of her brother or the ghost pretending to be him. She found nothing, ‘Danny’ was already long gone.

Jazz tried to call the suit to her, to no avail. The nanobots whirred at her and she swore under her breath. Her injuries were too bad for the tech to both stabilize her and use her suit. 

Helplessness flared in her heart but she roughly pushed it down. No. She was Jasmine Fenton. Her brains had always been enough before and they would have to be enough now.

She’d heard before that pain made the brain sluggish, slowed people down, but her pain was simply forcing her into sharp clarity, creating a plan even as she struggled to get to her bedroom door, throwing it open with more force than necessary. She knew it wasn’t her own strength quickening her stride, a buzzing along her legs told her some of the bots were at least helping to keep her standing. Every step she took was a bolt of pain stabbing into her, but she was taking steps and she was going to help her brother.

The door to Danny’s room stood open and she stooped down, one hand against the wall for support, picking up the Booo-merang she had seen there earlier. The pain dulled to an insistent ache that sheer willpower got her through. Jazz leaned over her brother’s desk, pulling out crinkled paper and a pen, quickly scribbling a note, explaining that an evil ghost from the future (she pointedly did not refer to the ghost who attacked her as future Danny) was masquerading as Danny but he had said there was still a portal in Wisconsin, with the ‘cheesehead.’

Note written, she pulled the ponytail holder from her hair, fastening it to the Booo-merang securely as she hurried as quickly as she could, down the stairs and to the portal. The pain continued to dull, the vibrations in her injuries slowly beginning to fade, but she knew she was still a long way off from being able to call her suit - she would barely be able to stand if it weren’t for the bots granting her legs extra strength. She paused as she stood before the gaping green maw of the portal, the cold she had managed to forget was again seeping under her skin. She scowled, pulling her headband off and adding it around the note.

“I need you to find Danny,” she said as she added the extra wrappings. She didn’t know if Danny would recognize her handwriting, but she prayed he’d recognize her headband, prayed he’d trust her message simply because it had come from Jazz. “Fourteen year old Danny, ten years from now.”

Please let this work, she pleaded and threw the device into the portal as hard as she could. Would her parents’ invention last ten years? Was it able to understand her instructions?

She knew there was a chance of failure. She knew it was possible for the invention to fail, for the battery to die, for it to simply become lost. And if that was the case…

Jazz glared at the weapons table, her stomach twisting and turning as she grabbed the Peeler and studied it in her hands. Whatever darkness had corrupted this future version of her brother, it was still Danny. She knew she had to stand up to the Dark Phantom, but it broke her heart to imagine shooting her brother, any version of her brother… even if she had unknowingly done it so many times before.

Squaring her shoulders, Jazz took a deep breath and began marching out of the house, wincing as she slid into her car, aggravated she didn’t have the ability to fly right now. She focused on that irritation the whole drive, allowing it to become her focus, pushing away the thoughts of her brother lost in another decade, of shooting the ghost her brother had become.

She was out of her car and into the school as soon as she made it there, parking illegally beside the front curb - at least the testing was on a Saturday, hopefully no one would notice. She held the Peeler at her side as she ran through the school, ignoring the pain jolting through her with every step. She took a deep breath as she approached Lancer’s room, peeking in through the small window in the door, her finger hovering over the Peeler’s trigger. Relief flooded her as she saw Danny handing the folder to Lancer, sincere apology evident on his face. He turned to the door and Jazz quickly ducked, running out of sight. She slipped into a bathroom, wondering how exactly she was supposed to talk to him, or if she should just ignore it and see if he said anything first.

Jazz waited several minutes before she left, the Peeler shoved into her purse as she headed outside, realizing she shouldn’t risk leaving her car where it was, only to find Danny sitting on the front steps, looking up at the sky.

“How long have you known?” He asked, not looking at her. He didn’t sound angry, at least, just tired.

“About the test?” She asked. “For days. I’m really proud of you for not cheating.”

“As glad as I am about that, too, after seeing the consequences, that isn’t what I mean and you know it.” He pulled a crumpled paper and familiar blue fabric from his pocket, turning to her with a cautious smile. “Your headband, your note. Your handwriting.”

“What? That?” Jazz laughed awkwardly, shrugging. “I didn’t write that. There must be a dozen headbands like that!”

“Jazz,” Danny said softly, blue eyes more serious than she’d ever seen them. Though she’d certainly seen green eyes look like that.

She sighed and sat down, taking the paper and fabric from him, fiddling with them. “Since Spectra,” she confessed, glancing at him. “I didn’t want to tell you until you wanted to tell me. It’s your secret.” And I was scared you’d figure out who I was.

“Well, it’s our secret now,” he said, pulling her into a hug, his body noticeably colder than any human’s would be. She smiled, clinging to him like a lifeline.

“I’m just happy you got back here in time,” she said as she pulled away.

Danny looked down at the concrete, shuffling his feet.

“What?” She asked.

“I didn’t get here in time.” Danny whispered, pulling his knees to his chest. “I didn’t get back until… after he had trapped all of you. Another ghost saved everyone by turning back time and giving me a do-over.”

The pain in Danny’s voice had Jazz shuddering, sliding to sit closer to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder, her heart hammering in her chest. “What happened?”

Danny shook his head, reaching up to clutch at his hair even as he leaned into her. “You died.” Agony laced his words and she felt tears drip onto her shirt. “You all died.”

“We should go home,” she whispered softly, glancing around to ensure they were still alone.

He nodded against her, not putting up a fight as she helped him to his feet. Looking at him this closely, he seemed exhausted. How long had it been since he’d slept, in whatever timeline he had existed in? She let him rest against her, more than happy to bear his weight as they made their way to the car. Carefully, she opened the door and helped him into the passenger seat.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked as she turned the car on, relieved to see she hadn’t gotten a ticket for her illegal parking job.

“I…” Danny gulped. “I don’t understand how I became that… thing. At the same time, though… he lost all of you. The entire family. Sam and Tuck. All gone in an instant. And I can understand how I became that. How do I not understand and also understand something?” 

Jazz reached for him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Grief can drive people insane, Danny. I may not know much about that future Danny, but I do know you, here and now, and now that you know what could have happened, you’ll never become that.”

Danny lapsed into silence, staring out the window. Jazz glanced at him, shame and guilt suddenly rising in her throat. You can’t tell him, her mind whispered. You have to tell him! Another part hissed.

Wasn’t that always the plan? Wait for him to tell her his secret and then she’d divulge her own? But he hadn’t told her. She had been forced to confess she knew, and she wasn’t sure if she could confess more.

The future Danny’s words echoed in her mind, cutting into her with their viciousness. Ten years. That version of Danny had kept his hatred for the Trapper for ten years, and still had sounded betrayed by her revelation. He’d had ten years to get over it, and he hadn’t. Dark Danny had obviously lacked a conscience, yet she had managed to hurt him. How do you even hurt someone emotionally without a conscience? Without any trace of good in them?

As she pulled into their driveway, her resolve had crumbled into ash. She couldn’t tell him. She just… simply couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt him like that.

She couldn’t face his hatred.

She couldn’t tell him the truth. She was a coward and she couldn’t tell him the truth.

So, despite everything she needed to say, every apology and confession she knew she needed to give him, every guilt and shame burning her stomach like acid, when she turned off the car and turned to Danny, “Are you going to be alright?” was all she could force out.

“I will be,” he answered, his face open and honest as exhaustion seemed to sap away his ability to put up the mask she’d grown to realize he wore.

“Then let’s get inside. You look like you could use a nap. How long have you been awake?” She asked, sliding from the car, Danny following behind her.

“I don’t even know,” Danny admitted. “A day and a half, maybe? There was the Skulktech fight, the Clockwork fight, the Violet Trapper fight, the future me fight, the ghosts ganging up on me fight, going to Wisconsin, and then the second future me fight. Technically I got knocked unconscious after the first fight with…myself?… but I’ve learned being unconscious does not qualify as rest,” he said nonchalantly, tallying each attack on his fingers, not noticing the way blood rushed from his sister’s face with every new one he mentioned. Yet still, he sounded calm, used to being beaten repeatedly multiple times a day.

“Wait, the Trapper?” She asked, bewildered. She hadn’t fought him and other Danny - she resolved to call him Dan because this was far too confusing - had said Jazz had died in his timeline.

“Yeah, she was still kicking, somehow,” Danny said, collapsing onto the couch as soon as they made it to the living room, Jazz taking one of the armchairs, carefully schooling her face to hide her shock. “I didn’t recognize her voice, she had that stupid modulator still on. Handed my ass to me, though she seems to have finally stopped trying to stab me. She prefers shooting in the future, I guess.” Danny pressed a hand to his chest, flinching slightly as he did so. “Prefer the shooting to the stabbing, not gonna lie.”

“The Trapper’s hurt you pretty bad, huh?” She asked, doing her best to bury the guilt trying to seep into her voice.

Danny snorted inelegantly, pulling up the side of his shirt, showing several wounds of equal size in close proximity. Jazz couldn’t hide her wince - those were stab wounds from her, surrounded by burns and other injuries she also might have caused. “She really likes knives, I think. But she also repeats her moves a lot, so I’ve gotten better at dodging her.” He explained, dropping the fabric to cover the proof of what he went through.

Of what she put him through.

“I’m sorry,” Jazz said, shame painfully burning her from the inside out.

Danny shrugged. “Not your fault. Still can’t believe she decided I’m not good enough to shoot anymore.”

Jazz had successfully managed to hide her cringe - it most certainly was her fault - when the second sentence caught up to her. “Huh?”

“She hasn’t tried to kill me since Spectra, after telling me I wasn’t worth her time. Which, yes, okay, she’s stopped stabbing me, woohoo. But still! It’s rude!”

“Danny… are you complaining because I - uh, the Trapper - stopped trying to kill you?”

“No!” He immediately protested. “Well, kinda? I’m protesting the reason she stopped! And then she half ass shoots at me and doesn’t even bother to aim?” Danny frowned, settling down slightly. “Maybe she’s realizing I’m not all bad. The future Trapper sure as hell was aiming to kill.”

Jazz opened her mouth to protest - she had stopped shooting at him because she loved him, damn it! - but her protest withered as Dan’s anger flashed through her head again. “Only you would complain about not getting shot,” she settled on.

“I don’t know, I would love to not be shot at anymore at all, especially not by family,” he said, sending panic flaring within her, until she realized he meant their parents, not her, “but I don’t appreciate being told I’m not worth the effort.”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it that way?” She offered. Danny shrugged.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “So many people look at me like I’m awful or evil or like it’s all my fault. Which, yeah, sure, it is all my fault, but not in the way people blame me for. I guess I’d rather be considered badly than be considered worthless?”

Jazz moved to sit on the couch beside him, carefully ensuring to keep her injured shoulder to the opposite side of him as she wrapped him in a one-armed hug. “You’re not worthless, little brother,” she reassured, even as her stomach turned. She’d been one of the ones to blame him - blame Phantom - for all the ghosts. She wondered how it felt to be blamed for something that was indeed your fault - but the only thing you’d done is die. 

Jazz adjusted her arm slightly, so she could settle against the soft spot between his neck and shoulder where she could somewhat feel his slow pulse. Apparently, she wasn’t as smooth as she thought.

“I’m still alive, Jazz,” Danny said, holding his hand out to her and motioning towards his wrist, even as he yawned. “Feel, if you want. I only half died.”

She gave him an apologetic smile but did as he said, holding his wrist, again reassuring herself of his pulse, of the fact he was alive. “Half alive?”

Danny nodded. “I’m half-ghost. Don’t ask me how it works, I don’t know, I don’t want to know, but I’m not dead.”

“I’m happy you’re still here, regardless,” she said, though she didn’t release his wrist. While she’d managed to feel his pulse a handful of times since her discovering he was Phantom, she’d never been able to sit and reassure herself with her brother’s heartbeat for more than a second or two. Danny just shrugged, though he didn’t seem to mind her grip as he settled in against her, his eyes drooping as he finally let himself relax.

Jazz began running her fingers through his hair, humming softly as she felt him begin to doze off. His breaths evened out, so slow Jazz instinctively began to worry every time he was too still, until he finally drew another breath. She leaned against him, resting her cheek against the top of his head as she returned to the side hug. She closed her eyes, allowing them both to rest, even as her abdomen twinged in pain when she adjusted slightly. She grimaced, grateful Danny was sleeping. She didn’t know how she’d explain Dan had hurt her - or how she was already rapidly healing, and how Dan had apparently applied bandages to her injuries.

There was more of her brother in Dan than she was ever willing to let Danny know. Dan had loved her like Danny when he’d patched her up after injuring her. Again, Dan’s hatred and betrayal danced around her brain, the stinging words he’d thrown at her that hurt as much as the actual blasts he’d tossed.

If she had found Danny's love in Dan when he'd bandaged her, how much of Dan's rage might she find in her brother once he also learned the truth?

#danny phantom #grace writes #danny fenton #jazz fenton

[lord-valery-mimes]

The Phantom of Manhattan - A Painful Recap

When I read a brief bulleted list showcasing all the craziest things in this book, I knew I had to read it. I was 42% of the way through it at the time I wrote this paragraph, and good grief, it's all more ridiculous and terrible than I could have ever imagined. So of course I decided that I should write a full recap of the whole horrible  thing. Strap yourselves in tight folks. This is a bumpy one.

The book opens with Madame Giry narrating the story, even though she's supposedly drugged up and in horrible pain on her deathbed. Those French women are made of strong stuff. She confesses to rescuing Erik from the freak show where he was imprisoned (so that's where the 2004 Phantom film got that idea). She then brings him back to her flat that she shares with a seven year old Meg, and proceeds to nurse him back to health. Because yes, any working single mom with a young daughter at home would of course be totally down with bringing a strange, disfigured, mentally unstable teenage boy into their home. She proceeds to talk about how she eventually smuggled Erik into the opera, and how he was able to build himself a home and life in the cellars there. Because that makes sense. “Just stick him down there. It’ll be fine!”

His crimes at the opera are glossed over entirely. Joseph Buquet wasn't murdered, he committed suicide, don’tcha know? And Piangi? Oh that was just an unfortunate accident (simply an accident!), Erik only wanted to keep him quiet! His only crime was FALLING IN LOVE. Jesus Fucking Christ. Madame Giry dies, but not before paying someone to go to NY, find Erik, and give him a letter.

Chapter two and suddenly it's Erik himself who is telling his story. About how Madame Giry stuck him on a boat after the events of the musical, and how he spent four weeks crossing the Atlantic. Also how he managed to jump overboard in the middle of winter, and swim FOR AN HOUR without getting hypothermia and dying, just so he could bypass immigration. He finally drags himself ashore on Coney Island, where, conveniently enough, there is an entire gang of disfigured, down-on-their-luck types sitting around a fire, and they don't give a rat’s ass that some bedraggled guy with a messed up face just came out of the ocean like the most disappointing mermaid.

This group makes a living cleaning fish, but Erik is SO smart, and SO clever, that he quickly finds a way to amass a small fortune and make his way up in the world. He even gets a sidekick, a random teenaged boy named Darius who we find out was a sex worker, which in this story makes him the literal embodiment of evil. With Darius as the face and Erik as the brain, they scheme and thieve their way to fortune. Yay, America!

I almost forgot the best part. Because their scheming and thieving requires Erik to sometimes be out and about in the daylight, he has someone make him a latex clown mask (something that Google informs me wouldn't be invented for another twenty-odd years), and he hits the town dressed up as a literal clown. Just… close your eyes and picture the Phantom, full clown face, complete with red nose and oversized shoes, casually strutting around Coney Island. This is no angel of music!

Before you know it, Erik is building the tallest skyscraper in all of New York and designing himself a cushy penthouse suite at the top so he can take off his clown mask and relax in peace away from prying eyes. If he's this clever and good at making money, why didn't he do the same in Paris and live somewhere other than in the dank and dark basement of the Opera Populaire? I’m just sayin’…

Chapter three and we’re shifted to yet ANOTHER character. The poor bastard who’s been tasked with Madame Giry’s dying wish: to deliver her letter to Erik. This man is SO angry, and SO French, and SO unhappy to be in NY where there is no good food or wine, and I honestly wish the whole story had been about him instead. He can't find this Erik Mulheim, even though he was assured that it would be so EASY, given the weird name, and the fact that he was told to look for a guy with a messed up face. Frenchy is about ready to give up and go back to France when…

Chapter four! Yet ANOTHER narrator, this time a reporter for a newspaper, who is just trying to enjoy a hot fudge sundae, when he happens upon our angry Frenchman. The reporter makes the mistake of wishing him a badly pronounced “Bon-jewer Mon-sewer”, and instead of recoiling with disgust at this butchering of his native tongue as any good Frenchman would, the man starts lamenting in French to the unsuspecting reporter, who instead of politely excusing himself so he can eat his sundae in peace, rushes to find someone who can translate for this clearly overwhelmed guy. Somehow the reporter manages to find someone who not only speaks French, but who also has a guess as-to who this mysterious Erik Mulheim might be. Could it be the mysterious man who just built that big-ass skyscraper? The guy who no one ever sees but is a multi-millionaire and an extraordinary entrepreneur?

Now the reporter and Frenchy are buds, and they head to the skyscraper together, because the reporter is hoping he could be the first person to unmask this mysterious character! What a scoop! Unfortunately Darius intercepts them both, and insists on taking the letter to its owner. Frenchy is just happy he can finally leave, and get back home where his wife's ample buttocks are waiting for him to snuggle into. Yes, he literally says that.

Then stuff starts to get REALLY weird. The narrator shifts to Darius, who is literally high as fuck and having a conversation with a god. I’m not joking. Darius is worried because Erik has suddenly gone opera crazy, paying millions of dollars to have an opera house built, and staying up all night writing music. WHAT COULD HE BE UP TO? Darius is worried that this might affect his chances of inheriting Erik’s wealth someday. The god tells him to chill out, but is also like, “But kill him if you think you gotta.” Alright then. Nothing at all ominous about that.

This gimmick of every chapter being told by a different narrator is jarring, but I’m willing to deal with it, if we get to hear more from Gaylord Spriggs, who writes an enthusiastic column about gossip around New York opera. You see, when the Met refused to give Erik a private box, he went, “Oh yeah? Well I’ll make a whole new Opera house then! So there!” And not only is he building his own opera, he's paying insane amounts of money for the two greatest sopranos alive to come and sing there. SUCK IT MET! And one of them is none other than Christine de Chagny. Where have I heard that name before?

Then things get really boring as an old Irish priest tells his entire life story to Pierre: Christine and Raoul's son. Do we really need to know all this? Apparently when a fellow cast member of the opera suddenly keeled over of a heart attack during a performance, the Irish priest was summoned to deliver his last rights, and Christine was all, “Hey, wanna tutor my son?” I mean, I guess I can think of weirder ways to get a job.

Another chapter, and another newspaper report, by yet another reporter, this one discussing Christine's arrival with much pomp and detail. Christine reveals that it was the sheer BEAUTY of the brand new opera by an “unknown American composer” that convinced her to come all the way to New York. She also reveals that the opera is set during the American Civil War, something that I’m sure Erik, a French guy with no formal education, knows loads about. I can't wait to hear more about this.

The reporter sees the need to mention that he sees a strange masked figure standing on top of a warehouse, something that I’m sure a reporter covering the arrival of an opera star would totally do. A big to-do is also made about the fact that there is a *gasp* puddle of slush stopping Christine from getting in her carriage, when suddenly a reporter swoops down with a cape that he flings over the puddle, and crisis averted! I always thought the “throwing a coat over a puddle” thing was so stupid since cloth absorbs water, and the second she steps on it, the puddle will just seep right through and get on her shoes anyway. But whatever, I’m not the one writing this stupid story.

We're back to our first reporter, the one who attempted to get in the penthouse to meet the elusive Phantom millionaire. It looks like we'll be hearing a lot from him, so his name is Charlie Bloom. Charlie describes Christine as “big bagels in the opera world”, and I need to find a way to work that into everyday conversation now. Unsurprisingly, he is the reporter who covers the puddle with the cloak that was given to him by a “mysterious person” in the crowd. My god, who could that mysterious person have been? Apparently his puddle act was so GALLANT that of course Christine invites him for an interview.

We’re quickly introduced to Meg Giry who is now lame in one knee and weirdly also Christine’s maid. This is basically all we see or hear from her in this story. At least it's better treatment than she gets in Love Never Dies.

A bellboy comes up at the same time as Charlie with a gift for Pierre, Christine’s son, and it’s our old friend the barrel organ monkey music box. Pierre just starts tearing the thing open with his clever little hands, clearly to hammer home how STRANGE and DIFFERENT he is. When he turns the musical disk inside the monkey over, it starts playing Masquerade and Christine loses it. She demands to be taken to the store that made the music box. Because that… makes sense?

Back to Erik who’s heart is simply aflame after seeing Christine, even from far away. He drops this gem of a description on us, “the face and smile to break a block of granite clean in two.” Sir, what does that even mean? You are describing a sledgehammer. He reiterates that he gave the reporter his old opera cloak to cover the slush puddle, you know, just in case we weren’t able to connect the dots on our own. Clearly the author thinks that anybody who would bother to read this book must be a moron. Sadly, I think he was correct, because reading it is certainly one of my biggest life regrets now.

Erik tells us of the letter he received from Madame Giry, wherein she retells the story of how she apparently met Raoul as a young man, and saw him get his dick or balls (Madame Giry is a LADY so she doesn’t go into detail) shot off after saving a girl from a ruffian with a gun. Madame Giry lets the Phantom know this, because apparently since Raoul has zero dick or balls, that must mean that Christine’s child is the Phantom’s? So like… they had sex and he just never mentioned this in all his narration? Did they go in a hot tub together and an errant sperm just… Swam its way in? Like… what happened here? Erik never explicitly states that they did the nasty together, so we’re left kind of guessing. Is Pierre an immaculate conception?? You know that if they’d done the deed together, Erik would NOT have shut up about it, and would probably have written a full aria just about Christine’s vagina. I refuse to believe that they just had normal sex and then went their separate ways because it makes no sense. But then NOTHING has made sense in this book so far.

Meg’s turn to narrate now. Please Meg, help me make some sense of this madness. She retells the whole story of the music box monkey. WE JUST READ THIS TWO CHAPTERS AGO! Meg just repeats verbatim the end of the musical, how the Phantom abducts Christine and there is an implication that he either raped her, or she “couldn’t resist” him. Ewww. That’s all I will say about that. That, and men need to stop writing stories with gross consent issues.

Yet another narrator, someone named Taffy Jones. I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE. He is the Official Funmaster of Steeplechase Park on Coney Island. Ok, maybe I care about him a little. He’s been instructed to open the park for Christine to let her see the toy shop and the Hall of Mirrors. Gee, I wonder what could be waiting for her in there? Of course it’s Erik who begs Christine to stay with him, but she refuses. She loves Raoul! Erik demands she give him his son right there and then. She’s all, “Gimme five years,” meanwhile Erik’s creepy sidekick is eavesdropping. Christine leaves and Erik is all, “Five years? Pfft. He’s mine and I will TAKE him.” No bueno, Erik.

It’s the Irish priest’s turn to narrate now, and he’s talking to god. Literally. Like we read what God responds to him as a dialogue. Who wrote this garbage? Oh right, Frederick Forsyth, esteemed British novelist. The priest confesses to lusting after Christine and God is all, “Of course, she is beautiful.” Ew! WTF, God? Apparently he was lusting after her while he was listening to her confession, so this is all kinds of fucked up. Then he tells God her confession and God just casually drops that there are lots of gods. Man, this book is wild and misogynistic.

This next chapter is by everyone’s fave, Gaylord Spriggs. He reviews the Phantom's new opera that he wrote for Christine, which is basically a cross between Gone With the Wind and… Well… The Phantom of the Opera. The lead tenor mysteriously starts croaking during intermission, and an “unknown” understudy takes his place for the second half of the opera. I suppose at least the poor croaking tenor was spared being strangled. RIP Piangi.

Another newspaper column, this time by Amy Fontaine. I really am so weary of this multi-narrator format. If this Frederick Forsyth guy hadn't already been a celebrated author, and the Phantom musical hadn't been such a big hit, this overblown fanfic would never have made it past any publisher with more than one brain cell.

Anyway, Amy Fontaine is reviewing the post-opera party for a social column, and the funniest bit is that Christine meets not just one, but TWO United States presidents as Teddy Roosevelt himself shows up along with his niece and future president FDR. Irving Berlin also shows up and it's like the author was trying to cram in as many historical time period big names as he could as Easter eggs, but instead of being subtle and clever like an Easter egg should be, these are neon signs that Frederick Forsyth is shoving in your face while he screams at you.

Chapter sixteen is a literal lecture. It's like the author just keeps making this book as torturous for the reader as he can. And it takes place in the future too, around the end of WWII. You know I started writing this review because I thought it might be funny, but now I am full of regrets and pain. But onward I soldier. If it stops anyone else from having to read this brain enema of a book, it will be worth it.

Anyhow, this lecture is being given by none other than Charlie Bloom, who after years of being a reporter, seeing wars and the Holocaust, has apparently seen NOTHING so tragic as the shit that's about to go down between Christine and Erik. He recaps almost the whole book again, including the part we just heard about in the last chapter where he tosses in yet another celebrity just for good measure, since two US presidents apparently weren't enough. He mentions that Buffalo Bill was there, and just for my own entertainment I’m going to imagine it was Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. I’ll bet Christine could sing a killer version of Goodbye Horses.

Anyhow, Charlie stole a note that Erik slipped to Christine at the party. In the note Erik begs her to let him say goodbye to his son one last time, and to meet him at Battery Park. With this inside info, Charlie’s able to warn Raoul and the priest nanny guy when Christine and Pierre suddenly are missing. Charlie also apparently wrote something on his cuff in Latin that he didn't understand back when he heard Darius shout something on Coney Island. Charlie is wearing that EXACT cuff again, and of course the priest knows Latin, and it apparently says something like “the son must die!” It's a convoluted mess of Deus ex machina that any third grader could have improved upon.

Charlie, Raoul, and the priest all rush to the park and Charlie is literally like, “I’ve gotta explain this all to you in SLOW MOTION”. They get there just in time to see Pierre run to his mother's arms just as Darius fires a pistol at him. Surprise, surprise, he winds up shooting Christine instead. Gee, I didn't see that coming.

Somehow Erik has managed to add crack-shot to all the life skills he’s acquired since his opera days, as he pulls out his own pistol, takes one shot and hits Darius square in the center of his forehead.

Christine is literally dying in her son's arms and she's all, “That's not really your dad, see that freak in the mask? THAT'S your dad. Sorry ‘bout it!” Then she croaks. Not even exaggerating. The next line is literally, “Then she died.” Way to give your kid more PTSD, Christine.

Piling on the PTSD, Raoul decides to tell Pierre “Yep, I’m not your real dad, I’m gonna take your dead mom back to Paris. You are now a man, so come with me to bury your dead mom, or stay with your freaky-masked real dad.”

Charlie’s narration takes a weird detour mid-scene where he suddenly talks about going to interview the priest. Apparently the priest decided to move to the slums of the lower-east side after all of this nonsense happens? I mean it's not the weirdest thing that's happened so far in this book, so I’m not sure why this detail irritates me so much, but it does. But apparently he told Charlie that when all this shit was going down, as he prayed while Christine was dying, he heard the Phantom's soul screaming like an albatross. I take back all my negativity, I love this book now.

Pierre goes to Erik and removes his REAL father’s hat and mask. Charlie says that he's seen drowned corpses and bodies in every manner and state of decomposition, but never has he seen a face like THIS. Despite the face though, of COURSE Pierre decides to completely forget about the guy who's raised him as his son his entire life, and go live with this stranger with the fucked-up face,  in a country thousands of miles away from the one home he’s ever known. Because what thirteen year old wouldn't do that?

Erik never wore his mask again. The end.

I thought nothing could top Love Never Dies for sheer inanity, but this certainly takes the cake and drops a whole chandelier on it. RIP Christine, and my entire brain.

#The Phantom of the Opera #The Phantom of Manhattan #book recaps #Love Never Dies

[01dragonfire]

Ending theory: Phantom liberty ending spoiler’s below

I think the endings a lie. This will honestly likely end up as more of a headcanon, but hear me out.

So let’s establish a base line of information. The black wall, Johnny (in function at least), and the ‘cure’ are all AI. The black wall is an Ai designed to isolate and hold back AI.

My theory is that the AI we used as a cure is actually just another black wall, albeit more organic friendly, hence why is can ‘cure’ both So Mi’s condition and V, despite being such different conditions, and only having one dose. But it’s not actually a cure, it’s just isolating the organic bits from the non-organic code. That’s why their is only one. (albeit with some distinguishing so the host doesn’t die from say, a lung implant shutting off. We know this can be done as we see in the space port, all needed aspects of the implants remain). I think the NUSA could have solely isolated the relic, but didn’t.

Now, why would the NUSA not tell the truth? Why lie. Well the whole storyline points that to being a dumb question but I digress. Plain and simple, V is dangerous. V betrays the government once before you can even get this ending (siding with song bird), V is shown to be an active and dangerous threat. V betraying songbird shows their willingness to survive at any cost. Combine that with FIA security clearance and the moment V decides to turn on them, the FIA is in trouble. The FIA knows exactly what V is capable of , and it’s a threat to them.

Also : in the ending they very specifically mention ‘combat implants’ not necessarily any and all implants , as V still has the face implant , ports (Victor can check V’s vitals) , kiroshis, and probably other implants. How convenient that. A clean way to take a dangerous weapon off the market, and oh look, we can offer them a cushy new job as gesture of good will. After all,V saved the president, I don’t think they’d kill them so carelessly

Now , I guess the hard stop on this theory is when Viktor scans V, but if the AI is functioning in its job as a mini black wall, it could very easily adjust the readouts to say V cannot handle chrome anymore. Honestly, We don’t know what the NUSA programmed the AI to do.

I guess another question is ‘why 2 years’ and I guess we kind of see that in the end. V has no Allies, no one to turn to, and no one to dig into what they might have done to the code in their head. Not to mention, it would drive V into either civilian life or into NUSA employment , both much easier to monitor than say, a fixer job that V might have gotten with their connections. It also could have to do with stabilizing their holds on night city, or finishing off dog town, where V could easily leverage to become a threat again. There’s likely a number of other reasons as well.

And I admit, maybe the dlc just successfully did a number on me and made me start to be distrustful of any and all of the characters. But that distrust is well earned.

#phantom liberty #cyberpunk #cp2077 #cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty #phantom liberty spoilers

[goodfish-bowl]

A Craving to be Sated

Ectoberhaunt Day 11: Thirst

AO3 Link

Summary: There was something missing in Phantom, more than just his human half. He needed something, like a man in a desert thirsted. Anything would do, as long as it made the hollowness go away.

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence, gun violence, blood and gore, on-screen murder

Words: 1211

Notes: TUE seems to be a reoccurring theme so far, along with absolutely traumatic writing. Less angst, more violence for this one tho. Have fun, and do not take the tags lightly.

@ectoberhaunt

 When Phantom first came to, he was filled with nothing but rage. An animosity so all-encompassing it devoured any feeling or remorse, dread, or guilt for what he had done. Danny had rejected him and died like the pathetic human he had wanted to be. Vlad had assisted and had lost his own ghost half in compensation. Phantom figured living as a human was a greater punishment for him than death. Maybe he would finally feel guilt after all of these years.

 But this didn’t bring him the satisfaction he wanted. He was empty, hollowed, and fractured. He felt incomplete, even with Plasmius consumed in substitution for his other half. Phantom was still undeniably broken, and it did nothing but further fuel rage. He tore through the mansion and destroyed everything Vlad had held precious, and then he went home to Amity Park, and leveled his own home, spitting on his own grave. Still, he wasn’t satisfied.

 So, Phantom returned to something that normally made him feel complete. He flew high above Amity, and patrolled it, no longer limited by human weaknesses such as exhaustion. But none of his typical enemies made an appearance, frustrating him to no end. His only reprieve was a small group of ectopi, which he quickly got rid of, crushing and ending them with brutal efficiency. He had no thermos to capture them in anyway. They were just small fry, anyways. It helped a bit, and he relished in their pathetic snarls as they tried with all their meager might to fight back. It entertained him for a span of 10 minutes, and he honestly wished he had dragged it out more, just to eat up more of his now endless time. He waited around for another day and into the night, but no one else showed up. Fine. If there wasn’t a challenge for him here, he would just have to go farther.

 Phantom left Amity on the second night of silence and went to Elmerton. The rundown town suffered far less from ghosts, but instead had human crime he could deal with. That should scratch the itch, even if it wouldn’t be nearly as fun. He patrolled invisibly through the less familiar territory, as to not give any of the human’s warning of his presence. It didn’t take him nearly as long to find something here as had in Amity. There was a convenience store getting robbed on the corner. They were absolutely gutting the store of anything valuable, not just the on-hand cash. The small group of what had to be four humans were all armed with guns, the normal kind. One guarded the outside, three were inside. Not the challenge Phantom was looking for, but he that didn’t mean he would turn it down.

 Phantom touched down just outside of the store and phased through the wall to get inside. Two of the humans inside were busy gutting the place, and one held the cashier at gun point. At once, he dropped his invisibility, went intangible, and whistled.

 “Wow, this is a lot of effort just to rob a convenience store,” Phantom chuckled.

 A gun fired in his direction, the bullets passing through him harmlessly and into the shelves behind him.

 “Well, that’s rude,” he scoffed.

 “Phantom?” The cashier whispered, eyes full of hope and confusion.

 Phantom chose to ignore them, deeming them irrelevant. “You know, if you’re going to try and shoot me, you should be prepared for me to fire back,” he hissed, charging an ectoblast.

 Phantom fired it at the robber at the counter, blasting him in the chest. The man was flung across the store, crashing into the window by the exit. A large burn burrowed into his chest, castrated by the heat of the blast, but it didn’t stop him from leaving streaks of blood down the remains of his shirt, and pooling on the ground.

 Phantom looked from his hand to the corpse. He hadn’t remembered humans being so weak… no, he’d just always held back and never directly fired at them.

 “You killed him!” The cashier sputtered.

 Phantom looked to the other robbers, who all paused what they were doing to looked at him in horror, while the cashier started shaking, eyes snapping between him and the corpse by the door. Fear seeped into the air, tasting like the metallic scent of blood, but also something far sweeter than he had ever encountered. That hollow in his chest sputtered, as if he had finally thrown water on it rather than gasoline. It quenched a thirst and sated a craving he hadn’t known he’d had.

 Phantom smiled, his teeth much sharper and smile much more chilling than it had ever been before. “I did.”

 The cashier screamed and fell to the ground as a flurry of bullets shattered the remains of the door. They ripped into his chest, stinging at him like an insect. His head snapped to the guard at the door, who decided to unload his whole magazine into his chest. He let out an animalistic roar of fury, then took off after the guard. The human tried to run away, but was no match for his flight speed, and was tackled easily to the ground in under a second. Phantom slammed their head down into the concrete. The bone crumpled easily under his force, and the guard twitched once before falling still and silent, another puddle growing underneath their forehead. The blood stained the white of his gloves.

 Phantom left the second body there and went back into the store. The fear in the air grew thinner, but deeper. Less people, but more fear. He could practically smell the devolution of the cashier as they broke down into a panic attack under the counter. He flicked the blood off of his gloves, scattering droplets onto the linoleum tiles. The remaining two robbers shrieked, terror blotting out any sense of reason in their animalistic brains. One fired at him, which he let pass harmlessly through him, shattering the glass windows behind him. The fear in the air grew sweeter.

 Phantom approached slowly, walking on the ground, his footsteps echoing through the store despite the ringing sound of gunshots. He gripped the muzzle of the gun and bent it with his bare hands. This one’s eyes were blown so wide he could’ve easily plucked them from their skull. He relished in their raw, unadulterated fear, before sending them flying back with a study kick to the chest. Ribs caved under the force, and they collided with the brick wall with a satisfying crunch.

 The last one had the sense to run. Phantom let them, he wanted to drag this out a bit longer before he had to find something else to do. But now he knew how to scratch that damn itch and erase that lost feeling that had plagued him since his separation, it gave him plenty of ideas on how to fill his time. The last taste of fear in the store faded as the cashier passed out due to asphyxiation, and he huffed. How pathetic.

 A blood-thirsty grin blossomed on his face. Phantom was going to drag this out, until he squeezed every last drop of crimson-tainted nectar out of his prey.

#danny phantom #Ectoberhaunt22 #eh order #Day 11 #thirst #goodfish writes #Dan Phantom #TUE timeline #you know... there was a setting for today #and it was unimaginable violence #cw violence #tw gun violence #tw blood #tw gore #cw murder #it is very much on screen #I got a bit... bloodthirsty with this one :)

[quickhacked]

all smileys for jin please cause i have a crush on her 🥰

THANK YOU LEAH AUGHFDHGDFH jin my beloved,,, if she had to kill me for whatever reason i would let her

🫀 ANATOMICAL HEART: do they have any "upgrades" to their body, like cybernetic enhancements?

jin is a clone so she would definitely have A Thing going on for her but i haven't figured out What that is yet </3 she's mostly just a normal human being but much like gaige she DOES have loop energy in her veins which at least gives her the ability to see loop creatures and individuals without issue >:^) armando for example doesn't have loop energy in him so he can't see ryder because they're a phantom </3 but jin doesn't have that issue

🩰 BALLET SHOES: can they dance? do they enjoy dancing even if they're bad at it?

she can't dance for shit but she LOVES to dance,,, will only do it when she's comfortable enough but as soon as she is, she is GOING alright <3 shittiest dance moves in all of darkwater creek but she's visibly having so much fun and that's all that matters actually

🤡 CLOWN FACE: are they afraid of clowns? what "silly" fears do they have?

jin is afraid of a lot of things actually and yes clowns are definitely part of that SGHFDJGHJD she expects everything to secretly be a hostile loop creature of some sort so she's very wary and anxious about a lot of things :(

🧥 COAT: what's their style like? do they put a lot of effort into what they wear?

jin mostly shares suki's wardrobe because it's convenient and they live together anyway so she also wears mostly comfortable clothes :) the only thing that's different is that jin wears skinny jeans and just. denim in general a Lot more than suki

👻 GHOST: do they believe in the supernatural or paranormal? have they ever had any "encounters"?

kind of the same answer as gaige SGHFDJHGDJ jin is considered part of the supernatural so Yes <3 she has regular encounters because she spends a lot of time wandering around the edge of town with suki and there's a lot of loop individuals and creatures to be found there >:^)

💋 KISS MARK: what's their signature look, if any? do they have a gesture or piece of jewelry or something else that acts as a calling card for them?

jin has a denim jacket with a BUNCH of cool pins and buttons and patches which she basically wears every time she leaves the house >:^) it's her favorite jacket and if anything were to happen to it she's going to kill everyone in town <3 and i support her

oc asks!

#asks #mutuals #arklay #ask:jin #oc asks #SHE'S SO SPECIAL TO MEEEEE #a lot of things about her would be like. copied directly from her sister. not because she doesn't have a choice bc she Does but #it's because she looks up to suki so much... i'm normal about them

[dc-himbo]

Monday AU Madness!

-----------------------------

So this is a random thing I might do since I always be thinking of AU stuff all the time.

Feel free to write one of these out if inspiration strikes. I might stick with doing this every Monday until I get distracted and eventually stop. 😅

-----------------------------

Batman AU Idea

Victorian Vampire Clan/Supernatural AU

Obviously Bruce Wayne is the head of the family. Vampire. Lives in Castle Wayne on a set of cliffs that overlook the town if Gotham (Victorian London analog obviously.) He is reclusive, but his wealth is vast and his family name carries weight. There are rumors that he is...different. Not all a man. Most are happy to divulge in the rumors out of fear of them being truth...he gets left alone...for the most part.

He embraced adult Detective Dick Grayson first, who was looking into the cold case murder of his parents. The murder was caused by a rival clan (The Court) who appeared to have left Dick to die when he got to close, but Bruce intervened. The Court had intentions of embracing Dick, so they saw Bruce's intervention as a slight.

Jason Todd was a local who lived in the shadow of Castle Wayne. He was one who grew bitter that there was a Lord in his castle while they all lived in filth and squalor. He broke into the house to steal something to change is circumstances and bit off more than he could chew. Bruce and Dick took a liking to him and brought him in as a ward. For a time things were going well until the Phantom known only by Joker aimed to hurt Bruce where he was vulnerable. Young Master Todd was assumed dead, murdered by Bruce's greatest foe...but there are whispers that Master Todd has been sighted again. Maybe his arrival has something to do with the seemingly convenient arrival of The Wizard Ra's al Ghul? (I never can resist some Lovecraftian Necromancy...that's the vibe of Ra's in this AU.)

Timothy Drake has always been sensitive to the supernatural. He's always heard whispers that were too muffled to discern meaning when alone. Always saw the faint differences in the shadows of the city at night. The disappearance of Jason Todd was a case he wanted desperately to solve. The answers he uncovered led him to Castle Wayne and led him to Bruce Wayne. He's getting so close to finally lifting the veil between worlds once and for all and Bruce is the key to his salvation or doom in this world he's found himself in. (I think it's fun to imagine him as a Human Medium to start with and then as the story progresses he will eventually become embraced...or suffer a worse fate? Who knows!)

Damian Wayne. Distant Bastard relative of the Wayne name, adopted and raised by the Wizard Ra's al Ghul and his older daughter Talia. Trained in the arcane arts and armed with the terrible and vast knowledge of the world beyond, he is sent to spy on Bruce Wayne and the Wayne clan. Will he learn that they can save him from the dark fate Ra's has planned? How long can he survive with the shadows of the eldritch horrors always lurking within his sight? What is truly thicker, blood or pacts?

FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS OR ADOPT FOR STORY IDEAS! This was fun to imagine. At first I wanted to go strictly vampires, but I like the idea of everyone having different supernatural ties and the idea kind of ran away with itself. For fear of making this too long, I'm only doing this characters for now. I might add to things. What do you all think?!

#batman #dc comics #bruce wayne #damian wayne #dick grayson #nightwing #jason todd #batman au #batman vampire au #supernatural au #supernatural victorian au

[daz4i]

my pitch for the persona 5 arena game. atlus hire me

this is very long so under a read more it goes

royal compliant, so the whole maruki thing did happen. all the phantom thieves have graduated by now (or at least the current second years did), so it's post strikers too as to not conflict with that timeline. having a hard time with school in his hometown and generally not being interested in a higher education, akira ends up not going to college. he's grown apart from his friends as they all progressed with their own lives, mostly sticking to texting in the group chat but nothing more.

he's having some crisis about things: a sense of no future, trauma from the interrogation room, grief over goro - but he can't talk about it with anyone or get professional help bc he's scared they'll use it against him. he ends up bottling things up, but as time goes on it becomes too much, to the point it manifests a new world - not quite the metaverse, no. more like... an arena 👀

to mix things with the previous games, it's time to make "akira is from inaba" canon, so the arena is based there, kind of rising from the ground and destroying half the town in the process. the p4 squad are the first to notice, naturally, but only some of them are still living there (I'd say probably kanji yukiko and chie). they call the shadow operatives first, and then the rest of the investigation team

"but how will the phantom thieves get there? shouldn't they be the main group in the story?" glad you asked! the shadow operatives actually have a new member, someone who has a lot of personal experience with shadows and personas, who also happens to have to stay hidden from the public and keep the fact they're alive from the people they know. y'all already know it's goro lmao. I'm a firm believer he lives after royal, and in the canon verse making him a shadow operative makes so much sense, esp if he's looking to hide himself from the public and the thieves

but he feels bad about hiding himself for so long - the years softened him a little, he actually believes in having teammates now that he's got some therapy - and i have now decided he knows akira is from inaba bc I'm sure it was brought up before, so he's worried he might be in danger. he calls akira, but gets no answer, so he tries the other thieves and asks them to get together and come to inaba (I'm guessing he catches like, one of them and gives them a rundown of what's up to pass to the rest of the team).

so now we've got all three groups in inaba, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I'd say it's a bit like in p4u where all the residents are missing, but electronics still work here for story convenience.

anyway, while they're trying to explore the town, each of the thieves arriving separately, they get attacked... by... akira? this is where the gameplay begins. the thing that's attacking them, it's akira, or it looks and sounds like akira, but he's copying their attack style and methods - to the player it looks like the same animations and moves set.

we got a joker card here y'all, he's matching whoever he's fighting atm. personas wise I'd say he uses some of the velvet room ones, the one he uses in each battle depends on the other person's element so he just uses whichever persona specializes in that.

once the thieves beat this akira, he basically turns into black dust like a cognition would when destroyed. it's not actually him, but rather his anger at the unfairness of life and the repressed rage he has over growing apart from his friends manifesting into "him" attacking them. the fights are all one on one so for once he gets to have a fair fight, to not be at a disadvantage or have to think 3 steps ahead, just let loose and fight and express all of his bottled up emotions. he can only afford to let things out through cognitions in this world of his own creation

I'm guessing it's all subconscious for him. he's probably inside the arena, waiting, maybe not even realizing this isn't a dream. once the thieves reach him for the final boss battle (after, I'm hoping, more plot I'm too lazy to figure out now lol) i want it to be one long battle where you switch between the thieves in the order they joined the team, each of them having to beat the real akira in turns. i wanna say his health bar is just really large and you gotta whittle it down to a certain point to switch to the next phase/thief, where akira switches his persona to the same element of the thief he's fighting just like the regular battles, but does have his own unique moveset this time.

i don't have much else plot wise. i guess there needs to be some god involved and i nominate yhvh bc he def symbolizes unfairness in my eyes lmao. could be that he takes over akira or smth for the last phase/the whole story and is the reason why his health bar is huge OR that after the akira boss battle he rejoins the team and things switch back to his pov and he's the one who has to go beat that god himself, finally letting his feelings out on the being that caused his suffering

but that's all i have hehe. open to hear ideas on how to progress with that. i just want goro to interact with naoto and ken in the canon universe tbh. and for akira's trauma to be acknowledged and i think a post canon game like that is a great opportunity for that, especially when you consider royal's ending and how it only makes sense for him to be this fucked up in the future

i also think the idea that anyonee can become distorted and destructive as a result is a good one that helps highlight p5s's themes and brings an interesting twist on the base game and royal. the unfairness thing connects well to both maruki (who has no reason to be in this game, but the echos of his actions are surely felt) and goro (who should be the replacement protag imo, and this can serve as a mirror to him in a more raw and direct way)

tldr: hire me atlus

#long post #dan rambles #if you actually read this whole thing i am kissing you tenderly on the mouth and/or forehead #but also lmk what you thought/give your own take

[terrestrialnoob]

Danny Phantom OC For YOU!

Since the Phandom likes to invent characters for no reason, I present to you: an original character made for you to use as you want! In fics, in art, in comics, whatever you want! I would like to be tagged if you use him, but that's not necessary! You can take credit for making him, I do not care!

Who?

Owen Pitch!

Professor of Ghostology! (the real life philosophical study of ghosts, spirits, and the undead and how their existence affects morality, ethics, and broader ideas of what it means to be human)

And for good measure! Has additional minor degrees in Behavioral Ecto-biology and Parapsychology.

Formerly taught Ghostology at Miskatonic University (the fictional college Lovecraft invented to study magic, the occult, and whatnot), and currently teaches both Ghostology and General Philosophy at Abromity College (the fictional college I invented, right now, that offers paranormal studies degrees) in a city that is close to, but is not, Amity Park; I think it's about a single, 1-hour bus ride away.

When he first started working as a professor, he was told he had to wear button down shirts to look professional, and he argues, to this day that, Hawaiian shirts are button downs. All other aesthetic choices stem from this fact, but otherwise have him look however you’d like. (You can even he/him-lesbian the man if you so desire, I don’t care! But he is, at his core, A Hawaiian Shirt Philosophy Professor)

How does Danny know him?

I like to imagine that, several years before the start of the series, there was a Legitimate Legal Court Case on whether the US government should consider ghosts and the like sentient creatures and how to treat them, between Owen and The Fenton Parents (or someone using their research). It was covered primarily by paranormal news reporters and some local news stations as a “wacky funny story to break up the serious news���. Owen was on the side of “ghosts, like animals, have a wide range of sentience and sapience” while the Fenton’s were on the side of “ghosts aren’t even capable of conscious”. The Fenton’s side won because Owen had to admit that “Yes, some ghosts aren’t sentient...” despite the fact that the rest of that sentence being “…but most are, and it’s a case by case basis.”

He agrees with the Fenton’s on stuff like, “What is a Ghost” and “How are ghosts made”, but that’s where the agreements end.

He is not a ghost hunter. He insists he is not a ghost hunter. He does occasionally hunt ghosts, but only to observe and interview them. He’s never tried to hurt or trap a ghost. He argues for ghost rights and that they are sentient on a spectrum and it’s not fair to treat them like they aren’t.

What’s he good for?

Other than being someone to argue with the Fenton Parents on the behalf of ghosts and possibly establish where those anti-ecto laws that got mentioned once and never again came from?

His narrative purpose is as an Exposition Mouthpiece. If there’s some random ghost lore or questions that Danny or any other character has about ghosts and you don’t know who they can or should ask, they can go to Professor Pitch of Abromity College. He's friendly and eager to share knowledge! He has a positive view of ghosts! He lives in the next town over, which is close enough to ask him questions but far enough away he does need to actively be sought out. He’s designed to be a convenient way to explain something in detail that you can’t figure out how else to get that information to the characters, or the audience, but not so convenient that he can just show up and solve problems for the main characters.

He can also show up as a convenient way to distract the Fenton Parents! He cannot refuse an argument with them about whether or not all ghosts are evil, or some such similar theory. Though, keep in mind this is literally: Professor of "Are Ghosts Evil” going against the ghost equivalent of anti-vax-parents. Should be both funny and extremely sad.

Enjoy!

#danny phantom #OC #original character #please use owen #I want to use owen #but don't have anywhere to use him #please use him #he deserves it

[apricusnights]

Chapter Four: When It Rains It Pours.

Fisher: "Attention, this is Commander Fisher! We're in pursuit of a fleeing suspect, currently exiting Delta Town and heading Northwest. Suspect is driving what appears to be a modified Ciar Phantom motorcycle. I need any available units to setup checkpoints. Do not let the suspect through."

Jae: "Uh Ma'am?"

Miranda looked ahead in time to see the suspect ramp up over an offramp and land on top of the train tracks.

Fisher: "Shit, better hang on Aryl, this isn't going to be pretty.."

Accelerating as much as possible she managed to jump their vehicle up and on to the tracks as well.

Fisher: "Suspect is using the train tracks in an attempt to evade us, we are in pursuit. Suspect seems to be heading towards the Diamond District..."

The motorcyclist swerved aside to dodge on oncoming train..something their current vehicle wouldn't be able to do. Left with no choice she swerved into the small barrier in between tracks and managed to get the car up on it's two right wheels. The left wheels scraping along the side of the passing train.

Jae: "Pretty sure we're gonna get a bill for that..."

The car finally landed back on four wheels with a thud as the motorcyclist jumped off the tracks. Undeterred by a ridiculous concept such as gravity, Fisher followed. The car landed on the ground..quite a bit worse for wear but still in pursuit.

Jae: "There! They just went down that alley! To the right!"

Before Fisher had a chance to react she heard something land on top of their car. A second later, a scythe came slicing down, nearly splitting the car in half and causing Fisher and Aryl to dive out.

The wrecked pieces of the car slid to a stop as a woman wearing a white rabbit mask and wielding a scythe leapt down.

Fisher: "Still alive Aryl?"

Jae: "Yeah, though I don't know if I want to be..."

The motorcyclist stopped and got off of the bike, making their way forward and revealing themselves to be wearing a slightly different white rabbit mask.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Well THAT was an exhilarating little chase! Kudos for keeping up. Unfortunately, you're about out of time. Someone call the fat lady, she's on in five!"

White Rabbit (Scythe): Spins her weapon around and begins to approach Fisher and Aryl.

Meanwhile, inside the nearby nightclub:

Van: "I was having a nice time!" Kicking someone aside.

Lye: "WITH CHIMERA?! She was going to kill you with lipstick you moron!" Lye was currently fighting Chimera though she wished she had her shoes, the dagger thrown to her by Mel would have to do.

Van: "I can think of worse ways to go!" Van broke off a table leg and swung it as if it were a bat. "Guess it'll work!"

Nava: "Do dates with you always turn out like this?"

Ajax: Currently lifting two people over his head and throwing them. "Only the good ones baby!"

Bonnie: "The weapon check room!" Finally having managed to fight through the various brawls going on. She knocked out the last person in her way and kicked open the door...

Chimera took a swing at Lye with her poisoned daggers only to find herself blocked by Amias? The dagger seemed unable to penetrate the strange sort of energy armor that had surrounded his body. Before she had a chance to strike Amias backflipped and kicked Chimera away from Lye.

Lye: "You can do that?!"

Amias: "Apparently?!"

Viridian: "Where did you learn to fight.."

Amias: "Growing up with as many older sisters as I did...you learn things out of necessity."

Nerys: "I need you to throw me!"

Van: "What?!"

Nerys: "Like Hecaball! Throw me up there!" She pointed to Mel upstairs fighting against a masked man.

Virdian and Van braced themselves before grabbing Nerys and throwing her through the air. Nerys landed behind the masked man and immediately punched him, causing him to stumble and get knocked back by Mel.

Bonnie came running out of the weapon check room and tossed something to everyone. Nava ended up catching a staff of sorts.

Ajax: "Convenient, we were just working with that."

Nava: "I bonked myself in the head three times in a row.."

Ajax: "But you got it right the fourth time, you can do this Nava. I know you can."

Outside:

Fisher and Aryl were struggling against the rabbited masked scythe wielder. Though Fisher had managed to activate a secret emergency beacon and hoped her ally wasn't far away. Aryl had noticed the other rabbit masked individual run over to a fire escape, making their way to the top of a building.

Fisher: "Go after them, don't let them get away. Who knows what they took from the escape craft!"

Aryl nodded and began to pursue the suspect while Fisher attempted to fight the scythe wielder.

Inside:

Masked Man: "Ridiculous..I don't have time for this.." Pressing a button on his aShine before dropping several spheres on the ground that exploded and flash banged the room. Nerys and Mel were blinded momentarily as the masked man rushed further upstairs.

Just as Van took a swing at her Chimera blew a kiss at him and shot a grappling cable up to the rafters from a wrist mounted device. She was pulled up quickly and raced to join her partner.

Lye: "Oh no, not letting that bitch get away again! Upstairs!"

Outside:

By the time Aryl had reached the roof he noticed a rather advanced looking helicopter seemingly decloak right above the building. He raced to tackle the rabbit masked suspect only to be knocked down by the scythe wielder who had used some sort of insane speed to reach the top of the building.

The masked man and chimera would soon make their way to the roof along with several of their followers. The scythe wielder rose up her blade intending to strike Jae but was suddenly knocked back as Miranda dropped down to help Jae up.

Miranda: "Good timing. Thanks for the lift."

Oct: Turning off his jetpack and landing on the ground. "Don't mention it. Been trying to find this one anyway.."

As if things weren't chaotic enough Van, Lye, and Nava finally made their way up followed by Ajax, Amias, Mel, Nerys, Viridian, and Bonnie.

The brawls seemed to pick back up right where they left off. Nava to her surprise managed to knock down several people with her staff, even blocking an attack meant for Lye. Van and Jae stood back to back as they took on whoever rushed at them.

Ajax: "Who the hell are you?"

Jae: "Jae Aryl. PWSB."

Ajax: "Little group fights pretty well together don't they?"

Bonnie: "Seems that way.."

Ajax: "Wait a second...Van, Nava, Lye, Jae? VNLJ..nah doesn't sound like anything."

Nerys: "VNLA! Vanilla!"

Ajax: "Sweet like Vanilla!"

Van: "I like this guy!"

Nava: "You and I are having a talk later!"

Ajax: "Worth it.."

Meanwhile the masked man and chimera made their way up to the waiting helicopter.

Van: "I feel like you're mocking me with that stupid mask!"

White Rabbit (Biker): "Not like yours are natural either dumbass. Surprised your clan even allowed you to have the ceremony!"

Van: "How did you.." Van was knocked back during his moment of confusion, almost stumbling off the side of the building but being grabbed by Ajax and pulled back.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Yo, time to jet baby!" Grabbing a rope and being pulled up to the helicopter.

The scythe wielder spun around rapidly, knocking down everyone around her except for Oct who somewhat reluctantly landed a punch to her mask, breaking part of it and revealing a silver eye.

A rocket was fired from the helicopter, forcing Oct back as the scythe wielder was pulled up by another rope.

In one last attempt Oct activated his jetpack, flying up and landing inside of the helicopter. Only to stand face to face with someone wearing similar but more advanced power armor. A rather odd looking helmet covering their head.

Before he could react he was grabbed by the throat and lifted up.

White Rabbit (Biker): "Ooops, sorry, we're at maximum weight capacity!"

The being in the power armor reached back with their other hand and slammed their fist into Oct's chest making some of his armor's systems start to go haywire. They'd let go and send Oct falling down to the roof of the building with a thud.

The helicopter seemed to cloak again and vanish from sight as everyone began to recover. PWSB sirens blaring in the distance.

#story scene

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'I Will Forget This Feeling Someday'

I Will Forget This Feeling Someday by Yoru Sumino

discontented youth

isekai

sci-fi

teen romance

ya fiction

ya romance

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kaya Suzuki's ethical ambivalence toward the corruptive nature of interpersonal relationships has marked him as a vicious stoic by his early high-school years. For Kaya, goodness is a predictable corollary of convenience. The presumed arrogance of youth and the presumed certainty of adulthood are flagrantly unjustifiable vestiges of the human imagination. That is to say, people playact in a manner that comforts them to defy whatever it is they fear or to steal or obtain whatever they desire. Kaya Suzuki is not wrong.

I WILL FORGET THIS FEELING SOMEDAY is an intriguing work, if modestly undercut by the author's curious decision to staple a 127-page addendum to the book. Kaya sees through the miasma of optimism that typically plagues others his age: folksy camaraderie is unnecessary, adolescent relational dynamics are ephemeral, and the professional violence owned by supposedly mature adults amounts to nothing more than a game. In Kaya's rural town, it doesn't matter if he's mindful of neighborhood gossip and it doesn't matter if he listens to news stories about an approaching war. Humanity is endlessly selfish, so why bother?

"Most of us live and die without ever being special," Kaya says. "It's such an obvious truth, but most people don't seem to realize it — at least the people around me. But if you say something like that aloud, people get upset with you and act like it's an insult" (page 121).

And that's when he meets Chika.

In spite of the villainous truths that mar human pragmatism, Kaya meets Chika, accidentally, and through a kind of happenstance that forcefully occupies his mind for months at a time. At an abandoned bus stop, at the edge of his rural town, roughly half an hour before midnight, Kaya encounters a pair of glowing eyes. Shock and surprise (e.g., Ghost? Phantom?) give way to wild panic (e.g., Not alone?), which gives way to curiosity (e.g., How is it we can interact? Where are you from?), which gives way to restless enthusiasm (e.g., Our words are linked, but how?).

I WILL FORGET THIS FEELING SOMEDAY, at least the first 68% of it, is an excellent journey toward the precipice of low sci-fi, with a hint of philosophical rumination. Kaya and Chika's realms are bound; events occur in both worlds but wield asymmetrical reciprocity (e.g., seasonal weather occurs simultaneously yet unevenly; an injured pet in one world could equate to an injured person in another; a destroyed building in one world could equate to a broken window in another). Kaya and Chika's curiosity about one another, as well as one another's worlds, alleviates Kaya's boredom and stirs Chika's sincerity.

How does one learn about another world or realm when one cannot interact with that realm or its occupants? Why don't the reciprocal actions linking these realms line up? Why is Kaya the only one who can sort-of see, hear, and touch this otherworldly person? All good questions. All unanswerable. For a young man who regularly sees through the vanities his world offers, the possibility that he's not worthy of learning the truth of a universe beyond his tiny town in the sticks may prove interminably devastating.

All Kaya has for a guide is a floating pair of eyes and a patient, raspy voice. As such, the young man grows increasingly desperate for answers, occasionally pressing for violence and criminal behavior to validate his frustrations. Kaya wants to know Chika, wants to know more about her world; he also wants to protect her, his bond with her, and his perception of his bond with her, no matter the cost.

Chika is bright, affable, and inquisitive. But she is also painfully naïve. I WILL FORGET THIS FEELING SOMEDAY doesn't give her much depth beyond the role of a sounding board, a mirror for all of Kaya's basest inclinations, but the young woman serves up a meaningful warning when she says: "It might be impossible to avoid hurting others when you've really put your heart behind something, but if you go around intentionally causing people harm, someday you're going to end up hurting the things that you treasure, the beliefs you're trying to protect" (page 234).

Kaya may have convinced himself that he has fallen in love with a person he cannot see and whose personal life he has trouble visualizing. Kaya may also have convinced himself he can artfully sidestep the "mistake" of believing himself special in lieu of merely being fortunate. But "human relationships were built on the knowledge that one day, whether it's tomorrow or decades from now, one [is] always destined to betray the other" (page 97), and it would appear vicious stoics are no exception to this rule.

I WILL FORGET THIS FEELING SOMEDAY takes place primarily in the protagonist's dull high-school years. Kaya makes friends, loses friends, alienates family members, breaks the law, and more. The young man's fascination with forming a bond with an otherworlder drives him constantly. But what happens if Chika leaves? What if Chika gets injured or harmed? What if Kaya proves too foolish to manage a romance that he himself refuses to name?

The latter 32% of the book muddles any sensible answer to these questions. Following a handful of time-skips, the author takes readers on into the life of a thirtysomething office worker who clings to a semblance of past emotions to survive each day.

As a child, Kaya Suzuki was not wrong when he spied the prickly gamesmanship and messy ennui that colored most people's mediocre lives. As an adult, some of that sharpness has been rubbed down and chipped away. And it isn't until Kaya-the-adult runs into an old acquaintance that his simple, selfish quest to be forgiven (and to forgive himself) can be remotely attended to.

For readers familiar with Sumino's previous works, this novel carries the emotional truculence of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and At Night, I Become a Monster, with flashes of the Third Act of I Am Blue, in Pain, and Fragile. To clarify, topics of suicide, the irrelevance of youth, the death of kindness, and the ironic insolence of being pragmatic carry this novel's thematic weight from start to finish. Understanding other people is impossible, and the fragments of truth one gains by experiencing the greatest moments of one's life are often rendered obsolete the instant that wind of fascination blows by. Contentment is an illusion.

I WILL FORGET THIS FEELING SOMEDAY is not about daring to doubt that love can exist; this book is about steeling oneself for the painful reality that emerges when one dares to doubt the concept of love at all.

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

#review #light novel #yoru sumino #i will forget this feeling someday #ya fiction #ya scifi #ya romance #discontented youth #teen romance #seven seas entertainment #kaya suzuki #sanae sunou #the beliefs you try to protect #give way to wild panic #goodreads #3 of 5 stars