Tumgik
#his eye magically heals
rileyclaw · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
i just think the idea that optometry in the boiling isles is magic-based is VERY funny
5K notes · View notes
green-eyedfirework · 7 months
Text
It was a stupid idea to take a job like this. He'd waited and waited for his eye to heal and finally got fed up with waiting. He'd taken the first offer that had come his way.
And here he was, trapped on all fours, unable to speak, and with far more problems than a mere lack of depth perception.
He tried to shout and it came out a roar.
Fuck this. Fuck Gotham. He'd only come here because he needed something to get out of his own head, to stop seeing Joey's wide, terrified eyes every time he slept. He needed to run, to flee far and fast enough that he could outrun his greatest mistake.
He shouldn't have waited. He shouldn't have convinced himself that he was invincible, he was unstoppable, he was the best killer on the planet. He shouldn't have hesitated when he saw the man holding his son prisoner.
And here he was, trapped after all.
Slade grunted and forced himself forward, awkwardly crawling on his new limbs. No one had mentioned that there was fucking magic involved and now he was seeing shit in colors that didn't exist and trying to get used to moving four legs instead of two. The eye was still gone, though.
He couldn't even get the magician to undo it, because the man was dead.
When will you get it through your thick fucking skull that murder cannot solve everything, Adeline had screamed at him. Of course, she'd then done her level best to murder him, so Slade felt justified in ignoring her opinion.
Slade continued to drag himself to the warehouse door--and then paused. Where was he planning to go? His gear had been blown up by magic and his safehouse was blocks away. He couldn't unlock his security without opposable thumbs, or pick up a phone to call Wintergreen, or communicate with anyone. There wasn't a convenient sign hanging over his head that said 'actually a human!'.
He had, he realized chillingly, no idea if it could even be undone.
The sound of footsteps broke his horrified reverie and Slade immediately searched for a place to hide. He was a large animal, a predator judging by the sharp teeth and claws, and he did not want to meet whatever passed for Animal Control in this fucked-up city.
Unfortunately, he ended up cornered by animals of a different kind.
"Holy zoo jailbreak, Batman, is that a tiger?" a brightly colored kid exclaimed, peering from between a dark, forbidding shadow. Slade cast a glance at himself--he could only see white fur but he supposed it was possible. "How did it get here?"
Slade made a threatening growl as the vigilantes sidled forward and they froze. Well, Batman froze and Robin ducked around him.
"Robin!" Batman said sharply, but the kid ignored his orders. Of course he did, he was a kid, and Slade felt his ire grow--he had never meant to put Joey in danger and now his son was mute. What the fuck was Batman thinking, dressing his son as a brightly colored target and taking him out crimefighting.
"He's hurt, B," Robin said, still creeping forward. Slade snarled as loudly as he got, sending Batman rocking forward, but Robin ignored it. "See, he's bleeding!"
There was something wet and irritating in the crook of Slade's neck, and he kept having to fight the insane urge to lick it, but he held his ground, roaring furiously as Robin got closer.
"Robin!" Batman called out, now sounding distinctly worried, but the kid was barely a yard away from Slade now.
"It's okay," Robin murmured to Slade, holding out his empty hands. "I'm just trying to help you."
Jesus fucking Christ. Did this kid have no self-preservation or what? He was close enough to touch now, and while Slade wanted to lash out and test the sharpness of his claws, he also wasn't a monster. No matter what Adeline said.
He wasn't going to maul some kid barely older than Joey. Not when he kept seeing skin split open by a sharp knife, blood welling up almost as fast as the panic.
"It's okay," Robin soothed, gently placing a hand on Slade's head. Slade's ears flicked irritably. "I'm going to check if you're okay." Slade was not happy, but he let Robin examine the wound area on his blind side, keeping his eye fixed on Batman.
He growled low and deep when he caught the man creeping forward.
"Robin," Batman said tightly, "leave it. They can check on it when they take it to the zoo."
Slade snarled, loud and furious. He wasn't going to go meekly into some cage.
"But what about the evidence of magic?" Robin pointed out sensibly. He was a smart kid. "I don't think Gotham Zoo's equipped to take care of a magical tiger."
Very smart kid. Slade managed to figure out how to fold his legs and leaned heavily on the kid, half-pinning him in place as he glared down Batman.
Batman sighed, loud and put-upon. "Robin," he said, somewhere between firm and exasperated. "That's a tiger, not a pet. We're not putting it in the Batcave."
"He needs help," Robin said, voice wavering. "You said our job was to help whoever needed it."
Slade got to watch Batman, Dark Knight of Gotham, dreaded terror of criminals and vagabonds, fold like a bad hand.
"You're telling Alfred," Batman growled as Robin cheered in victory.
Slade decided to go along with the nudging. Batman and Robin were the only ones who knew about the magic, which meant they were his best chance at getting a solution.
It had absolutely nothing to do with the ear scritches. Nothing at all.
85 notes · View notes
sxnbleachedfiles · 20 days
Text
this is how i look trying to make deep analysis in my head on kit and johnny with only 5 scenes at disposal
Tumblr media
49 notes · View notes
doodlerh · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
TRAGEDY TRAGEDY TRAGEDY
#h doodles#oc#tw blood#perdix#adrian#perdrian#this is in their past </3 the northern kingdom HATES perdix and various parties try to get rid of him six whole times#he thus develops a major sense of paranoia and sleeps with his armor and sword (or doesn't sleep at all)#the last time hes sent off on a mission where th eknights are all planning to. leave him to die (the king turns a blind eye)#he forbids adrian from joining bc he knows adrian will probably lose his marbles if he witnesses Perdix's Fate (tm)#at this point adrian still has mixed feelings abt perdix but they're mainly love. he almost kisses pdix goodbye but perdix says to#kiss him when he returns (TRAGIC)#when perdix does return (barely saved by one of the healers who is kind to him n pities his situation) he is barely alive like fr#usually he is vivacious and recovers from major injuries in like very very short amts of time#but after everything hes lost his will to live and it seems to have an impact on his healing#adrian (who was told he wasn't strong enough to join the mission) uses forbidden magic to carve a magic sigil into his body#which enhances his magic but severely. hurts him. reasonably#and he like leaves a trail of burning blood stumbling to perdix's chambers and the healers are all like AAAHH and he collapses#at perdix's bedside crying in pain and in rage and in grief and hes like wake upppp aaaaaa im sorraaaay and then he passes out#father argument. king is like omggg i see the error of my ways (obv way more than this just too lazy to develop his pov rn)#and so perdix and adrian kinda recover together and adrian is like imsorrryyy and perdix is like wym this wasnt ur fault </3#perdix is like BRUH at adrian's sigil mark but supports his choice bc holy cow yea hes a lot stronger and also more confident in#himself and his capabilities :') also when perdix is all good and well he Proposes so they could marry for love this time not for politics#and adrian is like [bawls] and they finally kiss bc perdix is back <3 ok anyway thanks yeah the last perdrian post goes more in depth#about all this. thank you for reading. i am going to go to sleep now. good night
53 notes · View notes
pinkypastal · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
Blorbo (affectionate)
347 notes · View notes
carefulfears · 8 months
Text
the deadalive era is so good because it’s just scully having lived her literal entire worst nightmare. feeling more like a failure (a disappointment) than she ever has. she’s failing as a mother (is her child safe even inside her body? where’s his father?). she’s failing as a partner (she can’t be him, she can’t find him, she’s “just not capable”). she’s failing as the war widow she was bred to be (her mother could’ve done it). she’s alone and she’s planning a funeral and decorating a nursery at the same time and she’s praying, and praying, and praying. and then mulder’s suicidal ass resurrects from the dead just mad as hell
21 notes · View notes
t4tcecilos · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media
my s4 jon design…
12 notes · View notes
sidhedust · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
“You can try and protect her from further harm all you want, but you’ll fail before long. Not even your divine inheritance can diminish or avert the dreadful aspects of this gift we call life.”
Inspired by a theme in the story and a few scenes in Arcs 1-3. It’s arrogant to try and be someone’s savior, to assume you can override and then prevent more trauma-but it’s hard not to try when you love someone.
Missed my Colors!3d days and I’m trying to get out of an art slump, so I decided to go ham on the brushes Procreate comes with and do a more messy paint kind of sketch.
Apologies for the sudden eye strain! I wanted to try this kind of 3d effect for a while now.
9 notes · View notes
autistic-katara · 3 months
Text
if there’s one thing abt staying up rlly late it’s that it gives u the best lore-dreams
#the girl i met there was cool#there was this weird room that wanted to kill u and i think she was born there (her mother went in there when she was pregnant ig)#i think she had some sorta magic healing powers but they weren’t always perfect (eg. her legs never fully healed so she can’t walk much)#and also i think the room could change sizes or smthn but that might’ve just been typical dream continuity#i think i wanted to leave it#and also there was this creature that came every once in a while and it left something behind i think (maybe human or animal corpses? idk)#i think we managed to find a way to leave but for some reason she couldnt#also not sure how she nd her mother managed to be in there for 16(?) years since i barely survived 3 days#but idk maybe it had smthn to do with her powers#i think by the end i was able to leave and i could text her from outside the room and so could other ppl and the plot was still ongoing#there was also a young boy there that my brain 1000% based off young adam from the adam project#also for some reason my bsf his brother and his mother were there at a bit#and his brother had aids for some reason and she was mad abt it (idk)#wish i could remember more of the dream cause it was pretty cool#i need to name the girl#i remember she was pretty pale with big brown eyes and red hair#and by red i mean red red not ginger#she was also relatively skinny nd cis#and also her legs didn’t work the best and i can’t remember what it was but there was smthn different about what she had to eat#maybe she counted as a creature from the room idk#i loved her tho#dreams#ryan shut the fuck up
2 notes · View notes
Text
something i think about too often is when Merlin in episode one asked Gaius if he were a monster.
another thing i think about too often is how Merlin was never good at healing magic.
so now i present you: Merlin thinking of himself as someone that can only destroy and hurt, and not heal. he knows he uses his magic for a good cause, to protect Arthur, but it is always about hurting people, about killing. whenever he needs his magic for healing, he fails. whoever learns about his magic, dies and gets hurt. freya. will. lancelot. gaius almost died multiple times.
i think that, at the end of the day, a part of Merlin is scared of people knowing he has magic not because of what those people will do to him, but because of what what will happen to those people.
i think that a part of Merlin is scared that he is a monster. Merlin knows magic can be good. he isn't sure if he is good.
66 notes · View notes
trollbreak · 9 months
Text
Man I gotta get like. Any of my plots going so I can rant abt the details of it.
#like mev all but helpless while she recovered bc doc was taking away her arms due to the violence? because Dari’s fucked up magic blood#hurts when it makes her body heal Far Too Fast?? and then when she’s got nothing else to lash out with she’s all snarls and snapping teeth??#cattra laying on her chest and her getting some half decent rest in??? very promptly getting so attached to her??? the wild panicked look in#her eyes when she’s still half asleep and realizes that doc is carting her off to clean her injuries again and that she’s never kind about#it when she does?? the walls of this stoic woman completely crumbling when there’s no other choice#and peipre hunched in a chair beside marrow as he rests and she’s gripping the armrests so hard her knuckles are white because she’s sure#this was her fault. he got hurt and she found him bleeding and half conscious after she stayed behind again and he almost died. and when dex#makes it into the room she pulls herself together and gives him the kindest rundown she can in the most professional way because it’s all#she’s got to hold herself together in the moment. and he’s just as worried as she is so she’s not going to worry him more with her whole#deal. and when she’s sure dex is going to stay she goes home and calls yarrow off work early and just lays in her lap for hours and refuses#to talk about it.#and sweets hardly resting for several weeks and outright refusing to get unplugged because he Has to be able to keep an eye on things she#Has to make sure that if something happens she can do something this time and he’s so much quieter than usual and when he finally does take#a weekend off again she sleeps so fucking hard with cattra and then feels bad for sleeping through so much of their time#and the whole. thing. that’s jouren’s got going on with mawris right now. they scare the hell out of him and he couldn’t tell you why. but.#if you asked. he would call them his friend. he couldn’t tell you why on that either. he spends so little time with them but there’s this#urge to return lately that. isn’t quite the call of whatever is going on with the mushrooms he’s pretty sure. he’s baking a lot about it.#um#character rambles#:P#I like rotating angst in my brain
2 notes · View notes
elecman108 · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media
I’ll tend to the flames; you can worship the ashes.
Axel, the man who has never been human, gradually turning more and more into a monster over time, pines longingly for his dearest Songbird, Reyanne. She was always described as the Siren of the Fortune’s Fate, like one of those mythical being that lure Sailors to their deaths with song. And now, with Axel gradually turning into what is assumed to be a Kraken... We have two creatures of the sea who are perfect for each other.
Making Axel into a Rogue/Warlock Swashbuckler/Fathomless was the best fucking idea I’ve ever had. There is so much angst and utility potential for this man now and I am HERE for it! Like even just with one level in Warlock I can fuck shit up so much! For example; Witch Bolt, cunning action Hide, and spend movement staying within range. I have 60ft per turn after that I can use to stay in stealthed range of the target and constantly deal damage every turn with Witch Bolt. Mission Status? SICK!
Bonus version with the text on the top because why the fuck not?
Tumblr media
The fun part is which one of these two is saying they’ll tend to the flames. Is it Reyanne to Axel - “I’ll take care of the monsters that are inside you, you just be Axel.” Or is it Axel to Reyanne - “I promised to protect you and all you need to do is take care of me when I need it.”
Very Yin and Yang opposites going on here. I made Axel’s outfit darker and darker over time so that he’d contrast even more with Reyanne. I do plan to continue fucking up his appearance over time beyond the tentacles too! Warlocks get some cool shit at second level and beyond so you know full well I’m taking advantage of that, lmao.
Surprisingly, the one more likely to kill you for crossing them is Reyanne, not Axel. Axel will let it slide because he’s too kind. Reyanne will fucking cut you, bitch. Especially if you insult her man.
Also bonus: Here’s my boy Axel with his warlock patron (sort of)
Tumblr media
It’s a dragon turtle named Razanid. Man holds the turtle like a hamburger and questions his life choices much like Dorian Storm on Critical Role holding Orym as a turtle and rolling away.
#the disappointment speaks#drawings by me#OCs#D&D#I really saw my man who was raised by dogs and went ''I can make him more fucked up'' and turned him into a squid#fun fact! he's gonna level up and get darkvision and the ability to read all written words#and eventually be able to cast disguise self whenever he wants#and thats just from eldritch invocations baby!!!#warlock's such a fucked up class to multi into genuinely like damn#like I am building Axel around cantrips and a handful of utility spells its fuckin nuts#and yeah his only 3rd level I wanna give him is counterspell dont question me#also banishment because fuck it I'm here to cause problems on purpose#and he's gonna get a book of shadows soon too so even MORE cantrips for the cantrip pile!!#might go with like a healing cantrip and two other utility ones idk yet for sure tho#anyway the invocations I have planned (4 total may remove one) are devils sight for the darkvision+ it gives#also eyes of the rune keeper for reading all written text bc homeboy's illiterate rn due to never learning how to read#mask of many faces because of course the man with a cloak of elven kind and boots of false tracks needs to disguise his face too#and eldritch sight because fuck it its time to detect magic like a fuckin magic radar baby!!!#honestly I multiclass into other classes for fun or for utility reasons and 100% of the time it ends up being such a good choice lmao#also my DM mentioned maybe after this campaign maybe doing a short campaign using my character as a lead into it#which means fuck it this man's getting more fucked up!!! I cant wait!!!!!!!!
4 notes · View notes
inupibaldspot · 2 months
Text
Wingman ain’t subtle.
Paring: Gojo Satoru x reader
Note ₊˚⊹♡ : This takes place when Gojo and the rest are students and you are one year senior/older than them
Tumblr media
Gojo thinks today is a bad day.
“y/n-senpai apparently only dates guys older than her” Shoko says she sucks the drink from the straw. As much as she’d like to be smoking, it wasn’t allowed on campus.
The lollipop in Gojo’s mouth falls to the ground which makes Geto snort.
“Sucks to you Satoru.” He comments. “If only you were born a year or two before you’d have a chance.”
Gojo winches as he looks over to Shoko with eyes pleading that she was lying “For real?”
“Yeah.” Shoko and you shared being gifted with Reverse Cursed Technique so they’d spend a lot of time training together so the two were close.
Ever since he learned that fact, Gojo had Shoko be his wing man on learning to be and also learn about your type. She was hesitant at fist but oh boy! Gojo was so hopelessly in love with you she kinda felt bad. Shoko adds. “She thinks older guy make her feel protected.”
Gojo huffs, his stomach churns with jealousy. “I’m literally the strongest…” who else would you need to feel protected?
To add on the fact that learning about him having no chance with you because of the year he was born — ‘Satoru was spawn killed.’ Geto would add— he and his classmates had forgotten to put up a veil during a mission which triggered Yaga’s, their teacher in charge, wrath.
Yaga takes in a deep breath“How many times do I have to tell you to put up a veil ?!”
Gojo really couldn’t careless as his teacher yaps away and probably neither did both of his two friends. He could see Geto nod at times as if acting like he was taking Yaga’s word to heart and with Shoko dozing off with her eyes open.
He does his best to fight back a yawn as something suddenly grabs his attention. You. His eyes trail to you ,who was a year senior to him, walking along the hallway, revealed by the long strip of windows between the classroom and hall. Gojo thinks you’re the loveliest piece of existence in the planet as you gently tug a piece of hair behind as you talk with Utahime.
Feeling a piercing gaze — or maybe it was Yaga’s shouts— you look over inside the class as meet your eyes with beautiful vibrant blue ones of your junior, Gojo Satoru’s.
When you give him a smile and a small wave, you weren’t expecting him to straight up beam at your direction and full on wave as if a kid would wave at an airplane passing by.
Of course this angered Yaga further as a nerve pops on his forehead and hands clenched. “Pay attention, Satoru!” He swings his fist at the boy.
The impact of his teacher’s fist on him sends him flying. If he weren’t such a good student he would have actually used his limitless to block such hits but alas— it may not look like it but he was. “Sensei—! Hitting your students should be against the law.”
He sees Geto sent him an amused smirk and Shoko,who finally woke up, trying to figure out what was happening and to his horror, you were giggling at him. Not many things can make Gojo feel embarrassed but his crush laughing at him when he got hit was one of it.
Yup-! That’s exactly what he needed; his crushing laughing as he gets beat up and lectured by his teacher. His day was going fan-tas-tic!
The day goes on with with the remaining classes. Evening classes were usually training so Shoko was in infirmary with Gojo and Geto on the training grounds but one thing bother Gojo was that the ‘hit’ from Yaga earlier did leave an impact. The back of his head a aching and even made him jump when Geto applied the slightest bit of pressure.
Call him dramatic but he didn’t want the ache to go on further so there he was on his way to the infirmary. He really needed Shoko to patch him up.
He slides the door open as he starts to complain. “Shoko heal me up. Yaga’s hit really did some damage on me”
“You’re hurt?”
Hearing a voice which wasn’t Shoko’s and with almost a magic like ability to make his heart race grabbed his attention. He turns to see you who was near the storage cabinet as if you were arranging something.
“I- uhh…” Suddenly his throat constricted and he couldn’t speak. His face heats up as you tilt your head waiting for an answer as he clears his throat. “Just a bit, y/n.”
“Shoko is out though. She got called to assist in a mission. ” You smile as you sit on a near by chair, pulling another chair beside.
You smile at him as you pat the chair beside yours indicating him to sit down there which makes him tense up slightly but he does as told. “Also you should be calling me ‘senpai’. Utahime-senpai was complaining that youth these days have no manner.”
You laugh. “Now tell me where you’re hurt.”
He sits beside you as he tilts his head and points at his sore spot. “Here.”
Gojo watches you raise your hand and inspect his heat, the places where your fingers grazes heats up which makes him gulp deeply. You laugh as you see a swelling on his head. “Wow- Sensei really did hit you hard…”
The white haired boy relaxes as he he feels the calming sensation on his head which means you were using your technique of healing him. “Does age really matter that much?”
You hum as if thinking through your answer. “Of course. Even a year older means you’ve been in this world for a year longer. That in itself is commendable enough.”
“I heard from Shoko that you like guys older…” Gojo says no longer trying to contain the jealousy in his voice. “Is it because of the same reason?”
Gojo watches your eyes widen and blink in confusion; he thinks any expression you make is so so adorable. You then proceed to giggle. “Just because I dated people who are older than me doesn’t mean I have a type.”
Damn that Shoko probably messed around with her wording. Gojo curses as the girl made it seem you would only date guys older than her.
“For example…” You hum as you bring your finger up to your lips. “Right now I like a guy who is younger than me who never respects his elder.”
Hearing her words, every restrain in his body breaks free and Gojo stands up from his seat ; before he knows it his lips are on yours. He hold your face in place, cupping both side of his cheeks.
Gojo kisses you. Your lips are softer than he imagined it to be and when you let out a small moan he deepens it, stronger and desperate as if trying to memorize every inch of you.
He brings one of his hands to the back of your head, as he runs his hands through your hair. His lips keep moving as if he had lost his mind; deep and urgent as if he couldn’t waste a single second.
Out of breath, he pulls away and looks at you who was breathing heavily and lips slightly plump from his desperate tugs and bites. He watches the same lips curl into a smile as you give him a teasing smile. “Also tell Shoko to quit being your wing man,Satoru. She isn’t quite subtle about it.”
4K notes · View notes
rninies · 2 months
Text
✮ pampering a giant baby - gojo satoru
synopsis: gojo satoru rarely gets sick, but when he does, he acts like a child (you don't mind that because when will you ever get the chance of taking care of gojo?)
warnings: sick gojo, fluff, gn!reader, gojo is stubborn (hates being taken care of) — wc: 528
notes: IM BACK YEAHHHHHHH im almost finished with my finals so here we are :3
Tumblr media
“y/n, please leave.” satoru blocks the door with his tall figure, leaving you unable to enter his apartment. “i’m begging you.”
you huff, standing your ground. “i am not leaving until you let me take care of you. you’re sick, toru! your body is heating up as we speak.”
“i’m fine-” satoru lets out a cough. “seriously, just go home! i can take care of myself.” as soon as he says that, he sneezes, knees feeling weak. you quickly catch him before he falls.
“‘i’m fine’ my ass. come on, let me take care of you for once.” you mumble, helping satoru inside. you gently lay him on the couch, to which he instantly rests his head on the pillows. “i’ll go make you some porridge, yeah?”
satoru nods, too weak to speak. you instantly got to work, cooking up a porridge as quietly as possible to not disturb his rest. as soon as you finished making the porridge, you brought it over to satoru, gently waking him up. “toru, wake up. you need to eat.”
satoru reluctantly opens his eyes. “can i eat later? i feel sick.”
“you have to eat now so then you can drink some medicine. after that i promise you i’ll let you sleep as much as you want.” you softly say, helping satoru sit up. “just eat a few bites and i’ll be happy.” you hold the spoon full of warm porridge in front of him and he opens his mouth, just wide enough to eat.
after a few bites, satoru mumbles about how full he feels and you stop, quickly grabbing medicine from the drawer and a cup of water. “here. drink this and you’ll feel better.” satoru drank the medicine and you smiled. “there.”
instead of laying back down on the pillow, he lays his head on your lap. “sorry.”
you tilt your head in confusion. “hm? what are you sorry for?”
“don’t know… just feels annoying being sick.” satoru mumbles, hiding his face in your shirt. “i hate feeling like this.”
“mm, i know, baby. everyone has their sick days. you know how it is.” you say, gently caressing his head. “i don’t mind taking care of you for once, though. it’s a good change. i like it.”
“i should be taking care of you, not the other way around.” satoru complains, finally meeting your eyes. “it’s like- i don’t know. it feels weird.”
“hey, don’t feel bad. i like taking care of you, don’t worry.” you leaned down and gave satoru a quick kiss on the lips, to which he immediately covered his lips. “what?”
“i’m sick! you can’t just kiss me! what if you get sick too?” satoru’s voice is muffled behind his hands. “i don’t want you to get sick too.”
you smiled. “i won’t. trust me. now you go back to sleep and you’ll feel better in the morning because my porridge has magical healing powers.”
satoru laughs and closes his eyes, quickly falling back to sleep.
(the next day, you were woken up by a scratchy throat and blocked nose — to which satoru was delighted because he can finally take care of you).
Tumblr media
4K notes · View notes
deadsetobsessions · 3 months
Text
Danny Fenton is so damn sick of rich fruit loops. It’s worse now, since he’s one of them.
It’s not Vlad that he’s with, thank the Ancients, but Danny isn’t sure that this is better.
Because he’s Timothy Drake, a baby, and he’s been reincarnated after the Ancient of Reincarnation accidentally drank too much wine.
He’s going to kick their ass so hard when he gets back.
Danny huffs. He rolls over, ignoring the silent manor. Sure, he’s read the comics. Sure, he laughed and imagined being adopted by Batman- come on, Danny had black hair and blue eyes even back then, he was totally adoption bait- when his parents gave him reason to lose trust in their love. But that’s it, that’s all he thought it was. A day dream, a wish for a universe that didn’t exist.
Danny hadn’t understood the reality of the whole Infinite Realms thing, a place he was now the King of. Batman? Real. Danny? Reincarnated. Hotel? Trivago.
Like, this wasn’t what he meant, dammit.
And now he’s stuck as Timothy Drake, and Ancients, he was starting to see parallels.
——
Danny tried photography. He really did. He wanted to at least stick to the source material. But that’s not who he is. Even with the shiny new brain that memorized, catalogued, and put together clues at the snap of his fingers, but Danny’s never been one to take photos. It’s a respectable art, for sure, but Danny preferred to live in the moment instead of capturing it to remember forever. It’s just-
He watched the Graysons fall. He watched Dick Grayson turn into Robin. And Danny can’t and won’t ever betray his Obsession like that, ever again. He can’t let Jason die for his “story” to begin. That’s not how Danny works.
He’s there to protect.
Danny hasn’t ever been just Tim. Danny was also Tim and the Ghost King without a haunt. But now? Gotham is his haunt. He, in lieu of an actual city spirit, is Gotham. He’s also a Drake. And Drakes were meant to hoard.
Batman and Robin? They are his.
He claimed them, as a Drake. But that claim is weak. So he claimed them as their city, and that is a claim that will never be able to be challenged.
Danny’ll be damned before he allows some lanky starved clown beat the life out of one of his Robins. So, for the first time in his nine years on this planet, Tim-Danny goes ghost and flies.
“Who- who. Are you?” Robin slurred from his place in Danny’s hold. He is broken, yes. But not dead. Danny infuses some of his vitality, his ecto, into Jason’s injuries to help them heal.
“Gotham.” Danny replied, layering his ghostly voice with those of the city.
“Goth’m?”
“Gotham. Sleep, little bird. Your city has got you.”
When Robin, Jason, settled with a sense of trust that tugs at Danny’s core, Danny carried him to Batman, whose eyes were wild and manic. He glared menacingly at the green and white ghost in front of him, who was holding his broken and beaten son-
Well, it’d be menacing if Danny hadn’t watched him eat bricks and mortar, crashing into a building while using his grappling gun.
“You-”
“I am Gotham.” Danny cut him off. Despite his wary nature and natural paranoia, Batman settled at his city’s gaze rested on him. Danny knew that Batman recognized his city. Batman’s head bowed, but his eyes stayed on Robin. “You were supposed to take care of Robin.”
“I- I know.” And that voice was all Bruce Wayne the Dad instead of Batman the Vigilante. Danny gently placed Robin in Batman’s arms, taking in the tremors as he held his son close.
“Go back, Bruce. And make sure Jason knows how much you love him.”
He laughed as Bruce whipped his head upwards. “I am your city. You are mine as much as I am yours. I’ve known of you before you were born.”
Technically? Not untrue. But Bruce will chalk it up to weird magic shit. It’s not like it’s a secret that Gotham’s kind of curse. Besides, this way, Danny will be able to help out more often. And Bruce won’t be able to connect Tim Drake to the “Spirit of Gotham.”
“Return, my knight. This is not your city. I can not protect you as well as I can in Gotham.”
“Thank you… Gotham.”
Danny sighed. He wondered when he’ll have to field questions from a John Constantine. He’s pretty sure Bruce will call in magical help, even if it was his own city he was investigating.
Batman’s lucky Danny liked him enough to allow it.
4K notes · View notes
ambrosiagourmet · 2 months
Text
I love Izutsumi. She's got a great design, she's a fun addition to the main party, she adds some new tension, and she's honestly one of the reasons I read dungeon meshi in the first place. I mean, "the most cat to ever girl" is an extremely appealing hook to anyone who loves cats and girls (me, I love cats and girls).
However, while I have always liked Izutsumi, I finished the story kind of feeling like I didn't really get her. I felt like I had a decent grasp on her character an character arc (she's a traumatized teen given space to feel safe and open up, and because of that she realizes that she can't grow without letting go of the coping mechanisms she once needed). But I didn't feel like I really understood her role in the story as a whole.
She follows the group of her own accord, after a coincidental meeting and a misunderstanding of what they can do for her. She's never super invested in saving Falin, at least not compared to the rest of the group. Though they do help her escape Maizuru's shackles, and are clearly good for her in general, she doesn't really have a healing Moment with the group the way that Senshi does with the hippogriff soup.
And yet, she gets an entire chapter, the third-to-last chapter, dedicated to exploring her growth and future. She's the one who frames much of the falling action, who lets us check in with everyone. She's the one who helps talk Laios into accepting his role as king. She may join the story part way through, but she is there for most of it. So Izutsumi! What's your deal!?
Well, I think I've come up with an answer, at least for myself, that I really like. Two of them, even! Though they both really work together to form the overall point - Izutsumi is the character that most helps the story face towards the future. Here's why I think that.
So the first of these "ah-ha" moments was when I realized that Izutsumi really is the best supporting evidence for Laios' point about the good things that wouldn't have happened if Falin hadn't died.
Tumblr media
If Falin hadn't been eaten by the dragon, Izutsumi probably would still be a slave. It was because of Shuro and Laios' parties both being in the dungeon to rescue Falin, as well as Marcille's use of ancient magic in the resurrection, that she got the chance to escape. None of that would have been the case if Falin hadn't died. Shuro wouldn't have separated from the group and joined up with his retainers, Marcille wouldn't have revealed her knowledge of ancient magic, and Izutsumi never would have even met any of them. They are only part of her life because of Falin's death.
Though this isn't explicitly pointed out by Laios or Izutsumi in the scene, I do think you can very much feel the presence of it. For one, when Marcille reflects on the journey and how much it made her realize she didn't want to lose everyone, her relationship with Izutsumi is prominent:
Tumblr media
It's the main original group at the top and center, but when you read it right to left, it’s Izutsumi and Marcille who might catch your eye first. And it's specifically Marcille and Izutsumi's relationship on display here, not just Izutsumi's presence in the group in general.
Also, after Laios' statement about how none of their adventure would have happened without Falin dying, it is Izutsumi who gets the final word:
Tumblr media
Izutsumi is also the one here who is the most forward-facing. Chilchuck is trying to correct Laios, Senshi is focused on the immediate future, and Izutsumi is talking about her new goal.
And I want to talk about that goal in general as well, because it’s also interesting how it comes up. In that moment, everyone is trying to remind Marcille of her less destructive desires - to eat food, to share it with them, and to meet Chilchuck's family. All of which are previously established, existing desires. When prompted by Chilchuck to join in, however, Izutsumi offers something new:
Tumblr media
That's interesting, isn't it? It's kind of funny, of course, to see her rambling on about a completely new thing, her own personal motive, in the middle of everyone working together to reach out to Marcille. Izutsumi doesn't even know who Yaad is! But at the same time, it’s kind of meaningful. Amidst the focus on desires that everyone already had, she adds a completely new one to the mix. It’s even the final bridge that lets Laios reach Marcille.
It is, in fact, even an idea that comes back later to help out another lord of the dungeon. The idea of finding new goals and feeling new desires... this is exactly how Kabru reaches out to Mithrun, after the Winged Lion is gone
Tumblr media
So yeah, Izutsumi's presence here, both in what she's actively choosing to say as well as what she represents of the consequences of Falin's death, supports the story's ideas of moving forward. Of accepting the past, and finding new reasons to live.
Which is all really good, and that alone works pretty well as an answer to what Izutsumi's role in the story is.
But oh, oh. There's more. Something I realized after having thought of all this, because I still couldn't let go of the feeling that there was still something I was missing.
And as I reviewed the things I loved about Izutsumi - her sometimes unhealthy ways of coping with trauma, her struggles with isolation, her skill with fighting, her selfishness contrasted with the ways she grows to care for and protect the group, her perpetually guarded nature, born from the seeming impossibility of ever fitting in or finding a safe place to just be herself - I realized something.
Izutsumi...
is a foil to Falin.
Where Falin copes with isolation and trauma by being eternally caring and struggling to say no to people, Izutsumi copes by constantly saying no to everything she can. Falin is often considered selfless, but does have selfish desires that she can’t easily express until a moment of crisis. Izutsumi is delightfully selfish, but chooses to stick by her friends when they need her. They are both transformed, against their will, into partly monstrous hybrids, and they both will have to live with that - there is no undoing what has been done to them.
Falin anchors the group in the past. Izutsumi pulls them towards the future. Neither would find freedom without the other - it is Falin's death that leads to Izutsumi joining the party, and likewise, it is Izutsumi who inspires the realization of how they can save Falin.
Tumblr media
And Falin is her future, as much as Izutsumi is Falin's. Both learn to be a little more like each other, even though they never meet. Falin gets a little more selfish. Izutsumi gets a little more willing to bend.
In this context, I feel like I have finally started to understand just how important Izutsumi is to the story. She is a proof that they cannot just go back, and she is a clawed, happy-to-scratch-anyone-who-pisses-her-off reminder, at that. In any conversation about what the group wishes would have happened with Falin, she cannot be ignored or brushed aside.
She is a reminder that, even in the midst of a tragedy so big it feels like a shadow you will never escape, you have yet to met all the people you will love. Hell, some of those people might even be catgirls. We should all be so lucky.
2K notes · View notes