Omega Dennis who at the end stage of his pregnancy, starts to Nest.
Nesting, when it comes to City perceptions is seen as well, backwards. A relic of a bygone era and something that could be done safely after the pup or pups arrive, not before. If it is done, it's with both parents deciding and it's more, keep the house tidy, learn how to cope with the baby, than what it used to be. It's better this way, everyone knows a story of someone who knew someone where traditional nesting has ended badly.
Nesting, to more rural communities, even different countries or different cultures, is still prominent, traditional, mostly accepted, expected and celebrated. The few weeks or days before the birth with the omega staying in the nest, a nest. Not a bedroom. But a cozy warm nest filled with safe pack scents to welcome the pack pups into. Not concerning themselves with the outside world.
The idea of being so in touch with your instincts, mate and pack that no words are needed. All signs of a good mother, omega and healthy pups according to traditionalists.
In the modern world however, lack of time, space and even lack of mate bonds and pack bonds put Nesting out of fashion - especially as medical support became more needed over the decades. Every so often the news will have a sad story of lost pup or poorly omega blamed solely on traditional nesting and how even omegas, known for easy births, can have things go so wrong if they're so far gone they won't accept medical help.
At the start of the pregnancy, when their pup was still more of an idea to the both of them, Dennis once commented that unlike his brothers, he was premature enough that his mother couldn't/didn't nest. Too much farm work to be done, that she casually said how Dennis was the surprise child, not even expected to live so what would be the point in having a Nest with the pup. To Robby it sounded like his mother in law had some serious post natal depression that was never treated. Given his own parental issues it seemed unfair to bring this up with Dennis so he just moved the conversation on.
Robby would later wonder if this is where the need for Nesting came from and if it was as impulsive and instinctual as seemed.
Dennis gave Robby a hell of a shock when Robby returned home after day shift only to find Dennis has transformed the bedroom into a giant nest. All the furniture has been removed and the bed has been replaced with a circular floor bed with just enough room for a crib attachment and a changing table with small drawers at the corner of the room.
Robby at first doesn't know what to do so staying by the door seems like the safest solution. He's wracking his brain trying to remember any conversation with Dennis that would have indicated this would be a thing.
Dennis is barely visible, comfy in the nest, clearly intent on going nowhere but when Robby takes a step into the room, his mate growls at him.
Well shit.
Robby moves back and fires off a text to Jack. Eyes never leaving the nest. Logically he knows not to be hurt but that alpha hindbrain can't help but chafe at the idea his very vulnerable mate doesn't want him around.
Text to Abbot
Dennis is nesting. Actually full on nesting, he growled at me. What do I do.
Delivered 18:50
It's about 15 minutes later when the door goes.
Dennis lifts his head above the nest in response and blinks slowly, head tilted, waiting. Robby is prepared to do something. Horror stories of feral omegas and tales of violence in the name of protection flying through his mind.
"Jack", Robby calls down the stairs to the movement.
"No, Trinity, Abbot is on tonight, what's wrong"
The beta looks, more like a stereotypical alpha when she demands an answer from Robby and her mood doesn't improve when Robby helplessly shrugs and gestures to the transformed bedroom.
As Trinity slowly approaches the nest, Dennis startles when Robbys phone rings. Trinity quickly coos and attempts to sooth him back into his original position.
Robby can hear her asking Dennis, how her niece is doing as he answers the phone to Abbots brisk voice.
"He is 38 weeks, is he in labour?"
"I don't think so, he seems settled." It's partly true, Dennis whilst now non verbal still shows signs of recognition, it's not reached a danger point yet. Robbys skepticism is apparent as Jack takes the time to think over a plan.
Trinity meanwhile has been bodily moved further into the nest and while Robby would be amused at this on any other day, jealousy then shame are the prominent emotions.
He takes a step towards the room only to be met with another growl. Trinity's eyes widen as she hears a sound she's never heard from her best friend.
Dennis looks at her incomprehensibly and shoves her right back down to the nest.
Jack lets out a low, "Okay." Clearly having heard the noise.
"Santos, can you check." -
"He's fine", she replies and as if to affirm how fine he is, Robby can hear Dennis purring.
There's a pause and she says, "He's lying on top of me. Another pause and then, "I do have a shift tomorrow morning."
"No you don't" Robby states as Dennis growls low and soft clearly displeased at the idea of Trinity going anywhere.
Jacks voice comes through the phone, "Okay so it's not the most ideal but he's medically fine for now. Go shower and try to calm down, you panicking has likely made him on edge, he's not communicating typically but maybe once you relax, he'll let you near."
Robby sighs at that, the last thing he ever wanted was his mate to be upset because of him. Especially in the last weeks of pregnancy, everyone knows omegas become more sensitive to everything and everyone during this time.
As he moves to step away from the bedroom doorway he's confused to hear another growl from the room. Trinitys voice is muffled from inside the nest but he can hear her ask Dennis if his mate can come inside once he's showered and changed from the hospital. There's a pause and then a high pitched chirp in response and Robby feels some tension finally release. Dennis still wants him.
Jacks voice comes over the phone assuring him that he will be round tomorrow morning and that he'll get someone to cover Trinity's shift. How between them, they can help Dennis nest and keep the nesting period safe for mom and pups.
reader is not specified as yuu/mc, gn reader, not established relationship
hopefully its still valentines somewhere lol
The day had been... interesting, for sure.
Rumors were spreading like wildfire throughout NRC only moments after the first valentines day confession had been delivered. And it only got worse as more and more stories of confessions were told in between, and during, classes.
You even heard some of the students talking about teachers gossiping about various gifts given in front of them, or left on their students desks, while eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Although they did not want to participate during class and were as strict as usual, to the disappointment of many young mages.
Safe to say valentines day had been all over the place, and much too overwhelming. So after you had finally finished your classes along with your club activities, you just wanted to collapse onto a comfy bed.
But as you stepped into your dorm room, an unusual addition to it laid upon your bedside table.
A small but delicate bouquet of red roses, a light pink heart-shaped box with a much too fancy bow and ribbon, along with a neatly folded letter.
You had no clue who it could realistically be from...
Or maybe you were truly too tired to think of anyone.
Either way, you picked up the box of what you perceived to be chocolates. And as you opened it you were proven correct, the sweet scent of delectable chocolates were nicely arranged in its own little heart.
It was a nice gift, although it isn't quite original, the classics are always a go to for a reason
However, you were much more nervous about opening the letter, not knowing what it'll contain...
Yet you opened it anyway.
"Dear [name] -
If you know who I am does not matter as I wish you a very happy valentines day.
You are truly a blessing to my life, and you have filled it with much more colour than you will ever realize.
So thank you for giving me an opportunity to be as close as we are now, even if you do not reciprocate my feelings for you.
I hope for your ever lasting happiness, truly.
I love you, take care.
- A Secret"
Who would you want it to be? It may just be from them...
And maybe you'll find out if you confront them, hm?
system wardrobe malfunctions and small scenario pushers: exteme edition au
after his qi deviation, shen qingqiu starts working on slowly building up relations with his fellow peak lords and disciples; saving liu qingge in the caves, spoiling luo binghe rotten, freely praising his students, inviting the sect leader over for tea, he's a whole new person!
and yet... his friendliness levels aren't going up.
he knows it's a bit icky to judge his relations with other people based on numbers an alien entity is giving him, but he needs them to survive, and he swears that once he's above a certain threshold (somewhere between "civil" and "friendly", he figures), he will mute every and all notifications regarding it.
but they're just not going up. since his deviation he's at least managed to claw his way from "hostile" to "tolerant" with most of them, but some are somehow still stuck in the "aloof" section! they wouldn't even care if he died!
he just doesn't know what he's doing wrong; he understands these things take time, but it feels so bad when people refuse to sit next to him or sigh when they're assigned a mission with him, especially since it's not his fault.
now, it so happens that, one day, the system hears his woes and takes pity on him.
【 user seems to experience difficulty increasing character favor levels 】
you could say that
【 would host like to utilize our special deluxe package to activate 'The Path of Blossoming Hearts and Unspoken Affections' free of charge? ₊˚⊹♡ 】
though shen qingqiu isn't trustful of the system's antics, he can't deny that so far they have helped him well enough, and since it's free of charge with no penalties, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it? the title is a bit dubious, but was the original shen qingqiu not known for his frozen heart? for never sparing a single nice word to anyone? this could be his chance to let it blossom without the system nagging on his characterization.
【 accept optional mission? [yes]/[no] 】
he picks [yes].
two weeks later, he wishes he hadn't.
the package is devided into small scenarios that mostly appear at random, ranging from small dialogue challenges where he has to pick the right option (he really doesn't like those, the dehumanization of it makes his skin crawl), to the equivalent of two rivals getting locked in a room together.
the first few scenarios are minor and not very impactful, to the point where he's finished three of them and his favor count with qi qingqi has increased a whopping +2 (still "aloof") and that of wei qingwei +5 (still "tolerant").
his fourth scenario, however, reminds him of exactly why he should never accept gifts from strange screens floating in the sky.
he's on a nighthunt with liu qingge to slay a mirebeast that's been terrorizing travelers—an amphibious creature with thick, slimy skin, a crocodile tail and a leech-like mouth that shoots mucus when threatened... and shooting mucus it did.
while his clothes can easily be cleaned with a cleaning talisman, he never feels truly clean himself unless he actually bathes. luckily, there's a beautiful, glass-like pond nearby that's surrounded by natural demonic-repellent vegetation, a win! he's just draped his clothes over a nearby branch and submerged himself in the water, when the system rings out.
【 heads up! small scenario "Stolen Silks and Sunlit Waters" is about to begin! penalty: none. wishing user good luck (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) 】
hold up—stolen what.
stolen silks. his silks. stolen by a mossy-jade stag that happens to scratch its huge antles on the exact tree he hung his clothes on, which rattles the branch and causes his robes to fall exactly onto its head, spooking it into a gallop as it disappears into the forest.
how. how does that even happen.
shen qingqiu is just about to get out of the water when of course liu qingge chooses that exact moment to stomp into the glade looking for him, even though he should have been miles away to the village to ensure the people the beast is dead.
for anyone looking in from the outside, it's not a bad picture: shen qingqiu, with his hair pulled up and away from his slender neck, submerged to his (very bare!) pale shoulders in golden sunlit waters, surrounded by lotus flowers and lily pads. to liu qingge, this must be a terrible view, apparently—shen qingqiu can think of no other reason that would cause his face to flush so bright red.
liu qingge tosses his outer robe on the grass between them and turns resolutely around. it's only a bit insulting—is shen qingqiu not pretty enough to try and sneak a look at? even just a glimpse? meanwhile liu qingge is trying really hard to mentally recite the ethics sutra to not fixate on the sound of shen qingqiu getting out of the water (naked!!) or the rustle of fabrics as he wraps liu qingge's robe around his (naked!!!!) body. when liu qingge turns around he flushes an even darker shade as he sees shen qingqiu's bare legs and feet sticking out from under the robes.
"thanking shidi," says shen qingqiu, who notices none of this, as he pulls the robe a little closer around him, "for coming to this one's untimely rescue."
liu qingge grunts, turns, and walks away.
【 congratulations! liu qingge's favor increased. character satisfaction points +50. please continue to work hard! 】
shut up
【 ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა 】
they return to the sect victorious, but very embarrassed. the mirebeast gets all the blame. where his clothes are? well—uh, gone. the mucus dissolved them. yes he knows that's not how mucus works but it did this time okay?!!
yue qingyuan acts a bit strange seeing shen qingqiu wearing liu qingge's outer robes. he almost qi deviates when he finds out his shidi is wearing absolutely nothing under it. it's all very dramatic. apparently the sect is made up of people who shower with their clothes on or something.
【 ⁺‧₊˚bonus scenario!!˚₊‧⁺˖ interactive dialog quest: pick the best suited options to win additional favor points! 】
i don't like where this is going
"shidi?" yue qingyuan asks, looking at him with those big worried puppy eyes.
【 choice A: (demure) this shidi is cold. will you not invite me in at least?
choice B: what are you looking at?! mind your own business stupid old man!
choice C: i'm in love with liu qingge 】
WHAT
if he was drinking tea he would have spat it out, and then coughed himself to death. what the hell kind of options are these!!
【 system has based these options on what will earn (or lose!) user the most points. please pick one. 】
[ admin notes: option A will earn +60 points. option B will neither increase nor decrease points. option C will decrease -100 satisfaction points and increase +200 heartbreak points ]
shen qingqiu silently curses the system. option B is way out of line, even for the original shen qingqiu, who probably would insult yue qingyuan, but not with so little class. he doesn't even consider option C an actual option. and, well, he is cold. and wet. and almost naked. he would like a warm bath and some clothes. A it is then.
he doesn't like the way yue qingyuan's face light up when he grits out the dialog.
【 congratulations! yue qingyuan's favor increased. character satisfaction points +60! keep up the good work! 】
he can't keep doing this much longer.
unfortunately, he does have to keep doing this for much longer.
he's just about to go to bed when someone knocks on the door. luo binghe is already sleeping so he goes himself. just as he's about to open the door the system rings out—but it's too late.
shen yuan is used to wearing old tshirts to bed and no pants (he hates the feeling of his legs being restricted while he sleeps), so he doesn't really care when the only equivalent of this in pidw is a silk nightgown. his mother wore them, his sister wore them. hell, one of his brothers once bought one for fun and ended up using it for months. it's florally embroidered with puffy sleeves and reaches to his knees, that's decent enough, right?
【 heads up! small scenario "Dreamy Encounters at Dusk" is about to begin! good luck! 】
he has no idea what that's supposed to mean and he doesn't care. he opens the door, and it's mu qingfang. not... that unusual, but still.
"can this master help you?"
it takes mu qingfang a moment to remember what he's here for, it seems, because he stares at shen qingqiu for a good few seconds before raising an eyebrow like he's caught him doing something wrong.
"does shen-shixiong always answer the door like this?"
shen qingqiu glares back. "only when unsolicited guests come stumbling around my porch in the middle of the night."
"fair enough."
apparently he's here on behalf of yue qingyuan, who had asked him to do a post mission check up as soon as he was available, which is now. which yue qingyuan had apparently forgotten to relay to shen qingqiu himself. awesome.
he invites mu qingfang in (he can hardly close the door on him, it's late for him too!), and sits through the usual poking and prodding.
the system is prodding, too.
【 would user like some advice on how to maximize point earning? 】
no
【 ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) system is only trying to help!! 】
i really don't need your help with this, thanks. i can keep a conversation on my own.
【 optional system booster: not mandatory. user may choose to decline this quest.
option 1: this one appreciates your care. the hardship is... unexpected. (look away shyly). i find it difficult to accept help sometimes, even when i need it.
option 2: i'm in love with you.
option 3: stand up and pretend to faint into his arms 】
shen qingqiu is about to spit blood—what the HELL is this!!! why do all your options make you look bipolar HUH??? and what's this about professing my love to people?!! why is that always an option??! this isn't a dating simulator, stupid system, they'll think i'm crazy!
【 all these options result in an increase of character satisfaction points (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) 】
HOW
【 (ó﹏ò｡) user seems misinformed about character preferences. [mu qingfang] likes to take care of people! 】
... i decline the quest. booster. whatever. i'll figure it out myself. and stop talking about him like he's some one dimensional character!
they hear stumbling coming from the little side room, then the creaking of floorboards. binghe peeks through the door, hair sleep-ruffled and his robes pulled on over his sleeping clothes.
"shizun?" he asks, worried, "what's wrong? why is mu-shishu here?"
【 ⁺‧₊˚bonus scenario!!˚₊‧⁺˖ interactive dialog quest: pick the best suited options to win additional favor points! 】
oh god, not again.
【 option A: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. go back to sleep.
option B: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. (invite him to sit next to you during the examination)
option C: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. mu-shidi is just keeping me company tonight. 】
huh. so you can give meaningful options that i would actually consider picking?
【 ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ 】
[admin notes: option A will decrease -100 points for luo binghe. option B will increase +20 points for luo binghe. option C will decrease -300 points for luo binghe, and increase +20 points for mu qingfang. option A & C increase luo binghe jealousy levels with 400 points].
"Good morning, my lovelies, rise and shine on this beautiful day"
Almost every day you start your little podcast with a variation of these words and imagine your regulars feeling the love. Even when you don't know who is behind the usernames because you keep a professional distance to your small audience, you like to imagine they could be friends. At least some of them. But you had set some rules for yourself when you started this. It was an experiment, you just wanted to talk about things, but not necessarily with someone, just... getting your thoughts out. And because you were curious, you made it public. And now you had a few hundred followers and around 30 regulars who listened to your morning rambles, commented, supported you. The occasional creep of course, but your little community never let it slide.
"And as usual, thank you for all your comments and questions, you know I won't answer anything too personal, but if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life... I really don't know but it would have potatoes in it. Oh, and Skulldaddy, please give me more of these terrible jokes, you made my day. I am afraid people on the train thought I've lost it, but that was totally worth it, I regret nothing. I gotta run now. Next month this podcast thing will be one year old, let me know your ideas for a little celebration. Nothing personal, you know the rules. Stay safe, my lovelies, talk to you soon."
You want to say you don't have favourites, but you hope for a terrible dad joke before lunch. Skulldaddy had been a regular almost from day one, although he sometimes vanished for weeks, he always came back, listened to every missed episode. His comments were thoughtful, sweet, hilarious and sometimes you wished you could actually talk to him. There was no harm in fantasizing about it, right? You would never meet. So what if you imagined him as a biker gang type of man, built like a bear. And what if you imagined him falling for your mind and body. No harm done, right?
Maybe... maybe you should open your dms again. just in case... nobody had to know.
You think about it for a few days and then just change your settings on a whim, right before falling asleep. Not even noticing the little '1' almost immediately.
Another thing you don't know is that Ghost forces himself to turn off the program he uses to access your camera and goes for a run. He doesn't delete his message, though. He knows he should. The timing is too perfect, but he couldn't resist when he saw the changed settings. Sometimes he wishes he had never followed that curiosity. That he didn't know that the voice he listens to whenever he can, belongs to someone right out of his dreams. Your body all soft and round, he wanted to grab you and hold you and worship you. He had told himself that he just wanted to make sure that you were no threat. Because for some reason, your voice reached a part of him he thought he had lost. Something soft and warm. Your voice was like a beacon after each mission, listening to your morning rambles was like coming home. And you were so clever, making sure not to reveal your name, location, anything that would help someone find you. Unless someone with special training and resources really wanted to find you. He knows it's stupid, but he is proud of you. Not your fault he stumbled upon you. And it's better this way. Knowing you are safe and sound, no target on your back and no worries if he comes back every time he is on a mission.
All of his reasoning goes out the window when he grabs his phone and sees the notification.
Skulldaddy: Hey, just letting you know your dms are open, in case you didn't mean to.
Morning Mumbles: Hey, thanks for letting me know. I was thinking, maybe I could try it. As long as everybody behaves. Maybe I even grant a wish, since you were the first and so polite.
He doesn't even hesitate when he opens the program, needing to see you. Fuck, you are gorgeous, stretched out on your bed, your body curves like the green hills of England.
Skulldaddy: Easy, luv. That is a tempting offer you make. Don't want to be greedy, listening to your voice is a gift already.
You giggle. You smile. You type.
Morning Mumbles: A true gentleman! Maybe you are right, but still, I wonder. If you could, what would you wish for? One thing.
Skulldaddy: Hard to decide. Especially now that you think I am a gentleman. Can't tell you my wishes now. Don't want you to think less of me. So as a true gentleman, to protect your virtue, there is only one thing I could think of: a call. No video, no phone numbers, just talking. But no worries, I can take a no.
Ghost watches you, as you read, close your eyes and press the phone to your heart. Almost feels guilty to see you like this without you knowing. He is a greedy bastard, and he knows he is crossing a line here. Not sure if he will regret it some day. But he will take what he can get.
Polytrix fanfic idea: Rumi gets hurt on a demon hunt post cannon and the situation escalates from there. No serious injuries (we are all used to her losing buckets of blood in h/c stories so this will be pretty tame by those standards), she just gets a little banged up. So she is sporting a black eye and maybe a dislocated shoulder or something, but she is fine and recovering.
The problem is that Huntrix is in the middle of comeback season and they have public appearances scheduled multiple times a week for the foreseeable future and Rumi cannot look like she went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson and lost. So the next morning they call up Bobby and tell him that they need to keep Rumi away from fans and especially cameras for at least a week (or idk how long it would take since she is double buffed in healing by being a hunter and a demon). And Bobby obviously has so many questions about why that's necessary, to which Rumi simply turns on the video on the call and his face just drops bc he loves these girls to death but they do seem hellbent on giving him a hearth attack. When he asks what happened Rumi tells him she ran into a door or something equally stupid and he just sighs (he is used to weird activity from them but he hates seeing them hurt) and tells her that he will handle it and tell everybody that she is sick and won't be able to attend the press conference they have that night, but she needs to lay low and come up with a better lie.
Rumi still makes Zoey and Mira go since in her mind there is no reason for all of them to be out of commission just because her face is a little messed up. They reluctantly go and keep up the lie that she has food poisoning or something. To everyone's relief the fanbase has seemingly fallen for it. And why wouldn't they? Like obviously The Ryu Rumi does not get sick, but even her overachieving ass can get a few days off once in a blue moon, she is human after all (little did they know).
However, we are all aware of her workaholic tendencies so it would be absurd to expect that everything goes in accordance to plan and she just chills for like a week. So obviously in about 3-4 days she is basically climbing the walls and begging her girls to let her go out and do something. Mira, being Lovergirl 3000, obviously caves first and agrees to a walk around the block to get some boba or something since she is honestly impressed how much time it took for Rumi to start going stir crazy.
It should have been simple, they put a hoodie on Rumi to hide her stupid ass braid and they both wear masks to cover the lower halves of their faces. Rumi's black eye is still very clearly visible and so is the sling on her arm but there isn't much they do about it, and besides it's super early in the morning so there won't be any people out anyways.
It takes about an hour for it to all go spectacularly wrong. Rumi trips over nothing and Mira's arm immediately reaches out to grab Rumi's elbow to steady her (she was walking on her non-injured side). The sudden movement jolt her injured arm and she winces slightly before thanking Mira for stopping her from eating shit. Of course they had to be unlucky enough for a paparazzo to snap a picture of them in that exact moment.
And within minutes the internet is blowing up and analysing this photo which presumably shows a beaten up Rumi being gripped tightly by Mira while her face is twisted in pain. You get how it looks.
Everybody understands real fast that they are in deep shit since: a) now everybody knows they lied about the being sick excuse, b) they have no way to explain those injuries, c) Mira has quite an intense stage persona going on and is known to be quite temperamental. Allegations of domestic abuse are being thrown around left and right and the fandom is spiraling into conspiracy theories and analysing every minor scrap of footage showing Mira being aggressive or Rumi seemingly hiding an injury (turns out demon hunting and refusing to accept help will lead to quite a few instances of that).
And if all of this wasn't enough angst for you please take into consideration how poor Mira must be feeling about all of this. This is a girl who canonically calls herself short-fused and highly aggressive but who is very emotionally intelligent and so so loving to her girls. Being accused of being the one thing she swore she would never be, of being just like her family is eating her alive and she did nothing wrong.
Bonus points for Rumi trying to deny the whole situation and clear Mira's name but only making it worse since she has no evidence and her vague story of a "training accident" makes just about zero sense. And also for the fanbase bombarding the chat of Zoey's stream with questions and accusations: are you hurting Rumi too? Why is she always hurt and you aren't? Is she staying to protect you? Where is Rumi now? Is she with Mira? Did you leave Rumi alone with Mira so you can play Overwatch?
And Mira is so so mad at the world for this situation. Because not only is she being falsely accused of literally beating her girlfriend (who could pummel her if she wanted to btw), but also why are people so focused on this imaginary situation when there are so many people in real danger and this is just taking resources and credibility away from them? Where was this public outrage when she was a little girl scared of her father's anger who went to bed hungry and covered in bruises almost every night because she was a problem child who need to be put in her place. Why was there no one to protect her when she need it?!
(So, I've seen a lot of prompts that have Danny go to Gotham and be a teacher but I don't remember seeing any with it in this direction, so on the chance that this is an original idea here we go!)
Jason was given a choice, or multiple choices. Babysit the Replacement on a mission that could last a week, go to Bludhaven and have some 'brother bonding time' with Dick who needed backup on a big case, or take a temp solo-gig in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere called Amity Park.
Well, considering he was still a bit hurt about the fact that B replaced him all those years ago and the pit loved to grab hold of that bit of frustrations towards his younger brother, that didn't seem like a smart idea. Dick wasn't an option either because he knew that would lead to 'talking about feelings' and other shit that he didn't want to do.
So he took the solo-gig.
It was supposed to be easy, at least that's what had been implied by the others he'd spoken to about the case. It seemed like most of the Justice League thought this situation was being 'exaggerated' because most of the time when somebody checked out what was going on there was nothing happening. No big take over, or kidnapping, or 'end of the world' situation, but there had been too many calls to put Bruce's mind at ease. The frequent calls mixed with the fact that the Government apparently had the area under a 'black out' made Bruce even more nervous.
Hell, if it hadn't been for the fact that Bruce was famous and that Scarecrow, Penguin and Riddler had all escaped from Arkham he would have been doing the case himself.
Which is how Jason ended up in a restraunt named 'Nasty Burger' looking at the news papers he had managed to get from a stand down the street while taking notes of things he had already seen. It wasn't just that the Government had cut them off, all of the tech in the city was easily 20 years outdated compared to the rest of the world.
Nokia phones, chunky computers, hell he'd even seen a kid with a PDA of all things. Thankfully, it looked like his tech still worked other than running slower than it should have, but thanks to modifications made by Barbara and Tim things were running better than he expected. But, they did struggle to have access to anything, specifically the news.
Hence the paper.
Ghost Boy: Friend or Fiend.
A new vote cast by the city has found that the Ghost Boy - Danny Phantom - has had an astounding rise in support after the events over the Christmas Holiday.
The new polls suggest that 43% of Citizens support Danny Phantom, with the majority of his support coming from the students at Casper High who insist that Phantom is a hero who has saved them countless times over the past few months. 49% of people still agree, however, that Phantom appears to be at the center of the majority of the attacks with many still claiming that he is the sole cause of the attacks. However, 8% of the population remain undecided, including many teachers, police and hospital staff.
Upon seeing the new results of the pole Mayor Montez had this to say; "While I will admit that Phantom appears to favor the younger generation and frequently seems to come to their aid, we cannot forget what it has done in the past. Taken hostages, injured innocents, and caused millions in property damage. Phantom may not be a 'villain' in the typical sense of the word, but we shouldn't blindly trust him just because of a few good deeds."
So there was a... hero? Half hero - potentially villain - in Amity Park? That might have explained some of the calls they'd gotten from Amity park over the past few months. Still, he was concerned by some parts of the report.
Students at a high school were frequently coming under attack? So much that this potential-villain kept saving them? Just what was the cause? What could cause so many issues?
Jason looked up as he saw that same PDA kid talking with a girl with short black hair in a half-ponytail who was wearing a black crop-top. The girl seemed annoyed while the boy seemed worried about something.
"But it's Vlad, Sam... what if he does something?" He heard the boy whisper, "We should go back him up..."
"He doesn't need our help, besides Jazz ran away from home, remember? She got herself into this mess it's her problem to get out of it. Something that Danny should have learned a long time ago."
Jason frowned, pretending not to hear them as he hesitated then got up and walked over to the two younger teens. "Hey, excuse me."
The girl looked annoyed and suspicious while the boy looked confused.
"Uh, yeah?" Tucker asked.
"Hey, sorry to bug you both. But could you guys tell me about this... 'Danny Phantom' person?" He asked, holding the newspaper out.
The girl looked even more suspicious, "And... who are you?"
"And how haven't you heard of Phantom?" Asked the boy.
"I just moved to town." Jason admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, I'm just trying to catch up on all the town drama."
"You moved to Amity Park... willingly? Psh, what do you have, a deathwish?" The girl grumbled.
"Come on, I just moved from Gotham, which is worse?"
The girl blinked as the boy laughed.
"Furries vs Ghosts, who will win~" He said as the girl elbowed him. "Ow! What?!"
"Danny Phantom is a hero." The girl explained, "He showed up in April and has been protecting the town since."
"A hero, huh? Could always use more of those in the world, but the mayor seems to have it out for him."
Tucker sighed, "No kidding, man. Somebody framed Phantom for something really bad and no matter what he does to try to fix it the city just see's that incident as the only thing he's ever done. It was the first big 'public thing' outside of the high school so it was huge but it wasn't his fault."
The girl reached for her phone suddenly, looking at it before she answered. "Hey, Danny. What's up?" She was quiet for a moment, "Yeah, we're at Nasty Burger, wanna join us? Lunch on me?"
A quiet mumble came through the speaker before she smirked.
"I'll order for you then. Double or triple?"
More mumbles.
"Triple it is. See you soon." She said, then hung up. "Come on, Tuck, Danny is on his way for lunch."
"Hell yeah, see you later, dude." The boy said, then jogged off with the girl.
"A teacher? Yeah, it looks like there's some openings but why would you want to have your cover as a teacher?" Oracle asked as Jason sat in his hotel room, looking through the paper again.
"Most of the incidents seem to surround the High School, I want to see what's going on."
Oracle hummed, typing for a moment. "Alright, well as luck will have it, it looks like teachers are sparse at Amity High, at least from what I'm able to get using your connection... which is infuriatingly slow, by the way, are you sure you did it right?"
"I've done it a million times, of course I did it right."
Oracle grumbled, "Stupid Amity black-out. Okay, so you have options. Most of the teachers have fucked off so all of the teachers in Freshmen year switch around to cover lessons or do mixed lessons. For example the English teacher also teaches Math and the normal Math teacher also teaches Science. So it looks like you could have any position you want and the school would just shuffle around the teachers."
"You said English is taken, right?"
"Yep, the teacher is named William Lancer and he- oh... wait, he's on a leave of absence due to injuries he suffered over Christmas Break. Concussion, broken arm, and bruised ribs, he'll be out for a few weeks."
Jason smirked, "Perfect. Sign me up."
". . . Jason, the English and Math teacher... never thought I'd see the day. Alright, I'll type up your application, send it in and casually push it to the front of the line. You'll be official by the time Winter Break ends in a few days. So get studying."
"Sounds like a plan, but I'll be fine, I mean our family is crazy and i deal with criminals on a nightly basis. How hard could this assignment really be?"
He would regret asking that question by the end of his first day as an Amity High School teacher.
Just watched episode 6 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And I had a thought, so…
In a world where Baelor’s injuries might have been less severe, and Dunk’s were, perhaps, just a little more, Dunk and Lyonel still find themselves beneath the old elm tree.
The world is hazy through Dunk’s one good eye. Like a thin film has coated his pupil, turning the sight of the field and stream and the Maester Lyonel had brought pale and murky, just the wrong side of blurry.
Dunk hazily thinks that the press of Lyonel’s shoulder against his own is the most solid thing he could feel. He knows Lyonel’s talking to him, but can’t quite parse the meaning. Only the emotion gets through. Dunk’s fingers flex weakly against Lyonel’s wineskin.
The Maester says something to Lyonel. To Dunk’s thick ears, it sounds urgent. Something about his wounds, Dunk thinks. Something beyond what the Maester can help. Dunk feels only a distant flare of alarm. He’s too tired to panic anymore.
Lyonel responds to the Maester. Harsh, denying. Dunk barely shifts as Lyonel sits up beside him. He sees Lyonel turn towards him. His voice is reassuring, but his face is too twisted for it to be real.
Dunk can’t answer to whatever Lyonel is saying. His thoughts are too slow, his tongue thick and heavy in his mouth. He blinks slowly up at Lyonel. Even now he can’t keep his eyes off him.
Whatever Lyonel sees in Dunk, it cannot be good, Dunk realizes, as Lyonel face twists further. He grabs Dunk’s shoulders, leans closer over him, speaks almost frantically. His eyes are wide as he speaks.
Dunk still can’t understand a word. Feels it getting harder to hear at all. But his eyes stay fixed to Lyonel’s. His eyes are hazel, Dunk muses hazily. In the dark of the tent, he’d thought them a dark, rich brown. But the light of the field turned them almost gold, to match the man’s cloak.
Dunk stared as Lyonel became more frantic, turning to the Maester and yelling something at him, to him, before turning back to Dunk.
Dunk’s eyes never left Lyonel, even as his blinks slowed, as Lyonel started patting his cheek and speaking louder, as Dunk’s vision finally faded to grey, then dark.
Not such a bad last sight to have, Dunk thought, as he slipped away. Not so bad at all.
