#SUCH A WONDERFUL DATE CHAPTER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

petite-phthora · 11 months

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Do you think it was a date?

[DP x DC fic]

[Love at first... murder? - part 5]

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Part 1

Ao3

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In-chat nicknames:

Daniel = Danny

Sharpshooter = Jazz

TooFine= Tucker

Chaos = Sam

TheCoolerDaniel = Danielle/Dani/Ellie

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Private chat nicknames:

Bill = Danny

Pants = Jazz

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As soon as Danny enters his apartment, face bright red, he takes his head into his hands and lets out a silent scream.

He could have said anything, and he panicked and went with Toodealoo Kangaroo???

At this rate, he’ll never get a partner.

As Danny stands there in misery, his phone starts buzzing with messages. Curious, he checks his phone to see what going on.

Uh oh.

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Team Phantom 👻😎

Chaos: Guys check this out

Chaos: *link*

Chaos: The Joker escaped from Arkham again, but no one’s heard anything of him since, nor have they been able to find him

TooFine: @Daniel 👀

TooFine: ok the @ had been a joke but the fact that he has read it and not replied is concerning

Sharpshooter: @Daniel, what did you do?

Sharpshooter: @Daniel

Sharpshooter: I can see that you’re reading this, don’t ignore me.

TooFine: ohhhh someones in troubleee 👀

Sharpshooter: Tucker.

TooFine: 🤐

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Danny takes a deep breath.

Well, it’s now or never. Let’s hope Jazz is feeling merciful.

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Private chat

Bill: ok so you know how you said you would still love me if I was a worm?

Pants: I have no clue how this ties into the previous conversation, but yes. Why?

Bill: hypothetically

Bill: would you also still love me if I

Bill: hypothetically

Bill: accidentally

Bill: vibe checked someone that tried to uh

Bill: hypothetically

Bill: kidnap and or kill me??

Bill: 🥺🥺🙏

Pants: Danny, did you accidentally kill the Joker?

Bill: yes or no Jazz??!? 😩🥺

Pants: Yes, Danny. I would still love you if you, hypothetically, accidentally killed the Joker.

Bill: this is why you’re my favorite sister 🥹🥰😘

Bill: don’t tell Ellie 😳🫣

Pants: Danny, what happened?

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Danny lets out a sigh of relief before proceeding to tell Jazz what happened.

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Pants: Oh Danny.

Bill: are you mad at me?

Pants: I’m not mad at you, I just want you to stay safe.

Pants: While I don’t condone murder, I understand that it was self-defense and an accident. I‘m just glad that you’re alright.

Bill: 🥰💞😘

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With a small smile on his face, Danny goes back to the groupchat.

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Team Phantom 👻😎

Daniel: you know

Daniel: if I had a nickel for every time I’ve had to fight off an insane clown that attacked me 🤡

Daniel: I’d have two nickels

Daniel: which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice, right? 🤔

Chaos: Damnit Danny, we leave you alone in a new city for a week and you already manage to get into a fight with one of Gotham City’s most infamous rogues

TooFine: actually its been 6 days 10 hours and 17 minutes

TooFine: so not even a full week yet

Chaos: Did you at least get a good few punches in?

Chaos: Danny?

TooFine: @Daniel ???

TooFine: if i had a nickel for every time danny said something concerning and then didnt provide context id be richer than vlad

Daniel: anyway, for completely unrelated reasons, @TooFine I need you to wipe some cams for me 😃

TooFine: danny im not wiping the cams again so no one will have proof of you tripping backward and falling ass-first into a trashcan

Chaos: Speaking of, Tucker do you still have that footage and can you send it to me?

TooFine: already done

Daniel: noo it’s nothing like that this time 😫

Daniel: pleaseeee 🥺🙏🙏

Daniel: I’ll get you an autograph from Tim Drake-Wayne?

TooFine: deal.

Daniel: 🥳🎉

Daniel: ok so the footage from somewhere around 3 am last night

Daniel: around some place named park row??

Daniel: I think it’s called?? 🤔

Daniel: though I’m pretty sure I’ve also heard some people refer to it as crime alley

Daniel: not sure why tho 🤷

TooTine: aye aye captain o7

Chaos: Danny, in an alley getting attacked by the fucking Joker: I wonder why this place is called crime alley

Daniel: stop bullying me 😠

Chaos: No

TooFine: hey danny r u sure thats right? i checked the cams n stuff but theres no available footage from the area n time u described

TooFine: its like someones already wiped it all

Daniel: oh!

Daniel: that’s so sweet of him 😊

Chaos: Wait who is this ‘him’?

TooFine: the joker????

Daniel: oh no not the Joker

Daniel: just some cute guy I met last night

Daniel: he witnessed me killing the Joker 🫣

Daniel: and didn’t call the cops on me afterward 🥰💞

TooFine: def green flag

Chaos: Oh hell yeah, he’s a keeper

Chaos: Wait you killed the Joker?! I thought you just fought him off!

Daniel: it was an accident!! 😭😭

Daniel: he crept up on me and tried to grab me 😓

Daniel: so I got startled and because all I saw was a clown

Daniel: I just kinda punched his face in with my ghost strength… 😰

TooFine: f

Chaos: f

Sharpshooter: Have you gotten rid of the body yet? Did you leave behind DNA at the crime scene? Will I need to start saving up bail money or getting ready to enact the Fenton Break Out plan?

Chaos: Jazz asking the important questions here

Daniel: well, considering the footage was wiped

Daniel: and also the fact that no one’s found him yet

Daniel: I think it’s safe to assume it’s all taken care of

Daniel: that’s honestly really sweet of him though 🥰😊

TooFine: oohhhhh ur mystery boo??

Daniel: yeah, this random guy saw me vibe-checking the Joker

Daniel: and let me go home without any trouble

Daniel: pretty sure he’s the one who wiped the cams 🤔

Daniel: and then today he showed up at my apartment with flowers 🥺

Daniel: they were sweat peas!!!! 🥰🤩

Chaos: Was that to thank you for the murder orrrr?

Sharpshooter: Oh those are your favorite, was that on purpose?

Daniel: well I didn’t tell him

Daniel: so I’m not sure if he knew or if it was a coincidence 🤷

Daniel: but yeah then he took me out to this restaurant called Pete’s for dinner

Daniel: they had some amazing cannoli

Daniel: you should try it sometime if you get the chance

Daniel: and then after dinner he took me to the observatory!!!!!!! 🤩🥰

Sharpshooter: Gotham observatory?

Sharpshooter: Isn’t that the one with the special telescope, I think you mentioned it before

Daniel: yeah, the crystal-powered telescope!! 😍💞✨🤩❤️

Daniel: and at the end, he brought me home

Daniel: and he asked for my number!!!

TooFine: nice dude!

Chaos: The guy really went all-out and planned your dream date hu? So, what’s this mystery hunk’s name?

Daniel: oh I’m not sure, I didn’t ask 🙃🤭

Sharpshooter: Danny…

Daniel: yes?

Sharpshooter: Did you go on a date with a complete stranger who witnessed you commit a murder?

Chaos: How do you not even know his name?

Daniel: two words Jazz: Johnny 13

Daniel: and he’s not a stranger!! 😠

Sharpshooter: But you don’t know his name?

Chaos: We just can’t leave him alone, can we? Less than a week on his own and he already murdered one of Gotham’s most infamous rogues and then completely forgets the concept of Stranger Danger

Daniel: I mean he probably just found it when he tried to do some research on me or something

Daniel: probably got it from the school’s system now that I think of it 🤔

TooFine: dude who the hell is this guy??

Chaos: Who the fuck did you go on a date with?

Daniel: do you really think it was a date? 🥺😳

Daniel: I wasn’t sure

Daniel: cause he mainly took me out for dinner to thank me for the night before

Daniel: but then again

Daniel: he did get me flowers and ask for my number after he brought me back to my apartment 🤔

Daniel: like I wasn’t sure if I was reading the signals right…..

Daniel: but do you think that was a date? 🫣

Sharpshooter: Danny, for the love of the Ancients.

Sharpshooter: Who was it?

Daniel: oh, it was Red Hood 🥰

TooFine: damn dannys got that vigilante rizz

Sharpshooter: Red Hood? The crime lord?!

TooFine: former, actually

Daniel: what he said ^^

Chaos: Danny, you really have a type huh? Vigilantes with a Red theme. Who’s next? Red Robin?

Daniel: stop bullying me

TooFine: never

Chaos: Never

Daniel: on a different note, who changed my name in the chat again?

Sharpshooter: Ellie did.

Chaos: Ellie

TooFine: @TheCoolerDaniel

TheCoolerDaniel: 😎

TheCoolerDaniel: wait i just read back, danny’s dating a crime lord?? :0 👀

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Taglist (for now, I’ll probably stop if I cant keep up):

@i-always-say-yea @uraniumwizard

#i had more planned for this chapter #but this already started to become too long #so the batfam reactions will hae to be in the next chap #sorry #anyway #dp x dc #dp x dc fic #dpxdc #dcxdp #dp x dc crossover #dead on main #dead on main ship #Danny in an alley getting attacked by the fucking Joker: I wonder why this place called crime alley #team phantom has questions #but then again weirder shit has happened #danny killing the joker and going on a date with red hood is barely in the top 10 of weird/fucked up shit he's done #he seems fine and happy so theyre not too worried #might be planning a shovel talk in a private chat tho #sam: alright ill get the creep stick #sam: jazz--#jazz: already getting the ecto-skeleton ready as we speak #oh for those who are curious #jazz and danny's private chat nicknames are references to invis-o-bill and jazzie-pants the nicknames #question: would anyone mind me adding some plot? it'll still be mainly crack of course #but i got a thought of how i could add in a lil plot #tho i won't do it if people prefer it like this #so let me know what y'all think

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everythingsinred · 10 months

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Mikan (pt. 32)

We've just wrapped up a long and taxing arc. Now, Mikan is trapped in a hidden labyrinth, separated from almost all her friends and Natsume, forced to occasionally meet with the ESP, who murdered her parents in cold blood. Despite all this, Mikan is trying to keep positive, clinging to her belief that everything will work out somehow, an optimistic view that will be indulged before it is ultimately challenged.

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Chapter One Hundred and Forty

Mikan is being kept prisoner under the ESP’s custody. There are safeguards in place to protect her and to keep the ESP from having access to her stealing alice, but those safeguards are conditional. As a result, her situation is treated gingerly.

Mikan, who spent all of her Very Bad Day crying, is unable to do so at her mother's funeral. This is obviously a trauma response, but maybe she views it as strength.

We see Mikan at her mother’s funeral, walking alongside the staff in the rain. She has her head down, carrying Yuka’s portrait, and she is obviously upset but she doesn’t cry. Ruka posits she wasn’t “even able to cry,” and I wonder, since she had cried so much that night, that she had entered a period of numbness. That kind of trauma, with so many horrible things happening to her at once, can lead to that specific coping mechanism. PsychCentral claims that, “Emotional numbness is generally a survival mechanism or a protective response to trauma, stress, pain, or discomfort that we may experience emotionally or physically,” and since that night was the worst night of her life (hence why that arc could be called "Mikan's Very Bad Day") and a speed-run of traumatic experience, it makes sense that she would be left a little emotionally bereft in the aftermath. Our brains do what they have to in order to survive.

Mikan clings to her mother’s coffin, but it’s time to go. Shiki comforts her that her parents’ graves will be protected by his alice and that they won’t be found by those who aren’t permitted, namely the ESP and his cronies.

She moves along for the funeral procession until her classmates call out to her, obviously concerned for her. Everyone knows what Mikan did for the school, that she gave herself up so that everyone else would be safe. They all pepper her with questions and requests for her to stay, but the ESP commands they be shut up, as per the conditions on Shiki’s end.

Looking upset will further concern her classmates, which will lead to further demands from them, which will lead the ESP to challenge Shiki and maybe trigger him into using harm against Mikan. In order to avoid all that, Mikan smiles at her friends and waves, promising that she’ll definitely see them again. She protected them all by giving herself up and now she’s doing it again and will continue to do so, even if it means faking a smile and assuring that she’s okay. She's stuck like this, walking on eggshells because of the fragile environment she now has to live in. I think this continues even when she's away from the ESP, this cautious insistence on smiling despite everything, keeping everything inside because displaying her negative emotions could cause trouble.

This is your mom's funeral, Mikan... Nobody expects a smile. Alas.

Mikan already had this complex, this toxic positivity, this feeling that she should smile and that her smile is the best thing she could offer others. But I think her time in the ESP's sphere of influence worsened this tendency and she keeps it up even into her teen years, even when he's no longer a threat, even when she's forgotten all about him. Those kinds of habits--in the realm of defense mechanisms--can become intuitive and unconscious, so they could be as much a facet of her personality as anything else.

Mikan starts to walk away again before the telepathy alice stone which she still has inside her conveys Natsume’s call. She turns to him, and they make eye contact, with him saying telepathically that he will find her and rescue her. It’s only then that she tears up, giving him a smile. That’s her answer, that she’s looking forward to it. And though she cries, they seem to tears of relative joy, though it’s her mother’s funeral and she has to leave behind all the friends she loves. He created a crack in the emotional numbness.

Entering the era of star-crossed lovers!

But of course he did. He’s always been different.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One

It’s time to see how Mikan is doing! She seems to be fine, pretty cheerful.

Mikan used to begin chapters with letters to Jii-chan, her way of narrating the events by contacting someone she can’t talk to directly anymore. Now, her mother and father join the list of recipients. She wants them to know too. But it’s not just them, either. It’s everyone. Her letters are now addressed to everyone because they’re all people she can’t see or talk to anymore. And just like there was no way of knowing if Jii-chan would actually get her letters, there’s no way of knowing this information will reach the recipients either. But she writes to them anyway.

She tells them that she’s fine, and not to worry about her. That’s an important message because her classmates are worrying. Not that she knows that, but it’s reasonable to suspect.

Mikan wakes up in the “Labyrinth Mansion” at Headquarters. Nobody can enter her apartment, except for those with special clearance, and she can’t leave. The barrier alice casted there makes sure of it. Though she can’t leave, she focuses on the positives. She has a window she can look through and she can watch the snow fall as she gets ready for her day. Just as always, she’s excited to see winter come, even though she can’t do any of the fun winter-related activities she did with her friends last year. No snowmen, no playing in the snow, no Central Town shopping.

The memories are all she has for the moment.

She has several photographs she treasures and she thinks about all her loved ones every single day. I imagine they give her strength, to think on her parents, her classmates, her friends. I’m also happy that she was able to find a picture of Yuka and Izumi where their eyes aren’t burnt out! That’s lovely. She looks back on her memories with all those people and reminds herself why she’s doing this and giving herself hope that she won’t be trapped here forever, though it has been a couple months already.

She’s especially worried about poor Nobara, who is in critical condition after her confrontation with Persona. Mikan wants to save her with her stealing alice, but if she demonstrates that she can still use that alice, then they--namely the HSP and Shiki--would no longer have the grounds to deny the ESP his request to have Mikan steal the foreign alices from his body. Even though Mikan hates that she has the power to save Nobara but isn’t, she also understands how dire the situation is. Shiki promised they would do their best to save Nobara without her alice, so all she can do is hope for her friend’s recovery.

Mikan likes the snow. As she watches it fall, she imagines having fun with friends, particularly Nobara who loves the snow. Watching through the window makes her forget the bad things for a while, where she can focus on positive memories and think of new memories to make in the future someday.

Besides, it’s not all bad because she’s kept company by Bear. One of the conditions the ESP must oblige by is providing any requested means for psychological healing, which means Bear is one of the special few with clearance to her room. He brings her breakfast and she lights up.

We discover that Mikan is prohibited access from her friends even though having her be all on her own is against the conditions. The ESP can’t risk one of her classmates trying to rescue her. Thus, Mikan, social butterfly who loves making friends and being around people, is limited to one-sided conversations with Bear and plenty of time by herself.

Quite the silver lining.

But Bear tries to keep her energetic, fighting with her and interacting with her as best he can. She also has lessons with the HSP, her uncle, who she has obviously gotten closer to, enough that he welcomes her calling him “uncle.” She has her uncle, Shiki, and Bear. She has people who love her, who come by and share stories about her parents, keeping them alive, making sure she knows them, that they’re not forgotten. She may be lonely, but she has a family, and for that reason, she’s able to keep cheerful. They’re all grieving too, so they all understand each other, the holes left behind by Izumi and Yuka, and are able to uplift each other.

She doesn’t just have a support system, that is, she also has people who know exactly how she feels so that she knows she isn’t alone.

Mikan has been having nightmares, so she’s sometimes afraid to go to sleep and thus doesn’t always sleep well. The events of that horrible night still weigh on her, but knowing that her parents love her, and imagining their voices, makes her feel a little more at peace. She has her memories of her parents, as well as Bear’s constant emotional support, to give her solace during hard nights.

And then there’s Natsume.

During her exile in this labyrinth, Mikan becomes a hopeless romantic, which is interesting because romance used to confound her. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and her imagination will run wild regarding her not-really-boyfriend. We'll see more of this later!

The telepathy alice stone is still inside her, still allowing her to hear resonating thoughts, especially of people who love her, who are calling out to her. Like him. She can hear him calling out to her through the telepathy stone, looking for her. And she wants to find him too. She can tell he’s near and she calls out to him too. The telepathy alice is able to work because of Shiki, who weakens the barrier sometimes because he’s a hopeless romantic, though that’s a secret Mikan isn’t privy to. To her, hearing Natsume’s voice calling out is a miracle, a testament to their connection, to their overpowering desire to see each other again.

But they’re ships in the night. No matter how they call to each other, or how close Natsume gets to headquarters, the barrier isn’t that weak, and they can’t see each other. They spend months like this, looking for each other, to no avail.

Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two

Mikan’s life isn’t all cheerful loneliness, though. Shiki and the HSP aren’t the only visitors she gets.

The ESP has weekly visits with her, so once a week Mikan is forced to spend time with the person who murdered both of her parents. Every time he comes by, he commands Mikan to steal the alices Yuka inserted into him and every time she turns him down. This is under the pretext that she can’t, but she doesn’t hide that she will never submit to him. This is all she can do, really, to demonstrate to him her disdain. Anything beyond this could get her in serious trouble.

During the Sports Fest, when Mikan fell during the cheer contest, she raised her voice at Persona and that got her in trouble. She's on similarly thin ice now, except that it's worse. It's not just that she could be in trouble; one wrong move could ruin everything for everyone.

Saying this is the only rebellion she can have.

And everytime she refuses, he reminds her that she will be trapped here forever, on her own, until she changes her mind.

Poor Mikan has to be on her very best behavior. If she slips up even a little, the ESP has the right to punish her as he sees fit, and the punishment he chooses will likely involve her utilizing her stealing alice. The ESP is also running out of time and he’s getting desperate, which means that there’s no reason to get complacent. He will act out, and soon.

She can never try to escape.

This is a huge burden on anybody, let alone a twelve-year-old girl who can’t see her friends or whatever-the-hell-Natsume-is on top of that. She may be trying her best to stay cheerful, but she’s still going through a lot, what with the persisting nightmares about that traumatic night, missing all her loved ones, being trapped by herself, and having the ESP taunt her with further threats.

Conclusion

I don't count this as a transition arc; more of an expository arc for this new era of the manga's plot. It's hard to define when arcs begin or what this might be. Regardless, I would've included the Rapunzel Arc, except that it would take too much time to include those chapters because those chapters' analysis is LONG. Look forward to my next post, which is hopefully tomorrow!

Mikan misses Natsume and has become a hopeless romantic during their time apart, a trait that we'll see more of in the chapters to come. Additionally, her optimism will be further indulged by her encounter with him, a miracle that proves to her that miracles can and will continue happen.

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#gakuen alice #alice academy #ga #sakura mikan #mikan sakura #natsume hyuuga #hyuuga natsume #my meta #ga meta #ga meta: nm #ga meta: manga #ga meta: manga nm #let's talk about natsumikan #let's talk about natsumikan: mikan #the TITLE IMAGE !!!! one of my fav official arts ever ever ever!!!#THEYRE ON A DATE! ThEYRE TAKING A SEFLIE!!! THEYRE WEARING MATCHING OUTFITS!!!!#theyre wonderful <3 #i go a little crazy abt the starcrossed lovers vibes of these chapters!#which is nice bc i hate the upcoming ending arc as much as a person can hate a story's ending.... with a passion #nm: m song of the day is......#pink in the night by mitski #this is a zoe choice bc shes obsessed w mitski and this song is SOOOOO nm during this era it hurts #'i could stare at ur back all day' NM CORE #'and i know ive kissed u before but i didnt do it right. can i try again?'#so much mikan during this separation when she gets filled with romantic fancy.... love this era for her #this is her doodling hearts around natsumes name era.... this is her 'mrs hyuuga mikan' era #this is her wedding fantasy era..... i LOOOOOOOOVE this period so much

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