#they also basically never have him on a leash even tho it is required by law in town | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dannyphantomrpg · 7 years

Text

Analysis: Ten Years Later

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Ten Years Later videos lately, and this analysis post just sort of happened~

To be fair, I did need to work it all out since I mildly referenced it in my Foley Fest drabble.

If I get any comic book info wrong, I'm so sorry. I don't know anything about Marvel aside what my husband knows about the 90's Spiderman cartoon.

Let's start off with Sam and Tucker, cause honestly? There's not much to go over with them.

Sam is sort of basic. Sort of dull. Butch says "leather" trench, but it's most likely pleather, or something more animal-friendly. Even (especially) ten years later, I don't see Sam giving up the good fight.

Her crop top, tho, seems to be a constant. I don't know if that's really her aesthetic, or if Butch just thinks all women like to show off their stomachs. Either way, the DP logo is something Sam would definitely sport.

Something I wanted to point out: in her first TYL sketch, Butch compares her to Black Widow. A quick Wiki skim later gives a bit more depth to the comic book ignorant like me. Black Widow's origin story is that of an orphan child being raised by the Russian government as a sort of Anti-Capitan America. She met up with Tony Stark by trying to assassinate someone in his company.

Sort of interesting to compare Sam with Black Widow, and then give her all those huge anti-ghost guns, hm~?

Tucker, I have a few issues with. Not his design (aside how he only got one sketch and then his final design - show your own characters some love, Butch!), but how Butch talks about him.

Specifically, that he's running for president. Quoting from Wikipedia:

“Article Two, Section 1 of the United States Constitution sets forth the eligibility requirements for serving as President of the United States:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

Tucker would only be twenty-four in TYL. He's still got 11 years to go before he can even think about running for president. So, like...

What happened to that little bit of legality?

Also of note, Tucker is the only redesign without the DP logo. Most likely, this is because he was the first and therefore before Butch had the idea, but he did give the majority of Sam's the logo.

Moving right along, we get into the meat of TYL. The Fentons.

A moment of silence for my baby Jazz.

How did "I want to go into psychology to help troubled teens" turn into "I'm essentially Tucker now"? Yes, she's the only one we've seen use the Fenton Peeler, but that doesn't really equate to getting "into the tech side of things."

Even in her sketch of just being in a jumpsuit with a "Maddie" haircut, Butch specifically gives her a piece of technology. He has her in a lab, leaning against a circuitry panel. Not a book in sight - not even one on ghost hunting!

And her final design? Oh, my sweet, smart child. There's just something so inhuman and terrifying about this image. Physically wired into Fenton Works? She "helps run all the gadgets"? She has control over traffic lights and automatic doors? Somehow, I feel like Tucker being up close and personal with his iPhone would be way more helpful than Jazz in a building on the other side of the city would be.

What happens the moment she runs into Technus? Heck, just send someone in to cut the power physically and she's completely vulnerable.

I guess Jack would be happy to be half robot? I mean, it seems like half his brain would be gone, so he can probably just be programmed to be excited about it anyway. I've never really seen Jack as the kind of guy to be upset about hygiene. If anything, I see him as a really clean person (until he gets completely distracted with an invention or something).

His second sketch is the one I really prefer - older, but still Jack. He’s big and buff and still a big old teddy bear. I can see this as a man who saw his son save the world and think "I'm slapping that logo on everything to show how proud of him I am".

Jack's finalized sketch is what really gave me pause in the first place. He's missing an eye. He's missing a leg. He has a prosthetic that, according to Butch, runs on ectoplasm. And, ok, I can see that happening. For God's sake, he turned his son and college best friend into halfas on accident because he wasn't paying attention - this man is not someone you really want in a lab setting.

But that's not what happened.

According to Butch, there is a possibility that people did this. That flesh and blood humans went after the Fentons and did them personal harm simply because of their connection to Danny. Jack lost a limb because a person decided to a) take out ghost-hunting competition, or b) cause Danny some kind of psychological harm, i.e. "If we can't get to you, we can get to your family".

And Maddie?

She was first and foremost a mother. Despite all the angst and family drama this fandom produces, Maddie loves her son above anything else. I feel, personally, if there was a choice between continuing her research and her children, she would give it all up in a heartbeat to make sure they're safe and happy.

That's all gone in her sketches.

Her very first image, she has a buzz cut, she has a huge weapon that's creating some sort of unmerciful death-ray, her goggles are down and she means business. There's nothing matronly about her in that image, no remnants of the mother that would look fondly on her son. No, she's murdering the F out of some ghost and does not care.

Again, in he second sketch, her hair is cut off and the goggles are down. There is something out there and she is going to destroy it. There is something out there that made Maddie leap "out of some sort of an airborne vehicle" with the ghost equivalent of the Little Boy and the Fat Man.

And, again, Butch is not helping.

"Well, I think maybe the Ghost Zone is in turmoil. I think that the ghosts need to live somewhere, and they’re trying to come here. So that’s why the Fentons get involved and that’s why there are so many weapons and why they’re up night and day, fighting off the ghosts."

First off - it's been established that the Ghost Zone and the Human World are connected. Anything that happens to one, will affect the other. So if the Ghost Zone has become so uninhabitable that the ghosts are coming here? How bad off is our world?

Second, Butch didn't say the ghosts were attacking. He said they wanted to live here. Yes, there are some ghost jerks out there *cough*Skulker*cough* but what about peaceful ones like Dora and Poindexter? The people of the Far Frozen? Shouldn't the Fentons know by now that not all ghosts are hostile? (Plus, this would have been an amazing use of Jazz's psychology to talk to some of these ghosts, to calm them down and learn from them.)

Maddie's final version manages to paint an even more bleak image for her. Butch mentions Mad Max and, a quick Wiki read later, that's, like, not good. Civilization is gone, lawlessness runs rampant, murder seems to be the only way to protect yourself. And Maddie is supposed to call forth that image?

Her hair is now essentially the shortest length Butch can give her without shaving her head. She's still wearing those goggles. We have yet to see this woman's eyes, she keeps them so hidden from the world. She has no guns to defend herself, only an ectoplasm-charged bat. She doesn't care about keeping her distance - oh no, she wants to be in the middle of the action.

And those BDSM ghosts? She keeps them on leashes short enough that they could touch her. She keeps them around to "help her sense other ghosts", nevermind the fact that, from what I recall, Danny is the only one with an actual ghost sense. Those ghosts look angry and not at all subdued.

And she's still wearing the DP logo. Somehow, even knowing her son is part ghost, she still has enough detachment/hatred of ghosts to demean them down to an animalistic level.

Vlad's designs are, whoo boy... Unique? Different? Each one portrays a completely different vision of the future that don't really mesh together. His first sketch is rather, uh, let's be completely honest here, Satanic. But other than that apparent dive into absolute evil, he looks more or less the same. Like no time has passed. I guess Clockwork could have yanked him out of space before too long?

By now everybody knows about the second sketch with fat!Vlad, tiger!Maddie, and perfect clone!Daniel. Heck, I knew about Daniel before I even knew there was a Ten Years Later video.

And let me just say this real quick: I love that, as soon as the words "He’s finally got himself a cloned child." were said we all, individually, came to the conclusion that: his name is Daniel Masters, he can be a spoiled jerk but isn't really evil, and he just wants someone to be friends with and play video games with. Like, I've yet to even see him in a TYL setting, he's more of a "Season 4" character.

My other thing I love about this image? Fat!Vlad. For a middle-aged man who kept in perfect shape, who fights with ghost teenagers every day, to suddenly put on weight? To me, in my experience, that means he's happy. He's found a way to be calm and relax and, yes, be settled enough to put on a few pounds. That's what happened to my husband. Before we got together she was an anxious, angry (precious) emo chick. And now she's calm, she's happy, she's adorably chubby~ (don't tell her I said this lol). Like, Vlad's so chill in this sketch that, whenever he finds out Daniel's been hanging out with Danny, he's not even mad! He's just like, "Be home by curfew, love you!" (My TYL Vlad is -absolutely- Maes Hughes. There isn't a single employee at Dalv Corp that hasn't seen a fold out wallet full of Daniel's pictures.)

(And just think, when Daniel brings home his boyfriend/girlfriend, Vlad brings out the baby book and Daniel's S/O is just like, "Why were your first steps when you were fourteen???")

Tiger!Maddie is great, if a little odd. Then again, Vlad's just living the dream of every five year old that just went to the zoo for the first time: "I wanna bring home the big kitty!"

And we get back to crazytown with the third sketch. Vlad wants to be king, what? When? Butch do you... do you know who Vlad is? You were so close with perfect clone!Daniel, and then you pull this. The only thing I can see this working as is some kind of Medieval AU with Dora and Aragon/pre-Sarcophagus Pariah Dark. Other than that, I can't see this sketch fitting in anywhere in DP.

But Vlad's final sketch returns us to the nightmare that is TYL. Vlad was abandoned in space, all human contact cut off, the only person that willingly called him a friend turned his back on him. He's probably ready to curl up and die at that point and then aliens come and kidnap him, forcing him to be a miner and then a coliseum fighter. I can't imagine the blow to his pride all that did.

I can accept that he would keep enough presence of mind to escape. Heck, I can almost believe that he would willingly keep the chain on his arm (though as less of a "reminder of where he came from" and more of a "I'm going to make these guys pay!"). But what really gets me is Butch saying, "he really, really wants to get Danny now".

That's not at all ominous. Not at all.

Like, what is that supposed to mean? I'm sure we're supposed to infer he's coming after Danny, but, would he? After all that time alone, after being broken down by some crazy Criminal Minds aliens? I'm sure that, in all that time Vlad was captured, he must have let it slip that he wasn't the only halfa. That this boy on Earth was more powerful that he had been in his prime. Could he be coming to warn Danny? Maybe the reason he escaped was because the aliens have their eye on a new "champion"?

Danielle is absolutely precious to me. My sweet little girl who only wants to live her own life. I love that her first sketch gives her a bit more of the Vlad influence (especially since I headcanon that she has his fire core and not Danny's ice core). The opposing black and white outfit, though, just looks like a bad Harley Quinn to me.

The second sketch is kind of cutsie, kind of bleh. There's something about Butch's femme designs that just... don't really hit the mark.

I'm adoring her third sketch. The overall feel of "ghost" really comes through with this design (and she finally has matching boots and gloves) and it feels really right with her. I've always loved the idea that she's more ghost than human, and this images hits it just right.

Her final design is ok. We go back to the alternating colors, which I don't like, but she also looks more like Danny, which I do like. Butch says she "likes to party" which I can kind of see. She's full of spunk, she has an adventurous side, she'd love to go out and see everything and get involved with as much as she can. The fact that she can shape ectoplasm into words seems like something she'd be into. Just imagine her floating outside of Vlad's window, cussing him out with floaty green writing.

Now, we finally get to Danny. His first sketch isn't too bad. He has a dedicated place for the Thermos - good idea on his part. A little simple, little plain. Loving the cargo pants, tho.

His second design looks a little more like a plain upgrade form his usual hazmat, but with more armor. Makes me think Sam and Tucker went to a sporting goods store and slapped all the knee/elbow pads they could on him to keep him from hurting himself so much.

I like the idea of the third design. When he embraces his ghost side, he gets more Dan-like qualities. I think something like this would take him a while to adjust to, but he would be better for it. This design feels like it would be the strongest one - delving into his ghost half and pulling power from it instead of fighting to keep it balanced with his human half.

Danny's final design, however, make me think. His hazmat has been replaced, or most likely upgraded, to include more Fenton gadgets - specifically trading the Thermos for a Glove. But the Glove, instead of just being a catch/release system, actually uses the caught ghost to power his suit. The green isn't just for design, it's the power he's taken from other ghosts he's captured. Does this mean he's just taking whatever the captured ghost's power is (like weather-control, or even power over boxes)? Or is it like the rest of Fenton tech where he's actually taking the ectoplasm from the captured ghost to power himself? How much is that hurting the other ghost?

As strong as Danny is, as strong as he keeps getting, why does he need to power a suit to keep fighting?

I've been thinking about this final design, thinking about the designs for all the other characters, especially the Fentons. I thought about how Danny would fight until his last breath to protect Amity Park, and, like...

Did he?

Did Danny die at some point prior to Ten Years Later?

Only once is Danny referred to as Danny Fenton, and that's during the sketch for Jack's original design. He's not even called Fenton in his own redesigns. He's had several sketches, but all of them were for Phantom. Heck, Vlad got a human drawing, even if it wasn't for his final design.

And the more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense.

Jazz gave up on psychology when her little brother died. She probably became depressed and couldn't leave the house. Wiring herself into Fenton Works seemed like the next logical step - at least this way she could help without having to face his friends who could go on without him.

Jack was probably grieving when he was attacked. He lost his son, his eye, and his leg.

Without having to reconcile her son's humanity with his ghostlyness, Maddie was free to revert back to a lifetime of thinking that all ghosts were nonsentient. She probably didn't get enough of a chance to being to change her views permanently, so she sees nothing wrong with how she's treating the leashed ghosts.

And Danny himself would even have an excuse for his suit. I've seen in the fandom that the reason Danny is such a strong ghost is because he's young, and he's still growing. That the more he ages, the stronger he becomes. When Danny died, he would have stopped growing in power. Heck, he might have even started -losing- power, and trying to revert to how strong he was when he first "died" in the accident. Having a suit that runs on other ghosts, using their power to replace his own, would actually make sense, especially if Maddie helped make it.

#Danny Phantom #Ten Years LAter #analysis post #danny fenton #sam manson #Tucker Foley #jazz fenton #Maddie Fenton #jack fenton #Vlad Masters #vlad plasmius #dani #perfect clone!daniel #tiger!maddie #honestly i kinda want to see a part three #just to see how far this trainwreck can go

13 notes · View notes

rainbowsandbalian · 4 years

Text

Below the read more is Balo’s entire thread with Sam (all graphics removed, lines between posts tho):

Sam had nothing to do. He’d worked out, eaten and even spoken with some of the higher ups. No missions had come in, but even he’d have to run it by Deryn before he signed them up for something. He was bored. Sam sat on the edge of the fountain looking at the piranhas. He could feed the Piranhas… But, they had already been fed this morning.

Sam didn’t want to spend the day in the training facilities. The last time he’d done that he was sore for three days. Commercials that said doing one more rep never told you about how sore you would be the next day. Sam sighed and looked to the Piranhas who’d all swarmed to him. “Dudes, chill, you aren’t getting fed.” Sam said standing up and the piranhas scattered.

If only there was someone around the courtyard today. Sam was looking for any excuse to not go back to his dorm or even back into the training facility.

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

Balo was honestly in the mood to draw sceneries - and what better place to draw than the courtyard. It was peaceful, and fish were so pretty and friendly. She carried a sketchbook under her arm and a very fat tabby cat in her arms. Ches’s dog - Melody - was on a leash secured around her wrist. Ches swore Melody didn’t need one, but, it was better safe than sorry. Her owner was due back today, so, it would suck to lose the dog.

She felt like an animal whisperer or something, surrounded by not only her cat, but, Ches’s Maltipoo. It was nice. When she reaches the courtyard she sets the cat down on a bench before noticing a man near the fountain.

“Is it okay if we join you? It’s such a nice day, so I figured I’d take Catsby outside. It can’t be good for him to be stuck in a room all day - after all.” She gestures to the cat that was just laying on the bench, not moving from where Balo set her, purring up a storm. “and I have to take Melody out here anyway Ches should be back sometime today though, so, she’ll get to go back with her best friend real soon.” She pets the dog, a grin on her face.

“i’m Balo, by the way. I’m not sure if we’ve met before - if we have, just remind me. Sometimes I forget names.”

“You look as if you were an animal whisperer,” Sam smirked looking to the girl. “Sam, Sam Sansby. Son of Ares or whatever. Yeah, feel free to join me.” Sam leaned down and started petting the small maltipoo. Not expecting it to basically jump in to his arms and start licking his face. “Wow friendly.” Sam laughed looking at the small dog.

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

Sam looked over the very big cat, who was purring, not making any move to pet it. “Catsby looks a little intimidating. He’s kinda, uh, big.” Sam wasn’t against cats, he’d just heard a lot of things could go wrong. Plus they weren’t usually helpful in a fight. “Is Melody usually this friendly?” Sam asked petting the small dog.

He’d heard of some owners just keeping dogs as pets and Sam assumed this was the case with Melody. “Ches never told me she had a dog. Although I guess that wouldn’t really come up as a topic of conversation,” Sam shrugged and looked to Balo noticing all the art supplies.

“What are you drawing today?” Sam asked he knew Balo liked art, and although he wasn’t a fan. He knew she was good, and he gave respect where respect was due.

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

Balo nods, okay, she knew Sam then. They’d met forever ago - but with so many people coming in and out of Half-Blood Inc, well, sometimes she had trouble keeping track. “Okay, I know that name. Sorry, Sam. There’s just so many people here - sometimes it’s hard to keep track of everyone.” She admits.

She laughs, “yeah, Catbsy’s a little on the lazy side. I keep telling him to stop sneaking out for Arby’s but, he’s stubborn.” She laughs. “he’s a good cat though, I dress him up sometimes and he doesn’t complain. He went as Maleficent’s dragon form last year for Halloween.” She tells him, turning her attention to Catbsy now that Melody was preoccupied with sam. “She is! You should have seen her when Ches first got her. She was literally being carried around everywhere with her. She got used to people fast.” She admits. “She’s also a pillow hog. Ches lets her in the bed and it wasn’t like I could tell her; “no, you’re sleeping on the floor while Ches is gone.” That would be rude.”

“It’s not like Ches advertises it much. She’s not exactly allowed to bring her a lot of places either - with the whole no pets in the cafeteria rule someone decided to put in.” She admits. “Ches and I kind of have a deal - if she has to leave for a bit, I watch Melody. I have to leave? She watches Catsby.”

She shrugs, “I was leaning towards sceneries today. If something else grabs my inspiration today however I’ll draw that.” She admits.

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

“I get it,” Sam smiled softly to Balo. He’d been traveling when he didn’t have a partner anyway. It wasn’t uncommon that people forgot he’d been here longer than some. “Lots of people come and go. Gets, uh, confusing.”

Sam’s jaw dropped hearing the cat had been dressed up as a dragon. “He let’s you dress him up?” Sam had never heard of a cat letting a human do anything to them. “Well, I guess anything is possible if you try hard enough.” Sam said petting Melody. He smiled looking down at the dog hearing the pillow thing. “You and Deryn share a few traits little dog. He’s a pillow hog too, and well, you’re both around the same size.” Sam laughed at his own joke, Deryn wasn’t even around and Sam was still thinking of him.

“That’s Zelda’s fault. Well a combination of Zelda and the higher ups.” Sam had heard the rumor through a few people but he didn’t doubt that she had something to do with it. “Something about being unhygienic?” Sam shrugged. “I don’t care though,” Sam said continuing to pet Melody. “You seem good with both of them so it’s probably not a hassle,” Sam said to Balo.

“Well i’ll try not to interrupt your creative process, i’ll enjoy myself with Melody. She’s super cute, and Catsby seems like he’s chillin,” Sam smiled petting the dog.

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

Balo returns the smile, “Thanks for being so understanding, I feel bad about not remembering people - I try. It’s just hard if I don’t see them often.” She admits, “although, it’s been awhile. What have you been up to? If you don’t mind me asking.”

She nods, “Yup, and Catsby tends to he very awesome about it too. He has a leather jacket and and a Flintstones tie too - and a couple other outfits. He also doesn’t mind sunglasses if he’s laying down - he obviously doesn’t walk around with them though.” She tells Sam, “Catsby a good cat - it kind of helps he’s too lazy to fight with me while dressing him up though. Plus I’m his food source - so - there’s that.” She shrugs, petting Catsby a little more. “I think Deryn’s taller.” She ponders - trying to remember which one Deryn was for a moment. “But yeah, Melody is a pillow hog. It’s not too bad, but, if you leae your pillow alone for like five seconds she’ll steal it.”

Balo pouts, “Maybe we can convince Zelda that they’re not unhygienic? I have to keep sneaking Catbsy’s dinner to him and someone’s bound to notice at some point. It would be easier if I could just bring him in the cafeteria, you know?” She’d have to figure out how to get Zelda convinced - of course - but she had hope. “It’s not too bad, Melody can get a little hyperactive at times - but she tends to be well behaved.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Although you can talk to me when I’m sketching. Sketching doesn’t require my complete focus, you know?” She admits, starting to sketch the fountain.

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

“Went to Europe to fight hell hounds. That’s always fun. I guess it makes sense you don’t really remember me.” Sam said scratching the back of his head nervously. “What about you? What have you been up to?”

Sam smiled at the thought of the Cat in a leather jacket. “You’ll have to show me Catsby in sunglasses.” He was sure there was a great Gatsby pun somewhere in there but he’d never read the book. “Yeah things tend to like you if you feed them. The Piranhas are like that too, greedy little bastards.” Sam shot a look to the fountain as if the Piranhas could hear him. “Deryn’s a little taller, but Deryn steals all the blankets too. It’s almost like they are building a nest.” Sam rolled his eyes at his partners antics. “Deryn is the child of Zeus. They’re pretty new but, they are nice,” They were Sam’s partner so they knew a lot about each other.

“I dunno about that one. If she was that adamant to get it done I doubt we could change her mind. But eh, it’s worth trying. Sneaking his dinner does seem hard.” Sam had done his fair share of sneaking food out and he knew Zelda had a stash of food in her and Alan’s shared office.

Sam nodded, “You’re really good at art, that doesn’t surprise me. Man, I can’t even imagine trying to do some sort of sketch and trying to talk to someone.”

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

Balo nods, especially since she hadn’t been at Half-Blood Inc as long as some of the other people here. “Not too much - training occasionally with Alan and Zelda. They’re pretty cool. Hang out with Ches and Ivan, draw and paint.” She shrugs, “I’m waiting on getting a partner - I’ll hopefully get one at some point, it’s just for now I don’t have one.”

She nods, smiling, “That sounds like a plan. You’re more than welcome to visit him whenever you want? I mean I’m sure Ches would let you visit with Melody too.” She nods. “I don’t think I’ve met them officially yet? I’m pretty new myself - so it’s possible I’ve had training with them or something, but, if they’re as short as you say - I think I’d remember them.” She admits.

“It’s better to try and fail then never try at all.” Balo reminds him, a smile on her face. Plus Zelda didn’t exactly like Ivan’s pranks - if she talked to him, maybe he could help figure out a way to talk to her and convince her that it was a good idea- and at last resort - prank her.

“Thank you! A lot of practice, you know? Occasionally I mess up but I’m so used to it at this point it’s not too bad,”

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

Sam enjoyed having Deryn as his partner but sometimes it sucked. “Don’t worry about getting a partner, having to do the test thing sucks.” Sam said nervously twisting his hands. “I can’t imagine seeing Zelda and Alan do their test. They’ve probably gotten really good at it since they’ve been partners for a while. Deryn and I, uh, aren’t, uh, good at it.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing this little dude again.” Sam said petting the dog watching it get all excited. “You should, Deryn’s very nice. They are, Sam approved,” He laughed. “They are aren’t that short, they’re,” Sam paused. “Five one?”

“Yeah I’m sure you could probably blackmail her into getting your way, she is lazy. I’d imagine her and Catsby could sleep for days.” Sam chuckled at the idea of Zelda sleeping for hours on end with a cat next to her.

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

Balo nods, “They keep me here for training anyway - so I suppose not having my partner yet isn’t exactly a bad thing. it would be nice though - everyone seems to have partners they like so far.” She admits. “I can’t imagine it either - I’m sure you and Deryn will get there though. Sometimes you have to know who you’re testing with awhile before you do well. - at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“I’m sure Ches will let you hang out with Melody, honestly. She tends to be nice usually.” She probably had a bad side - but Balo hadn’t personally seen it yet to date. “But I’m glad to hear they’re nice - I’ll probably meet them at some point.” She nods, “I thought Ches was the shortest?” She ponders it for a moment, before shrugging. “She must be really happy about him being around then, she gets a little upset when people are taller than her.”

She pouts, “Well, I was hoping that I could convince her nicely to allow Catsby in the Cafeteria. But that gives me an idea - maybe if they become nap buddies she’ll allow him to eat with me in the cafeteria.”

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

“It’s kinda hard to become enemies with someone who knows your greatest fears. Some sort of mutual respect.” Sam shrugged, he didn’t understand the thing that had formed in between him and Deryn but he wasn’t going to question it. “Zelda and Alan seem like to peas in the same pod so i’d imagine they get done really quickly. Hopefully me and Deryn get there someday.”

“I’ll definitely ask if I feel the need to cuddle with Melody,” Sam smiled to Balo. “Yeah Deryn is pretty short. They keep saying the rest of us are just giants. But, they are short. I’d imagine Ches would be happy if they meet, or have met,” He wasn’t actually sure who his partner had met. “Ches is average height though?” Sam liked Ches’ height it was nice and average, made him feel tall but not too tall, but he also wasn’t feeling short.

Sam shrugged, Zelda was fickle depending if she’d slept of not. “Photos, if you get Zelda and Catsby sleeping together it didn’t happen unless you have photographic evidence. I’m sure others will thank you if you end up getting the ban lift too.”

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

Balo nods, “It’s happened though I’m sure. It’s harder - but I’m certain it’s happened in the past.” She tells him. “I’m sure those partners got reassigned though - you can’t easily work with someone you hate. I’m sure you and Deryn will get there at some point - it might take a lot of time and effort - but you can do it.” She tells him.

“I don’t know if they know Ches yet? I could ask next time I see her?” She ponders it for a moment. “Ches is average height - but from what little she’s told me about her father’s family. Her brothers are 5′11″ and her baby sister is 5′8″.” She tells him.

She nods, “I’ll be sure to get photos if it happens. I’ll see what I can do, maybe Catsby and her will get along enough the ban gets lifted.”

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

Sam shuttered at the thought of hating Deryn or even someone who knew all his fears using them against him. “It’d be terrifying to know that someone else knows your fears though, not just your partner. But I guess it is bound to happen. Thanks Balo, a little reassurance always help, and hey if things go wrong i’m sure Melody and Catsby will always be here for me!” Sam said grinning to the two pets.

“Ah she got the short stick, literally.” Sam laughed at his own joke. “But I’d imagine it’d suck being the short one in the family. I didn’t have to deal with that mom’s a model although, sometimes she wear these intense heels.”

“We can only pray shes in a good mood, try to get her in between just waking up and going to eat. She’s usually the nicest in that small window.” Sam had seen the insomniac when she hadn’t slept in a few days, it wasn’t pretty.

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

Balo nods, “They don’t tend to put people together unless they think they’re compatible though. So, hopefully you never have to deal with that.” She tells him, “I doubt things will go wrong, but, they’re always here if you need them. No doubt about that.” She tells him, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Yup! She says it sucks, and I suppose it does. I’ve never had to worry about that. I just have Ivan to compare heights with.” She had gotten out of her house as soon as possible so she didn’t have Grace to measure height with - but it was safe to assume with their father she was tall now. She had Ivan to thank for that though, home wasn’t safe - Camp Half Blood, and now Half-Blood Inc, was.

“I’ll try, maybe if she cuddles with Catsby a bit things will be okay and she’ll lift the ban.” It was worth a try, at the very least.

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

“Deryn and I are pretty good together so I probably wont.” Sam had been doing his best to get along with Deryn and so far they’d been doing a great job. “I’m sure it’s nice to have at least one at all times.” Sam said looking to Catsby, he hadn’t touched the cat but it’s presence was soothing.

“How tall is Ivan? He’s not a giant like Loren or Alan right?” Those two were giants in every sense of the word. Sam liked his height he wasn’t stupidly tall and he wasn’t short. It was a nice middle ground. “You seem like a good height too. Not too tall, not too short.”

Sam snickered at the idea of Zelda cuddling with the big cat. “Again, photos. Zelda near any sort of animal is worth seeing given the fact that she seems like a totally neat freak.”

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

Balo nods, “That’s good - as long as you get along with your partner, that’s what matters.” She tells him. She pets Catsby, nodding. “Catsby helps soothes me when things go wrong and when I wake up in the middle of the night. I’m so thankful Ivan got him for me.”

She looks around, “he’s average height.” She answers - “And Collen is 6′2″ so add him to your giant list - I swear those three hold the monopoly on tall people or something.” She jokes, “I like my height. Not too tall, not too short - it’s perfect.” She tells him, although she wished she was an inch smaller just so Ivan was a little more than an inch taller than her.

She nods, “Definitely, if she cuddles with Catsby, I’ll be sure to get photos.” She agrees.

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

“I don’t think it’s possible to not get along with Deryn though, they are the gods gift to the universe.” Sam smiled he was positive Zeus would actually kill him for making a move on his youngest child. “I’ve never had any pets, although Catsby seems great, and same with Melody here.”

“Damn, forgot about Collen, how in hell do people get to be that tall?” Zelda didn’t look ridiculous standing next to Alan, but Deryn sure did. Of course Sam couldn’t help but think of all the advantages they had being taller. But, they could also hit their heads on beams.

“How’s it going with your drawing by the way?” Sam asked curious.

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

Balo nods, “I might disagree on you on that one? Ivan’s pretty much been my saving grace through everything. I don’t know where I’d be without him.” She admits, “but - Deryn sounds great. I’m happy for you two - it must be nice having a partner you can trust and all that.”

She shrugs, “when you find out, let me know?” She tells him - “I know Collen can reach things off the top shelf in Gamestop though. I may or may not have ran into him there and had him grab me Disney Infinity once.” She had been with Ches when it had happened and Ches grumbled most of the way back to Half-Blood Inc.

“It’s going good, want to see?” She asked him, flipping the drawing of the fountain around. “Do you think the piranhas look good - I don’t want to offend them.”

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

“I think you favor Ivan though, being siblings and all. Plus he totally doesn’t prank you.” Sam groaned jealous that Balo was a safe zone. Although Sam had never been in one of Ivan’s pranks he they were bad. “Uh huh.” Sam nodded, he enjoyed Deryn as a partner, it gave him an excuse to be near them all the time.

“I don’t even try for the top shelf anymore. I’ll just download it off of PSN it’s easier than having to ask someone else to grab something for you.” Sam was tall but there were certain things he wouldn’t ask for help. Reaching something that was on a high shelf was one of them.

Sam looked over the drawing impressed. “Piranhas look good, but if you want their favor give them food and they won’t care. Or if you want them to basically love you.”

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

Balo laughs, “we’re not blood siblings - you know that right? My father brought him to the states from England.” She looks down at the ground for a moment, petting Catsby. “No, I just tend to help him with his pranks. They’re nice - I mean some of his meaner pranks I avoid because I don’t like being mean - but his nicer ones are always fun.” He got extremely good at pranks trying to protect her from her father, after all.

She looks up when he mentions the top shelf, “Well Disney Infinity is one of those games where you need the little figures that come in the starter pack to play. It’s a lot of fun, they just put the starter packs on the top shelf.” She tells him.

She grins, “I’ll have to try that sometime. I’m sure they’d like some food. Meat only, right?”

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

“Yeah but you refer to him as your sibling so, eh.” Sam shrugged, he didn’t care if they were half siblings, or not even related. If they said they were siblings, they were siblings. “Yeah you help him, you’ve never been in one. And I’m pretty sure anyone who’s been in an Ivan prank doesn’t completely like him.”

“Dude the little figures suck, I hate having to spend money on more than just the game. Although I’ll admit to getting all the Amiibos shipped to me through Amazon Prime,” Sam loved smash bros. He didn’t even play some of the characters he got, but he had all of them. “I so get needing to have all of the characters.”

“Yeah, sadly no vegan Piranhas. I’d assume they’d just be considered regular fish. They don’t even like tofu.”Sam was a little sad that the Piranhas didn’t like tofu although it made sense.

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

Balo smiles, “I’m just saying, it matters to some people.” She admits. “But he’s the best brother I could have asked for - he keeps me safe, and I try to keep him safe.” Ivan used to pull her father’s attention, and she’d try to pull it back to prevent him from getting hurt. It was a twisted cycle that resulted in two abused children. Her smile fades a little, “Ivan’s not too bad. You know? Ches really likes him.” Of course, Ches had a crush on him, it was obvious.

Ches just wasn’t exactly admitting it.

“I’ve been wanting to get a Wii U to play Smash, I’m still on PS3. Maybe someday, but, it’s not currently a priority if that makes sense.” She admits, “I have to make sure this little guy is fed.” She gestures to Catsby, who wasn’t exactly little in cat standards. “Do you get the Amiibos as they come out? I try to get my favorites for Disney Infinity, and occasionally Ches picks me up some when she thinks of me. There’s just so many Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters - you know?”

“They don’t like tofu? I thought that you can make it taste like meat though - isn’t that why vegetarians use it in their foods?” She wasn’t exactly knowledgeable in vegetarian foods, so, she could be wrong of course, but, that’s what she always assumed.

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

“Ches likes Ivan? Is this a like like or just like?” Sam asked a bit stunned that the queen of makeup was into Ivan. “She doesn’t seem like the type to like Ivan. I thought she’d prefer someone she could mold into being her, I dunno slave?” Sam shrugged, he’d seen some Ches types pick a popular boy and make them into their ultimate boy toy.

“Feel free to come by and play with me any time you want. I have a PS4 and an Xbox one too. Although most of the games for those are Halo, Assassin creed, war games type.” Sam beamed, he loved playing Smash, it was the family friendly Halo. Sam’s face scrunched up at the mention of Star Wars. “Ugh, I love the new Star Wars movies don’t get me wrong but, it kind of sucks that Disney owns Star Wars, it lead to the meshing of some of the worse TV shows. But yeah, I have a dude who charges me and just orders everything for me. I have some that are considered ‘rare’ He’s probably charged at least a thousand dollars to me just on those alone, but it’s so worth it,” Sam laughed.

“Piranhas like the more gory side to meat and some how can tell the difference. I’ve never had any meat so I don’t know if there is a difference between the fake stuff and the real stuff. Plus I tend not to eat any of the fake stuff anyway, I like tofu, and I like garden burgers.” Sam shrugged, the only actual product of animals he liked was Cheese.

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

Balo raises an eyebrow, “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” She asks, she thought it was at least - perhaps she was wrong. “That’s stereotyping, you know. Ches bores easily of boys - a boy who follows her like a puppy dog would bore her too much.” She hadn’t know Ches very long - but the two quickly became friends, to the point where Balo was aware of Ches’s dating habits. The ones that doted over her quickly bored her, that was a clear as could be.

“That sounds like a plan! I like Assassin’s Creed. I’m not any good at it, but it’s fun to attempt to play - if that makes sense.” She tells him with a smile, “I like Star Wars Rebels though - I get mega confused on where it sits in the timeline to be honest. I’m not a fan of Lego Star Wars though - I mean there’s a funny scene here or there but it’s not something I’m really into. A thousand dollars? That’s a lot of money.” She wasn’t exactly used to that kind of money - at least not anymore. Not since Ivan and her ran away.

“It could be the blood possibly? They eat what smells like it - although I suppose that wouldn’t explain the cooked meat.” She ponders it for a little bit. “Piranhas have weird diets - no doubt about that.”

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

“I don’t know, I guess I tend to stay away from the touchy-feely crap.” Sam shrugged, he hadn’t known Ches liked Ivan. “Like she hasn’t judged me. Everyone judges people Balo, except maybe Catsby and Melody here. Although I guess that’s why she likes Ivan, I definitely would have done her every wish.” Sam chuckled to himself as he snuggled up to Melody.

“Assassin’s creed is by far more mental than they let it out to be. You should try Halo, it’s way easier and your fighting monsters in space. Or you could fight dragons in Dark souls, and Diablo holds a special place in my heart. Ah, the carpal tunnel of clicking furiously.” Sam could talk about video games all day. Deryn thought it was ridiculous that one person could own so many video games but they warmed up to playing a few of them.

“A thousand dollars isn’t that much for video games though. each game is usually 60 dollars anyway, 17 games is more than thousand dollars and I own way more than 17.” Sam had never been truly poor in his life, he had a comfortable life in Malibu since his mother was a big time model. He didn’t know how to be poor, even in Europe he always had a bed and always had money for food and transportation.

Sam shrugged he didn’t get the piranhas he just knew they tended to like him. “Who knows, they’re weird.”

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

Balo nods, “That makes sense. It might just be I spend time with both of them too?” She tells him. “I think Catsby judges people to be honest - he gives Ivan dirty looks when he doesn’t share his food.” She pets the cat, “But honestly? That could be it. Anyway, some people are better as friends - you know?” She says with a grin.

“I like Assassin’s Creed - it’s just I’m not good at it. I haven’t tried Halo yet - although I’ve heard rumors that the driving part of it is a little finicky. I’m easily scared - so Dark Souls is out. I jump at Rugrats - Reptar is scary, you know?” She admits, it wasn’t exactly the scariest thing out there she knew - but she wasn’t exactly a big fan of anything that jumped.

“That’s a fair point, just one Amiibo being a thousand dollars sounds like a lot to me.” She admits, maybe it wasn’t a lot of money for people like her father and her sister - but it was for her. She couldn’t help but wonder what Grace was up to - she obviously didn’t stay in contact after Ivan and her ran away, and it wasn’t like she googled her sister - so she was pretty much unaware of what her older half sister was up to.

It was probably better that way.

She nods, “friendly, but weird. They need to learn playful nips aren’t nice though. Maybe you should work on that with them? You seem to be good with them.”

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

“Catsby you crafty SOB, you would judge people who don’t share food.” Sam laughed unable to help himself picturing the Cat giving people dirty looks who wouldn’t share. “A type is a type,” Sam shrugged still chuckling over the cat. “Don’t worry Catsby i’ll share my food with you although I’d doubt you’d like it.”

“Halo’s driving is ridiculous, but once you get the hang of it it’s all good. Dark souls isn’t that scary, the mechanics are weird though. Diablo definitely has creepier monsters in my opinion. But you can play whatever you want, I don’t care.” Sam liked the mechanics to Dark souls it did make you think but it also sucked trying to learn how to read each move.

“Hell no, I don’t even buy clothing that costs a thousand dollars. That’s ridiculous.” Sam technically didn’t buy any of the clothing he wore to events, they were given to him. But he’d never spent more than 50 bucks on any of his clothing.

Sam glanced at the fountain and shook his head. “I think that’s in piranha nature, can’t really train out something they do to survive.”

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

Balo nods, “Catsby would probably eat anything - he likes the meat off the Arby’s sandwiches. Also you can’t open a can in my common room without him coming running.” She admits, “he’d probably love you forever if you fed him though - like - he loves food. Isn’t that right, Catsby?” She asks turning to her cat, who purrs louder in response.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Well, l scare pretty easily - so I might avoid Diablo and Dark Souls. But playing whatever I want sounds like a plan. If you ever want to come play Disney Infinity with me, feel free? All Ches likes doing is running around the Toy Boy Hub as Anakin and failing to kill the children.” Ches did it as a joke of course - she didn’t actually want to kill the children - though she had fun hitting them around the place with Anakin’s lightsaber. “That, or we play the fan maps - there’s this Black Ops Zombies one that’s a blast.”

“Okay, good, I must have misunderstood - it happens. I just thought that’d be a lot of money for one thing, you know? A lot of things - sure - one? That’d be pretty expensive.” She had exceptions for that rule of course - things like paintings she’d be willing to pay a lot of money for, but an Amiibo? Not so much.

She nods, “I suppose you’re right. I guess that’s why the signs are there, right?”

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

“Well if I ever need Catsby’s help i’ll remember to feed him.” Sam smiled looking to the Cat and stood up leaving Melody on the ground. “He’s a really big cat.” Sam chuckled, he couldn’t get over how big Catsby really was.

“You should play splatoon or move or die, they’re fun co op games. Although I might take you up on the Black ops zombie fan map, that sounds awesome.” He was always up to kill zombies or monsters. Even in real life, fighting always was a rush of energy.

Sam rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, no, buying one of those little figures for a thousand dollars is a lot of money. M’ sure spending that type of money on Art happens a lot though.” Sam didn’t understand art prices but he knew his mother had spent money on art for around their house.

“I’m getting kinda hungry Balo, if you’d like you can join me in the cafeteria. If not i’ll bail, but this was really cool, I enjoyed meeting Melody and Catsby.” Sam smiled to Balo hearing his stomach grumble.

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

Balo smiles, “He’ll definitely help you if you feed him. Just human food only, I don’t feed him anythign I wouldn’t personally eat myself.” She tells Sam, watching him get up.

“I’ll have to come over and check out Splatoon sometime.” She agrees, “although if you ever want in on that fan map - let me know? I’m always looking for people to play co-op with.” She had more fun playing co-op on Disney Infinity. No doubt about that.

She nods, “makes sense. Art tends to be expensive, just one of those things. But it makes a lot of sense to me - artists deserve to get paid for their work. You wouldn’t go to a store for a couch and go: “I want this for free.” You know.”

She grins, “Nah, I’m not hungry, plus Catsby and Melody aren’t allowed in there. But yeah, this was fun. It was nice seeing you Sam!”

She waits for him to walk off before she turns her attention to a new sketch, drawing something else in the area.

#sam

0 notes