[ the puff is here, and it chirps brightly upon seeing danny and allows for the pets. will has said it should be really named shameless instead, and nico agrees, given how the puff pushes into his hands upon touch.
he just pauses. picks up the demon. puts it in danny's hands. the demon chirrups and blinks up at danny like ouo? but otherwise seems content to vibe. ]
You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're happier to see Shame than you are me these days. [ very much a joke, but he's opening the door to the store anyway. ] Are you coming?
I have heard they are much cuter than I am, so I suppose I was always destined to lose. [ shame chirps like "yeah duh" and nico shakes his head as they enter. he's already starting to drift toward the records though. ]
And anyway that would be a pretty fast way to make a friendship between us weird, so they can have all the pets you want to give them instead. [ starting to sort through vinyls...as i prep my mem. ] I guess this could be worse. It could be only instruments or something.
Oh, just between us, huh? I guess that means your other friends can pet you all they want. [ he says it lightly, casually--i cannot stress to you enough how much this is a joke and not weird jealousy about not getting to pet nico
he does however continue to pet shame absently as he wanders towards the cd section. he looks back towards nico. ] ...you're a vinyl guy?
Sure, I'll be sure to tell everyone they have your permission. [ listen it's. 100% a joke and he knows it and he thinks it's funny? even funnier because he actually doesn't like being touched like 90% of the time, but whatever. shame is busy being enthralled by the constant pets, eyes swiveling to watch both nico and danny while nico's flipping through records. ]
It's more like "it's an aesthetics thing" kind of guy. [ there's a pause. ] Besides that, they're probably a little closer to my time than you'd think.
I can do both, you know. But I'm kind of more of a Spotify kind of person these days. Easier to swap between my music and Will's podcasts. [ but...hm. ] Anyway it means that vinyls and I were both made in the 1930s?
[ this is. such a terrible joke but also he kind of has to go "yeah well." at this rate danny may as well know random bullshit about him, he thinks, not knowing danny's about to know more terrible bullshit in a few minutes. ]
[ he doesn't bother glancing up from a ramones album he's holding, but he can kind of pick what danny might be thinking. ]
It's just me. Will was actually born in the 21st century and he's been helping me adjust to anything I haven't managed to figure out myself. [ he could stand to explain, but no. that can be explained another time. ] But I've been living in the right century for the last five years. It's working out...better.
More like a timesink. [ ...or, well. ] Do you remember when I said that there was a long period of my life where I didn't remember who my father was and I thought I was just an orphan? When my father had my and Bianca's memories wiped, he kept us in a casino hotel. It was a special kind of hotel though where time doesn't seem to be moving. It always feels like you've only arrived, or that not that much time passed.
We were there for about seventy years before Father ordered one of his furies to come and get us in the hopes that we would be found and start training to fulfill the Great Prophecy.
[ he forcefully shoves the record back because he's annoyed. ]
But we didn't age or anything so we both looked the same and had the memories of time back in the 1940s. The culture shock was kind of unreal after a while.
[ he just...sort of exhales slowly, and shame's crawling to setting on danny's shoulder while nico shrugs. ]
Yeah, that's...not entirely inaccurate. Believe me, no one knows more about my father's behavior than I do. But he only did it because Zeus killed my mother and he was afraid we'd be next. Somewhere along the way, he realized we could be more useful to him, and then when Bianca died...
[ ...nope. ]
He's apologized since then. Or as much as the lord of the dead can apologize. But it's better. After everything, he wants me to be happy and that's more than some gods give their children.
I think it was worse after we got back because it was weirder that I wasn't alarmed by it while we were there. The whole...immersion thing. [ ... ] But it wasn't pleasant, no.
[ "unpleasant" is a nice word for "went mute for a while until will dug into his brain why he was upset." ]
Anyway this place has been one stupid thing after another, so I'm almost used to it by now.
[ smh wow this comic book is long as hell, how much more even is there--no
it's a lot to take in. and danny doesn't have the full context of what anything here is, or who these people are, besides vague memories of greek mythology, but the dread suffusing the whole thing gets across very, very clearly. ]
Whoa. That's--that's a lot. That...how long were you down there? How did you get out after that?
[ and then, with some hesitance and uncertainty: ]
[ you know. he could have done without that, thank you, oceanside. the comic ends and nico's outright scowling even if he looks a little uneasy having all of that pop up. ]
...to be honest with you I actually don't really know. Time in Tartarus doesn't make sense and it's not like I had a watch. Maybe a few days. Maybe a week?
Otis and Ephialtes put me in that jar. I don't really know what happened after that, other than I suppose they physically carried it out with me in it to transport it out of Tartarus and take it back to Rome to be used as bait for my friends. I was in there for a week. [ as you do. he doesn't seem to realize that he's subconsciously rubbing his throat a bit while he's thinking about that. ] Kind of a no air, no light situation. The others came and found me. I wasn't exactly conscious for most of the fight against the giants, but they defeated them and we got back to the ship to get out of there.
[ as for the rest...he frowns again. shame also seems to be listening as it kneads into danny's shoulder. ]
Nyx believed that my true nature was darkness. Pain, suffering, all of that. [ this next part is said as if he's mimicking someone else. ] "That’s who you are, Nico di Angelo. You are a demigod made up of trauma. Your very soul is one of darkness."
...I went back to Tartarus a second time because someone needed my help. A friend. Will came with me because he's an idiot but...he was never going to let me go back alone. I almost didn't survive the first time by myself. [ he glances at the ceiling. ] Bob was calling for my help and Nyx intervened. Started sending me visions to lure me back down there because she wanted me to accept who I was. When we got there, I suppose you could say my demons were far easier to create because they were right on the surface. It was easier to try and say that I was giving into that nature, that I only knew darkness and didn't belong in the world of light. But, I mean, she was still wrong. I'm not...like that anymore.
...huh. Must be some good friends, walking into a trap to save you and managing to win anyway.
[ he absently reaches up a hand to pet at shame as he listens to the next part ]
Calling darkness your "true nature" and then sending you all those visions...sounds like she was putting her thumb on the scale. Not "true nature" so much as "ways you'd be much more convenient to me."
I'm guessing you defeated her, if it's not an issue anymore?
Sure. They're pretty great. I doubt Hazel would've let them rest until they found me anyway though. [ he does not go into the idea that he was truly assuming they just wouldn't bother after a point. ]
That's a goddess for you though. Nyx has never known how to change in her entire life and couldn't fathom the idea of it. It's how we escaped. I didn't accept what she was doing. Or...I didn't accept that I wasn't capable of changing. [ he shakes his head. ] She's still down there in Tartarus, but I'm not going back anytime soon.
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but he also blinks at the comment ]
...oh right, we can do that, can't we?
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nico, meanwhile, kind of grins. ]
Should I take that to mean you have not?
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[ Danny is smiling because how could you NOT when you are petting a fluffy little chirping demon ]
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he just pauses. picks up the demon. puts it in danny's hands. the demon chirrups and blinks up at danny like ouo? but otherwise seems content to vibe. ]
You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're happier to see Shame than you are me these days. [ very much a joke, but he's opening the door to the store anyway. ] Are you coming?
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[ follows into the store after nico! ]
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And anyway that would be a pretty fast way to make a friendship between us weird, so they can have all the pets you want to give them instead. [ starting to sort through vinyls...as i prep my mem. ] I guess this could be worse. It could be only instruments or something.
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he does however continue to pet shame absently as he wanders towards the cd section. he looks back towards nico. ] ...you're a vinyl guy?
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It's more like "it's an aesthetics thing" kind of guy. [ there's a pause. ] Besides that, they're probably a little closer to my time than you'd think.
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but also-- ]
...closer to your time? What's that supposed to mean?
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I can do both, you know. But I'm kind of more of a Spotify kind of person these days. Easier to swap between my music and Will's podcasts. [ but...hm. ] Anyway it means that vinyls and I were both made in the 1930s?
[ this is. such a terrible joke but also he kind of has to go "yeah well." at this rate danny may as well know random bullshit about him, he thinks, not knowing danny's about to know more terrible bullshit in a few minutes. ]
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You're adjusting to all the 21st century tech really well, then.
[ readjusting his world view of nico and will to set all of his knowledge about them in like the 40s or 50s now ]
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It's just me. Will was actually born in the 21st century and he's been helping me adjust to anything I haven't managed to figure out myself. [ he could stand to explain, but no. that can be explained another time. ] But I've been living in the right century for the last five years. It's working out...better.
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Time travel, then?
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We were there for about seventy years before Father ordered one of his furies to come and get us in the hopes that we would be found and start training to fulfill the Great Prophecy.
[ he forcefully shoves the record back because he's annoyed. ]
But we didn't age or anything so we both looked the same and had the memories of time back in the 1940s. The culture shock was kind of unreal after a while.
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Yeah, I bet.
[ a beat, and he starts moving again. ]
I know you're...patching things up with him or whatever, but that's not very fatherly behavior. He sounds more like a jailer, to me.
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Yeah, that's...not entirely inaccurate. Believe me, no one knows more about my father's behavior than I do. But he only did it because Zeus killed my mother and he was afraid we'd be next. Somewhere along the way, he realized we could be more useful to him, and then when Bianca died...
[ ...nope. ]
He's apologized since then. Or as much as the lord of the dead can apologize. But it's better. After everything, he wants me to be happy and that's more than some gods give their children.
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...if you say so.
Wait, so this means our little casino trip a few weeks ago must have been extra awful for you, doesn't it?
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I think it was worse after we got back because it was weirder that I wasn't alarmed by it while we were there. The whole...immersion thing. [ ... ] But it wasn't pleasant, no.
[ "unpleasant" is a nice word for "went mute for a while until will dug into his brain why he was upset." ]
Anyway this place has been one stupid thing after another, so I'm almost used to it by now.
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[ like he says that, but unfortunately that's about the time a comic panel pops up. wheee sorry this is so long. ]
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it's a lot to take in. and danny doesn't have the full context of what anything here is, or who these people are, besides vague memories of greek mythology, but the dread suffusing the whole thing gets across very, very clearly. ]
Whoa. That's--that's a lot. That...how long were you down there? How did you get out after that?
[ and then, with some hesitance and uncertainty: ]
...what did she mean by "your true nature?"
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...to be honest with you I actually don't really know. Time in Tartarus doesn't make sense and it's not like I had a watch. Maybe a few days. Maybe a week?
Otis and Ephialtes put me in that jar. I don't really know what happened after that, other than I suppose they physically carried it out with me in it to transport it out of Tartarus and take it back to Rome to be used as bait for my friends. I was in there for a week. [ as you do. he doesn't seem to realize that he's subconsciously rubbing his throat a bit while he's thinking about that. ] Kind of a no air, no light situation. The others came and found me. I wasn't exactly conscious for most of the fight against the giants, but they defeated them and we got back to the ship to get out of there.
[ as for the rest...he frowns again. shame also seems to be listening as it kneads into danny's shoulder. ]
Nyx believed that my true nature was darkness. Pain, suffering, all of that. [ this next part is said as if he's mimicking someone else. ] "That’s who you are, Nico di Angelo. You are a demigod made up of trauma. Your very soul is one of darkness."
...I went back to Tartarus a second time because someone needed my help. A friend. Will came with me because he's an idiot but...he was never going to let me go back alone. I almost didn't survive the first time by myself. [ he glances at the ceiling. ] Bob was calling for my help and Nyx intervened. Started sending me visions to lure me back down there because she wanted me to accept who I was. When we got there, I suppose you could say my demons were far easier to create because they were right on the surface. It was easier to try and say that I was giving into that nature, that I only knew darkness and didn't belong in the world of light. But, I mean, she was still wrong. I'm not...like that anymore.
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[ he absently reaches up a hand to pet at shame as he listens to the next part ]
Calling darkness your "true nature" and then sending you all those visions...sounds like she was putting her thumb on the scale. Not "true nature" so much as "ways you'd be much more convenient to me."
I'm guessing you defeated her, if it's not an issue anymore?
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Sure. They're pretty great. I doubt Hazel would've let them rest until they found me anyway though. [ he does not go into the idea that he was truly assuming they just wouldn't bother after a point. ]
That's a goddess for you though. Nyx has never known how to change in her entire life and couldn't fathom the idea of it. It's how we escaped. I didn't accept what she was doing. Or...I didn't accept that I wasn't capable of changing. [ he shakes his head. ] She's still down there in Tartarus, but I'm not going back anytime soon.
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[ anyway, the comic panels come back and this time begin showing something from danny's memories. Enjoy my 5k fanfic, nerd. ]
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