such-expensive-mistakes

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Honestly, it's pretty discouraging being a DC comics fan in this space. I have recommended stuff I love and just been ignored, or told that actually they don't even like comics and lol who cares about canon anyway. And like, I'm not opposed to a good AU, but I like these characters! I like the comics! That's what made me want to write dcxdp fic to begin with. And the fact that no one actually likes or cares about the things that I care about... well, why even bother to finish writing any of my fics?

It’s weird that “hey, maybe read or watch some DC content” seems oddly controversial in DPxDC fandom

Presumably you enjoy the characters since you keep using them, you’ll probably like one of the comics tv shows or movies(especially the animated movies)

we don’t HAVE to treat the entirety of DC canon like it’s Phantom Planet

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Hey guys, just so you know, I don't know if I'm going to finish the superpham au. I'm hoping to eventually, but idk.

Without getting too deep into details, I was really enthusiastic about making friends in this fandom, but instead the community I found left me feeling pretty alienated. Maybe it was just me and my personality-- not every space is a good fit for everyone-- but the experience ended up sapping all of my motivation to finish this. I'm hoping to get some of that motivation back after a break from the fandom, but no promises.

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Danny lands at the feet of his cloning template, and in a desperate bid to not get murdered by said template, he gave a wry smile before saying, "HI, dad." He then used the moment of stunned silence to escape.

A week later, he regrets his decision as he walks down the stairs to find his template in his living room, interrogating his tied up parents.

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Demon Twins Au prompt

What if the real reason Damian hated Tim when he arrived at the Manor was because Tim reminded him of his recently(like less than 24 hours before he's left with Bruce), deceased twin.

After a while, Damian grows comfortable with the family, but he still kinda avoids Tim. Tim's attempts to be brotherly seem to make it even worse.

Until one day, Damian gets drugged and mistakes Tim for Danyal.

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Twins Danny and Damian but! They both know where the other is (Damian going to Bruce and Danny being sent to the Fentons on a mission at a young age), has kept in touch and all that.

They just...never got around to telling anyone about the other.

That is until Danny comes interrupting Damian on patrol one night in a panic, pushes a bundle into his arms and hurriedly says "Read our texts! It'll explain! I gotta go, got a fruitloop on my tail! Be back when I can!"

And rushes off. When Damian looks down at the bundle in his arm, ignoring the yelling on comms and Nightwing rushing over, he is stunned to see a almost identical face to that of his brother staring back at him, only he can tell its female from the more delicate features.

When he later reads the texts his brother sent during his patrol... well he's tempted to go fruitloop hunting but he has a niece to take of... and inform his father of his granddaughter he's currently holding.

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Danny's retired. The ghost of a little girl doesn't particularly care about that.

He's in Star City, attending college, trying to keep his shit together after some huge villain attack that almost leveled the city.

And the ghost of a little girl stops him in his tracks.

Normally, ghosts leave him alone. They know when someone's too strong to fuck with, and they know he doesn't want to get involved in hero shit.

The exception being murder victims who want him to help point cops in the direction of their murderers....

...and this one little girl.

She bears the marks of death by collateral, so clearly not a murder victim.

Danny tries to brush past her.

She reappears.

This happens again. And again. And again.

"Look, kid, if I help you then every single ghost is gonna be on my ass for making an exception. You need to move on, for your sake and your family's-"

"My name is Lian Harper," the little girl interrupts, kicking him in the shin, "An' you're gonna help my dad, whether you like it or not."

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WE'RE BACK BABEYYYYY!! MARK THOSE CALENDARS AND GET READY TO JUST LEAVE A COMMENT

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Here's the original panel (from Justice League International) if anyone wants to use it for their own meme or just as a reaction image

In context, it is exactly what it looks like: a party getting interrupted by some alien attackers who didn't realize how many heroes were in the building

My sole contribution for today in the @haunting-heroes-creative-games Winter Advent event, for the prompt Workplace Holiday Party 🥳

A meme about Danny phasing through the Watchtower to this scene (similar vibes to another more modern meme)

Thanks to such-expensive-mistakes at the HH DPxDC discord for the panel discovery ^^

[such-expensive-mistakes]

My sole contribution for today in the @haunting-heroes-creative-games Winter Advent event, for the prompt Workplace Holiday Party 🥳

A meme about Danny phasing through the Watchtower to this scene (similar vibes to another more modern meme)

Thanks to such-expensive-mistakes at the HH DPxDC discord for the panel discovery ^^

[such-expensive-mistakes]

My sole contribution for today in the @haunting-heroes-creative-games Winter Advent event, for the prompt Workplace Holiday Party 🥳

A meme about Danny phasing through the Watchtower to this scene (similar vibes to another more modern meme)

Thanks to such-expensive-mistakes at the HH DPxDC discord for the panel discovery ^^

[such-expensive-mistakes]

halfa!Steph AU (part 1)

I'm still working on the Superpham AU but I couldn't stop thinking about this idea.

-----

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought she could be a hero. And then she died. She died slowly and painfully and steeped in guilt over having accidentally set off a gang war that destroyed the city. It's a neat little story about hubris and knowing your place and why Batman is always right.

Except she didn't. Die, that is. She flatlined on the operating table and Leslie faked her death. And when that girl came back, she put on a costume again and became the third Batgirl. It's a heartwarming story about stubbornness and learning to rely on others and proving Batman wrong.

The truth, Stephanie thinks, is somewhere in between.

When she talks about having died, people treat as— not as a joke, the pain is still too raw for that, but as an exaggeration. Dramatic license.

Sometimes Steph thinks that's all it is.  But she feels like she died.  She dreams about it sometimes.  Not just Black Mask, although he does haunt far too many of her dreams, but something else.  Something in-between.

It's probably just the trauma.  That's what Leslie says, when Stephanie finally asks her.

Stephanie doesn't ask Leslie about her newfound strength, or about how sharp her senses have become.  

You can't go through something like Stephanie did and come out unchanged.  That's what Babs says, and she would know.  Steph doesn't think they're thinking about the same kind of changes, though.

-----

Stephanie lands on a rooftop and looks down at the white van parked below.  It's not a particularly notable vehicle, except for the occupants.  

"What are they doing?" Steph asks.

"I don't know."  Babs sounds frustrated, and no wonder.  There aren't many people who can keep Oracle out of their systems, and Steph wouldn't have judged these guys to be among their ranks.  "I'll keep trying to get through their firewalls, but I'm flying blind here.  Keep an eye on them, but be careful."

"You know me," Steph says.  "Careful is my middle name."

Babs doesn't even bother to muster up a sarcastic response to that, which is how Steph knows she's preoccupied.

These guys have been running all over Gotham for the past few weeks.  They're dressed in immaculate white suits and carrying unfamiliar weapons, and they seem to be taking some kind of readings on unfamiliar instruments.  None of that is a crime, but it's suspicious, and Oracle's inability to find out any more about them is even more suspicious.

And that means they're officially Steph's problem.

The men are doing the same thing they've been doing the last few times Steph has watched them.  It's not particularly exciting.  

"Batgirl," Oracle says.

"Please tell me there's a robbery or something that needs my attention," Steph replies.  "These guys are so boring."

"Sorry.  Do you think you can get one of their gadgets for me?  I want a better look."

"Can do, boss."  

Stephanie carefully climbs down to street level, staying out of sight.  She's gotten a lot sneakier since her not-death.  She tells herself it's all of her training and practice, finally paying off, but regardless of the cause, the guys in white have no chance of spotting her.  

They're standing near the front of the van, arguing about something.

"The apparition was spotted here last night," one says.

"That doesn't mean it's going to return!" another responds. 

Sounds like they're looking for something in particular.  Which Steph and Babs had already guessed, but it's nice to have confirmation.

Steph slips toward the back of the van, which is wide open.  Not smart, especially in Gotham, but she's got a feeling these guys aren't from Gotham.  

The inside of their van reminds her of a sci-fi movie; everything is blindingly white and chrome, with glowing green accents.  And lots and lots of those weapons.  Whoever they are, they clearly have a nice sized budget.

Steph grabs one of the guns and a handheld instrument like the one the guys outside are waving around, but as soon as she does, all the instruments the guys in front of the van are holding start going wild.  

"There it is!" one of them yells.  They all start shooting at her, which is how Steph learns that they're using some kind of fancy laser guns.  Because regular guns just aren't space age enough for these guys.

That's Steph's cue to get out.  She grapples back to the rooftop, just barely avoiding getting hit by the laser guns.

It’s easy enough to lose them from the rooftops.  At Oracle’s direction, she makes her way back to Firewall.  She tugs her mask off and hands the stolen tech over to Babs.

“The’re looking for something,” she says.  “An apparition.”

Babs hums in acknowledgment.  “Hopefully these will have some answers.”  She switches on the— scanner?  Steph’s pretty sure that’s its function, anyway.  It starts beeping wildly.

Steph jumps back, startled.  The beeping stops.

“Well,” Babs says.  “I think we have an idea what they were looking for.”

[such-expensive-mistakes]

It's like a workplace sitcom! Like Brooklyn 99 if it was about superheroes (and also originally written in the 80s, lol)

I feel like these panels from JLI Annual #2 give an idea of the tone:

Bea trying to leverage superheroics into fame, dragging Tora along with her; Booster Gold and Blue Beetle trying to make a quick buck; Big Barda (and her husband Mister Miracle) trying to host a Totally Normal backyard barbecue... it's shenanigans all the way down. The Joker is in this issue trying to kill them all and gets taken out by stupid pratfalls the entire time. It's great.

The tone got a little more serious later on but it's a fun time! A bit dated (again, 80s) but I enjoy the characters.

And re: the dcxdp crossover, I just think an adult version of Danny would fit right in with these comedic misfits. Like, whoops, one of his rogues showed up and kidnapped us to the ghost zone and now Guy Gardner is trying to fight every ghost he sees and Tora is making friends with the yetis because she's met yetis before and Bea and Ember are teaming up to exploit superpowers for fame, etc, would be a great tonal fit

...ugh I am gonna have to write this eventually

I have too many things to write already but now I'm thinking about how funny a fic where Danny is in the JLI would be

If you don't know, the Justice League International is a specific line-up of the Justice League without most of the usual suspects-- Batman is around sometimes, but Martian Manhunter is the leader. It's more of a sitcom than anything else. Anyway, I just think Phantom would be a perfect fit with the rest of those weirdos.

Anyway I'm not writing it because I don't have an actual idea, just vibes, but the vibes would be hilarious

[such-expensive-mistakes]

I have too many things to write already but now I'm thinking about how funny a fic where Danny is in the JLI would be

If you don't know, the Justice League International is a specific line-up of the Justice League without most of the usual suspects-- Batman is around sometimes, but Martian Manhunter is the leader. It's more of a sitcom than anything else. Anyway, I just think Phantom would be a perfect fit with the rest of those weirdos.

Anyway I'm not writing it because I don't have an actual idea, just vibes, but the vibes would be hilarious

[such-expensive-mistakes]

AITA for not wanting to clean my parents' lab?

Danny makes a post on the AITA subreddit asking if he's the one in the wrong for refusing to clean his parents' lab. He makes an offhand comment about his accident that never gets explained. He says the most concerning things about his parents and acts like it's normal behavior for them.

Clark likes to read AITA stories on occasion, just a little self-indulgent gossip. He finds this story and freaks out. He shares it with Ollie, who shares it with Hal and Barry, who shares it with their respective families, which means that Wally hears about it, which mean that Dick hears about it, which means that Bruce hears about it. The People have Concerns.

I originally posted this in the Haunting Heroes discord in September and finally brought it over lol I know more than one person there has taken a look at it and may be posting a fic one day (as am I, to be honest) and I know there's been multiple takes already and would love to hear more >:3

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Danny stares at Clark Kent, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that he just found out Superman's civilian identity.

"...Can I help you?" The Super asks, looking highly uncomfortable.

Danny straightens up, probably also looking highly uncomfortable.

He's always had a feel for souls, since the accident. And Clark Kent's soul? Not human. Take away the glasses and boom-Superman.

And Superman was staring at Danny like he was trying to figure something out.

Fuck.

Play it cool.

"Nope. Not at all. I'm perfectly fine."

Kent raises an eyebrow.

After living with humans for so long, he's got a feel for what normal heartbeats sound like. The kid at the coffee shop does not have a normal heartbeat, but appears fine.

Also, he doesn't smell like a human.

They stare at each other.

"I'm not an alien," the kid blurts, leaning away a little. Ah.

So that's what it was. Another alien just trying to live his life.

"...I'm totally not an alien too. Well uh...have a nice day, kid."

With that, Clark walked out of the coffee shop and made his way to work. It was always nice to see the alien population increase.

@im-totally-not-an-alien-2 your name gave me random inspiration.

[such-expensive-mistakes]

AITA for not wanting to clean my parents' lab?

Danny makes a post on the AITA subreddit asking if he's the one in the wrong for refusing to clean his parents' lab. He makes an offhand comment about his accident that never gets explained. He says the most concerning things about his parents and acts like it's normal behavior for them.

Clark likes to read AITA stories on occasion, just a little self-indulgent gossip. He finds this story and freaks out. He shares it with Ollie, who shares it with Hal and Barry, who shares it with their respective families, which means that Wally hears about it, which mean that Dick hears about it, which means that Bruce hears about it. The People have Concerns.

I originally posted this in the Haunting Heroes discord in September and finally brought it over lol I know more than one person there has taken a look at it and may be posting a fic one day (as am I, to be honest) and I know there's been multiple takes already and would love to hear more >:3

[such-expensive-mistakes]

Danny's parents take him on vacation to Metropolis.

They go to talk to some guy named Lex Luthor, but Danny isn't worried. He already tampered with literally everything they'd show to Luthor, rewrote the formulae used on the blueprints so that they made no sense, and Jazz was staying with them to play the straightman to their insanity and convince Luthor they weren't worth paying attention to.

Which left Danny with spending money and free reign of Metropolis.

So he went to a hot dog vendor, because who wouldn't want a hot dog that didn't try to fight back?

Then there's this...puff of air. Right behind him. Right as the vendor is giving him his hot dog. And it feels like someone, something, strong.

So in front of Metropolitans, CCTV, the vendor, and the gods, Danny reacts on instinct; he whips around and decks the threat.

Right through a wall.

Yeah.

Danny Fenton, nerd and bully-bait, just punched Superman through a wall.

In front of E V E R Y O N E.

Superman comes up from it, actually holding a hand against his ribs, very confused. He'd just been about to get a hot dog, what villain had attacked-?

Oh.

Oh, it's that scared, terrified looking teenager on the verge of hyperventilating. That's who punched him.

So this was clearly an accident, then. No one would do that deliberately and look so horrified.

Superman straightens and holds out his hands in a sign of peace-

Then the kid disappears out of thin air.

Across the city, Lex Luthor watches his phone, expressionless, as a meta with the power to suckerpunch Superman disappears from the feeds.

Facial recognition already made him as the son of the very buffoons in front of him, who successfully managed to waste two whole hours of his time.

Well.

They can pay it back by being involuntary guests while he has a little chat with dear Daniel.