#I know why Jason is in great shape

[sirtaliesin]

The Demon (1972) - Issue #5

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

DPXDC: I wanna be like most girls ghosts.

or Danny: What should I do to make my mom happy?

or ~Danny deserves a little teenage rebellion as a treat~

Maddie: I just want this damned Phantom to stop pretending to be a hero! All ghosts are pure evil, who is he trying to deceive? Danny: Oh, really? And Danny took it personally.

It’s not Danny’s fault that he’s a good kid and wants to make his parents happy. But why would he have to be a monster to make them happy? Why must they hate him to be happy?

Danny’s obsession was going crazy.

Well, when your own parents call you a monster in the face, it hurts. Why do they always believe that only their opinion is the absolute truth? They have no idea how much worse things would be if at least some of the ghosts really behaved the way Maddie and Jack think they’re supposed to. If he really is evil by nature, is there any point in fighting his own fate? They want to see him as a villain, he will become one. He will. He just needs a little help and practice. And not bring it to the level when Clockwork has to clean up his mess. Poor guy is without a vacation for how long? Couple of millennia?

Johnny 13: Sup. Danny: F*ck off, Johnny, I’m not in the mood. Busy thinking about world domination. Get out of here or I’ll call Kitty. Johnny 13: What’s wrong? You’re usually so grouchy only towards the end of the week. Danny: Nothing. Just parents. Again. They are wonderful but I can’t help but feel sometimes that they, em… Johnny 13: Suck? Danny: Right…Damn. I’m a terrible son. Maybe something is wrong with me. Johnny 13: What? No, no, dude. You’re just growing up. And you’re a little late, usually teenagers go through that stage before they graduate. Well, you’ve probably been busy with other issues, so just missed it. Danny: I wonder whose fault it is. Aren’t there ghosts who enjoyed to ruin my life in the middle of school day?

Johnny 13: Oh, bother. Anyway, you’re entering a beautiful time of emancipation, where you’re going to shape your own view of life and, along the way, to get drunk on cheap alcohol at parties, maybe to go to jail and to become the greatest disappointment to your family..And then you will be ashamed to remember it for about the next ten years. Danny: Well, it looks like I’ve already done two out of three additional things. Great success. Johnny 13: When did you get drunk? Danny: I didn’t. Johnny 13: Oh. Want to fix that? Danny: What? No. What an idiot wants to add a headache to his problems? Johnny 13: Well, your loss, then I’ll go terrorize the bars of Gotham alone and no one can stop me. Let’s see what your boyfriend will say about it. ~~~~~ Danny: Bartender, another shot of Dead Man’s Fingers, please. Red Hood: Babe, haven’t you had enough? Danny: Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you try, no matter how many sacrifices you make, in their eyes you’ll always be nothing more than a monster? Nothing more than a mistake? Oh, Death doesn’t give people like me a break. Red Hood: …I’ll have what he’s having. *gives the bartender a sign to switch the rum shots to a batburger milkshake for them, and starts talking to Danny so that he doesn’t understand Hood's scams*

~~~~~

Johnny 13: Other people’s kids are growing up so fast. It seems like yesterday he didn’t know how to shoot ectoblast, and now.. Kitty: Stop trying to make me feel bad, we’re leaving. Johnny 13: But the boy needs our support, honey boo!

~~~~~

Danny: I'm fine. Really, I am. This isn’t the first time mom’s called me a monster. She often called me that when she was upset with my behavior in my childhood. Huh, it's even funny. Jason: There’s nothing funny about that. Danny: No, you don’t understand. Looking back, I was really a very active child and didn’t know when to stop. Not surprisingly that I often annoyed my parents. They’re very busy people, and Jazz couldn’t always keep an eye on me. And I was often afraid to go to sleep alone because there were shadows in the darkness of my room. Well, I used to think they were. But I pretended everything was okay to not distract parents from work. Jason: Hey, it’s not your fault. You were a child. Obviously, kiddo requires a lot of attention, they must have understood that. You are the second child in the family, right? Danny: Well, Jazz was different. I don’t know. Anyway, I thought if the monsters behind the curtain and under the bed were just like me, well, according to my mom, you know, then they wouldn’t want to hurt me. And since they look after me, they are friends. So I kinda greeted all the suspicious noises and howls. Huh, I was a strange kid. Jason: If you smile at someone in the dark alley right now that someone is more likely to wet themselves or faint. Danny: Rude! I’m not that scary. Admit that I’m adorable. Do it right now. Jason: Stunning, darling. But still carry a gun and a knife, please. My childhood taught me that what's hiding in the dark is worth beating up. Danny: Come on, what should I be afraid of? Death? Anyway, I want to try this shit. Like, the inevitable one. Being a bad boy, you know? Hood *raises eyebrows*. Danny: Oh damn it man, I'm talking about ghostliness. I want to try to be like most of dead ones. I want to unleash my side of the trickster and the villain. But only a little bit. I have to be supervised so that things don't go too far. Would you help me, honey?

~~~~~2 hours later~~~~

~~~~~

Goons used to expect a lot of weirdness from working with the boss.

Sometimes Bruce Wayne would go into their base and yell at the Red Hood like he's one of his kids. Of course Wayne's well-known as 'Gotta adopt them all' but the guy must really suffer from insomnia to count the Red Hood into his brood of chicks several times. Sometimes the boss would fight Robin or Nightwing over differences in morals…or for biscuits. It varied from moment to moment. Sometimes the boss caught the local street children, fed them and taught them to steal correctly. And most of the foundlings stayed with them under their protection.

To make a long story short, Red Hood is not the typical crime lord that some of them had to deal with before. Which is a blessing. Thanks Lord for the health insurance. But still the crime lord. Which means he's still scary, and sometimes deadly.

Anyway, when the boss brought in a guy who looked more civilian than any civilian in the whole Gotham and said he was going to be their intern, they thought it was a joke at first. Despite the fact that Hood was not in the habit of joking while working.

The teenager was too well-mannered and sweet to come from Crime Alley. Phil thought the guy was gonna run when he saw the first murder, Jessica didn’t think the domestic boy wouldn’t chicken out at the sight of a fight. But arguing with a boss’s orders in their profession is like asking for a bullet in the head, so these conversations were taking place outside of their boss's sight. God, how can they teach him anything? What do you take from a boy who’s only good to do the coffee run? Fenton will fall if they’ll give him something heavier than 10 pounds. And then boss will yell at them because he treats the new guy like a princess on a pea. Well, at least that’s what they thought until the boss decided to give the new guy his own assignments:

~~~~~

Red Hood: So, what have you learned during your internship, my young Padawan? Danny: Well, it looks like I’m gonna suck at being a criminal mastermind. I think I may have to find myself some other profession. Red Hood: Come on, you just need a little more practice. Danny: Thank you but I don’t think that’s fit my obsession that good. Don't misunderstand me, I wanna be like most ghosts. But I was wrong to go to hit that goal only base on human stereotypes about my nature. Red Hood: What a pity. The newbies just learned not to flinch when you walk in. But, to be honest, I'm not gonna miss the adrenaline-boosting roller coaster of you at work. Danny: Oh, and I guess to hold on to the concept of humanity was really stupid too. I clearly no longer fit in and I’m finally ready to accept that. So, hopefully, if you get into trouble, you can rely on my ghostliness and call for help. I am the spirit of many talents and of my word. I can haunt your enemies or walk through the walls of Arkham Asylum. Whatever you need, I’ll be here. Red Hood: I’ll bear that in mind.

[dcxdpdabbles]

ok but office supplier is even funnier if jason hasn't been declared legally alive again and danny starts dating him thus allowing him to both be and not be part of the wayne family

"I have a date," Danny says one random morning as he refills the office snack bar. Danny, in his own words, is one of the highest-paid employees. He has chosen to create a snack center for all Wayne employees. He has one on every three floors, filling it with fruits, chips, chocolate, pudding, and drinks.

And a cabinet with free samples of stationery supplies he thought more people should know about. Next to the supplies, he wrote the name of the product, where to buy, and even recommendations of

Everyone felt really touched by this and started bringing snacks and drinks to help him. Half the time, Danny only refilled the stationary since everyone was happy to have a community snack bar.

"A what!?" Jack from accounting gasped. Danny didn't pay him any mind; he was too busy picking between the flower and moon mini-planners.

Both were pocket-sized, but one had a workout addition, while the other had a section to track books for readers. He felt like there were more readers than gym goers, but he didn't want either to miss out if he picked one over the other.

"A date," he responded after placing both options inside the basket. He'll have to wait to introduce the amazing erasable pens he found, but he could make it up next month.

"With who?" Demanded Sara. She worked in PR and had been attempting to have him attend at least three parties with the Waynes in the past month alone.

"Peter. I met him a week ago at a street fair. One of the personal pen makers I follow would have a booth, and I was dying to see them." Danny pulls a box from his pocket, showcasing the fancy navy blue pen. "This is the George Washington Battle of Princeton edition. It has the painting of the battle wrapped around it, with careful silver-golden details on the cap to resemble the colonial era and a golden-edged nib; this is one fine fountain pen. It cost me five thousand and nine hundred dollars."

"Danny, please focus- five thousand? You spent five thousand on a pen!?"

Danny puffs out his chest, smiling broadly. "It was worth every penny!"

"That's-never mind. Are you sure Peter is a good person?" Jack pressed, "Because I know a great man. Mr. Drake-Wayne! Wouldn't you rather go on a date with him?"

"But Peter bought me easrsers that were shaped like fried chicken. They came in bucket. See." He ramages through his bag until he pulsl out a palm-szed bucket with chicken shaped earses inside. "Isn't it cool?"

"I'll admit that's pretty cool," Sara conceded but shared a quick glance with her coworkers. Danny wonders why they all look so worried. This wasn't that expensive. Peter only used ten dollars for it. "Do you like Peter?"

"I don't know. It's just a first date." He shrugs. "I don't usually have those. Not many people are willing to listen to me ramble about stationary."

"You know who would love to listen to you?" Jack throws an arm around Danny's shoulder. "Mr. Drake-Wayne!"

"Mr. Grasyon-Wayne!"

"Mis Wayne!"

"Mr. Wayne!" Everyone turns to stare at Gary, who flushes, "Bruce Wayne, not Damian!"

That caused some head nods and a few scattered comments about how the age gap was still alarmingly large, but if both were consenting adults, who were they to oppose it? Danny stared back as everyone debated whether Danny and Mr.Wayne should date.

He glances down at his heart-shaped notepads and figures they are right. It's not like he has any feelings about this date. He just agreed to get the passers.

Taking out his phone, he sends Peter a message to cancel their date. He should go out with someone because he likes them, not because they may allow him to discuss his interests.

Jason despairs somewhere on the other side of town as he reads the text for his second persona- a living citizen Peter Todd- from the guy who he saw at the street market going gaga over pens. The guy was so cute, too.

[sanguineterrain]

Hey, I love your writing, your Jason fics are always so tender and authentic

I was wondering if you would write something where Reader is pulled aside by someone and asked whether they're in danger (since Jason is pretty big and intimidating) and later they laugh it off because they find it absurd but it gets to Jason and perhaps brings some insecurities to the surface

this is actually devastating!!! thank you for requesting 🤌

jason todd x gn!reader. tw: wrongly assumed abuse and jason being gutted at the idea, hurt/comfort, reassurance, estab relationship.

****

"Chocolate is obviously superior."

Jason sighs, flopping against the diner booth dramatically. "What a shame to be so wrong. Vanilla stays on top."

"Vanilla is boring as hell, Jay," you say, throwing your napkin at him. He catches it. Of course. "On the milkshake hierarchy, vanilla is barely a step above whatever monstrosity a peppermint bark shake is."

"Buddy, I happen to like drinking toothpaste." He points a finger at you. "And that's my God-given right."

"It's an abomination is what it is." You take a long, pointed sip of your shake. "Mm, the taste of good choices."

Jason traps both of your legs between his under the table. You gasp and try to wiggle free, but his strength is merciless.

"If it's an abomination, why is it on the menu?" he asks, grinning as you squirm.

"Well, what else are they meant to serve you freaks?"

Jason gently tugs you forward by your legs. He leans over the table. You meet him halfway.

"This freak appreciates the thought," he says and kisses you.

He tastes like vanilla shake. It's not what you'd order, but you really don't mind kissing it off of Jason's mouth. Funny how that works.

He pulls away and releases your legs, then scoots out of the booth.

"Gonna take care of business. Don't drink my incredibly irresistible shake."

"I'll certainly try," you say, looking up at him with what are undoubtedly giant heart eyes.

Jason disappears to the restrooms. You drink your shake and focus on trying to craft the straw wrapper into a snake.

You're close to shaping it when a woman comes up to your table. You've never seen her in your life.

"Uh, hi," you say. "Can I help you?"

She glances around the diner before leaning down.

"Hey. Look, if you're... in need of someplace safe, there's a great shelter downtown."

Your brows rise. "I'm sorry?"

"I was in your shoes once too," she says, eyes wide. "You don't have to rely on a guy to get you on your feet. Especially someone like him."

You shake your head slowly. "I... what? I don't understand. The man I'm with, he's my boyfriend."

She looks skeptical. You turn to face her fully, because now you're properly bewildered.

"Uh, I appreciate that you're looking out for people, and I know stuff you're referring to is everywhere in Gotham. But I promise I'm okay."

"I know physical intimidation is scary—"

"Whoa." You hold up a hand. "Just because he's a big guy doesn't mean he's throwing me around. He's the gentlest man you'll ever meet. I love him and he loves me. No one is in danger."

The woman's mouth pinches. You don't even have it in you to be upset. You've never once felt afraid of Jason. But you forget how he looks to others, how he's twice or triple most people's size and covered in scars.

"Here's the number to the shelter," she says, slipping the paper under the salt shaker. "In case you change your mind."

She hurries out the door before you can respond. You stare at the card, then shrug. You suppose, if anything, you're happy there are still good Samaritans in Gotham.

Presently, Jason returns. He purposely makes his footsteps heard because of the countless times you've lectured him about scaring the shit out of you due to his habit of going stealth mode without realizing.

"Hello, dearest," he says. "I've returned from war."

"My hero. Did you wash your hands in battle?"

Jason slides into the booth and sticks his hand in your face. "Smell 'em and rejoice, baby."

You take his hand and give it a deep sniff. It indeed smells like soap. Not that you ever doubted your boyfriend's handwashing capabilities.

"Smells like... wrong opinions about milkshakes," you say, then kiss his palm.

He rolls his eyes. "I can see my absence has taught you nothing. Unfortunate."

"I'm stubborn. I'm sure you of all people can understand that," you say, smiling.

"Mm. Y'lucky you're cute."

Your food arrives, the waitress cheerily informing you that she hopes you enjoy your meal.

"I think she's the happiest person in Gotham," Jason says, shaking the ketchup bottle.

You take a fry from his plate. "Probably a Metropolis native."

"Y'know my fries are the exact same as yours, right?"

"Nope," you say. "Yours have special boyfriend cooties on them. Adds flavor."

"You're gross," Jason says, quite lovingly.

You make a heart with your hands. He returns it, then takes a bite of his burger.

You don't even register it when Jason grabs the salt shaker. You're zeroed in on your lunch and don't look up until he speaks.

"What's this?"

Jason's holding the shelter hotline card.

"Oh! Some lady came over and gave that to me."

"Gave it to you?"

You should clock Jason's tone and the way he's stopped eating completely. But the experience was so odd that you can't fathom Jason thinking it as anything but a mistake.

"Yeah. For some reason, she thought I was here drinking a milkshake with you against my will. Probably 'cause it's Gotham, and you're my BBB: big beefcake boyfriend. Little does she know, I'm the heavyweight boxing champion of Park Row."

You swirl your fries in Jason's ketchup. He doesn't even blink. Usually, he'd give you a raised eyebrow and pretend he's cross.

Jason's still staring at the card. You catch his legs with yours. He doesn't look up.

"Jay?" you ask, smile fading. You drop your legs. "Hey. Y'good?"

"Hm? Oh. Sorry, baby." He puts the card aside and smiles at you, quick and strained.

"Everything okay?" you ask.

"Yeah. Uh, fine."

"Jason." You lean over and grab his hand. "What's wrong?"

He swallows. You wait, the noise of the diner fading. All that matters is whatever's causing his absolutely heartbreaking expression.

"How could she think I'm hurting you?" Jason whispers, finally looking at you. "How could—I would never hurt you."

"Oh, Jay. Honey, that's why I hardly entertained her. It was so silly to think about. I was so puzzled at first that I couldn't even decipher what she meant."

"But what if... y'know, maybe she sensed something about me. Sensed violence. I get it. I'd–I'd be scared of me if I were a regular person."

"Jason, sweetie, no. No, no, no. I think that woman experienced some hard things in her life, and that caused her to see something that wasn't there. She had good intentions, but she was absolutely wrong. I know you have a past, but I've never felt unsafe with you. Never. I could never be afraid of you."

Jason gnaws on the inside of his cheek. You get up and slide in next to him, crowding him against the wall. You curl against his arm.

"You love me so well, I forget that most people see a monster when I walk down the street," he says.

You squeeze your eyes closed. Pins in your heart.

"You're not a monster, Jay. You're good. I know it. Your family knows it. You're a protector."

He takes a deep breath. "If–if you ever felt afraid of me, ever, and you wanted me to stay away, then you tell me so, and I'd leave you alone. No questions asked."

"Jason," you whisper. You wrap your arm around his neck and pull him close. The vinyl squeaks as you shift. "Jay, I love you. I don't want you to leave me alone."

"But if—"

"No. Please listen to me. I know you'd never hurt or frighten me. Sometimes, people are wrong. She was wrong about you. She was kind but wrong."

You sit like that for a bit, feeling each other breathe. Jason's hand grazes yours. You grab it, lacing your fingers together.

"I love you too," he says quietly. "Never felt anything but love for you."

You smile and steal another fry off his plate. He snorts.

"I know." You lean against his shoulder. "Never doubted it."

[acid-ixx]

I have a question, well 2 questions to be exact that’s been rattling around in my head since I started reading platonic yandere batfam fics, why would reader stay in Gotham? I’d be sneakily stealing as much money as I could without getting caught as soon as I reach a “fuck these guys” mentality. Like, asking to have some money for groceries or something and just pocketing it so that I could get a bus ticket and leave the city. Would you do it if you were reader? It just makes sense to me “this place sucks, these people suck, I’ve gotten enough to leave”, this is with me assuming that reader has the means of course, if the reader doesn’t then okay, yeah that makes sense

And my second question, do you ever feel resentful towards Alfred when you read batfam photonic yandere content? I do sometimes, especially when the reader is neglected. I know this might sound odd but when I read these fics I recognize that Alfred could do more, out of everyone in the manner, I think Alfred’s word carries the most weight, especially with Bruce due to him raising Bruce. I also notice in some batfam fics that the reader doesn’t get mad at him due to him giving them attention, but idk it feels kinda like a slap to the face, knowing that I don’t have the power but he does and yet not exercising it until I’ve burned every last tie to that family.

I know my thoughts are a more “well you’re on the outside looking in” type takes, but idk, it hurts my heart knowing that if reader stays in that city, it will be far more easier for the batfam to find them, where if they were outside the city, they’d have a fighting chance to make a new life for themselves

On a side note, I think we are underutilizing the angst potential of reader legally changing their name and the batfam not knowing until months or even years later when reader leaves. Like Bruce and the fam would just have to sit and realize that reader hates/dislikes/doesn’t care about them enough to legally change their name from Wayne to whatever reader chooses. Jason was Batman’s greatest failure, but Reader would be Bruce’s greatest failure, and what a delightful public failure it would be if the tabloids were to somehow find out that one of Bruce Wayne’s biological children changed their legal name

I’m loving your batfam content btw, like it makes me want to create one of those “screw therapy, I need to fist fight my dad” tiktoks and tag Bruce Wayne, that’s what I can phenomenal writing!! And sorry for making this so long! Hope you have a great existence!

slight spoilers for future chapters.

this is one of my favorite asks... anon, you are so brilliant because your two questions tie into the reader's character so well and the flaws that they (you) conjured from years of neglect, so i hope my answers would suffice (i am answering based on the perspective of the reader from my series: again & again with a bit of my own perspective). tysm for sending this in, i actually really enjoy long asks and appreciate it when people take the time to send me these things!

why would the reader stay in gotham?

chapter one wasn't all the detailed about why they stayed in gotham. firstly, their self-worth had them reason that in no way, shape, or form would their family that basically estranged them would come running to them, especially not when the only time the reader could even stumble across them is by some miracle of coincidence. this also ties into their lack of knowledge about their family. sure, they know that babs is the oracle but do they know just how much access she has across gotham? not really. they know tim, like bruce, has a tendency to collect information about other people, but they don't know that they have contingency plans to be creeped out enough to get away from gotham and from their reach.

"it's not like tim or bruce or barbara considered you important enough to be stalked. hah, as if!"

and the third point is, despite bruce being a billionaire of some sort, it was stated that the reader was too well-behaved and quiet. how does this make sense? as you've stated, they wouldn't simply have the means to get out. seeing as they were sheltered by alfred and never really explored the concept of traveling far away, they never asked for money; the only advantage of being a wayne is having quite a lot of things served on a silver platter.

they have this sort of toxic bond for staying with the people who have hurt them and it materialized to them physically staying despite knowing it would only cause more pain than anything else, and they don't know that. plus, they'd rather not have the wayne name associated with them and getting money from cheques or credit cards would be too risky for the reader's safety.

they've only realized just how shitty their family is after more than 10-13 years of staying in the manor, and saving up to move to an entirely different place would be difficult, alongside college and the jobs they have to take. so the next best thing they could do is rely on any means of advantage they could get whilst also moving on to the path of self-discovery and recovery.

but that doesn't mean they're staying in gotham forever, definitely not. the moment the reader realizes that dick gained some sort of interest towards them, they're booking it out of gotham. preferably to metropolis or central city or even somewhere far, far away— they're naive, but not stupid. sudden interest towards them means danger rather than anything else. and they're aware that alfred is capable enough to pull strings, so that's why spoiler alert: they have a secret stash of money hidden somewhere and like any children of bruce, they inherited the capability to be smart enough to already back up their contacts and everything on their phone, buy a burner phone and even change their entire identity in one quick go right after they move into an entirely different city or country.

gotham is merely their practice course.

do you ever feel resentment towards alfred?

quite frankly, yes. the reader in the fic feels resentment towards everyone for a reason actually, but alfred's part was stated vaguely as to not spoil a future chapter that focuses on his perspective. they know that he has the more power inside the manor more than bruce has. everyone, and i mean everyone respects alfred, and it doesn't take a genius to know that if you mess with him, you're messing with an entire family of crime fighters.

it's not obvious, but the reader's narrative in chapter one is them trying so hard to delude themself into thinking things can be better until it's too late. so in a sense, there's false narrative coming into play.

"alfred would be too busy sometimes to attend your school ceremonies because he had to assist bruce with missions. of course, you understood his priorities. after all, he tried his hardest to make you feel less lonely inside the mansion, it wasn't enough but he was there at least."

at some point in time, alfred had also neglected the reader emotionally with the same reasoning as the others; he was busy with their father. and this all could've been avoided if alfred had tried to confront the entire family about it. i'm not delving deeper into this to really avoid spoilers other than pointing out some details in the first chapter.

just know that alfred relishes in your newfound favoritism towards him, and that he may or may not have pulled some strings himself from helping you become closer to the family.

the part about reading changing their name from (name) wayne to (name) (last name) is what made me so drawn to this ask. you have pretty much predicted one of the chapters that explored (name) wayne to the public eye. they're not so much of an internet celebrity because of their rare appearances in public, but that's what causes immense curiosity about their identity to uprise in gotham, and their fame was one of the means to get to you.

there was one news article published that was the reason that made bruce distant towards you.

but let's focus on what yan! bruce would've felt once he turns a full 360.

because the first thing he would do once he has you in his grasp is to change your last name back to his. you are not the child of a (last name), you are a wayne first and foremost, bruce's third child and his greatest mistake, quite literally. you were a product of a one-night-stand, and because he was drowning in despair from jason's death, he had failed to notice you. all his years of neglect, and he doesn't even know a single thing about you, simply because he refused to acknowledge your presence.

and you rightfully hated him, he should've accepted that. but your diary entries and the way you innocently thought of him destroyed any sliver of hope for a peaceful reconciliation. he hates how you were experiencing the same type of despair as him when it comes to battling your own monsters— you truly are a wayne at heart. he couldn't afford to let you get away any further. just like dick, he needs to fix it now or further sever the already broken ties you have with him.

it's not batman now, but rather bruce. bruce wayne had failed to save another one of his children, not as a vigilante, but as a father.

knowing bruce, he's quick to take into action and search for you.

holy shit, this is a really long post but i hope it does answer the questions ! im so grateful that you like my writing enough to write a really long ask, and i hope to see your messages more once the new chapters are published <3

[theghostkingisdead]

dpxdc - Neglected Child AU

As one of his first acts as Ghost King, Danny basically created ghost CPS. Mostly they help new spirits come to terms with the fact that they're dead, but situations like Danny's are a lot more common than the Observants had lead him to believe. People who come back from the dead or are exposed to large quantities of unstable ectoplasm often lead sad, short second lives. Either because they are unable to obtain the nutrients their new forms require, or because their communities turn against them in fear. This is a story about Jason Todd.

There was a lot Jazz loved about her job. She loved helping young ghosts find acceptance. She loved matching cases with foster Fraids. She loved meeting new people. She loved the rare excuse to travel dimensions. But some days, Jazz was intimately reminded of why this program was formed in the first place.

Knock, knock, knock.

Jazz looked up from her laptop. “Come in!”

Apple – the ghost of a dryad whose tree was chopped down two summers ago – poked her head in.

“Uh, Lady- I mean, Ms. Phan-, no,” Apple took a shuddering breath. Jazz smiled encouragingly. The girl had only been working here for a season, and already she was making excellent progress. “Ms. Jasmine, there’s a city spirit here to see you, uh, on behalf of a uh, potential client.”

“Thank you, Apple, you can send them in.” Jazz said.

Apple flushed green, closing the door with a sigh. Jazz guessed she had about two minutes before the impromptu meeting began. She used the time to sweep some papers off her desk and into a drawer. It had been some time since she’d had a walk-in like this. Jazz had a strict open doors policy when it came to her office, despite the technical fact that her door was often closed; it was just easier to focus that way! She had no idea why most ghosts preferred to submit claims by mail, really it was much better for them to speak with an officer in person.

Thirty years ago, Jazz would’ve had trouble describing the spirit that walked through the doors. Fifty years ago, even looking at it would’ve been painful. But Jasmine Duchess Phantom had been living in the Infinite Realms for almost eighty years now, and liminal senses reached out subconsciously, cataloging scents and colors that her mortal mind would have balked at.

The shape of a steel-colored skeleton peered out at her from a billowing cloud of grey smoke, which curled around its feet and seeped across the floor. Jazz tasted gunmetal and sugar, smelled stale urine and burned bread, felt desperation-fear-hunger-love crash violently against her. Like a cliff to a wave, Jazz stood her ground, letting herself be tested. This spirit was old and afraid; when it spoke, it spoke in a million overlapping voices.

“My apologies for barging in unannounced, Your Grace. I come before you with an issue of great import. One I have reason to believe our King may have a personal interest in.”

Jazz nodded, “My doors are always open, City Spirit. I’m always happy to help. But before I hear your petition, may I know who I am addressing?”

The skeleton did not move that she could see, but Jazz heard windchimes like chittering laughter.

“I am Gotham, Your Grace. My apologies for my rudeness. I have little reason to travel these days and am unaccustomed to necessary introductions.”

Jazz nodded, committing the name and its taste to memory. “No need to apologize, Gotham. Your situation is not unique amongst your kind. Have a seat,” Jazz gestured at the plush couch across from her desk. “What troubles you so, to bring you so far from home?”

There was more windchime tittering, and Jazz wondered if the spirit was laughing or just readjusting itself on a plane she could not see. A nervous tick, perhaps? Maybe she could send Apple for something to make Gotham feel more at ease. Bullet casings or chocolate chip cookies would be equally soothing to this entity, Jazz guessed.

Gotham folded into itself, form blurring slightly before reforming on the couch, leaned forward with elbows on knees. “Many years ago, a mortal man pledged himself to my service. I accepted him as a City Guard, my mortal Champion. This man has many children who have likewise pledged themselves to my protection.”

Jazz smothered the urge to interrupt. She loathed the idea of child Guards; the fact that this City Spirit was here now asking for help meant that this instance had gone just as well as it usually did.

Unaware of her internal judgement, Gotham continued. “The second child died and revived some seven years ago, I…” This time, the rattling sound emanating from Gotham shook the room with the force of a thunderclap. “You have to understand, I don’t claim kids as champions, so technically he was never even under my protection. And when he came back, he ran! I don’t have power outside the city, you know, so even if, well, it’s not like there was anything I could have done differently,”

Jazz was aware that she was frowning. She could only guess what her aura felt like to Gotham, whose smoky aura was rapidly thickening. A bird puffing itself up to look bigger. A cheap trick. If Jazz were in a more compassionate mood, she might have felt embarrassed at such a juvenile display from a spirit decades older than herself.

“You neglected a child, or-” she cut off Gotham before it could protest, “allowed a child to be neglected. For seven years. What changed? Why petition him now and not then?”

Gotham chittered, “Well, you see, he came back to me just over a year ago, retook his pledge and everything. And, well, things were rough, I thought the fraid was just readjusting itself, but, er-”

“Tell me.”

“Well, the problem is I don’t exactly know what the boy is anymore, but he’s more ghostly than not, and his fraid’s fully human. If this infighting between my Guards goes on for any longer, it’ll tear me apart. I figured The King might want to step in, considering this boy might be a halfa, maybe he could help him and the fraid get back to normal.”

Jazz grinned. “Rest assured, Gotham, The Crown will indeed be taking special interest in your case.” Words dripped from her lips, caustic even to her own ears. “Now, why don’t you go outside and give Apple the rest of the details. I have some visits to make.”

[mxtantrights]

Hiya, boxer!jason anon here again! I see he has stuck around in your mind (honestly who can blame you?), hence why today i bring forth: boxer!jason and children. THE MAN LOVES THEM YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OF ANYTHING ELSE

So yeah, these are my two cents for today :)))

(Also, may i get an anon name pls?🥺🥺)

a/n: thank you anon!! <33 I love love love you for sending this in. and yes you can pick an anon name or an emoji just send me an inbox!!

right off the bat you figure out that boxer!Jason and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly. One calls to the other, they are almost always found together if they are in the same space.

It starts when you and boxer!Jason go to the park for a walk. You're just chatting and talking about your lives together. And then all of a sudden you have a penchant for ice cream. You stop by a small shop and pick up a scoop for him and you to share.

But the time you come back boxer!Jason is running down a hill with a few kids. They're all beating him which you know is on purpose because he runs regularly.

And it happens again on a few other occasions.

Like when boxer!Jason takes you to a bookstore. He lets you have free range of the bookshelves. Says to go crazy. And you do. You pick up like six or seven books. And when you go to hand them off to boxer!Jason he's not there.

You go looking around, thinking he might be in the Jane Austen section. But as you're walking over there, you pass the kids section. And there he is. He's bent over, in the shape of a bridge, and letting the kids crawl underneath him.

You just laugh as you watch him egg the kids on.

On a more personal note, you have a little cousin. And when he comes over for the summer boxer!Jason is his favorite person. The two of them are a pair of thieves.

Wherever boxer!Jason goes, your cousin follows. If boxer!Jason is going to the gym, your little cousin is there bright and early acting like the water boy. If boxer!Jason is setting up something in the house, your cousin is his little assistant. boxer!Jason says that he reminds him of his brothers. How cunning and quick he is. How he cares for animals and is nestled in innocence.

boxer!Jason is probably great with kids because he understands how rough his upbringing was and wants to offer the opposite of that to kids.

[astronomoney]

bookends, bestfriends, deadends

Pairing + WC: Jason Grace x reader, 1.6k Warnings: slow burn, once again and as always with my love Jason this is NOT canon-compliant, Jason may be a tiny bit ooc but I tired Summary: In the months between saving Hera and setting sail for New Rome, Jason finds himself making a friend Authors note: ok, y’all, here’s the deal; I took a nap and woke up with an idea, so I started writing; then I realized I needed set up, so I wrote this. Now I have a full fic that doesn’t include my original idea, so I will have to make pt: 2, but at least it’s already almost all the way written

Camp was far too busy this year; even for the off-season, it felt like there were campers everywhere. With all the bustle, it was hard to find a moment of peace. That’s why you’d taken to the woods that day. Following the path you’d walked a million times to a little outcrop of ruins not far from the beach, deep enough to not be disturbed. You’d taken a thick blanket and draped it over a vaguely couch-shaped block of stone ages ago to use as a reading nook. It was calm and peaceful and empty, usually.

This time, when you got close enough to see your little piece of peace, there was already someone there. A blonde boy with a scar on his lip sitting on your faux couch and squinting at the book in his hand. Jason Grace. Of course, you knew who he was, everyone knew of him and Piper and Leo, all working to get ready for the next great prophecy. 

Sneaking up on a former Roman soldier didn’t seem like the best plan, so you’d spoken out. “Guess this place isn’t so secret after all,” geez, what an opener.

Jason looked up with a start and got to his feet before you could say anything else. “Hi, hey, sorry, is this your spot? I wasn’t sure who’s it was, so I stayed to read some. I can go.” 

“Oh no, please, you don’t have to,” you were quick to put up your hands and stop him from leaving. You two hadn’t necessarily talked before, but he had always seemed nice at meals and campfires, if not a little awkward. “You were here first. I can leave if you want to be alone.”

Jason paused, it seemed he was actually taking you in now, noticing the book in your hand, Don Quixote as opposed to the copy of War and Peace he held. “I don’t mind company,” he offered you a small nervous smile, it was so pure you had to just stare at it for a second before responding. 

“Neither would I,” you finally said, returning the smile. You walked over and sat down tucking your legs under you and leaving plenty of room for Jason to sit on the other side. 

He joined and read next to you for what felt like both hours and minutes. Two days later, you had beaten him there, so when he arrived, you smiled and scooted to the left, giving him room again on your right. Over the next month, you crossed paths at the ruins what must have been a dozen times. There was never much conversation; it was more of a silent agreement to enjoy each other’s company, and each day, the distance between your shoulders seemed to get ever so slightly smaller. 

After a while, you got comfortable being directly next to him. Your shoulders would brush each time Jason moved to turn the page, and you couldn't help but notice how warm and strong he was. Silent meetings became small discussions about your current read, which turned into talks about other books you’d recommend to each other, which eventually morphed into a solid friendship. You would invite him to eat with your cabin since he had no one else at his. He would update you on the progress of the ship and the quest, you even got to know the other campers involved. 

Over the next few months, your lives became completely intertwined. You spent most of your day with each other. You watched him train for the quest, pushing his limits in sparring sessions until he was too exhausted to do much of anything. You would drag him out to your spot in the woods on days when he’d gotten so focused he had to be forced to take a break. You’d even tried to help him get some memories back. He would eat with you, read with you, help you with whatever chores you had around camp, anything to spend more time with together. 

He was the first person you turned to when you had something to say. He was the only one who remembered which campfire songs were your favorites or which books you’d reread depending on your mood. You cared about him so deeply, and you weren’t even sure how you’d come to feel so much in so little time. You truly hadn’t realized how much you needed him around you until you thought about just how soon he’d be leaving.

Of course, he would go back to Camp Jupiter; you knew that. This was never meant to be permanent; you were sure he missed his old life, his old friends, his old home. But part of you, somewhere in the deepest, most selfish part of your heart, wanted him to stay. You wanted him to forget about Rome, and Jupiter, and the quest. You wanted him to stay here with the strawberry fields and the books and the beach and with you. You wanted him to forget his sense of duty to a place that never cared and stay with someone who would give their whole heart away just to see him be happy for a moment longer. It was a feeling that filled you with guilt every time it crossed your mind.

It had occupied your thoughts nearly the entire day when Jason came to your cabin that evening. He knocked on the door until one of your siblings answered, and they called you over, muttering something about stupid and lovesick and so annoying that you hadn’t totally caught. 

You stepped onto the porch and closed the cabin door, leaving Jason and you alone in the dim light of the setting son. He was handsome as ever, a fact that you had resolved not to dwell on; plenty of people found their closest friends to be stunningly beautiful, it wasn’t a big deal. 

In fact, it was totally normal for someone to notice exactly when their best friend had skipped their usual haircut and started letting the military style grow or how their eyes exploded with color when the sun hit them just right. And, of course, there was no deeper reason for why you would pick up on every scrape or bruise he’d gotten from training. You were just hyper-observant, never mind that it only applied to one person.

As you took him in, scanning for the weariness you so often saw and he so often dismissed, you noticed more than anything how nervous he was. “What’s up?”

“Hey, um, I just wanted to, well.” He took a deep breath and let his words spill out a mile a minute. He told you that the Argo II would be ready to fly any day now. He told you how they were going to find Percy and how the first place they were going to check was New Rome. He brought up his old life, a life he wanted to remember, a life he thought he would remember when he got back there. These were all things you’d know and that filled you with dread, but you let him talk without interrupting. His rambling soon turned to a topic you haven’t expected, it turned to you. He told you how important you were to him, how much you’d helped him adjust to life at camp, and how much he appreciated everything you’d done for him. 

As he went on and on, you felt your heart begin to pound. The way he was talking lit a spark inside your gut, and the borderline desperation in his voice made you dare to hope. The emotion in his eyes made you think maybe, just maybe, he felt the same kind of connection that you felt with him. You could tell it was going somewhere important, somewhere that made him nervous and hopefully at the exact same time.

“I guess I just realized while we were planning in the bunker,” he began to close in on his point. “How important you are to me, and I can’t imagine what it’d be like without you. You can say no of course, it’s a lot to ask of anyone but,” he took another breath. “Do you want to come with me to New Rome?”

That wasn’t exactly what you were expecting. The funny feeling in your gut shifted and morphed, flashing through disappointment for a brief moment. As Jason waited for an answer, you had to process exactly what he’d asked. Going back to New Rome meant he was going back to his old life, a fact you were all too aware of, but now, maybe you didn’t have to lose him to it. He still wanted you by his side. He still wanted you to be a part of his life.

“Yes,” you finally replied. “Yes, of course, I’ll go,” you watch the relief wash over him, his nerves visibly dispersing as one of the widest smiles you’d ever seen etched itself across his face. 

In the next moment, he wrapped his arms around you. It was a bone-crushing hug that squeezed the air from your lungs, and you wrapped your own arms around him as tightly as you could. “You have no idea how happy that makes me,” he whispered to you as you tried to stop your heart from exploding. This wasn’t how you wanted it, but at least for now, this would be enough.

≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

There's pt1 :) part two is almost done already because I wrote most of it before I even started all this, but what I can say, the keyboard got away from me. let me know if any of y'all want to be tagged in pt2 or in my general Jason taglist.

[cosmicpoutine]

leaving a lil rant here :]

I love Tim and his ships sm. Me personally, I only really ship TimKon. Those two are perfect for eachother and have so much clear queer coding that it’s crazy, and they have dialogue that’s just. gay shaped.

I also get TimBart, I don’t ship it romantically but I get why people do!! Tim and Bart are close as well, and the balance they get between ‘depressed tired wet cat’ and ‘living breathing embodiment of adhd’ is great.

I also get TimBartKon, they’re a trio. They are always a trio, so many people like to bring up how TimKon has so much coding and one of the big examples they use is when Tim tried to clone Kon. You know who else he tried to clone? Bart.

The only Tim ship I don’t get is TimBern, or any ship involving those two. When Bernard first appears, he’s Tim’s bully. He actively makes fun of tim and puts him down and then that character is forgotten about until Tim comes out as bi, then they just rework his character and go “haha guys this is his boyfriend not bully ygs are crazy” and just forget about all the bad stuff Bernard did? Reworking a character is great and all but, it just feels a bit weird and out of place for me. There’s always going to be that certain toxicity for TimBern, at least for me.

homie... bully??? im flabbergasted- im speechless- im jason todd (dead)

okay, im gonna start off by saying you have all the right to not ship them, and im not here to defend timbern as a ship. im here to defend BERNARD DOWD.

first thing bernard does is give tim advice about teachers, and he clearly says they're gonna be good friends.

if bernard was a bully, tim wouldn't hang around him so much. besides, i hate it when people place tim as a helpless little boy who would get bullied. he has put himself in situations where he looks weak on purpose to keep his identity safe, but he's not a victim at all. tim is a social butterfly because he's really good at masking and reading people.

not to mention, both bernard and darla push tim a lot because they're trying to get him to open up and be closer to them, but he keeps pushing them away. tim is a professional liar.

and when tim has to quit robin and start hanging out with normal people, he invites bernard over.

and bernard is acting relatively normal, and he wants to play video games and talk about how hot tim's stepmom is.

bernard is a normal teenager who has no idea one of his friends is the hero he's so obsessed with. he even shows concern for robin dying and makes up an entire conspiracy theory about batman havin a robin orphanage. you can tell he's afraid of robin being gone for real because at this point they haven't seen robin in months bc tim retired.

i dont know what about all of these interactions gave you the vibe that he's a bully because all i see is a normal teenager teasing his friends and being jealous tim gets more bitches.

im not saying that bernard was never mean or weird around tim, but he definitely wasn't actively bullying tim.

bernard is obnoxious and cocky, yes. but thats just because they wrote him as a real person. he's the school's chameleon, maybe even a little bit of a loser, too. he knows everyone but keeps a safe distance so that he doesn't get pushed into a box. im not sure if, at this point, he was already in a cult or being indoctrinated, but when we see his parents and the dowd home in tim drake: robin that just doesn't look right.

also homie talk about "forgetting all the bad things bernard did" (which in my opinion is none but okay lets follow that logic) everyone forget about all the bad things batman did to tim, he was not a kind and loving mentor, he was cruel to both tim and steph. we forget that batman was kind of an asshole to damien in the beginning. all those things are forgotten for the sake of the batfam.

in conclusion: we're just so used to the idea that superheroes can only ever form strong friendship bonds by having near death experiences together that we forget that the secret identifies exist and that the people who know them by their legal name also means a lot to them. after all, these people are the reason why they're heroes.

[phoenixkaptain]

I just want to say that the repeated mentions of Tim being like Bruce - Dick telling Tim that “you’re more like Bruce than I ever was” and even things as small as the other members of Young Justice assuming that Batman is literally Robin’s dad - mean so much to me because like-

Tim is so similar to Bruce. They are both rich kids, only childs, people like them but they never let anyone truly know them. Tim’s deductive ability is so often likened to Bruce’s, and even his combat prowess or leadership skills are more often compared to Bruce’s than Jason’s or Dick’s. Despite being Robin, and the third one at that, Tim really takes being the Batman of the group to an entirely new level with just how much he really is like Batman.

And that’s why they work so well together! Tim and Bruce are so similar, but they’re fundamentally different! Bruce is afraid to get hurt again, afraid to feel connections to other people, afraid of revealing his emotional vulnerability. Tim is afraid of disappointing people, afraid to fail to rise to the standards other people set for him, afraid of revealing that he isn’t as calm as he appears on the outside. Bruce and Tim both begin fighting crime out of love, a love so strong that it would lead either of them to give up their lives for that love, but Bruce does so out of a love for Gotham City and his parents and the legacy they represent to him while Tim does so out of a love for Gotham City and Robin and Batman.

Their partnership is built on their similarities, but it’s improved by their differences. Tim is softer than Bruce. He wants to trust people, he doesn’t enjoy making lists of ways to kill all of his friends. He tries to talk, to draw things out, to banter, while Bruce is more straightforward. Which, honestly, being more subtle than Bruce is a talent in its own right, ngl

Tim is described a lot as the perfect Robin. And, I can’t help but feel like yeah, he is. The writers really made this character perfect for Bruce specifically. Tim is a person who understands what Bruce wants him to do, even if he doesn’t always understand why. Tim cares about Bruce, both Bruce Wayne and Batman, and that care knocks down a lot of Bruce’s walls. Tim wants to fight crime with his friends and enjoy himself, but he also has his main goal which is to protect Bruce, especially from Bruce himself.

And it’s a two-way street. Bruce knows Tim so well. Like, I can’t even begin to describe how well Bruce can read Tim. He can tell that Tim’s care is sincere, and he wants to reciprocate that care. He trusts Tim, on such a deep, foundational level, and he trusts that if Tim lies to him, then Tim has a balid reason for doing so. He’s protective of Tim, even more than Tim is protective of him (for obvious reasons), but he’s also proud of Tim. He’s proud of how Tim can work with people and how Tim can handle his own and how Tim can solve cases.

Bruce and Tim are such a dynamic duo, literally. The understanding they have of each other is amazing. The trust they have in each other. The care. Bruce treats Tim like his son, and Tim honestly treats Bruce like his dad, even while Tim’s birth dad is still alive. These two are great together, they work so well together, they fit each other almost perfectly because Tim was literally made to be perfectly suited for Batman.

And, of course, there is an obsession there. Tim’s obsession with Batman runs deep. He would almost certainly make a great Batman, no matter how you look at it, because he has moments where he reaches that ability to be threatening. Of the times I know that he played Batman, he didn’t do a bad job. He’s intimidating and frightening and he manages to have his cape pulled around himself so he’s just a shape, just like Bruce does, and that’s mostly because he also literally does that same thing as Robin. Tim prefers to be Robin, because he prefers to be partnered with someone else.

(To be completely honest, I think Tim’s first choice of who he would want to be paired with at any given moment is almost certainly Dick. Dude loves that guy. I haven’t seen if Batman Dick and Robin Tim interact in those respective roles, but Tim is almost equally made to be Nightwing’s Robin. Bruce is his second choice though, definitely.)

I have to assume the obsession goes both ways, because the story is a lot more interesting if it does. Bruce is protective of Tim, even as he trusts Tim with the fate of the entire planet. His protectiveness of Tim is funny, actually, because he doesn’t mind Tim fighting gods but he does mind Tim showing the other members of Young Justice his face. (I mean, I get that one of the members is named Impulse, but Bart himself said that Batman gave him that name, so I feel like Bruce bringing it up as a detractor is just a bit hypocritical)

All the times we see Batman with Tim in the Young Justice run, Batman is pretty chill. Like, during the Sins of Youth storyline, when Bruce is Robin and Tim is Batman, Bruce seems totally cool with it. He doesn’t seem worried about Tim messing up. His comments on Tim talking to much read more to me as banter than actual criticisms. Bruce trusts Tim to be Batman, and I find that both sweet and a bit funny for a variety of reasons.

We see Batman get mad when Arrowette says the Justice League doesn’t understand any of the Young Justice members, although even then he just glares at her, he doesn’t say anything. Bruce is like “Yes, I know I don’t understand the majority of human interaction, what of it?” Batman doesn’t say much during that whole comic, actually? Like, he shows up with the rest of the Justice League and he taunts Tim (literally like someone taunting a child pfft) but he doesn’t actually seem to think they won’t pull through? He makes a quip about them being late getting back, but it doesn’t go anywhere, it was him teasing Robin, why was he even here?

(I like to think he kind of hoped Young Justice would disban so he could take Tim back. He obviously wants Tim around, he implies as much in the World Without Grownups arc, and he obviously enjoys Tim’s company, he seems to genuinely enjoy fighting crime with Tim, even when their roles are switched, and he lets Tim talk to Oracle all the time (he definitely could have cut that connection off if he really wanted to make it difficult for Tim during that whole bet thing) Like, Bruce believes that Tim is capable, I think he’s like Wonder Woman and thinks that the others (coughImpulseandSuperboycough) are bad influences. He is taking his boy wonder and leaving to get him good influences, like Nightwi- oh, wait, no, yeah, let’s let him hang out with Impulse and Superboy-)

This turned into a ramble about Young Justice, but I can’t help it!!! I really, REALLY wish that Batman had gone to the parent-teacher conference. Like, Nightwing showing up was wonderful on so many levels, but can you imagine?? Batman?? Dealing with Bonnie King-Jones??? Like, I think if he ever met her he would break the no-killing rule, full-stop, no hesitation. I want to know how the parent-teacher conference would have gone if Batman was there. I think it would have been mostly awkward silence while Batman lurked in the shadows and Red Tornado didn’t understand why everyone was so nervous, like, it’s just talking about what time he should feed their kids, why are you guys sweating-?

I love Tim and Bruce’s relationship. They’re so codependent. I don’t know if Bruce could ever not hold the next Robins up to Tim’s standard. Like, Damian trying to kill Tim makes a lot of sense if you look at it as Damian viewing the situation as “there only needs to be one Robin, and if there is a Tim to be compared to, I will lose.” Dick and Jason were great as Robin, but neither of them were Robin during the period of time in the nineties and early 2000s where Batman got a lot edgier and needed an edgier boy to be Robin. Dick was perfect for the 50s through to at least the 70s, and Jason was probably just fine too (still haven’t read Jason comics hrnng) but Tim fits Bruce perfectly because he was made for the more modern vision of Batman as a character.

Tim is a dweeb and a nerd, just like Dick before him, do not think that he isn’t, but he really works as a balance for Bruce. He was introduced to be that equilibrium, and he fulfills that role.

Tim and Bruce work so well together because they’re just on slightly different sides of a spectrum. They’re so close to being too similar, but they’re dissimilar enough that reading their dynamic is engaging and interesting. Tim really just is the Robin I understand people mistaking for Bruce’s blood kid, y’know? Before Damian, I mean. I feel like the Justice League members met Tim and went “whoa, shit, Batman knocked someone up, holy-“ The Young Justice members continuously genuinelybelieve that Batman is Robin’s dad (which makes it a lot funnier, because if he was Tim’s dad, Tim would essentially be saying: “my dad made me do this and won’t let me do this and to make things worse, my DAD moved us out!” Like, why would he just randomly mention who the subject of the conversation was again at such a pointed time? I understand that Superboy and Bart were not paying attention to him, but it’s just really funny to think that Tim would talk in such a strange way?) I like to think that Dick does not help matters, and instead goes out of his way to worsen them, because Dick is always the one telling Tim that he’s doing great and that he’s so similar to Bruce (he means it as a compliment, like Tim isn’t making the mistakes he thinks he’s making because he, just like Batman, just is unlikely to make mistakes) so I think Dick definitely tells his friends that Robin is Batman’s kid because it’s funny-

And this has gone from rambling about Young Justice to writing fanfiction mid-post, I should really stop while I’m ahead.

All in all, to sum it up, TLDR: Tim was made to be the best Robin specifically for Bruce as Batman. That’s why they work in harmony, but are ultimately entirely different instruments.

[hami-gua]

生生世世

Love between an immortal and mortal is forbidden by the heavenly law. By loving a mortal, the immortal pays a price. Dan Heng, rather, his past incarnations are no exceptions to this law.

This work contains both English and Chinese (translation provided). Apologies in advance if the Chinese dialogues aren't great. Something may be incorrect or inaccurate, all for the sake of the plot.

Reader has a given nickname and last name but not first name.

[This work is also on AO3 and more polished there, as it is in chapter format.]

Dan Heng x f! Reader

A man approaches the altar that held a glowing stone. Confused, he turned to another man beside him.

“What is this?”

“This is a stone that held your memories from your previous two lives.”

“And why do you insist that I use it?”

“I believe it’s time you find out yourself, Dan Heng.”

The man, Dan Heng, looked at his “partner” with an eyebrow raised. Trusting him, Dan Heng reaches out to the stone and picks it up. After a few seconds, he begins to feel an oncoming headache and steadies himself on the altar. Yet the effort is deemed futile as he soon blacks out.

The first time he met her in this life, was when he assumed a name, Yubie. She had been selling flowers, calling out to any and all souls that happened to pass by. A certain flower had caught Yubie’s attention. Being a minor god living in the moon palace, he had never seen such a flower before. And before he knew it, he had picked up the flower and began to inspect it.

“先生，您看上了这朵花了吗？“ [Sir, is this the flower you choose?]

Yubie, a tad embarrassed and shy, merely nodded. The girl only smiled back gently, the gentle dulled pinks and purples of her robe brushed against the cart as she reached for others of the same kind, bundling them and checking the pot they were held in.

“先生若有什么需求，可以叫我一声！“ [If sir has any needs, you only need to call me!]

“嗯，知道了。谢谢，姑娘。” [En. Understood. Thank you, young girl.]

“哎呀，应该的！” [Aiya, it’s what I should do!]

Yubie blushed as his eyes grazed through the other different flowers. His eyes lands on a peony, leading him to think about Jing Yuan. The general hardly ever visits the moon palace anymore, but when he does, it’s always a pleasant surprise. He’s due to visit soon, but Yubie couldn’t think of a gift to give. Picking up the flower, Yubie calls for the flower girl.

“就这两个，谢谢。“ [Just these two, thanks.] Yubie cleared his throat awkwardly, handing the two flowers to the girl.

“一颗银子。“ [One piece of silver.]

Yubie’s eyebrows raised in surprise, having not expected the price.

“一颗？为何要怎么少？“ [A piece? Why do you ask for that less?]

The girl replied back without even a thought, “因为不管有多少钱，想要有花就可以有花。再说了，卖花只是我的爱好。“ [Because it doesn’t matter how much money you have, if a flower is what you want, then you get a flower. Besides, selling flowers is just a hobby I have.]

“爱好？“ [Hobby?]

“嗯！“ [Yeah!]

“什么是爱好？“ [What’s a hobby?]

The girl’s jaws drop open. Never had she ever heard of someone not knowing what a hobby is.

“爱好就是喜欢做什么就做。比如，有些人喜欢看书，唱歌等。您呢？“ [A hobby is something you like to do. Like, some people like reading, others singing and so on. You?]

“我。。。我没有，“ [I… I don’t have one.] Yubie trailed off, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“啊？！真假的？像您这样的人，没有爱好还挺乖的嘞！“ [Ah?! Really? Those like you not having a hobby is quite odd!]

“像我这样的人？“ [Those like me?]

“嗯！就是有钱的人。“ [Yeah! Like wealthy.]

“哦。。。“ [Oh…]

Learning of selling flowers as a hobby, he debated whether or not to ask about her true line of work. Deciding to just go for it, Yubie asks, “请问姑娘，您。。。是做什么的？“ [Young girl, what… do you do for a living?]

The girl looks at him for a split second before pulling out a find pressed silk threads that forms the shape of a flower. Orange blossoms to be exact.

“我是做各种各样的簪子。不过随着有些人的需求，其它头饰也可以。“ [I make all kinds of hair sticks. Though, through some customer’s needs, I can also make other head accessories.]

Yubie observes the hair stick, eyes glimmering at how well made it is. But their conversations is cut short when the distant bell tower chimes, signaling the time. The girl looks up and takes a note of the sun’s position with a gasp.

“抱歉先生，看来我该回家了,” [Sorry sir, it seems like I have to go home.] The girl quickly said as she rushes to pack everything up. Yubie could do nothing but awkwardly stand to the side, watching. As the girl began pulling the cart away, Yubie stops her.

“哪个，姑娘，您的名字。。。“ [Um，young girl. Your name…]

The girl turned towards him with a shy smile, “啊。。。我姓李，叫__。不过叫我棉棉就行啦！您呢？“ [Ah… Last name’s Li, first name __. But calling me Mian Mian will do! You?]

“雨别。“ [Yubie]

“雨别。。。好优雅。很适合您，” [Yubie… so elegant. It suits you.] the girl smiled, sending poor Yubie’s heart sputtering.

“实在是不好意思，雨先生。我真的得回家了。“ [So sorry, Yu sir. I really must get home.] The girl bowed before pulling her cart away as Yubie simply stood there, watching as her form got smaller and smaller. He too turns and leaves after.

————————————————————————————

The next time he sees her was when a village had been faced with a terrible fire. After saving her, he was told that the nation has been threatened by a foreign unknown source. Not a villager had a clue where they came from. But all describe the forces as wearing all black with specks of gold, almost like liquid gold.

“雨先生——“ [Yu sir—]

“雨别就行了。“ [Yubie will do.]

“雨别，他们是谁啊？我从没见过他们那样的人。“ [Yubie, who are they? I’ve never seen people like them before.]

Yubie was silent, unsure if he should tell her. Yet his consciousness ruled that if she doesn’t know, she’ll be more likely to run into trouble.

“他们不是人。“ [They aren’t human.]

The girl looked back at him, shocked.

“不是人？” [Not human?]

“按理说，他们原来是人。” [Logically speaking, they were human once.]

“原来。。。那发生了什么？他们现在为何不是人了呢？” [Originally… then what happened? Why aren’t they human now?]

“魔阴。” [Mara.]

“魔阴是什么？” [What’s mara.]

“一种能让人变成魔妖的病。” [A disease that turns humans into demonic beings.]

“怎么可怕！那我们该如何打败他们啊？” [That’s tarrying! Then how do we defeat them?]

Yubie smiles at her and reaches up to pat her head. The girl in turn didn’t seem to mind, rather, she leans into him. His arm then slowly lowers to her elbows as he tightened his hold around her.

“这是神仙们的战争。咱们就把这个留给他们吧。” [This is a battle for immortals and gods. We just leave these to them.]

The girl smiled, leaning further into Yubie. The two sat in silence, gazing out into the setting sun.

“雨别？“ [Yubie?]

“嗯？“ [Yeah?]

“你喜欢哪个神仙呀？“ [Who’s your favorite immortals and gods?]

Yubie sat there, unsure what to answer. Afraid that if he does, he’ll be giving his identity away.

“我不知道。喜欢的神仙们太多了，” [I don’t know. I like a lot of them.] He gave a half true answer, “你呢？“ [You?]

“饮月君！” [Imbibitor Lunae!]

Her answer took Yubie by surprise. Fighting an intense blush from rising, he looks at her, fully interested in her answer and yearns for a reason.

“你为何要选饮月君？“ [Why must you choose Imbibitor Lunae?] He asked, his heart beats erratically.

“他可是青龙。又聪明又疼人。再说，他是一条龙! 龙还挺可爱的呢。“ [He’s the green dragon. Smart and caring towards humans. And he’s a dragon! Dragons are quite cute.]

With every word she spoke, the redder Yubie’s face and ears became. After, the girl takes notice of his reddening ears and teasingly asks him, “诶呀，耳朵怎么都红啦？” [Aiya, why are your ears read?]

Yubie’s eyes began blinking rapidly as he quickly turns his head away from her. “难道。。。你。。。” [Could it be… you…] The girl trailed off, making Yubie panic as he started to believe that she’s going to figure out his true identity.

“你也很喜欢银月君！” [You also really like Imbibitor Lunae!]

Yubie breathed out a sigh of relief as he nodded shyly to her words. Safe for another day, he thought. And just like that, the two began telling each other of their past. Yubie, making his as vague as he can.

————————————————————————————————

The third time Yubie saw her, was also his last time seeing her. An intense battle had broken out within the nation. Phantylia and her forces made a move on the girl’s village. Anxiety gripped Yubie’s heart as he rushed there. Yet when he arrived, not a mara-struck soldier could be spotted. None that was living anyways.

Running through the street, he called out for any survivors. Not getting an answer, he sent his force to dig through rubble. He himself though, began running around, calling for the girl. Yet his call once again remains unanswered. It wasn’t until he was on the verge of giving up, did he see flowers scattered behind a particularly large rubble. Yubie’s heart picked up as he rushed behind it, only to have his hopes shattered when he saw the state the girl was in. Carefully, he picked her up and automatically felt the blood trickling onto his hand. Her chest had been pierced by a sword as her head had crashed onto something, leading her temple to bleed profusely.

Plip. Plop. Tears fell onto the girl’s cold skin as Yubie held onto her cold dead hands tightly. He cradles her close to him as he cried, his heart sinking in never-ending despair. ‘Is this what heart break feels like? I never got to tell her…‘

For all the light and hope she gave him, Yubie could only repay with a kiss to her forehead and a love confessed too late.

I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you soon enough.

The first time he met her in his next life was when he went by Dan Feng. She had entered the inn where he was at with attendants by her side. He was in the middle of a conversation with Yingxing when he heard a commotion at a table in the corner. It caught the pair’s attention as they both turned to see a man close to their age in appearance, harassing the girl. She continued drinking her tea as the man and her attendant argued.

“I’ll say, you need to properly teach your attendants!” The man snarled.

“Sir, do you not have manners?”

“You! How are you speaking to me huh?! I’m a young master! Young master!”

“Who cares if you’re a young master or not. You can’t even recognize her highness, so are you really a young master?”

“You!” The man raises a hand to hit the attendant.

Unable to watch or listen any further, Dan Feng gets out of his seat and walks towards the man.

“Enough!”

The man stops and glares at Dan Feng as the girl glances up from her cup.

“And who are you?!”

Dan Feng doesn’t answer him. Instead, he states, “You are aware that hitting any servant of a princess is strictly forbidden.”

The man scoffs once more before walking out of the inn. The attendant bows to him as he held her arms, telling her there was no need.

“感谢公子。“ [Thank you, childe.]

“不必。他刚才为何生气？” [No need. Why was he mad?]

The attendant looks at Dan Feng before looking at the girl then back to him again.

“Well…”

The attendant is cut off as the girl sets down her cup.

“他想追求我。我没同意。“ [He asked for my hand. I didn’t agree.]

The attendant looked at her shocked by her ease of language.

“公主！可不能怎么随意说出！万一。。。“ [Princess! You can’t just say that so casually! What if…]

The girl sighs as Yingxing approaches the group. She slowly stands with the help of her other attendants.

“It’s okay. At this time, long story short is the way to go. It saves time. Anyone can charge in at any given moment and attack.”

The girl faces Dan Feng properly before giving a slight bow, her head never once lowering.

“感谢公子帮了我。“ [Thank you for helping me, childe.]

“It is something I should do,” he bows back, head lowered.

The girl gives him a small smile before turning and leaving the inn with a small limp. Dan Feng watches her leave; a tug of familiarity was felt as Yingxing clears his throat.

“Why didn’t you ask for her name?”

Dan Feng shoots him a look, “人家是公主，不礼貌。“ [She’s a princess, it’s ill-mannered.]

Yingxing smirks in return, “人家是公主，我们是神。” [She’s a princess, we are gods.]

Dan Feng could only tsk as he whacks Yingxing’s arm while glancing around to ensure that no one heard.

“Are you trying to expose us?” He hissed.

A giggle from Yingxing was all Dan Feng got.

————————————————————————————————————

The next time he saw her was when he was invited to court. Or rather, Yingxing did and he decided to bring Dan Feng along. While Yingxing was locked in discussion with the emperor, Dan Feng wandered around the gardens as he heard a gentle zither playing. Following the sound, he finds the girl sitting at peace as her fingers plucked the silken strings. As if sensing him, she stops playing and turned towards his direction.

“何人？“ [Who is it?]

Dan Feng steps out from behind the bamboo trunk as he gracefully made his way towards her.

“Princess’ playing is rather elegant. It holds much clarity.”

The girl blushed before lowering her gaze to her zither as her hand gently runs up and down the strings.

“Why have you entered the palace today?”

“Ah, may princess forgive me. I came with a friend who is currently in a meeting with the emperor. I am not summoned; this I wander about.”

The girl merely smiles and invites him to tea as she played and chatted. And there it was, the feeling Dan Feng couldn’t shake off. That feeling of familiarity gnaws at his heart. Her eyes held that same mirth and her voice contains a much gentler lilt than he “remembers”. Sensing him spacing off, the girl asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Quickly trying to find an excuse, Dan Feng asked her, “Princess, what is your name?”

The girl smiled shyly before answering, “Li __. But those I know call me Mian Mian.”

’It’s that nickname again. Mian Mian.‘

“You asked for my name, so it is only fair I ask for yours.”

Dan Feng looks up at her with surprise, “Dan Feng.”

“Dan Feng… It’s an elegant name.”

“I — thank you, princess.”

The girl shifted, revealing a scarred leg. Her face briefly twists in pain noticed by Dan Feng. Seeing her leg, Dan Feng questioned her.

“What… happened to your leg.”

The girl places a hand on her leg, as if to cover it. She mulls over her words before saying, “It happened when I was young. An unwatched dog had gotten to me as I was playing. It bit me and wouldn’t let go until my sister had hit it with a branch while crying in fear. After investigating, my father found the dog belonged to a minister. The dog, turned out, bit more people. Mostly servants. So, every time they thought to tell, they were pressured by the minister to keep quiet. The minister wanted me gone so he could easily rise the ranks.”

“Why does he want you gone?”

“It probably has to do with me rejecting a marriage proposal.”

“With his son?”

The girl nodded.

“He wanted to ascend the ranks by having his son marry me. But I rejected the offer. His son is 15 years older, thus I can’t imagine the two of us spending a long life together.”

“Was your father upset at all?”

“No. He’s quite elated to be honest. Father was always eager to marry off his sons, but when it came to marrying off his daughters, he’s always the first to reject all suitors. At least, that’s what my brother tells me.”

“What became of the minister?”

“He was banished. Simple as that.”

“At least you’re safe now.”

The girl huffed, “This is a court. I only happen to live here. So how safe can it be?”

Dan Feng looked at her confused. Not fully grasping what she meant.

Months goes by. Dan Feng exchanges letter with the girl regularly. It went from mundane to adventurous, to rants. Until one day, he received a letter asking him to arrive at court for a celebration. Her birthday, he thought. A problem quickly presented itself: the girl’s birthday is coming up, and Dan Feng had no clue what to gift her. Perhaps a pearl will do. But that’s too plain. How about a bracelet? But she plays a zither, the bracelet will only get in the way.

’“This is a court. I only happen to live here. So how safe can it be?”‘

Her words echoed in his mind. The girl wears hair sticks a lot, so surely a hair stick concealing a small blade will easily go undetected. He nodded to himself. Yes. Surely this will work.

When the day of celebration came about, Dan Feng nervously fidgeted with the box that held the hair stick. Yingxing noticed his friend’s unusual behavior and gently nudged him. “Why are you so nervous?”

“What if she won’t like it?”

Yingxing rolled his eyes, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but she’s not known for her openness. For her to write to you regularly means she sees you as someone close. Someone trustworthy.”

Dan Feng looks at him deadpanned, “说人话。” [Speak human language.]

"Point is, she'll like it. It did come frome someone she trusts."

Dan Feng relaxes a bit as people filed into the castle then stopped before the girl to give her their well wishes. And before he knew it, he found himself standing before the girl. There she sat, in finely woven robes as Dan Feng knelt and held out the box with two hands.

“This is a hair stick I have made myself,” he states as a servant takes the box and presents it to the girl. She gingerly runs a finger over the hair stick, admiring the intricate etches.

“I hope the hair stick serves you well, in times of need of protection.”

“Thank you, Dan Feng.”

He bows before taking his leave as his heart yearns to glance at her once more. The feast commences, with servants bringing up various kinds of food. Throughout the night, Dan Feng kept glancing at her, only to look away when she looks towards him. Yingxing kept teasing him as his face flushed. It wasn’t until the banquet concludes does Dan Feng pulls Yingxing aside, ensuring they aren’t followed or eavesdropped on.

“What? Why are we in a secluded corner?” Yingxing asked confused.

“Yingxing… I think… I—” Dan Feng pauses, finding words to continue on.

“You what? Come on spit it out! We need to leave before we become seen as suspicious!”

“I think I fancy Mian Mian,” Dan Feng said quickly as his gaze falls in embarrassment.

Yingxing’s eyes widen with shock. In his life of knowing Dan Feng, never had his friend been so forward. Without a word, Yingxing dragged Dan Feng with him as the two made their way towards their carriage. Upon lifting the veil, he ushers Dan Feng on before entering the carriage himself. Sitting down, Yingxing hissed, “别忘了，我们是神仙。“ [Don’t forget, we are gods.]

Dan Feng only nods as his eyebrows furrow with confusion. Yingxing sighs through his nose and rolled his eyes at his friend’s expression.

“We are gods. Immortals. We can’t love mortals in a romantic sense even if we wanted to. You know the punishment that will befall us if we are caught in a romantic relationship with a mortal.”

“But I’m not immortal. I die and reform a new.”

“Yes to immortals, you perish easily. But to mortals, you are immortal in every sense. You retain your immortal name and your power after rebirth. That to a mortal still are signs of immortality.”

Dan Feng looks away, finding no words to refute Yingxing’s. He knows the punishment better than anyone, a past incarnation having gone through forced rebirth after slaying denizens of abundance and sealing Phantylia — had been found to harbor romantic feelings for a mortal. All Dan Feng learned was the mortal had already died, and did a favor for the other gods, this his sentencing was only forced rebirth instead of stripping his status along with it.

“Then… what do I do, Yingxing?”

Yingxing sat back in thought before answering, “What you do is up to you. You can choose to distance yourself or continue as her friend and bury your feelings for her.”

Dan Feng only nods, gaze seemingly absent.

——————————————————————————————————

Two months passed as Dan Feng finds himself walking through the snow-covered winter grounds with the girl. The two chat amongst themselves as they slowly made their way towards the library. Both mentioned a liking towards the history and romantic literature. Finding his own collections low, he wrote to the girl, asking if he could read a few selections in the library, to which she agreed.

“藏书楼到了！” [We’ve arrived at the library!]

Before them stood a tall rounded tower with blackened roof and red columns with white walls. A style very reminiscent of the earlier century. Walking up to the two tall doors, the girl pushes it open with a huff as it slowly creaks open. The hall is silent, save for the clacking of the girl’s clogs and brushing of brocaded silks. The two went separate ways, browsing different scrolls and books then finding a place to sit as they read. The days passed like this until the girl had asked him to meet in the garden of her palace for supper.

As Dan Feng walked to her gate, it opened showing a young maid who took one look at him before inviting him in and leading him to the part of the garden where the girl waited. As he sat down, the girl spoke, “Have you heard? The denizens of abundance are on the move.” He looked at her with surprise.

“How long have you known about the denizens of abundance?”

“Ever since I turned 15. There was no way for people to not notice them any longer.”

Dan Feng remains silent, letting the girl rant.

“For as long as I have known, we’ve always been at war with the abundance. It’s carried on for hundreds of years now. When will it ever end?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re a god, aren’t you?”

Her question stunned him. Not once did he mention anything about his association with the heavens, nor did he ever talk about what he does.

“How… how did you know?’

“Many things really. It’s not every day you see a middle-aged man locked in a deep conversation with a much younger man like they’ve known each other their whole life.”

“He’s not that old.”

“To you he’s not. But to me and many others, he is. And you never really told me what you do, yet you always seem to have money. You also are well read. More than your average wealthy person, and you know lots about art, as if you’ve spent centuries perfecting it. Not to mentions, you practically sleep where knowledge is kept. And don’t think I don’t see the look in your eyes when you gaze at the dragons at the library entrance.”

Dan Feng is silent for a moment before asking, “When did you find out?”

“Since the celebration on my birthday. No one is that brave enough to gift me a blade hidden in a hair stick. And again, to be able to afford pearls of that quality. If it wasn’t the threat of abundance, my father would definitely begin suspecting you.”

“And why does me being a god matter to you?” Dan Feng asked, his heart racing.

“Can’t you do something about it? Fight the abundance or a least gift us abilities to do so?”

“Even if I had the power, I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the power to command many forces. I’m a minor god of the moon, not for battle. Even then, if I was a god of war, I will still need permissions from the rulers and anyone else I answer to.”

The girl falls silent.

“So you’re saying, you can only defend yourself?”

Dan Feng nods.

————————————————————————————————

The last time he saw her in this life was witnessing her be poisoned.

The day had started like any other, he met with her while in the company of Yingxing. The three had made their way to the market. After eating and drifting from vendor to vendor, they returned with a request to a banquet from the emperor. It was going well. All the food were served as normal while all guests watched dances and plays until everyone heard intense coughing.

“Someone fetch the doctor! Quick! The fourth princess has been poisoned!” a maid screamed.

All hell broke loose at once. People ran as if trying to escape as few turned to mara-struck soldiers. Dan Feng pushed past the havoc as he sees the emperor trying to cut his way through the denizens. By the time Dan Feng got to her, she was already weak.

“Mian Mian!” He called out to her while cradling her close to him. ‘No… it’s happening again. Just like last time.’

“Dan… Feng…”

“Shh. I’m here, you’ll be okay.”

“这话。。。是对我说的？还是。。。还是对你自己说的？“ [Your words… Is it said towards me? Or… or is it said towards yourself?]

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t make it,” her hand moved towards her mid-section, where the hair stick he had gifted her, is embedded deeply into.

“Why?”

“I was given a choice. Either turn into them, or die. It’s obvious which I chose.”

Dan Feng’s hand enclosed over hers as tears streamed down his face.

“你的手好暖啊。。。丹枫，你能陪着我吗？我好困啊。“ [Your hands are so warm… Dan Feng, can you stay with me? I’m so tired.] She whispered weakly.

He nodded as he clutched her cold hands. With each passing second, she grows weaker and weaker until her eyes closed and her breathing stills. It happened once again… I lost her again. He looked around, trying to catch sight of familiar locks of white. Yet, all he saw were the bodies of others. The servants, the emperor, ministers. But not a shadow of his friend in sight. Lifting the girl’s cold body in to a bridle carry Dan Feng carefully made his way through the palace as he finally sees his friend tending to those in need.

“Yingxing.”

Hearing his friend calling for him, Yingxing turns to see Dan Feng carrying the girl. Others who saw the pair bowed until their heads touched the stone, some even crying.

“Dan Feng…”

“I need your help getting her to the central palace.”

“Are you crazy? She’s never cultivated like I have. If you take her there, you’ll be punished!”

“And I’m willing to face that punishment.”

“Why?”

“Yingxing, I don’t think I can carry on another life without her.”

“And if she doesn’t remember who you are?”

“I’m a selfish man. You know that.”

Yingxing sighs heavily, “Okay. I’ll help you. But if anything happens along the way, I want you to go straight ahead. Don’ bother saving me. Do you understand?”

Dan Feng nods.

“Go. Flee. All of you. This place is no longer safe,” Yingxing commanded.

Heeding his words, everyone quickly fled, never looking back. The two quickly makes their way to the Hall of Worship. And just like what Yingxing suspected, denizens of abundance are hot on their trail. As they were reaching the gates, more mara-struck appears, cutting them off their path. Seeing as they have nowhere to go, Yingxing turns to Dan Feng, “Fly there. I’ll hold them off.”

Dan Feng holds Yingxing’s gaze as the denizens began closing in.

“Thank you, Yingxing.”

He gives a court nod to Dan Feng as he takes flight in the direction of the Hall of Worship. Yingxing locked eyes with a mara-struck soldier as he raises his sword, ready to face his imminent death.

By the time Dan Feng arrived, the sun was starting to set. Not letting anymore time go to waste, he teleports both himself and the girl to the central palace, collapsing onto his knees upon landing. By seeing the pair’s arrival, everyone rushed to them in shock.

“Quickly! Send a force to the capitol! They’re under attack by denizens! Please!” He begged.

Jing Yuan glanced at the empress as she gave a nod. He turns and leaves quickly, the doors slamming shut behind him.

“And why have you brought a deceased mortal? Where is Yingxing?” The empress asked, her voice steady.

Dan Feng looked down towards the girl before back up at the empress.

“I have come to ask you to grant her a new life. An immortal one.”

“And why should I fulfill your request.”

Dan Feng swallowed his unease. Yet he was spared when the empress sighed through her nose and said, “You are aware of the price?”

Dan Feng nods eagerly, “As long as she lives, I am willing to pay any price.”

“The rules say your existence and future is to cease. However, seeing as Li __’s father took great care of her as best he could, I will merely strip you of your status and have you undergo rebirth. Now, tell me where Yingxing is.”

“He stayed behind to ensure I made it to the Hall of Worship, your majesty.” The hall falls silent as the empress gracefully stands up and walks up to Dan Feng’s kneeling form. Two maids quickly approach and bowed before them.

“Stand.”

Doing as she commanded, Dan Feng stands, carrying the girl’s body.

“Hand her over to the maids. They will start the process. She will be born a new, as an infant from the petals of an orange blossom. As for you. Best make your way to Scalegorge then. The two of you shall meet once more on the 15th day of the seventh month two decades from now.”

Blinking slowly, Dan Heng began to come to his senses. Looking around, he realizes that he’s in his own room. The familiar light turquoise quilt covering him snuggly. Carefully, he sat up as the doors to his room opens and in walks Jing Yuan.

“You’re awake!”

“What happened?”

“Right after you took the memory gem, you passed out.”

A sudden headache attacked Dan Heng as he held his head and groaned.

“Mian Mian!”

“Easy there. You’ve just recovered.”

“Remind me why you want me to regain my memories.”

“Tomorrow is the 15th. Her majesty thought it would be best if you used the memory gem before then.”

Dan Heng pulls his quilt away from him and stands with the help of Jing Yuan. He slowly hobbles to his table where warm food awaits him at. Picking up his chopsticks, he slowly begins to eat while listening to Jing Yuan ramble about his day.

The next day, Dan Heng began preparing to meet the girl he’s dreamt about. What if she doesn’t like my anymore? He thought. He shook his head and smacked his face as he began to make his way to the destination Jing Yuan told him. When he arrives, he sees a feminine figure looking up at the moon. She is draped in light purple and pink silks. Sleeves long and skirts that trails. A gentle cyan pibo floats freely. Her hair adorned with many hair sticks that holds a looped bun. A fitting appearance for a fairy.

Walking up to her, Dan Heng cleared his throat — startling the poor girl. She spun around to face him, and when their eyes met, he saw the glimmers in her eyes. The longer they gazed at one another, the faster Dan Heng’s heart beats.

“棉棉。“ [Mian Mian.]

She smiles as she approached him and hugged him.

“丹恒。” [Dan Heng.]

He smiled, returning her hug. She whispered gently to him:

“谢谢。” [Thank you.]

As the moon reached high up in the sky, the two who waited two lives, shared a kiss of love and longing.

In certain times in history, emperors of China cherished their daughters, thus always choosing another girl from outside the court to be a "princess" and marry them off.

My rendition of 西王母 comes from my own understanding of what writings and media portray her as. She's caring and forgiving.

I am also today's years old when I learned that Queen Mother and Jade Emperor are only co-workers not married.

Pibo [披帛] is a type of shawl worn with hanfu. Most depictions of immortals and gods use pibo in a way to how halos are used in the west.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This work was originally supposed to be titled 三生三世, but upon learning that it isn't actually an old saying, so I looked it up and found the two possible origins.

Beginning and ending dividers: nicodefresas

Middle dividers: fanguro

[fanfic-obsessed]

Ghostly Meet Cute

I have gotten into DCxDP lately and while I do tend to ship Danny with any member of the Batfam, this is decidedly a Dead Serious idea. 

I want you all to know that I have interacted with maybe 1%-3% of canon for either series, all of my knowledge is semi forced acquisitions from Tumblr.  But I think we’ll be ok, right? We’re working with Damian is 19 and Danny is 20, both are in their third year of a bachelor's degree (so just out of the gen eds and into their actual interests-Vet Science for Damian, Engineering for Danny). 

So we start with a cult trying to summon the Ghost King (coin toss whether they knew which Ghost King they were getting, but I digress) for power. They have decided to capture the Bat Family and do the summoning in Gotham. Specifically they decided that Robin (still in costume) would be the sacrifice. 

Ghost King Danny is summoned, already a little pissy because the cultists had interrupted him during his Engineering homework and caused him to lose his train of thought, and is not pleased that the cultists are trying to sacrifice someone to him.  Ghost King Danny sees Robin and is instantly smitten (Look his soul is super pretty, plus it took 10 cultists to hold him on the sacrificial altar, and it looked like they were having a tough time of it).

The thing is Danny, partly because he grew up in Amity Park (more on that in a bit) and partly because he died at the age of 14, is pretty much pure ghost as far as flirting/courting/relationships go.  Ghostly flirting includes a lot of fighting (both together against others and against each other), playful threats, both weapons and violence as gifts, and a not so great handle on human boundaries.

Which is why Damian Wayne wakes up the day after taking care of the cultists to a bouquet of 20 hands, carefully disarticulated from the 10 cultists who had held him down, in his bedroom at home with a note that implied that either the ghost king was displeased about their failure to sacrifice Damian, or only the Ghost King was allowed to kill Damian.  

Damian is a former child assassin, so no stranger to violence, but he is not enough of a ghost to read the intentions of the ‘Gift’.  He is admittedly a bit nonplussed by the bouquet of hands

Do you know who is Ghostly enough to read the Ghost King's intentions? Jason Wayne-Todd, Revenant. Jason, who is a hopeless romantic under the leather and guns. Jason, who looks at Damian and goes ‘he’s little brother shaped’ and saw the Ghost King and went ‘he’s brother-in-law shaped’. 

Jason ships it. Jason ships it so hard he is practically cooing. Unfortunately he communicates that he ships it before he manages to communicate that he thinks the Ghost King is flirting (Jason instinctually can tell Danny’s intentions but doesn’t really know how to communicate that instinct into anything concrete). So the Bat Fam takes his assertion that Danny is flirting into consideration, but cannot take his instincts as conclusive evidence that the Ghost King is not, in fact, trying to hurt Damian. Basically the Batfam is trying to figure out if they are in a romance movie or a horror (and trying to be really careful not to get it wrong). Jason, after he made sure that Damian would be interested if they could be sure Danny is flirting (which Damian is-Danny is interesting, cute, smart, and exceedingly dangerous), goes back to writing RP fanfiction about their potential wedding. 

Over in Amity Park Danny is the full on giggling/swooning type of smitten. This is a good Fenton Parents/ everyone knows that Danny is Phantom kind of universe. It is also an extremely liminal Amity Park kind of universe. I also want it to be an Amity Park is naturally very liminal kind of universe, and has been very liminal for a long time.  Almost all of the residents grew up there and because of that their flirtation/courtships/romances tended to be ghostly in nature. In addition, by the time Danny is 20 Amity Park has all but become an extension of the Infinite Realms. The Ghosts tend to come and go freely and are now part of the community.

The entirety of Amity Park also ships Danny/Robin.  They are all helping him with his courtship, and very supportive of the bouquet of hands.  His parents are helping him source (or build, Jack Fenton is very enthusiastic about wooing your future spouse with custom built weapons instead of buying generic ones- which is the real reason Maddie picked him over Vlad) weapons to give to Damian-they even built a smithy in the lab once they realized Damian preferred blades. Jazz is giving him advice on making sure he pays attention to Damian’s interests (Danny lured Damian to a warehouse where they were able to bust a dog fighting ring together). Sam ended up bonding with her parents in trying to make sure Danny was dressed appropriately to see Damian while Tucker furiously hacks into all kinds of criminal databases to find people that Danny can fight to impress Damian. Even Mr.Lancer gets into the act, giving Danny advice on word choice for the notes. 

Basically it starts out with Danny in the middle of a Meet Cute and most of the Batfam trying to figure out if this is going to end with a Murde Mystery.

Some time passes, enough that actual communication happens. Danny and Damian start dating. A number of jokes are made that Jason is not allowed to be a chaperone, with the punchline being that he would abduct them to be married at gunpoint (Jason’s frequent indignant response: Hey, I would at least drive them to Vegas, first).  During this time, Tim, Technus, and Tucker formed some kind of unholy alliance that may or may not include a friends with benefits situation; everyone is afraid to ask.  Technus somehow got Tim to sleep an average of 3 more hours a week, so can do no wrong as far as Alfred, Dick, and Bruce were concerned.

Danny, as phantom, and Damian, in costume, go for a date in Amity park, with plans to head into the infinite realm (there were several of the realm bound ghosts that wanted to meet the King's boyfriend). They are accompanied by both Nightwing and Red Hood.The Joker decides to track down Red Hood for nefarious reasons. The Joker may be the prince of crime in Gotham. Not so much for Amity Park. Red Hood gets to watch his murderer get beaten within an inch of his life by a group of young teens (some of the newest members of the fan club, most of whom were barely old enough to remember what happened with Pariah Dark) from the Phantom Fan club, who took exception to a clown trying to ruin Danny’s love life.  

Red Hood turns to Nightwing, “I think I just felt my ‘Bruce Adoption genes’ just activate”

Nightwing sighs. “I would talk to their parent first, at least”

[mattzerella-sticks]

I think we're all ready for Tim Drake to move on from the Robin codename and costume and take on a new identity just like he had right before New 52. However, while I liked the costume... the name? Red Robin? It wasn't the best. Certainly better than other names that have been suggested for him (looking at you... Drake) but it still didn't give him his own identity, you know? Red is Jason's color, and he's still clutching tight to the Robin mantle. Hell, even the costume he wore was originally worn by Jason during the Countdown series before Final Crisis.

I want him to have his own name. His own costume. His own color.

And then I saw Juni Ba's interpretation of the Red Robin suit and... it hit me -

Condor.

The wings, the curved shape of the helmet looking like a beak... it would be so easy to translate this design into a new costume for Tim. Especially since it looks like a condor more than a Robin. Especially since the symbol he wore while Red Robin never 'looked' like a Robin.

And yes there are questions -

Isn't there already a hero named Condor? Yes. Two heroes and a villain. However we haven't heard much about them in recent comics. Black Condor, to my knowledge, currently only exists on Earth X as there's yet to be a Freedom Fighters team on the main DC Earth even after Heavy Metal. The other Condor was last seen during the New 52 run of Birds of Prey. And the villain Condor exists as a Hawk parallel who, let's be honest, we will most likely never see again.

Why Condor? Aren't there other names, similar names, you could use? Yes, these similar names exist, but it wouldn't sound right or be feasible in the current comics universe. Hawk? Already exists, Hank Hall. Vulture? Villain name. Raptor? Already taken by a Nightwing Rogue. Falcon? Hero for Marvel.

The only name I could also see other than Condor is Eagle, which would also be a great nod to Alfred Pennyworth, but the symbolism of Eagle is also too wrapped up with the government that it would muddle the messaging and vigilante brand.

Condor, however, makes perfect sense.

And you wouldn't have to tweak the costume much! My only thing would be to change the color from red... to green.

Green is currently an unclaimed color amongst the Bat Family and I think Tim would rock it. We've seen him leaning on the color green more and more as Robin, ironic as his most famous costume is when he ditched green all together after Superboy's death. Him choosing green, reclaiming green, would show him fully stepping out from the shadows to be his own hero.

Tl; dr Tim Drake should take on a new codename, Condor, wear a suit similar to Juni Ba's design, but green.

[nofingjustaninchident]

ᯓ★ i hate you more.

summary jason and y/n finally got to the camp. but at what cost?

warnings third person writing, drew tanaka, not proofread

word count 3k

now listening to you get me so high by the neighbourhood

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

As the chariot soared through the sky, off to who-knows-where with a potentially homicidal blonde girl and an overly buff guy who looked like he could easily throw Y/n off the chariot if he was so inclined, she decided she liked flying with Jason better. 

But, as quickly as that thought came up, she pushed it away. How could she even think about liking flying with Jason? She didn’t know him. She knew she hated him, but she didn’t know him.  

Standing beside her, he gazed out at the horizon, his troubled expression mirroring her own confusion. She took a moment to study his face while he was distracted, absorbing the familiar features she couldn't recall encountering before waking up on the bus. It was a frustrating sensation, feeling so certain of knowing him yet unable to find any trace of him in her memories. 

Or rather, not having any memories to search through in the first place. 

He was handsome, but Y/n had known that from the moment she first saw him that afternoon, holding her hand as she slept on the bus. A few strands of his blond hair grazed his forehead, suggesting it had been a while since his last haircut, though she couldn't pinpoint why she thought so. His eyes resembled the clear blue sky on a sunny day, a stark contrast to the gray clouds they were currently navigating through. Her gaze caught a small scar on his upper lip, prompting her to wonder if he had ever shared the story behind it, if such knowledge remained locked away within the rest of her memories. 

Jason pulled his eyes away from the horizon, meeting her gaze. His lips tilted downward in a small, nervous frown, and she couldn't really point why that felt so...  hurtful, to say the least.  

"This is so cool!" Leo yelled. He spit a Pegasus feather out of his mouth, sputtering for a moment. "Where are we going?" 

"A safe place," Annabeth answered. She'd been quiet since they took off, and there was something sad in her eyes as they looked out at the horizon. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood." 

"Half-blood?" Piper crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes hard as she scowled at Annabeth. "Is that some kind of bad joke?" 

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal." 

Annabeth glanced back at him. "You seem to know a lot, Jason," she said, her tone suspicious. "But yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess." 

Leo choked on a laugh he tried to suppress. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?" 

"Got a problem with that?" Butch said. 

"No, no," Leo said. "Rainbows. Very macho." 

"Butch is our best equestrian," Annabeth told them. "He gets along great with the pegasi." 

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo muttered. Y/n couldn’t hold back the laugh that threatened to escape with each of Leo’s remarks.  

"I'm going to toss you off this chariot," Butch warned.  

"Demigods," Piper said. "You mean you think you're... you think we're—" 

Lightning flashed through the sky. The chariot shuddered and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!" 

Y/n looked over and sure enough, it was burning, white flames beginning to lick up the side of the chariot. The wind roared around them with a vengeance. She glanced behind them and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds - more venti spiraling toward the chariot, though these looked more like horses than angels. 

She started praying, or at least what she thought was a prayer, to any god that would care to hear her. She really didn’t want to die that way.  

Piper started to say, "Why are they-?" 

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth explained. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough." 

Going to get?!, Y/n thought. It already is!  

Butch flicked the reins. The pegasi sped forward and the chariot blurred. Y/n held Jason's hand in a vise grip, her vision going black for a moment. When it went back to normal, they were somewhere entirely new. 

An ocean stretched out to their left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread out on the right. 

Directly below them was a green valley, like a lonely island of spring surrounded by snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. She saw a cluster of buildings that didn't look like they belonged in the twenty-first century, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that looked like it was on fire. 

Then the chariot's wheels came off, and they dropped out of the sky. 

“Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” Y/n let out the curses, still holding tightly to Jason’s hand. She felt like he was the only person close enough that she wouldn’t have to walk to reach out.  

Annabeth and Butch tried to maintain control, but the pegasi seemed exhausted, and bearing the weight of the chariot and six people was clearly too much for them. 

"The lake!" Annabeth yelled. "Aim for the lake!" 

They plummeted like a torpedo into the water. 

The lake was freezing. She'd already been shivering on the chariot, what with the wind and the high altitude and her damp clothes from the rain at the Grand Canyon, but now she was submerged in freezing cold water to boot. 

After falling into the Grand Canyon and fighting off evil wind spirits, she was going to die of hypothermia. Or drowned. Probably drowned.  

How nice. 

But suddenly, the whole freezing part was over. She couldn’t feel the freezing water, just... nothing. She looked at her front and saw a figure. She could swear she heard the thing telling her to breathe, but she was probably just hallucinating. Luckily.  

She broke into the surface soon, trying to float. She discovered that there was something in her eyes, and she couldn’t open them to discover where the shore was. Suddenly, she felt hands under her arms, and someone pulled her. She didn’t know who it was, but considering the muscles on the person’s arms, she figured it’d be Butch.  

Y/n and the person got to the shore, and she let out a long, contented sigh. Piper and Leo ran over to her with a towel, which she used to take the thing off her eyes, and Y/n realized Jason was the one who'd pulled her back to the surface. It was the second time he'd saved her life that day.  

Jesus, he's like a blond Superman. 

Life's a bitch.  

Once she was pretty sure she'd taken the thing off her eye, she forced herself to straighten. 

"Are you okay?" Piper asked, her voice high-pitched and terrified. But before Y/n could answer, Annabeth spoke up, her face dark and curious at the same time. 

“You’re dry.” 

Y/n grimaced. “I’m- wait, what?” she asked, and looked down at her body. Outside her damp clothes, her hair and skin were completely dry. “Oh, my fucking god, what the hell?” She asked, her own voice high-pitched and desperate. 

“How’s that even possible? You’re not that warm.” Leo muttered. 

“That... that just happened before with, uh... one person.” Annabeth said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. The girl was wringing her wet hair out, studying y/n with a furrowed brow. "If you and Percy have this in common, then... no, it can’t be." She said, her tone uncertain, but there was a lingering suspicion in it. 

"Great," y/n grumbled. "I love being the exception." 

A detail of campers ran up with big, bronze-colored leaf blowers and blasted the soaking wet demigods with hot air. In a few seconds, y/n was dry and far warmer than she had been just a few moments ago. 

Thank fuck. 

A blond-haired guy (what is it with y/n and blond dudes?) with a bow and quiver strapped to his back pushed through the crowd of orange-shirted people, pulling a small bottle of some kind of amber liquid out of a fanny pack. He handed it to y/n, who just stared at it questioningly until he explained, 

"Nectar. It'll make sure your lungs are clear and prevent dry drowning. Drink." 

y/n didn't know how she felt taking orders from someone who looked younger than her, but when Annabeth nodded along to his explanation, she decided to trust the blonde girl. As scary as she was, she had helped Jason save her from drowning. 

y/n downed the mini-bottle, but she didn’t feel any different than she already was. 

The young blond guy turned to Annabeth. "And you! I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!" 

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise." 

Will scowled at the remains of his broken chariot. 

Then he sized up y/n, Jason, Piper, and Leo. 

"These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?" 

"Claimed?" Leo questioned. 

Before Annabeth could explain, Will asked, "Any sign of Percy?" 

"No," Annabeth admitted. 

The campers around them muttered. Whoever Percy was, his disappearance seemed to be a big deal. 

Another girl stepped forward. She glanced at the four newcomers, her eyes moving over Leo and y/n with a bored expression before she fixed her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention. The girl then glanced at Piper, her lip curling in a vague look of disgust. "Well," she said, "I hope they were worth the trouble." 

y/n scowled at her, taking offense. She had a gut feeling that this girl would be nothing more than a pain in the ass.  

Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?" 

"No kidding," Jason said. "How about some answers before you start judging us - like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?" 

“Why did your lake people just talked to me?” y/n tacked on silently. 

"Jason," Annabeth said, her tone placating, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew," - she frowned at the rude girl -"all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped." 

"Hey," Piper said, "we didn't ask to be brought here." 

Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?" 

y/n and Piper moved at the same time. Jason reached for y/n’s hand again, a pleading look in his eyes as if he was saying please don't. She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand from his, but didn’t really move. Annabeth stopped Piper, who y/n was pretty sure only backed down because of how intimidating Annabeth looked at the moment. 

Or at any moment, really. 

"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth said, shooting Drew another pointed look. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed." 

"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Piper asked. 

There was a collective gasp. The campers backed away, a faint orange glow encompassing the crowd. y/n frowned, following everyone's gazes to Leo. Floating above his head was a blazing holographic image - a hammer engulfed in flames. 

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming." 

“Holy shit...” y/n and Jason muttered at the same time, quickly exchanging an annoyed look. 

Leo reacted as if his hair was on fire, swatting at the air in panic. 

"This can't be good," Butch muttered. "The curse-" 

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, you've just been claimed-" 

"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?" 

Everyone's eyes turned to him. 

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?" 

"I'm not sure," Jason admitted. 

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even like Star Trek! What are you talking about?" 

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth said, "the god of blacksmiths and fire." 

The image above Leo's head faded, but he kept swatting the air as if it might still be following him. 

"The god of what? Who?" 

Annabeth turned to Will. "Would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine." 

He nodded. "Sure, Annabeth." 

Will led Leo away and Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason and y/n. She studied the two of them like there were two variables in a complicated math problem. Finally, she said, "Jason, hold out your arm." 

y/n frowned; she wasn’t quite sure what Annabeth was looking at. She followed the blonde's gaze to his forearm. He'd taken his windbreaker off, leaving his arms exposed, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo. The letters SPQR were etched into his skin, with a dark silhouette of an eagle above it and a dozen straight lines below it. 

"Do you have one, too?" Annabeth asked, looking at y/n. 

y/n rolled up the sleeve of her - Jason's – sweatshirt (she still had to take it off, but she was way too comfy to do so), exposing her right arm. Just like Jason, she had a tattoo on the inside of her forearm, though hers looked a bit different. 

Unlike Jason, she didn't have an eagle above the SPQR on her skin - instead, she had two symbols, one beside the other. It had a trident, in a style that she was sure she didn’t do the tattoo willingly. Kinda entangled with it, there was a lyre. Under the SPQR, there were ten lines, just a few less than Jason.  

y/n brushed her fingertips over the tattoo. She couldn't remember getting it, but she had the faint feeling it had hurt, and she had a suspicion it wasn't made with ink. 

"I've never seen marks like these," Annabeth said. "Where did you two get them?" 

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know." 

When Annabeth looked at y/n, she shrugged. "Nah, no clue." 

"They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed. 

"They were," y/n said, wincing as she tried to recall a specific memory. It made her head hurt even more than it already did. "I... I think they were, anyway. I can't remember." 

Everyone looked to Annabeth. It was clear she was something of a leader in the camp, and they were all waiting to hear her verdict. "You two need to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Drew, would you—" 

"Absolutely." Drew sauntered forward, lacing her arm through Jason's. y/n scowled at the sight, her scowl deepening when Drew pulled him away, resulting in his warmth being pulled away from hers. 

Not that she minded. y/n was hoping for Drew to get him far, far away from her. 

"This way, sweetie. I'll-" 

"y/n needs to see him, too, Drew," Annabeth reminded her, giving y/n a look that she suspected was a silent apology for Drew's behavior. 

Drew rolled her eyes, but didn't object as y/n joined her and Jason. She kept talking as if y/n wasn't even there. "I'll introduce you to our director. He's... an interesting guy." 

They walked toward the big blue mansion y/n had seen just before their chariot plummeted into the lake. 

A heavy sense of dread filled y/n’s stomach as they made it to the house. If the way Jason tensed at the sight of the house was any indication, he shared her anxiety. 

She was suddenly struck by how grateful she was that she wasn't the only person who seemed to have lost her mind along with her memories. Sure, it wasn’t the greatest thing in the world to only remember the person who she seemed to hate the most, but it was still better than having absolutely no one. She wondered if that was the only thing linking the two of them together. 

His name was the only concrete memory she'd woken with. That had to mean something, right? 

"Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters." 

The Big House didn't look threatening, not at first glance, but that didn't stop y/n from feeling like she was on the border of enemy territory. She touched the small lump in her pocket, feeling the key. 

At least she wasn't defenseless. 

"We are not supposed to be here," Jason said, voicing y/n’s exact feelings. The girl looked at him with a questioning look. Perhaps, besides being extremely handsome and skilled with a sword, he was also a mind reader.  

Is always an option, right? 

Drew circled her arm through his. "Oh, please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes." She glanced at y/n like she was a wad of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "You, I'm not so sure about." 

y/n touched the key in her pocket and almost flipped her off. "Wanna test that theory?" she said. "I have a sword with your name on it, princess." 

"So testy," Drew said, rolling her eyes. "What, are you two together or something?" 

Jason and y/n’s eyes met, neither of them quite sure how to answer. Before either of them could say anything, though, the sound of footsteps sounded from the front porch. 

No, not footsteps - it sounded like hooves. 

"Chiron!" Drew called. "This is Jason. He's totally awesome." She side-eyed y/n. "And y/n." 

y/n made a face at Drew and rolled her eyes.  

Jason backed up so fast he almost tripped, his arm reaching out to pull y/n back with him as if to pull her away from danger. She looked down at Jason’s muscular arm around her torso and pulled away from him, the nagging feeling that they hated each other poking the depths of her mind. The girl watched as a man on horseback rounded the corner of the porch.  

No, he wasn't on horseback - his lower half was a horse. 

It's official, I've lost what was left of my sanity.  

Chiron started to smile at y/n and Jason, but the color drained from his face as he looked at Jason. 

"You..." The centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead." 

TAGLIST @maybxlle @sunshine-of-ur-life @liviessun @bellamysnatblida @mp-littlebit @cinemaconrad

[rzyraffek]

Omg tysm! The last request was very cute. :3 I have ONE MORE.slashers at a pool party ★ ★ for like, summer lol lol

Also, I really luv your blog, its so cute :33

Omg yay summer themed headcanons! Sadly it's cold today but I will try to get into mood😍

Sfw, they/them

Summer(mostly pool and swiming) with slashers!!

Billy Lenz

Buy god damn SUNSCREAM he will be red after 10minutes of hanging out outsite

The sun is a deadly laser

Pretends he is a shark and attacks their legs when underwater

Also loves to splash and do waves

spooked of hairdryer and comb, he rather look like wet rat

Begs them to buy those funny shaped rubber things that you can lay on (guys I have no clue how those are called so I iwol just put photo at the end of fic if you are confused

Micheal Myers

...

Hm no

No i dont think i will

The closest he ever been to big body of water was when he was drowning somone

I doubt he can swim, so even if he would appear in pool he would just walk on bottom, hhh goofy

Hates wet cothes

And sun

And hot temperatures

Brahms Heelshire

Hhehe water

This guy won't swim, he will just lay/sit in water

Guy looks like dead body lol he just... lays there?

But when s/o gets near he will jump attack them, also.... nice outfit s/o

He is definitely type of guy who loves summer

Will forgot sunscreen and turn into tomato soup

Yautja

Purr hot weather he like

I swear s/o jumped into water for fun and this guy had the biggest heart attack of century "AAA MATE WHY DID OU JUMP!! WHO KNOWS IF ITS SAFE??? WHO KNOWS MAYBE WATER IS TOXIC?? DONT DO THAT!" he also jumped right after them lol

After making sure that, no yaujta water isn't poisonous and yes s/o can swim

Probably he can easly stand on bottom and still have (at least) his chest above water level

Also will pick s/o up while they are mid-swim like' a fish👹 and later throws them back in water ya go

Asa Emory

Will just vibe at shore, sunbathing

Yeah your doing great love, nice swimming... now lemmie just lay down and zzz

Acts like that one mom on beach that never enters water and just doest really care

Yeah yeah just dont drown and do no splash me, if you splash me im going to take your PlayStaton4 privileges

A mimir

Also while yall go next to pool he is 100% throwing them in

Jason

😰

Eeh you sure about that?? Water

He will stick to shallow part of pool

Going to be worried about s/o especially if they do some epic tricks. Yeah that's cool that you can do a flip in water but pls it's scary :(

He enjoys doing lil splashes and just picking them up

Pls hold his hand

Eddie gluskin

Oh my love nice outfit you got

Huh me? Water? Aw don't be silly honey

He will just stick to sitting on edge of pool and watching them swim, do not splash him!! His outfit is too pretty >:( grr

If s/o pushes him into water he will litteraly try to drown them (in wacky way)

Hush

He is the one inviting them! He found some random lake in middle of knowhere lol

Will probably do some dumb contest 'yo swims there the fastest gets a free kiss🤭' *points at other shore 5km away*

Will pick them up underwater and be like "haha look what cool fish I found i Will totaly make dinner out of you" drags out of lake and tickles or something idk hes weird

Also im writing this right before the most important exam of this month cuz if I wont pass it I wont pass this year🥳🤪 wish me luck, chemisty sucks

thats the billy lenz thing i was talking about.

[fancyfade]

Regarding your cool anaysis of dick vs bruce as batman in their relationship to robin, even if morrisons dick can be argued to be wildly ooc(and aren't they all, at the end of the day, including our own) i definitely think you did a good job at pointing the follow up behaviours they've developed. That was so fun!! I'd love to barge in and add, if you dont mind. XD

Also also, dick won't be overprotective or pushy with robin when the responsibility of batman rests on his shoulders, not only because he is busy and trusts damian to handle himself(which, if it wasnt a comic we'd all cry child neglect, but come on, it is, that's basically half the fun) but also because he /was/ robin. He led a team of teenagers when he himself was barely one, for him, robin is a hero, not a sidekick. If damian says he's fine and dick looks at him and he looks fine, well, who is he to tell the hero that he's wrong? He'll be a shoulder to lean on but he won't impose his own convinctions upon a colleague unless they're in active danger/a threat.

They doo take care of the active threat and deal with the consequences. At the end of the day, bruce is a parent who became a vigilante well into his adulthood, no matter how much he says robin is a parter, that's still his kid after the dust settles on the criminal. Dick is a child soldier surrounded by a community of violence and years of carefully built camaderie, he will look robin in the eye over ice cream and tell him to try not to get paralyzed next time, 'that's what i did when i was your age' style. We smile about dick being more emotionally adjusted than the rest, but in any other team, he's still 'the bat' for a reason.

I am very curious to hear your opinion about why dick doesn't necessarily trust damian not to kill enemies, especially since bruce does trust him enough in that regard. Is it dick knowing damian better, is it him not being that attached yet to his new brother, is it bruce being blind and trusting, is it experience with uncontrollable teammates shaping both of their perspectives? It's funny to joke about 'i'm more worried about his kidnappers' but that sure says something about how he still doesn't see damian as a controlled asset, the way he would've seen tim as his robin or even jason past his first year back.

Thank youuu, it's great seeing your opinions!!

Thank you for your ask! I am glad to hear you liked it.

I do think that Bruce’s POV as a parent and as someone who became a vigilante as an adult (even if he was training earlier) does help explain a lot of the difference between him and Dick. There’s another potential to consider I will get into later

We smile about dick being more emotionally adjusted than the rest, but in any other team, he's still 'the bat' for a reason. … . Dick is a child soldier surrounded by a community of violence ...

However, I really wouldn’t call Dick a child soldier, both in terms of well if we’re saying it’s fun and fine that Dick was not very concerned about Damian due to genre conventions it’s important to be consistent, and because Batfam has an actual child soldier in David Zavimbe. Dick going on patrol after school and basketball isn’t the same as being kidnapped as a kid and forced to kill people and treated as a dispensable tool. It's not even the same as Cass's childhood where she was trained and raised as a weapon (just in a very comic-book-y, no parallels to the real world way). Dick pretty much had a normal childhood outside of vigilanting, so for the conventions of the genre he is not a child soldier.

I also wouldn’t say that on any other team he’s still ‘the bat’. I guess he’s the bat in that the writers are more likely to play up his problem solving skills and angst, but I mean like :P in terms of both training -- Donna was trained by the Amazons since she got rescued, Kory trained by warlords of Okaara, Joey trained by his mom (who also trained Deathstroke), can go on – and in terms of traumatic/unusual childhoods -- Garth was a feral child who was abandoned to die of exposure per Atlantean tradition and found by Arthur at like what eight? Ten? Kory was trained to fight knowing she would fight in the war to try to protect her people from being conquered and enslaved and then she herself was traded in as a royal hostage to be a slave for 6 years – Dick does not really stand out that much. He is truly just some guy in the superhero world – a very competent guy, but that is required for being a superhero.

I am very curious to hear your opinion about why dick doesn't necessarily trust damian not to kill enemies, especially since bruce does trust him enough in that regard. Is it dick knowing damian better, is it him not being that attached yet to his new brother, is it bruce being blind and trusting,

With regards to Dick not trusting Damian, I don’t think it’s due to him knowing Damian better – Damian really doesn’t try to kill many people, it’s not like Dick has to constantly interfere. it's more of Dick's assumptions about Damian that he acts on (The only person I can think of Damian trying to kill in general patrol/anti crime stuff is dropping Hush off a building and Dick didn’t make a huge deal about that) Bruce also does not trust Damian fully, he gives him lectures about appropriate force and no matter what Damian feels as if Bruce doesn’t trust him when they just start working together in Batman and Robin 2011 (because he doesn’t tell him about Nobody). The main difference is while Dick and Bruce both view Damian as their responsibility, Bruce views Damian as his responsibility as a father – he has to give him good morals (which we can discuss Damian already has morals, but I’m talking about how Bruce feels) and skills so that if he dies, Damian is fine, he has to protect Damian – whereas Dick views him primarily as a potential crimefighting partner/mentee– he’s got a lot of baggage to keep out of the field, he has to train him to do investigations, but he’s not looking to impart life advice and it’s his job both to protect Damian and to protect people from Damian.

For more stuff – I assume a good part of Dick’s perspective (besides what I just mentioned :P) it is just due to Dick perceiving Damian as kind of annoying, kind of a brat, still a kid but definitely dangerous. But his child-like behaviors (in this case, being aggravating) are not things that make him more vulnerable in Dick’s POV, and he’s still got the ex-assassin to deal with. I have seen some interesting discourse with regards to “if Dick did try to treat Damian like Bruce does (being overprotective, treating him more like a son) Damian probably would have ran away and not tolerated it” and I agree, though I don’t think that informed Dick’s decision for how he approaches Damian. Dick’s dealing with his own trauma and issues and he is trying his best in terms of he knows someone has to be responsible for Damian, though eventually their banter gets more friendly and less annoyed and they approach each other more as brother’s or closer to peers. I said I’d get back to the earlier point on Bruce and Dick earlier on, and that is if I remember correctly there are some interpretations that also show Bruce initially treating Dick as a little brother and more of as a friend than a son, and I think that parallels Dick and Damian’s later dynamic, around Bruce Wayne: The Road Home era where we see them easily bantering and having fun while Batman and Robin-ing. But you are right that definitely at first, Dick does not treat Damian like he would another Robin.