#Single Parent Crossover AU

[derelictheretic]

Heyo!! @deputyash and I signed our Single Parent Crossover AU up for @group-oc-tournament and here is why you should vote them when the polls come out!!

Dove and Dean are single parents who have overcome many trials and tribulations, it takes a lot to raise kids on your own, even before the County they live in fell under the rule of a religious cult.

Said religious cult took interest in both of them and their kids, which made a horrible situation all the more stressful. When they first ran into each other they were both on guard, Dean's oldest son Caleb standing in the middle of them being what ultimately diffused the tense meeting. It wasn't easy deciding to stick together, but with the looming threat of their kids being taken or hurt they agreed being allies would be beneficial.

So the little group formed, on a dark night with a shaky handshake and weary eyes. They found an abandoned house with a bunker and made base in it, Dove and Dean reinforced and barricaded it to the best of their ability and it's served them well since.

The kids, Phoebe, Caleb, Charmeine and Ace got along much quicker than their parents. As an only child Phoebe was ecstatic to be around them and Charmeine was happy to have another girl her age to play with.

Charmeine and Phoebe became a sort of glue for the group, the two becoming best friends and sharing their secret stashes of candy and pins. Their ability to remain optimistic makes the chaos more bearable for their parents.

Caleb, Charmeine and Ace warmed up to Dove very quickly, appreciating her motherly presence and seeing her and Phoebe as welcome additions to the family. Dove of course cares about them in turn, especially as time went on on and she took care of them when Dean was out trying to help rid the County of the cult.

Dean naturally takes care of Pheobe like she was one of his own as well, sneaking her any candy he finds while he's out.

Time passes and while tensions rise with the cult their little group only grows closer, Dove and Dean opening up to each other and even sharing tips they've learnt over their years of parenting. They become pillars for each other, the normalcy of being able to swap recipes and funny childhood stories much needed in the insanity they were living in.

In conclusion they are a sweet little found family in the midst of a holy war and they keep each other sane and safe and deserve your vote!!

[starry-bi-sky]

Childhood Friends Au: Danny's in Gotham Again

when the wool is off your eyes you'll stop counting sheep at night cause you'll eat your fill of them during the daytime

A few weeks after Danny’s visit to Gotham, he buys an apartment in the city. It’s this little thing, a studio apartment on the same street he grew up in. In Crime Alley. When he tells his parents, they protest heavily. They don’t think it's safe. They think he should reconsider. There were plenty of apartments and places to live somewhere else. And what about college? 

Danny doesn’t think he’ll go to college. He isn’t sure what he wants to do, now that being an astronaut is off the table. It’d be a waste of money to go without a goal in mind, he thinks. He says he’ll take a gap year and apply at one of the community colleges funded by the Wayne Corporation, possibly. It just wasn’t in the cards right now. 

“If things get tough,” He says at dinner that night, “then I can talk to the Waynes. I’m friends with the family, remember?” He ended up getting Bruce’s number in his phone again before he left, and in the process got Tim’s as well. They don’t talk much, Danny isn’t sure what to say. But he sends Tim memes whenever he comes across one and thinks he’ll like. Tim sends memes back in return.   

His parents do remember. They remember. They also remember the horrified shriek that echoed through the house when Danny learned of Jason’s passing. They remember running up the stairs and bursting into their son’s room and finding him sobbing into his bed, curled up like a little kid, like he was in pain. He lost his voice that day, stuck between screaming out his grief and sobbing it. 

They’re still not sure if they should let him go. 

In the end, Danny wins them out, and he lets them help him search for an apartment. They take a break from their lab work to help search for cheap furniture to buy. They may have more money than when they were in Gotham, but that frugal part of you never fully goes away. They all agree that they don’t want Danny to be seen carrying in nice-looking furniture when he moves in. 

He ends up with a basic furniture set, all mismatched, and in the warm summer of June, his parents rent out a u-haul and drive him down to Gotham to move in. They meet the landlord when they arrive, a skinny and frail old man with wispy white hair and a wrinkled face. He gives Danny the keys and tells him what apartment number he is, and then he leaves. 

His parents help him move in. They help him carry his heavy furniture up to the second floor, where his apartment is. Danny isn’t sure if he wants them to help. His mom and dad are strong, but they are getting old, closer to their fifties now that their children are grown. His dad’s hair is slowly beginning to thin, and rather than the white eating at the sides of his head, it now streaks through his hair like salt-and-pepper. His mom’s hair is graying out too, and there are more lines in their faces than he remembers there being. 

When he voices his concerns, his mom laughs spiritedly and says that they may be getting old, but they are still as spry as when they were in their twenties. Danny isn’t sure if he believes them or not. He can see his dad struggle a bit when they return to get his bed frame, and they have to take a break before they go back down for the rest of their things. 

Five years ago, his dad could do this without breaking a sweat. It forces a heavy thing in the back of Danny’s throat. (He is less afraid of his own death than he is of his loved ones, and while he has always felt rocky with his parents, he still loves them more than anything else.) 

Danny’s apartment is exactly as he would have expected it to be: shabby and worn through. The entire room smells like stale cigarette smoke and weed, nicotine stains the wall with poorly covered bullet holes, and stains in the carpet that are a color he can’t discern. The fridge has a broken light and when he tries to turn on the gas stove, it click-click-clicks before lighting, fire fwooshing out while the smell of gas fills the air. There’s rat droppings in the cupboards and the closet-like bathroom is just as bad. 

The ghostly part of him can sense the heavy stench of death in the room; people have died in this room. People have died in every room of this building, he thinks. They have died on the streets outside and in the alleys squeezed between them. He can feel it like a heavy fog in the air. 

It is painfully nostalgic, a bittersweet feeling in his chest that he grimaces to. 

When the last box is placed in his apartment, his parents offer to help unpack. They are hesitant to leave and Danny knows it, although he doesn’t know if it’s from empty nest syndrome or because it's Gotham. He thinks it might be both. He is their youngest child finally leaving home to a city known for its danger. 

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay behind, sweetie?” His mother asks, a frown she tries to hide settled in the creases of her face. She fiddles with her hands, a nervous habit Danny has since noticed when she feels truly unsure and doesn’t need to hide it. Hesitancy looms over her like a heavy cloud. 

His dad jumps in hastily, splaying his hands and smiling painfully wide to hide the glistening in his eyes. “You’re mother’s right! We can help you get everything set up, champ. I could probably do something with that stove of yours to make it faster!” He says, his voice still booming like it always does even if there’s a stumble in his words. 

It makes his heart squeeze, knowing just how much they care. It was hard last summer, telling him that he was the Phantom. Terrifying, actually. They couldn’t comprehend it. He hadn’t felt his heart beat that fast in years when he stood in front of them at the kitchen table and told them he was a halfa, begging them to believe that ghosts weren’t inherently evil. 

His parents were people of science, however, and after much, much shock, they slowly came to terms with it. How could they not? The evidence was right in front of them. Their son was dead-alive, alive-dead. Somewhere stuck in the between. The tears they shed that night could fill a river, moving from the kitchen to the living room as Danny explains how he died. 

(When Danny tells them that he died after a week Jason did, his mom and dad look horrified. His mom covers her mouth when he adds that it was his idea to go inside it, his dad looks ashy pale, gripping his pant legs so tight that his knuckles turn white. There is a conclusion coming to their minds that he can tell they don’t like.) 

(“You’ve always hated our inventions, Danny.” Mom says in a hushed voice, and Danny winces at the wording, sinking into the back of the cushions in shame. He never thought that his parents noticed. Mom quickly grabs his arm, “No, no, there’s nothing to be ashamed of Danny. We were… perhaps too careless with our inventions, too enthusiastic. You had every right to hate the things we made when they had a tendency to… to malfunction.”) 

(Malfunction is a delicate way of putting it, when Danny remembers every time they had to evacuate their old apartment complex because whatever half-baked creation his parents made inevitably blew up into ash and smoke. There were soot marks permanently stained into the ceiling.) 

(Her hand slides down and grabs his, and she cups it in both of her hands, squeezing tightly. He forces himself to look up, and there is a look like her heart breaking when he looks into his mother’s eyes. “You’ve always avoided the lab after we moved, Danny. And you had every right to, so why on Earth did you ever think about going into the portal?”)

(Danny struggles to come up with an adequate answer, a way to verbalize what came over him that day five years ago. The answer is there, hanging in the air like a knot in a noose. He opens his mouth, and then closes it.)

(Finally, with a tongue made of lead, he shrugs lamely and looks away. “I didn’t know there was an on button inside it.” He mumbles, and despite being the truth it feels like a lie. But that is the truth. He didn’t know there was an on button inside it. So he didn’t care what happened.)

(Something dulls in mom’s eyes, like she thought of something else that Danny hadn’t said. Her eyes shimmer, and she squeezes them shut, breathing in so deep that it shakes. And then she pulls him into a hug, a hand burying into his hair and pressing him close. “It must have hurt so much, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”)

(It is something that Danny doesn’t expect her to say, like missing the last step of the stairs. It startles him so much he laughs this short, bark of a thing. He feels his dad press against his back and wrap his big arms around them, his nose pushed into his hair.) 

(Because yeah. Yeah, it did hurt. It hurt more than anything else he’s ever felt before. It had torn him apart and sewn him back together again, only to rinse and repeat. The pain was nothing he ever spoke to Sam or Tucker about, and it was something they never brought up. No, that’s not true. If they ever brought it up, Tucker would call it a zap. As if Danny only experienced a mild static shock. Like it was painless. It’s a pretty lie that Danny lets him and Sam believe.)

(His eyes sting and water immediately wobbles into his vision, coming up with such a force that he doesn’t even need to blink before it spills over. “Yeah.” He forces out, voice unexpectedly rough and cracking. “Yeah, it- it hurt. A lot.”)

He tells them about fighting the Lunch Lady a month later. He tells them about finding Jason. It comes spilling out like a waterfall. “I found him, mom.” He says, holding onto her tight while she keeps him tucked under his chin like a little kid. The secret of Jason being Robin stays hidden under his tongue, it is not his secret to tell. Not his identity to expose. He grips her tighter. “I found him, mom. Right there in the Ghost Zone, and he was my Jason. He wasn’t an echo or a— an imprint of him.”

Mom is silent; quiet and attentive, and so is dad, who rubs his large hands up and down Danny’s spine in an attempt to soothe him. It only works a little. Danny breathes in like a gasp as the urge to cry overcomes him again. He always avoids talking about Jason, his grief is like a never-healing scab that can be picked off at any time. It is ingrained into his core. 

“And then I lost him.” He forces out, a sob layering under his words that he chokes on and swallows. The hand on his back stills, and he can feel mom and dad breathe in like a question. He turns his head and pushes it into mom’s shoulder. “He disappeared, mom. Just— just gone.”

“And he didn’t move on.” He says, voice snarling like teeth biting before his mom can ask, because he knows that’s what she was going to ask. It’s what Sam and Tucker asked when he came to them in tears hours after he found Jason gone. It’s what Jazz said when he finally told her about it. It’s what every one of his ghosts asked when he told them about it and begged for their help. 

Danny grits his teeth and tries not to dig his nails into mom’s clothes as a fresh wave of tears run down his face. “His haunt is still there. If Jason really moved on it would have disappeared with him. That’s how it works. But it’s still in the zone, so Jason’s out there I just don’t know where.” 

(Sam once asks him why Danny didn’t just move on from it a year after Jason’s disappearance. She asked him why he didn’t give it up. Danny nearly saw red, and nearly bit her head off for it. It was incomprehensible to him to just stop looking for Jason, to give up. Not when he was out in the zone somewhere. Because he had to be in the zone.)

(Danny once tried to take Jason through the portal with him, and much like what happened to Kitty, it didn’t work. Jason was too tied to the ghost zone to leave.) 

(Some bonds are just unbreakable, he thinks. Bonds forged through blood and time and trust, and when you’re on the streets of Gotham, you hoard what little trust you have in someone like a dragon with its gold. It is scarcely given and fiercely kept.) 

“I’ve been looking for him.” Danny whispers when talking becomes too hard for him, when it runs the risk of him crying. “When- when I’m not fighting ghosts or, or in school or with my friends, I’ve been looking for him.” He has explored the Ghost Zone in every reach he can. He has met so many people. He’s met the ghosts of aliens from planets in every corner of the galaxy. He has met gods or god-like beings and their disciples. 

He’s met famous scholars and writers (he’s gotten the autographs of all of Jason’s favorite writers). He has found entire cities that have so much life in it that it's been permanently etched into the ghost zone, like a mirror version of itself. 

He’s visited the ghostly vision of Gotham so many times, and he avoids the imprint of Wayne Manor like the plague. There are ghostly newspapers that he reads. There are the ghosts of Martha and Thomas Wayne in many of them. 

Jason’s haunt connects to Wayne Manor, but it is also the street they grew up in. It is a small brick building with a door that leads to Jason’s room. A ghost knows when someone enters their haunt, it alerts them like a doorbell in the back of their mind. A foreign ecto-signature in a place drenched in your own. 

Danny visits it every time he goes into the Ghost Zone. It’s always his first stop. 

He tells his parents all of it. He tells them of the ghosts he’s met, of the places he’s seen. And when he feels brave, he tells them about Rath and the terror that his future self brings him. He keeps some details hidden, the ones that he can afford to keep without muddling up the story. 

(Rath is a tall, spindly thing, like a funhouse mirror version of Danny himself. He has arms that are much too long and legs that are much too tall, with skinny fingers that extend into claws.He wears his suit the same as Danny does, with it partially undone and the sleeves wrapped around his waist.)

(There is a black hole in his chest that is much bigger than Danny’s own. It takes up his chest cavity and drips the same, viscous black liquid as the tears falling from his eyes. Danny never forgets his voice; a scraping, quiet thing like he’s screamed himself hoarse. Rath has a voice like goosebumps, and it haunts Danny like a bump in the night.) 

Danny speaks and speaks and speaks until he can’t think of anything else to speak of. He is tired and sad, and it feels like his heart has been ripped out and rubbed raw again. And yet, he also feels so much better. Like a long heavy weight has been taken off his chest. 

Yeah, last summer was hard. His parents walked on eggshells around him, and they forced themselves to unlearn their bias of ghosts. It was more than Danny could have ever dreamed of, and when they felt ready for it, they asked him more about the ghost zone.

He smiles sadly at his dad, “I think fixing the stove can be a priority another time, dad.” He says, watching him wilt and his smile fall. Jack Fenton was always so good at making himself look like a kicked puppy. “I can handle unpacking by myself, I promise.” 

His parents still look so unsure, like they want to argue. Danny watches his mom purse her lips tightly, confliction running across her face like a datastream. She takes dad’s hand, squeezing their fingers together despite the droop in her shoulders. 

“Oh, alright then, I suppose.” She relents, her hand placing on Jack’s arm. “I guess we could go, we’re just going to miss you so much, Danny.” 

Tears seem to have won over his dad, and Jack Fenton sniffs back before he can cry properly. “Our little boy, all grown up.” He says, voice wobbling. It makes Danny laugh, and it makes his heart pang. His smile grows impossibly wider and so much fonder. “You’ve become such a kind, wonderful young man, Danno. We’re so proud of you.” 

Danny laughs again, and it cracks. “You’re gonna make me cry, dad.” (He feels a welling of guilt in his gut that he ignores — he doesn’t feel like a kind man. He doesn’t feel like a good one either. Not with what he plans to do.) 

His father holds out his arms in hopefulness, “One last hug for your old man before we head out?” He asks, mustering up a smile on his face. 

Danny barrels into him, nearly knocking his dad over with an oomph. He’s as tall as him now, but he still feels little in his bear hugs. With arms wrapping around his middle, Danny hugs his father tight and breathes him in one last time. 

“Careful there, Danno.” He laughs, patting Danny’s back roughly. “You’ll break my ribs with that ghostly strength of yours!” But he holds on just as tight.

Out of spite, Danny bends back and lifts him off his feet, laughing when Jack tenses up and nearly scrambles out of surprise. His mom laughs with him, stepping back to give them room for the few seconds that dad is in the air. 

When it’s his mom’s turn, Danny has to hunch to hug her. Something bittersweet to him as she plants a kiss on his forehead and says that he’ll always be her baby. “Even if you do have that horrid smoking habit.” She adds on with a disapproving eyebrow raise. 

Danny turns red in embarrassment, and walks them back to the GAV. Gothamites of all kinds slow to stop and boggle at the monstrous, road-illegal thing that is parallel-parked next to the curbside. In the past, Danny would have died with mortification to be seen with it. Now it just makes him laugh. Before he goes back into the apartment building, he buys a newspaper from a nearby convenience store.  

The first thing he does when he gets back up to his room is one: make a mental note to buy a bicycle chain lock for the door. The locks jiggle and there are splinters along the side that show signs of it being broken into in the past. The second thing he does is pull his cigarettes out of his pocket and light one. 

Danny starts to unpack with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, placing the newspaper he bought onto the counter. He has a cheap loveseat that he pushes off to the side, and he moves the boxes into the kitchen. It’s a matter of organization that Danny has to think about before he does anything. 

It’s as he’s pushing the sofa up against the wall facing the windows that his phone rings a familiar tune: Sam. The phone is fished out before he can think about it and when he stares down at the screen, he realizes it's a facetime call. 

He presses answer and walks over to prop his phone up onto the counter. The smiling faces of Sam and Tucker greet him, rather than just Sam. Immediately, Danny grins. “Hey Danny.” Sam greets, smiling a dark-painted lazy thing. From the background it looks like they’re in Tucker’s room. Sam is in Tucker’s desk chair, and Tucker is behind her, leaning against it. “Have you moved in yet?” 

Danny pulls the cigarette from his mouth and huffs, a cloud of smoke following his breath. “Yeah! It’s a shithole.” He grins lopsidedly, and his feet carry him off to the side to allow Sam and Tucker view of his apartment. He lets thirty seconds pass, allowing the both of them to really see the rest of the room. And then he steps back into frame. 

Sam and Tucker both look like they’re trying not to look judgemental, like they’re trying to hide a grimace that Danny sees anyway with the small turns at the corner of their mouths. He grins wider, mirth filling his lungs. “I know, it looks awful doesn’t it?”

“It’s— it’s not so bad.” Sam says with a strain in her voice, a forced smile on her face that tries to be reassuring. Tucker nods along readily, and he looks just as unsure as Sam does. Danny stifles laughter behind his teeth. 

“No, no, it looks bad,” He takes a drag of his cigarette, shaking his head. “You can say it, I won’t get offended. It’s a fucking apartment in crime alley. Of course it looks bad.” 

Sam remains silent, a rearing of her stubbornness showing itself. Tucker takes a different approach, and heaves a dramatic sigh of relief, slumping like a weight. “Okay, you’re right. It looks bad.” He frowns, “Sorry, man.” 

While Danny snorts, Sam sighs. “Yeah, it looks bad. What even are those stains?” She asks, and both she and Tucker lean closer in tandem to the screen, eyes squinting at the floor behind him. Danny glances at the floor, and shrugs. 

“Blood, probably.” He says, and while years in Amity Park have accustomed him to a clean environment, the desensitization of Gotham still remains. Tucker and Sam both make faces and lean away, as if the stain itself was capable of passing through to them. “Yeah, there are bullet holes in the walls.” 

“Are you sure it’s safe to be there?” Tucker asks, a furrow appearing between his brows. He adjusts his glasses and leans against the chair. Sam is frowning heavily, and Danny can already see her thinking up of a new way to fix the problem. 

“Oh, I never said this place was safe.” Danny tells him cheerily, taking a last hit of his cigarette before placing the dead stick onto the counter. He itches for another one. Instead he walks over to the shelf his parents brought in and starts moving it. “It’s Crime Alley, Tuck. Safe isn’t even in its vocabulary.” 

Tucker and Sam look like they’ve both swallowed a lemon.

“But it’s where I want to be right now.” He says, grunting quietly when the shelf is against the wall he wants it to be, near the short hallway leading to the front door. He can push it in front of it if someone tries to break in. “And Crime Alley’s apartments are the only ones I can really afford right now without mooching off my parents, and I’d rather not depend on them.” 

He can hear the disapproving hesitance from where he stands. And he ignores it. 

Danny walks back into frame, lifting up a box onto the counter. He hums lightly, fingers run over the tape keeping it shut. “Why do you even want to be in Gotham, Danny?” Sam asks, and she sounds genuinely perplexed. Danny stills. “I thought this place only had bad memories for you.” 

His blood turns cold, and like a dime being flipped his slow heartbeat fills his ears. “It does.” He replies automatically, before he can think. Shit, shit. He knows that Sam or Tucker would ask that question, and yet he still feels unprepared for it. His heart pulses quickly against his ribcage, knocking, asking him what he’s going to tell them that isn’t the truth. 

Danny stammers, “I mean— I just— I guess I felt nostalgic.” He says, and it sounds like a weak defense. He looks away, finding himself instinctively scratching his jaw. A new tick of his when he’s nervous. From the corner of his eye, he sees Sam and Tucker both narrow their eyes at him. 

He cannot tell them the real reason why he’s moved back to Gotham. He can’t tell them of the little secret and vow he told himself five years ago, the one that’s been left to fester and burn like an open wound close to his core. The one that, if he thinks too much about it, sends a searing hot electricity through him, filling him from crown to toe top-full of direst wrath.  

(Danny was always the angrier one in the duo of Jason and Danny. He was always the one with glass in his mouth, cutting his teeth and tongue so that he could spit blood at the world around them. His knuckles had more blood and bruises on it than skin, once upon a time. All because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He has grown from it, that fury has turned to a small simmering candle.) (But sometimes, sometimes it rears its head, and electricity will buzz under Danny’s skin. There is lightning before the thunder, the second before a fist pulled to punch lands, the spark before it becomes a blaze.) 

He stumbles over his words, and then sighs long and low, drooping his head. “I… was thinking that I can’t avoid this place forever.” He says, and the best lies always have the truth in it. Because it’s not a lie, not completely. But it’s not close enough to the truth either. “And that maybe if I came back, I’d be able to do something about those bad memories. Make them better or make it hurt less.” 

Like wool over their eyes, it fools Sam and Tucker. Their narrowed eyes soften, and Danny feels like a snake is in his lungs as they both adopt their own versions of gentleness on their faces. “Oh, Danny.” Sam breathes out, and the snake squeezes, “Of course, we understand.”

Tucker nods, smiling at him. “Yeah, bro, that’s really brave of you. I know it can’t be easy coming back.” He says, “Maybe you can reconnect with the Waynes again, you always thought well of Mister Wayne whenever you came back from visiting.”

Danny smiles weakly, the gesture cutting into his cheeks like a knife. Perhaps he could. He was still upset with Bruce for hiding Jason’s killer from him. But he doesn’t hate him. Maybe five years ago, he did, when the death of Jason was still fresh in his mind and freshly bleeding in his heart. Now he just doesn’t know what to think of him. He was Batman. Jason was Robin, and the Joker killed Robin. 

It would need to be something he’d have to speak to Bruce about in person, he thinks, in order to resolve it. To hear his judgment on it and make an opinion from there. Danny has learned in the last five years, much to Jazz’s smug delight, that talking to people about something he was upset about did make him feel better. 

The conversation slips on from there into something more light, more breathable. And while they talk, Danny unpacks. He sets up his bed in the corner of the room, adjacent to the windows, and unpacks his cheap TV and table stand. It’s directly across from the couch, in front of the windows. He puts up knicks and knacks he’s collected over the years on the shelves.

When he puts up the curtains, he notices that more than one frame jiggles loosely. Sam makes a comment on the musty stains permanently dyed into the glass, and Danny talks about getting something to fix the cracks. Gotham winters can get brutal, and even if he can withstand the cold, doesn’t mean everything else in his apartment can. 

“Oh, watch this.” He says halfway through unpacking, and pulls out a stick of thick white chalk from a box. “This is something I learned from Clockwork a while back; I think he knew I was going to move to Gotham.” He grins sillily, popping into the camera frame to show them. “I wonder how?” 

Sam rolls her eyes, smiling while Tucker huffs. “It’s not like he’s the Master of Time and can see all past, present, and future.” Tucker snarks. 

Danny hums lightly, curt like he isn’t sure he believes Tucker, and walks to a piece of bare wall not yet blocked by furniture. He starts to draw on it. The chalk shimmers with faint ectoplasm on the wall. 

“Uhh…” Tucker’s voice cuts through, “Are you sure you should be doing that? Won’t you get in trouble for that?”

“There are bullet holes in the plaster, Tucker.” Danny retorts dryly, arching his hand to make a big circle. “I don’t think the landlord is gonna care if I get washable chalk on his walls.” Inside the circle, he inscribes the symbols of the Infinite Realms. “I don’t think he’d be able to see it anyways, he was really old.” 

When he is done, Danny steps back to admire his work. It’s not bad, he thinks, for a lack of practice. He tosses the chalk off to the side, it lands on the couch and rolls back into the cushions. Ectoplasm heats under his hand, slowly glowing from his fingertips before stretching down the rest of his palm. 

Danny’s fingers press against the wall, into the center of the circle. The result is immediate, ectoplasm is siphoned off his hand and into the circle. It glows, and then swirls. He steps off to the side for Sam and Tucker to watch its transformation. The circle fills with a swirling pool of ectoplasm, like a smaller version of the basement portal, and then it warps and stretches. 

It fills out a rectangular shape, shifting like taffy being pulled this way and that, before settling into a solid shape. It solidifies, and instead of a wall there is a glowing purple door, warped in nature and seemingly shifting like a trick of the eyes. He can hear the gentle hum of the zone standing next to it, and can see the carving of the circle in the wood. 

He gestures dramatically, grinning from ear to ear. “Ta-da~” He sings, “A door to my haunt! For whenever I feel like visiting it.” He pats the wood, making a strange thunk-thunk sound. “And then watch this.” 

Danny touches the circle again, and the door twists and recedes like water going down a drain. The circle flashes bright green, and then fades into nothing on the wall, invisible to the naked eye. “I can hide it whenever I want! So if I ever invite someone over—” which he doubts, “—I won’t have to worry about them asking, ‘Hey Danny? Why is there a creepy fucking door in your studio apartment?’”

He gets a pair of laughs for his efforts, and Danny grins wider. 

Sam and Tucker have to end the call when Danny is nearly done unpacking, leaving him alone with only his thoughts and the Gotham ambience outside. There were only a few boxes left, and they promise to call him tomorrow. He tells them that they better keep that promise. 

The silence that follows after they leave feels somberly, as if the reality of moving in has finally set in and filled the air with its loneliness. With its change. Finally, Danny lets the strangeness of moving back to Gotham hit him when he reaches the last box, and he stops to take another smoke break to let it settle. 

It feels so strange to be back in Gotham, he thinks. He’s all grown up, or almost grown up. He can vote and pay taxes, but he doesn’t feel much older than he was at fourteen. There’s a disconnect that makes him feel sad. 

There are cars running outside, driving by. He can only catch glimpses of them, his apartment faces an alleyway. There are dogs barking in the distance, strays he bets. It’s already dark out, and he wonders if he looks out the window he would see the bat-signal shining through the night and staining the permanent cloud that hangs over Gotham. 

Bruce would be so disappointed if he learned the reason for Danny’s return to Gotham. But Danny’s not here for him. He’s here for someone far more important. And like that, the simmering anger that has tucked itself into the furthest corners of his heart starts slipping through. His heart has teeth, ready to strike and snarl and bite. 

He crushes the cigarette in his hand and throws it away. When he opens the last box, it is with hands that tremble and with a face of stone. With a delicateness he does not feel, he reaches in and pulls a corkboard from the box. On the corner frame is a small, near inconspicuous carving of another ghost rune. 

Danny hangs it up on an empty space on the wall, out of sight from the window. It’s plain, and he has nothing to pin to it. He presses the small rune on the corner, pushing ectoplasm into it. Unlike the door, it does not twist and warp and shape itself into something new. Instead it bursts into green flame, eating away at the board and revealing the same thing underneath it, just in dark blue-black-purple. 

Now this board, this board Danny has something to pin to it. The newspaper he bought earlier sits abandoned on the counter, and Danny unrolls it with something like viciousness in his chest. On the front page is an image of a damaged street, and above it is titled: “JOKER STRIKES AGAIN, 3 DEAD AND 27 INJURED”

Danny rips out the first page, he rips out every mention of him. His hands shake and threaten to crumple the paper as he turns back to the board, there is hot blood pounding in his ears. There is an impending sense of finally in his chest, like a setting sun giving the stage to a starless night. There is a stern set in his jaw, five years of festering rage rushing forth like a tidal wave, threatening to make his vision swim. 

It would be so easy, he thinks, to go out as Phantom right now and hunt the clown down. It would only take a night. All it would take is a night, and then he could sink his hands into the Joker’s chest and rip out his heart where he stood. It would be so easy. 

The thought alone forces Danny to stop as he is hit with another rush of fury, really making his head and vision swim. Thorny vines wrap around his throat, making it hard to breathe. He stares at a spot on the wall until the shaking passes. 

If he wants to be discreet about this, then he can’t do it now. Even if he wants to. He doesn’t want witnesses. He doesn’t want an audience. He made a mistake, telling Red Hood about his plan. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Perhaps he wasn’t thinking at all. But he can only hope that the Hood hasn’t mentioned it to Bruce. He knows it hasn’t been long since they started working together. He hopes that the Hood has already forgotten about it. 

He pins the newspaper clippings onto the black-blue-board, and stands back. It’s bare now, but it won’t be forever. 

He presses the circle again, and the pinboard reverts back to its original blank state. 

-----

Was I expecting to make a third part?? No. No I was not. I was also not expecting to make an entire google doc filled with summaries for short story ideas about this au that all tie into each other so that way if i DO continue this i have a skeleton pathway to follow rather than making everything up from scratch and potentially cornering myself

you can find this on ao3 or on tumblr 1 2 :)

[silverstudios]

okay crackpot crossover (I blame you spirit) doai x gravity falls.

You can not look at me and tell me it would not be Maple coded to befriend a creature that's sign of affection is to try to eat you alive- not after half the other things she's gotten attached too.

Lankmann and Ford would have a rivalry.

[derelictlovefool]

Safe & Sound

Character(s): Dove Ash & Phoebe Ash-Seed (@deputyash), Caleb Sinclaire, Ace Sinclaire, Charmeine Seed & Dean Sinclaire

Summary: Dove gets a call that Dean has been captured and Caleb overhears it.

Warning(s): Cult mention, references to death

The static from the radio cuts off, Dove switching it off and putting it down on the kitchen table with her brows knitted together. Having Jerome inform her Dean had been captured by John's chosen was not how she'd planned her morning going, the knowledge spiking fear in her mind. He had been skirting the line these few months, pushing harder against the cult and no doubt irking the Herald to no end. It seemed he'd reached his limit and finally sent people after her friend and despite Dean's usual ability to evade them he'd failed this time.

A creak pulls her attention to the kitchen doorway, two wide, watery brown eyes stare back at her and she straightens up in her seat in surprise.

"Caleb," she reaches a hand out as the teens shoulders begin to shake, it was a shock to Dove's system. Caleb hadn't cried once in the whole time this mess was going on, at least, not in front of her. He seemed to be as strong as his father, always smiling and joking despite the circumstances they were all in. But right now he was shaking, holding onto the door frame with a death grip and sucking in shallow breaths.

"Hey, it's okay." She tries to soothe the boy, standing and slowly stepping towards him as his gaze falls to the floor along with the tears now streaming down his freckled cheeks.

"Are they gonna kill my dad?" He sobs, voice cracking as Dove gently rests her hands on his arms, pulling him away from the door and into a firm embrace. Her heart hammers in her chest, the same question swirling in her mind now fighting with what to say to Dean's son. She couldn't possibly know the answer but she didn't want to stress him more than he already was. 

"No. He's gonna get out of there, you know why?" She says, tone hushed to avoid the shake that would be there if she spoke any louder. Caleb's shaking hands cling to the fabric of her flannel and he can't seem to get any words out through his sniffles and sharp sobs.

"Because he knows you're waiting for him and he always comes back to you doesn't he?" Dove runs her hand through his short hair, wiping away the tears on his cheeks as he looks up at her. His face is red and eyes already puffy and he sniffles as she fixes his hair.

"Yeah… He does." He says weakly and Dove offers a reassuring smile. She tugs him into a tight hug, hoping more than anything she was right. They'd know by tonight, either Jerome would call or Dean would walk through the door. She really hoped it would be the latter. Caleb's breathing evens out after a few minutes of Dove rubbing comforting circles into his back and his grip on her shirt loosens by a small fraction.

"This isn't fair." Caleb whispers and Dove can only nod. It wasn't fair, nothing that was happening was, but it was complicated and there wasn't much they could do differently.

"Why can't he just stay here with us?" He asks, looking up at Dove and her mouth hangs open as she tries to think of a good enough answer.

"We need him more than everyone else does," Caleb continues, voice straining as tears well up in his eyes again. He bows his head and Dove sighs, resting her forehead against his brown hair. She felt helpless here, she couldn't leave them and go get Dean herself that would be irresponsible. But waiting for any news on Jerome's planned rescue was going to be agonising. For both of them.

"He's doing it for you Caleb, so you and your siblings can have your lives back. I know it's unfair but he's going to come back… And you can duct tape him to a chair then if you really want." Dove chuckles gently, trying to lighten the mood even if just a bit. Caleb giggles weakly and nods, offering a thankful smile up at her.

"Thank you… Will you tell me if…" He trails off, lip quivering at the mere thought of what he was implying and Dove squeezes his shoulders comfortingly.

"I won't have too because he'll walk through that door tonight safe and sound, okay?" Dove says firmly and Caleb stays silent for a moment before that shining resilience sparks in his eyes and he nods.

"Yeah, okay." Caleb lets go of her shirt to wipe his tear stained face and Dove walks to the sink to dampen a tea-towel. She walks back over to him and dabs at his flushed face, petting his hair as the last of his sniffles die down. As Dove puts the tea-towel away Charmeine and Phoebe bound into the kitchen, words incomprehensible as they grab at Caleb's hands and start dragging him out of the room.

Dove considers telling them to leave him be, thinking he might need the space, but the smile that blooms onto his face as they usher him out convinces her to leave it. Maybe the distraction would be good for him, she could use one of her own honestly. The quiet of the kitchen quickly gets to her, she walks out into the living room and smiles at the sight of Ace on the ground drawing on the spare paper Dean had brought back last week.

She walks over to him and sits across from him, the four year old offering a bright smile as she joins him.

"What are you drawing, hm?" She asks with a gentle smile.

"Bubba beating up the bad guys!" Ace replies, holding up the drawing for her to see. It has a crude stick figure of Dean in his uniform kicking a red blob of a figure in what Dove could only assume was its head. Her heart swells at the adorable drawing and she feels tears prick at her eyes as he goes back to colouring it in. 

"Your daddy is gonna love it."

Hours ticked by and there had been no sign of Dean or call from Jerome.

Charmeine and Phoebe had kept Caleb distracted by helping them build a fort in their temporary bedroom while Dove tried to distract herself by drawing with Ace. After the sun started to set and her hand began to shake from the growing anxiety however she had to step away, taking the radio with her and going up to the roof. She got a clear view of the road from there and she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the other deputy.

Every second made her thoughts fly out of control more and more, the possibilities of what could be going on and what would happen if Dean didn't come back not letting her have any peace. She'd take care of the kids, there was no doubt about that, she cared about Caleb, Charmeine and Ace and she wouldn't leave them no matter what. But without their father they'd be wrecks and the County would be down one deputy. 

And without Dean hounding the cult, Dove had no idea how long it would take for the Seeds to hunt them down like they'd threatened all those months ago. And she'd lose the confidant she'd gained, the one person who understood the hardships of being a single parent and all that came with it. Her heart sank for all of the reasons combined, her hands clutching onto the radio and willing it to come to life for any kind of news. Just anything.

The distant sound of an engine catches her attention and Dove stands, grabbing the rifle she'd taken up to the roof with her and clipping the radio to her belt. She readied the gun just in case whoever coming down the road wasn't who she had been waiting for this whole time. Her amber eyes locked onto a quad as it came around the bend of trees, frantically trying to identify the person hunched over the handlebars.

Familiar brown eyes meet hers and relief floods through her, tense shoulders sagging as she sighs. She hurries to climb back inside, rushing down the stairs and moving the barricades to fling open the front door just as Dean stops in front of the porch. He was soaked from head to toe, covered in bruises and scratches but otherwise he looked fine. He was fine. 

Caleb rushes past her, knocking her off balance for a moment as he flings himself into his father's arms. Dean drops to his knees as he wraps his arms around his son, burying his face away in his shoulder and holding onto Caleb tightly. Dove tries not to cry as she walks over, kneeling down to rest her hands on Dean's shoulder and Caleb's back.

"I thought you weren't coming back." Caleb sobs and the sound is raw and painful, Dean's face twists into one of remorse. Obviously distraught that his son had to have such a worry. 

"I told you he would though, didn't I?" Dove says hushedly, squeezing Dean's shoulder and hopefully conveying how glad she was to have him back with them. Dean smiles at her before pressing a firm kiss to Caleb's head, pulling him back to wipe his face and press their foreheads together.

"Nothing could keep me from coming home to you, hear me? Nothing."

Caleb nods, crying freely as Dean presses another kiss to his forehead, pulling him back into the hug and grabbing onto Dove's hand to give it a thankful squeeze.

"Daddy you're back! Why are you wet?" Charmeine rushes out to join them, Phoebe close behind her with Ace holding onto her hand. Dove steps back to let Charmeine take her place, Dean wrapping his free arm around her and pulling her into the hug as well. 

"Just went for a swim in the river honey," Dean says gently and Charmeine nods, seemingly accepting the answer but her blue eyes watch Caleb's shaking shoulders with growing confusion.

"Were you fighting the bad men again?" She asks quietly and Dean shares a look with Dove, one they'd shared many times over the run on months. It was hard explaining to the kids what was going on, Charmeine and Phoebe were only seven and there was no way they could fully understand the threat they were all facing. Ace even less so.

"Yeah I was, but I had some friends helping me this time." Dean answers, brushing his daughter's hair out of her face and watching her process the information. She nods and reaches out to her brother.

"Daddy's okay Caleb, he beat the bad men!" She smiles and Caleb nods weakly, breaths riddled with hiccups and sniffles. Dean hooks his arms under his knees and hoists him up as he stands, holding him close as he walks up to Dove on the porch. Charmeine hot on his heels and Ace grabbing onto his pants when he was in front of the doorway.

"Thank you for taking care of them, are you okay?" He asks, voice gentle as Charmeine walks back inside with Phoebe.

"I'm fine, are you okay? What happened?" Dove asks and Dean lets out a strained chuckle.

"Been better… I'll tell you later, I think we could all use some rest right about now."

Dove couldn't argue with that, she was emotionally wrecked and she could only imagine how Caleb was feeling. She follows Dean back inside, closing and locking the door behind her and shoving the heavy drawer back in front of it. She follows Dean and the kids up to the playroom, smiling gently as Charmeine and Ace usher him into the crude pillow fort and he lays down with Caleb latched onto him with no intention of letting go.

"Come on mom, you can sleep next to me!" Phoebe grabs her hand and pulls her to the other side of the pillow fort, laying down beside Charmeine and motioning for her to follow. She does so and tucks Phoebe under the fleece blanket they'd stolen weeks ago. She smiles at her daughter and glances over to Dean, his eyes remained open and staring at the ceiling and she knew whatever had happened hadn't been good. When was it ever?

But he was back and for now he was alright and that had to be enough.

[oofouchstovehot]

IDEA:

Immortal Phantom au x DC Crossover wherein Batman and Danny became buddies early on in Bruce's vigilante career. Bruce was doing some impromptu vigilante history and discovered that Phantom was the first known case of the modern Superhero, paid a visit to Amity, and they become decent friends.

Of course, between Danny's schedule, Bruce's weird attachment style, Batman adopting 8, 20, 345 children and Phantom becoming the ghost king, they don't have a lot of time to catch up. Naturally, none of Bruce's kids have a single clue who Phantom is or why he talks to Batman, The Dark Knight, like a Fellow Teen and Bruce just responds- normally? to things that would get anyone a death glare for miles.

Possible chances for them to meet up again, some that could coexist👀:

Danny wants Batman to show up to his coronation

Bruce realises that Danny might know something about the pits (either right away or well after Red Hood's been established) and goes to him for help (WOW)

Bruce still keeps tabs on amity, in a timeline where all Danny's friends still eventually die Dan Style, Bruce learns about this and decides to pay an overdue visit for Emotional Support.

Danny comes to Bruce for help hiding from the GiW/His Parents/Vlad

[mkarchin713]

Ring ring

Roy groggy because it’s nap time with Lian: Hello?

Waylon panicky: Do teenagers need baby gates?

Roy: whah?

Waylon: Do. Teenagers. Need. Baby. Gates?

Roy: Waylon I am going to need more context

Waylon: fine. My nephew is moving in with me and I don’t know if I need to baby proof the place

Roy: you have a nephew? Never mind. Why would you baby proof for a teenager

Waylon: cause the last time he was left home alone he gave himself powers

Roy: so is there a baby croc running around?

Waylon: no somehow the accident gave him “ghost” powers

Roy: what does that even mean?

Waylon: he can walk through walls, disappear and fly

Roy: yeah good luck supervising that kid. Wait. Where you planning on baby proofing the sewers. Do you even have an apartment?

Waylon: I knew I was forgetting something important

Roy: call Hood, he can probably hook you up with someplace in his territory. At the very least it will keep old man Bats from stalking your nephew 24/7

Waylon: see this is why I called you. You know how to dad

Roy: thanks, now this dad would like to enjoy nap time. I’ll see you at the next meeting. You better tell me how everything is going with your nephew

Waylon: your welcome, I’ll meet you at our regular spot. Damn now I have to go house hunting, how’s a guy like me gonna get a lease

Roy: goodbye Waylon

Click

Danny Fenton was alone.

The entirety of Amity Park was locked down by the GIW, on the prowl for any and all ghosts, so much so that even Vlad of all people had to make an excuse to escape from Amity Park.

Danny was... not as lucky in his escape like Vlad.

His parents helped where they could, diverting the GIW's attention and suspicions from him where they could, making small and subtle changes to the Anti-ecto acts that gives any ghostly entity more rights, however small they were lest they be noticed by the GIW.

Jazz, Sam and Tucker tried to help out where they could too, Tucker giving Danny options for where he could go if shit hit the fan, Jazz teaching him what she could and Sam giving him some money to fall back on if he had to run.

Danny knew something was going to happen, something big. He just didn't know what.

It came in the form of his identity being leaked, by one Wes Weston.

He didn't hold anything against him, really, he's been trying to prove that he was Phantom for a while now and literally no believed him, so of course he didn't think that the government of all people would believe him either.

Either way, he had to run. Run away from Amity, from his friends and family, from everything and everyone he knew.

He didn't like it, but he couldn't do anything about it.

So, he jumped on a bus and headed away from Amity Park in the short window of time he had before the GIW cracked down on his household.

His final stop was Gotham City, not because it was the last place the GIW would check for him, no. It was because he had one relative over here, one he hadn't seen since he way younger.

Uncle Waylon.

[arkhammaid]

— ˚₊‧⁺˖ THE WORDSMITH.

fandom. formula one

pairing. charles leclerc x author fem!reader (fc: none)

about. bestseller author genevieve dedicates her newest book to a special person. the internet tries to find out who it is

content warnings. social media au, not edited/proofread

notes. who doesn't dream about being a world famous author?

GENEVIEVE_UPDATES

liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc and 10'883 others

genevieve_updates The dedication in the newest Bestseller 'When We Were Wallflowers', by @/genevieve. For the first time in her career she mentiones a partner, calling him 'my love' and surprisingly also 'mon coeur'. Who could her beau be?

user NO MOTHER IS NO LONGER SINGLE

⤷ user my life is officially over...

user HE'S THE REASON WHY WE HAVE THE BEST ROMANCE BOOK OF THE DECADE THANK YOU DAD

⤷ user parents fr 🙏🙏🙏

user "our story now forever immortal and never forgotten" AND WHAT IF I CRY

user don't know if i should cry tears from sadness that mom is taken or happiness that mom is taken

⤷ user at least he makes her happy (delulu)

⤷ user you're so right, tears of happiness then

user THE F1 X GENEVIEVE CROSSOVER IS HAPPENING??

⤷ user SO I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED PIERRE IN THE LIKES

⤷ user charles as well???

⤷ user hello wtf is happening SINCE WHEN DO THEY READ??

user "YOUR WORDSMITH"???? am i the only one loosing my mind over this

⤷ user no. i just haven't recovered yet

GENEVIEVE

liked by pierregasly, charles_leclerc, haileybieber and 503'002 others

genevieve My summer was filled with flowers and love, so much love. It has given me enough inspiration to write yet another romance book, even if I promised to return to my beloved fantasy. Yet when the heart calls... who am I to refuse? 'Reverie, Lost in your Love' will be published in November '24!

user HOLY SHIT WE'RE GETTING FED FR

user SHE NAMED HER NEW BOOK REVERIE I CAN NOT

⤷ user reverie: a state of being pleasantly lost in your thoughts, almost dreaming

⤷ user mom is big brained fr "lost in your love"? yes, yes i will be

haileybieber I will be (im)patiently waiting, as always 💗

⤷ genevieve And I will be sending you the first draft, as always

⤷ user their friendship is so dear to me 🥹🥹

⤷ user icons supporting icons i fear

⤷ user auntie hailey better drop some spoilers!!!

zendaya We're getting another romance by our queen! Rejoice!!

⤷ user DAYA IS LIKE US FR

⤷ user WEWOOO SHE READS GENEVIEVE

user i just know the cover will be serving cunt (in the most beautiful flowers)

user REVERIE REVERIE REVERIE

user only four months left... only four months left......

pierregasly super liked by pierre gasly

⤷ user why is he so unserious 😭

⤷ user "super liked" goddamn we're finally reaching the part where he will rate posts he likes

CHARLES_LECLERC

liked by pierregasly, andferrari007, arthur_leclerc and 1'032'883 others

charles_leclerc Nothing better than summer, sun, beach and a good book in my hands. And of course good company 😉

user the tan 🫠🫠

user IS THAT A GENEVIEVE BOOK??

⤷ user oh my god you're right

⤷ user and it's one of her fantasy ones, from her fae series 👀

⤷ user charles has taste

user first he's in her likes and now he's reading her books... how do we tell him

⤷ user hear me out, genevieve and charles *gets shot*

⤷ user KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, MOM DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN HIM

⤷ user i trust in mom and i trust that she wouldn't fall for a vroom vroom man

pierregasly you already finished the other books?

⤷ charles_leclerc Breezed through them 😆

⤷ arthur_leclerc He's waiting for November

⤷ pierregasly aren't we all?

user the filter is back..

⤷ user the filter never left

GENEVIEVE

liked by charles_leclerc, zendaya, gigihadid and 3'029'746 others

genevieve "J'adore ton sourire, ma belle." I remember hearing these words for the first time, I remember his own smile he gave me back then, and I just knew, I love him. Thank you, Charlie, mon coeur, for standing by my side, for being my inspiration, my defender against the cursed writer's block. Your passion inspires me to write even more, so I'm proud to announce once again, another romance book. 'Winterbliss and Midnightkiss' will be available in March '25.

charles_leclerc Tu es incroyable, ma belle ❤️

⤷ genevieve Right back at you, my champion

comments have been limited

taglist. @lilypadlover , @adorablezhui , @peqch-pie , @namgification , @keyz-writes , @obsidianjewel , @aimixx , @themercyverse , @lem-hhn , @lupicalbestwolf , @akiraquote

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE TAGLIST? please send a non-anon ask to be added to the taglist. taglist can be general taglist (all fandoms and all works), fandom taglist (all works within the fandom), series (all works for specific series) or nsfw taglist (all nsfw works and all fandoms).

ARKHAM MAID 2024

[wildemaven]

life and loss | joel miller

pairing: dave york x f!reader / joel miller x f!reader word count: 1k content warnings: 18+ blog; death, grief/loss, major character death (no description of said death), AU and crossover universes, kind of fluffy, navigating loss, reader is non descriptive/blank slate. notes: this randomly came to me yesterday on my walk. It was meant to be just a moodboard and a small blurb to go along with it… and then this happened. Oops! Tried to pack a lot into a small thing so hopefully it makes sense.

Momentos of him, your late husband, have remained tucked away for the last year following his unexpected death. As you settle into your new widowed life and new home over a thousand miles away from the life you created with Dave, all the beautiful memories reside in cardboard boxes out of sight. 

Word travels quickly through the small neighborhood about your arrival and marital status— or lack thereof. Welcoming introductions turn into unannounced check-ins and flowers. Uncomfortable small talk on your front porch is sprinkled throughout the following weeks, a hand on your shoulder accentuates their let us know if you need anything. Sympathetic casseroles finally dwindle allowing you to finally ease into this new season of your life. 

The hammock left by the previous owners becomes your sanctuary most evenings. Searching for the brightest star in the night’s sky, then asking Dave how he’s doing before reading aloud to him the words from your latest book. 

It's days later when you’ve read the final word that a small voice from over the fence manifests as a quirky teenage girl sitting at a table you’ve set up on your back patio. She has a million and one questions about the book and is filled with theories about what happens beyond its ending. The side gate is never regularly latched closed now, eagerly awaiting Ellie’s return. She navigates most of your late night conversations that follow, including personal stories and the history of her life. My grump of an old man is in construction. He’s single by the way— not by choice, but life happens. 

His voice is calloused the first time he makes his presence known to you. Goddamn it, Ellie! I told you to leave her alone! They exchange brittle words back and forth through the shared barrier, before you insist he join the two of you. The crunch of his boots on the ground stall when he towers over where you’re still seated. His hand engulfing yours, warm and gentle as he tries to determine where his gaze should fall— you, the ground, the smirking teenager sitting across from you. Joel. Joel Miller. Uh, Ellie n’ I live next door. Not sure how long she’s been botherin’ you, but I’ll be sure it doesn’t happen again.

It’s weeks later when you run into Joel at the mailboxes. The clanking of keys and squeaky hinges fill the space between you before you’re both retreating back to your respective pathways. Your hands fidget and twist the bills and letters from your parents when you bravely initiate a conversation before he’s able to reach his front door. She’s the first person since moving here who wanted to talk to me about something other than the death of my husband. I don’t think I’ve laughed as much as I have with her in a long time. She’s welcome over here anytime. 

He reeks of nervousness as he stands on your doorstep the following evening. The ambered hue of his eyes absorb the warmth from the front porch light, adding a brightness to them that they seem to be commonly lacking. His words waver a bit as he begins to speak, starting and stopping, scrubbing his hand down his face before he attempts to start again. You offer him nothing but patience, sensing the mournful energy radiating off him— similar to the one you’ve been carrying. My wife and older daughter— they were both in an accident on their way to Sarah’s soccer game. I was pickin’ up Ellie from her counseling group for adopted kids. We were headin’ to the soccer field when I got the call. Some days are harder than others. And everyone wants to help, however that may be— lots of food as I’m sure you know. It doesn’t ever really get easier, but you learn to live with grief. Anyways, if you ever need anything or just want to talk— you know where I live.  

He accepts your impulsive invitation to join you for dinner, offering him the open seat across from you in the same spot as your timid first meeting. The crickets orchestrate the evening ambience as you share stories you’d tucked away, too painful to revisit until now. You find you laugh just as much, if not more, with Joel. Even among the tears shed, the conversation is filled with a hope and optimism that you longed for. 

You still feel his wholesome embrace long after you’ve called it a night to seek out much needed sleep. But much like the nights that ensued after Dave’s death, loneliness and the weight of your grief rear its head. 

The black ink glides over the surface of the paper. Line after line formulated a year’s worth of unsaid words that had been bottled up and blockaded by the rigid walls you’d built around them. Joel was right about the therapeutic effect of getting rid of the burdensome thoughts that come with loss, finding it’s hard to stop now that you’ve started. 

You convey the love that you still carry for Dave, something you’ll never willfully ignore or regret. It feels wrong but you touch on the hatred you feel towards his death; you hate him for leaving you, hate that you miss him, hate that some nights you forget the small details that you cherished about him. You tell him about Joel and the kindness he’s afforded you in a short time of knowing him and that there’s life beyond losing the love of your life. To look for the light even when shrouded by darkness. 

Pictures and trinkets find their way out of the cardboard confines Joel helped pull out from the guest room closet. The bare walls now filled with familiar faces and shelves adorn with colorful memories that you tried so hard to keep hidden. 

Joel and Ellie being a constant presence in your life allows you to see that life can surprise you when you least expect it and there’s room for new love. 

[tropetember]

[Image description. Image reads “Tropetember Prompt List”, in the background, a picture of a mug placed on an open book in front of a blanket invokes a cozy feel. End id. Thanks to @supericelight​ for the image description!]

Enemies / Friends / Strangers To Lovers 

Case Fic // Police / Detective / (Super)Hero // Crime / Mafia / (Super)Villain

Hurt/Comfort / Sickfic / Whump

Coffee Shop / Tattoo Parlour / Flower Shop / Other Retail AU

Rockstar / Actor / Model / Famous AU / Reality TV AU / SocMed AU

High School / College / University AU / 80’s Teen Movie AU

Historical (Regency, Ancient Greece/Rome, Prehistory, etc) / Modern / Futuristic AU

Time Travel / Time Loop (eg. Groundhog Day) / Amnesia / Coma

5+1 / 3+1 (Five Times + One Time)

Accidental Confession / In Vino Veritas (Drunk Confession/Drunk Dial)

Business Partners To Friends To Lovers / Competitor Businesses / Office AU

Huddling For Warmth / Sharing A Bed / Touch Starvation

Slice Of Life / Domestic / Found Family

Monstrous (Human/Monster Romance) / Cultural Differences / Language Barrier

Marriage Of Convenience / Arranged Marriage / Matchmaking / Blind Dates

Future Fic / Reunion / Childhood Friends / Friendship Centric

Getting Together / Love Confession / First Kiss / Break Up/Make Up / Misunderstandings

Body Swap / Psychic Link / Soulmates / Bonding (eg. ABO, Sentinel AU, etc)

Apocalypse / Zombie / Locked In Together / (Natural) Disaster

Science Fiction / Fantasy / Space Opera / Horror

Genderswap / Rule 63 / De-Aging / Age Changes AU

Canon Rewrite / Fix-It / Everybody Lives / Everybody Dies / Major Character Death

Mythology / Supernatural / Fairytale / Wingfic

Accidental Baby Acquisition / (Single) Parent AU / Babysitting

Mutual Pining / Requited/Unrequited Love / Angst With A Happy Ending

Fake Dating / Didn’t Know They Were Dating / Accidental Dating / Accidental Marriage

Repression / Emotional Constipation / Sexuality Crisis (Gay Panic)

Holidays & Celebrations / Proposals / Prom / Songfic

Fusion / Crossover / Harlequin / Rom-Com (eg: Hogwarts, Pacific Rim, Daemons, Hunger Games, The Princess Bride, Pride & Prejudice, Love Actually, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc)

FREE SPACE

Link to Tropetember Welcome Post

Link to Hard Mode Prompt List

Link to Rules & FAQ

[derelictheretic]

💭💭💭 Anya and any other of your lovely OCs for Dove! :3

Anya having a Moment upon seeing Dove lolol (Spoiler she goes back to the same trail every day after this <3)

Anya near stumbles under the gaze of two amber eyes, the soft face framed by short wavy locks disarming to say the least. The gentle gradient of her hair was mesmerising and the friendly smile on her face left Anya somewhat dazed. So dazed in fact she nearly didn't hear her gentle greeting.

"Good morning." Anya offers back after the sweet words register, her voice slightly hoarse from not having been used all morning. She hadn't run into anyone until now and she cursed the slight crack in her words. The other woman stops a foot away from Anya on the trail she'd been walking down, fingers playing with a bunch of wildflowers.

She looks like something out of a mirage, a fairytale princess in a flannel shirt and pale blue jeans. It's then Anya notices the camera hanging around her neck, her periwinkle eyes flicking between her face and the camera. She should ask about it, or, she'd like too, but her words are caught in her throat.

That was new. She didn't normally fall flat when a beautiful woman approached her, not that many did. Not any with such kind and earnest eyes anyway. She stiffens as the other woman tilts her head, an inquisitive noise leaving her throat, shit—she'd been staring. Good job Anya, what a charmer.

She clears her throat and walks on briskly, embarrassment flooding her as she tries not to look back. What the fuck was that? Whatever it was, Anya firmly notes the trail and convinces herself she will not be returning to it—lest she embarrass herself again. But, it would be nice to catch those dazzling eyes again, at least once more.

Based this in the Single Parents Crossover AU, they will be bffs at the end of it all I feel it in my bones <3

"Miss Dove is nice," Caleb muses, handing his dad a dish to dry. Dean hums, nodding in agreement and turning to look into the living room. Dove sat on the ground with Ace in her lap, Phoebe and Charmeine putting on an intense puppet show for the both of them with sock puppets.

She was a kind woman, who was fiercely protective of her daughter. She was a single mother doing her best to keep her safe, something Dean could relate too heavily. It wasn't easy, especially not with the added stress of a cult takeover. And despite the crazy situation they were in she managed to be optimistic, which was definitely appreciated.

"She is, isn't she?" He smiles and Caleb nods, dutifully scrubbing at a plate. Of course his kids already loved her, which admittedly helped him warm up to her as well—kids were an excellent judge of character after all. He was honestly thankful to have her around, it'd been a while since he'd had anyone to help take care of the kids. It'd been a long time since he trusted anyone enough to help him.

But they'd come a long way from pointing guns at each other and being on edge when in the same room, now they'd fallen into a sort of rhythm and Dean was starting to hope when all of this was over they could stay friends. Well, not like they'd have a choice—Charmeine and Phoebe were slowly becoming inseparable and he doubted Charmeine would stand for not seeing her new best friend every day.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

🎀 CM KidFic Challenge 🧸

The following are prompts involving children/pregnancy!

This event is over (Masterlist of Fics coming soon), but you are welcome to use any of these prompts. If you would like to be added to the existing Masterlist of entries, please check out the Rules below!

Prompts

Child says their first word(s)

Child becomes an older sibling

Character stands up for their child

The couple enjoys trying for a baby

Characters are fantastic platonic co-parents

Child is starting to act a lot like their parent(s)

The couple announces their pregnancy to everyone

The couple fosters a teenager preparing for college

The couple takes their child to college/their own place

The couple thinks they’re having twins… but it’s triplets

Character runs into their ex who has a child that looks just like them

The couple realizes how different things are the second, third, etc. time

Character needs reassurance about the fact they don’t enjoy being pregnant

Character finds that being around Child helps them heal their own inner child

The couple babysits together, which leads to a conversation about their future

Character struggles with the fact that their teenage kid has their first partner

Character is very attentive to their pregnant partner... almost irritatingly so

Character witnesses a quiet moment with their partner and their baby during a night feeding

Character, chronically single, asks their best friend if they’d be open to having a child with them

Child realizes that not every kid has two moms/two dads and they have a lot of questions about it

The couple takes Child to daycare for the first time but they can’t make themselves leave the parking lot

Child is having a hard time at school, so Character picks them up from school for a day of quality time together

Pregnancy cravings lead to a very dramatic late-night grocery store trip that makes Character fall more in love

Anything else you can imagine!

Childfree/Pregnancy-Free prompts below + Create your own!

Childfree/Pregnancy-Free Prompts

Character is the fun uncle/aunt

The couple adopts a pet together

Character gets to meet their partner’s (judgmental) pet

Character reveals that they don't want to have children and their partner's reaction surprises them

A child the BAU saved comes back years later to thank them and show what they’ve done with their life

The couple decides to give up on becoming parents and they learn how to have a fulfilled life without a child

Rules

The fic can be a Reader insert, an Original Character, a character/character ship, a platonic ship, or a Gen fic. It can feature any Criminal Minds character. AUs and crossovers are more than welcome.

Tag me in the fic, or send the link to me in a Direct Message. It can be already written, or you can write it for the challenge - I’m collecting both! You can also tag it “#mentioningmargins” which is a tag I track.

The fic can be any genre, but ONLY send me smut if your bio states you are 18+. I DO NOT WANT smut written by minors. Ever. At all. I will check.Platonic ships and pure, fluffy fics are 100% allowed.

Please include Content Warnings and a one-sentence Summary of the fic in your post.

Have fun!

The Masterlist of fics will be posted around May 1. If you finish after that, no problem - just send me the fic once you’re done and I’ll add it after-the-fact!

Feel free to message me if you want help developing a plot, have any questions, or just want to gush about your fic. I’m happy to help, and I’m happy you’re here ❤️

Happy Writing!

[leafyeyes417]

I decided to create a masterpost or two with all the reblogs that I like in hopes that when someone sends out the “help me find that post” I can find it faster. It will be added to slowly because I do not have the patience to do it all at once. Also in no particular order of preference.

Keep in mind none of these posts are my works and I do not claim them as such.

If you see *** they are really good prompts with lots of reblogs.

Will be edited later, last updated: 7-21-24

Masterlists

Multi-story masterlists

dcxdpdrabbles

Hdgnj

Tu-turu-turah

Specific Story lists

Jason is Catnip to Danny

Hyena Danny

Finally Getting Help

Wrong Robin

Badger Day

Man has needs

Almanac

Take out for Dummies

Danny is just some guy

Changling AU (part 5, other part links at bottom of post)

Fast Car Driver Danny

Haunted Car

Harmless Series

Don’t eat anything

Hero Tweets

Just a Bite

Single posts

Ellie-centric

Ellie realizes how dangerous Danny’s home is

Danny’s Rescues from the Infinite Realms

Green Lanturn & crew stuck in IR

Dead on Main

Jason courting Danny with a casserole

Overprotective Fenton parents shovel talk

Danny courts Jason by giving him wine cups made from the Joker’s kneecaps

Jason becomes a Ghost Summoner after giving Danny food***

Dream Lover***

Soulmate summoning ring gone wrong

Dead Tired

Coffeeshop accident

Dead Serious

Dead Silent

Danny kills the joker with his thighs

Danny on the run from the GIW

Superman startles Danny and gets a concussion***

Danny In Gotham

Sleepwalker Danny who escapes all traps

Unknowing Fae Danny works at coffee shop

Danny pretends to be a Vampire***

Feral McGee

Danny only gets a Vacation from work in Gotham

Danny seems like an Oracle of Delphi***

The GAV affected by Fear Toxin

Tucker streams while Danny does what Danny does in the background***

Danny is kidnapped(?) by Batman***

Danny gets hired for a money laundering front***

Portal is built in Gotham, not Amity

Naga Danny

Villain Danny

Danny’s obsession is twisted, forcing him to be a villain

Danny teaches heroes their mistakes by being the villain***

Adopted Danny (as in not Bio Fenton)

Danny is Hal Jordan’s son

Harley asks Batman to take away her son

Harvey Dent is Danny’s bio parent

Danny adopted by Bruce Wayne

Danny distribution system

Danny makes a sales pitch to join the Batfam

Reincarnated Danny

They wake up as Talons

Reincarnation

Clockwork reincarnated as Alfred

Misunderstanding’s that end in chaos

High Danny mistakes Batman for Jack

Mis-text-derstanding

Summoning Danny

Number is not in service

Danny: Please get that stalker (Ra’s) away from me

Demon Twin/Brothers

Damian is normal by Amity standards

Maybe(?) his lost twin

Nyssa steals Danny

Danny undercover in Amity

Jazz decided she wanted a brother

Tim Twins/Brothers

Danny and Tim are half-siblings

Danny sleep teleports to another dimension

Jason and Danny are brothers

Jason is a Baby ghost, adopts babier ghost Danny***

Ghost King Danny

Danny needs to take care of the Lazarus pits

Danny finds out there is a Ghost LOA

Miscellaneous

Danny possesses the president

Danny takes Jason’s online cooking class

Danny forgot what is regular human

Jack was a hitman named Phantom

Ghost Calls

Danny & Jason have the same scars

Superman was supposed to wait for the JLD

Water Core Tim

Fenton Driving curse still applies

Danny asks Wonder Woman to make him a grave on Themyscria***

Kryptonite is actually trapped souls

Danny and self-fulfilling prophecy

Danny pretends to be a demigod son of Hades

Danny gifts Red Robin a jar with Ra’s eyes

Vlad Cloning Danny was actually a much worse offense, breaks oldest ghost law

Amity got put back in the wrong place after the Pariah Dark fight.

Jason involuntarily taken to the ghost hospital

Phantom Letters

Danny learns Astral magic

Miscellaneous Angst

GIW succeeds in shooting the portal

DPxMarvel

Loki falls through to the IR and is adopted by Danny

Pure DP (not crossover)

Danny was Eldritch the whole time

Danny gets sprayed with a chemical where he hallucinates the person he hates

Demon!AU (with Art)

[dcbbw]

Knock, Knock

Dearest Tumblrs,

I know I have been MIA for the longest of times, but I haven’t left y’all yet. My father died 46 days ago. I’m still processing that, still getting used to the presence of his absence. I have spent the majority of 2024 caring for two parents while holding down a full-time job; differentiating between sickness and illness, conditions and diseases, and watching a loved one fall into an invincible decline and eventually succumb to the inevitable.

I have never experienced profound loss before, and it is a hurt unlike any other I have ever experienced. I thought because I was there, I saw it unfolding in real time 24/7 that I would be prepared when the time came.

I was not. I never was.

I’m still grieving, still reeling from the sucker-punch that is death, still tiptoeing around a landmine of emotions, all while being a productive employee and dutiful daughter and caretaker to my remaining parent.

I don’t sleep well (and haven’t for over a year), listening for bumps and cries in the night and waiting to hear my name called because I’m needed. I don’t go out unless it’s to run errands: grocery store, car maintenance, pick up prescriptions. I spend 9 hours at a paid job (forgoing my lunch hour so I can come home and make beds, empty commodes, and fix lunch for my mom; before dad’s decline got too bad, I fed them both).

There’s laundry to wash, dry, fold; bathrooms to clean, floors to mop, rooms to sweep and vacuum, meals to cook. Mail and packages have to be both sent out and brought in. And since dad left, I have to take care of what is left of his business as well as get help with keeping the house standing. The furnace had to be replaced; there was a gas leak and piping had to be repaired and restored. The main sewer line was clogged and had to be cleared. I still need to find a reliable yard person to rake and bag the leaves.

 I’m strong because I have to be, not because I want to be.

During all of this, dealing with reality and life, all I wanted to do was write. To lose myself in worlds I create, to detach myself from transition and death and ever-mounting bills. My head is filled constantly with thoughts, ideas, and dialogue; perhaps now I may be able to find/make time and have more focus to get back to what calms me, what I feel I do well, and makes me happy.

I have so many stories to finish (my masterlist is a huge pile of incompletes) and start, but these are the stories and AUs in the works:

Babylon—Dolos: The Homeland AU dealing with international current events

Babylon—Belly of the Beast: The Homeland AU fictionalizing the 2024 election

 Watercoolers and Coffeepots—the DC AU gang’s take on the 2024 election within the workplace

Sex and the Middle-Aged Divorcee—what’s it like being a 54-year-old woman in the world of online dating

Single—UnRomance is back with a follow-up to this storyline

Tuesday’s Child—an OC-centric story about a family whose patriarch is dying (any similarities between my family (or yours) is purely coincidental

Hospital Lost—a medical drama AU drawn largely on St. Elsewhere, ER, and Grey’s Anatomy which will be a crossover cluster. Imagine Open Heart with focus on emergency room patients and a lot more staff

I feel it’s only fair to warn you that I’ve decided to give up creative writing for writing creatively; if my writing reads/feels differently, this is the reason why.

This is all I have for now, but hopefully I will be back soon. Since I have ZERO idea who’s left, tagging the few I know are still active in the TRR/TRH/TRF sub-fandom. Feel free to let me know if you want on or off the taglist.

Tagging: @angelasscribbles @kristinamae093 @kingliam2019 @indiacater @twinkleallnight @tessa-liam @bebepac

[mayisgoingnuts]

Just like promised,

KEVIN SHORT — WICKED MONTH AU VERSION!!

Even though it doesn't change much. Plus a little bonus at the end!!

@crossover-enthusiast @momentokori @merwynpersonalhub @bulldog-geckorahhhhh @sunny6677 @paperbagirlratlover @luzxii @royphobia

The beginning of the short is just the same as the original, with Kevin getting ready for his first day, and meeting Skid and Pump for the first time. However, Pump asks once again, still very excited but now a little more impatient.

"Trick or treat!"

Kevin rubs his neck, a little confused. And right when he was about to speak, Pump opened his mouth again.

"Trick it is!"

They start to cause an absolute mess on the store, at some point Skid also either pinch or punch his leg discreetly (making Kevin let out an 'ow' between his attempts to calm them down) as they run. As nothing seemed to work, Kevin finally yelled.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! I cleaned up the space for the entire day, and I won't let some... foul brats-" The kids' expression changed to another one more offended, as Pump also judged him up and down. "-ruin my first day!"

"I want to talk to your parents this instant!"

Skid seems like he is about to burst out something because of his posture, but then there's only tears on his eyes. He starts to cry and turns around. Pump looks at him worried, then back at Kevin, now visibly annoyed.

Kevin points at Skid. "Do you know why he's crying?"

"His dad died. Meanie."

Kevin's eyes go wide and he feels insanely awkward (and bad), now taking a few candy for both of them as a way to apologize.

"Sorry I yelled. Just... behave, kids."

Pump holds his own can with star shaped eyes, while Skid held it a little more neutral, but happier. He looks to the floor, seemingly thinking, before finally looking up at Kevin. "Thank you so much!"

Pump was about to leave, but Skid stops him, mumbling something on his ear.

"Ooh!" He comes back, putting a hand on his back before putting out a sack happily. "And there's a gift for you, sir!"

"Aw, thank you!" Kevin grabbed it with a smile. "You can call me Kevin!"

Skid nodded.

"See you later, Kevin!" And finally, they both leave, heading up to Lila who's outside; well, with Skid kicking away some candy that was on his way.

Kevin opens the sack to check what's inside, and there's nothing but insects that crawled onto him as he panicked. As he manages to take them off, he hears a snicker outside, seeing the kids giggling at him before running away.

A bunch of the kids' shenanigans show up at the screen. Some of them includes them bringing cats to the store as Skid fought with one of them, Frank visiting and taking pictures as they help him steal, Patty running around Pump as he played swords with a human arm against Skid, and Skid with his dad appearing and then leaving with the store absolutely destroyed as Skiddad pets his head.

It was all a dream, and Kevin wokes up.

The single, only moment of happiness with them years ago wasn't even real. He does not remember the last time he even had a nice talk with them, if there ever was one. But Kevin does remember a lot of things.

Like how they won't give him peace unless he gives the ammount of candy they want.

Or how Pump would argue and insult him over nothing like a brat.

Or how Skid already leaved him to die.

Or how they could have died or suffered so many times right infront of him thanks to their own actions, but he stepped in and saved them regardless.

And he doesn't even know why they are any worth of his protection. Or why he should give two craps about their well-being.

Kevin hates everything about them, so much.

[bluevelvetea]

Whiskey Trio x Kn8

the inevitable dcmk crossover no one really asked for

Big thanks to @itssagaruu for enabling the collective brainrot about this crossover and @iceclew for accidently motivating me to finish it with the Conan glasses Hoshina

More under the cut! (Possible spoilers for dcmk)

*screaches* HIROOOOOO BABY BOY BABY

my baby didn't deserve this but I believe his death would still be a sacrificial suicide just like in canon but Shucihi covered it up as an accident or even took the blame himself again out of consideration for Zero's feelings

this man right here would've been Kafka's biggest supporter and hype man they would get along so well ;; I need them to interact ;;

I believe Taka'aki might still be with the police in this AU

How many Gundam references can you put in a single crossover that doesn't even involve Gundam? Yes.

Rei is a walking Gundam reference after all

Probably has like 1% less maximum combat power compared to Shuichi and he hates it

This man right here is competitive to a fault

Very responsible but unhinged

Still drives a Mazda RX-7 like in canon

He'd be best friends with Hoshina because they're both menaces (affectionately)

why is he still wearing the beanie? No one knows.

His parents are both legends much like Isao and for some reason I think Tsutomu and Isao are very similar in many points

We are not comparing Mary to Hikari though

Shukichi would be a renowned strategist working for the JAKDF

Masumi would be the most unhinged new recruit they've seen since Narumi

Some general h/c

Hagi, Matsuda and Date were trained alongside Hiro and Zero as well

And yeah then they died in the canon order too ;;

Maybe with less explosions and trucks though and more Kaiju action

I need Kir to be a part of this so bad too

[echo-bleu]

End of the Year Fic Recs

thank you @thescrapwitch and @sallysavestheday for tagging me!

This is a wonderful game, I love reccing fics and I should do it more. I'll keep it all Silmarillion for the recs, since that's the bulk of what I've read this year. I haven't had the spoon to leave proper comments on some of these, so hopefully reccing them can count too?

Recommend up to 5 series or multi-chapter fics from 2023 that everyone should read (multi-year WIPs count, if the last update was in 2023).

- The Harrowing by @chthonion. I am forever in awe of this whole series and of Chthonion's writing. Somehow every single sentence is relatable and at least half of them are a punch in the gut, but in a healing way. A delightful Frodo, Celebrimbor and Finrod working through their trauma and Annatar, remade as an elf, learning how to be a good person (and a person at all, really).

- we will make this place our home by @leucisticpuffin. Truly delightful 70s AU as narrated by 8 year old Elrond, who just makes my heart melt in every chapter. Maedhros and Maglor as traumatized foster parents doing their best, the twins with their antics and their fears and joys, it's such a breath of fresh air and I can't get enough of it.

- Hanged Man by @tethysresort. Second age fic about the fall of Eregion and the start of Imladris with so much interesting worldbuilding and plot, and characterization of Elrond and Glorfindel especially that I really loved.

- Everlasting Song by @amethysttribble. This is perhaps a little more niche, a crossover with A Song of Ice and Fire, but I'm not an ASOIAF fan at all and I have like two whole memories of the books and I'm still finding absolutely delightful. Top-notch characterization of the Fëanorians, and it really keeps you on your toes.

- Aurë entuluva by @theheirofashandfire. Just very recently caught up with it and I love it to bits! The time loop is all kinds of angsty and breathtaking, and I really love the world that is being constructed afterwards. Wonderful Russingon, and I'm also, especially, in love with her Curufin and Celegorm.

Recommend up to 5 single chapter fics/one-shots (long or short) from 2023 that everyone should read.

- Wayward Son by @thescrapwitch. Angst exactly like I like it. Fëanor and Maglor, and it will make you cry. @thescrapwitch writes Maglor just wonderfully and I really love this Fëanor that will do absolutely anything for his son.

- On the difference between hostages and sons by leodesic (and the rest of the series as well). Absolutely delightful Elrond and Elros, as seen by Gil-galad when they first come to his court. I love Elrond defying expectation, and this was such a wonderful read.

- the world to come by arriviste. Arda Remade, told through the shadows and the gaps of what's missing. It's eerie, and I love a well-written eerie fic that leaves you feeling a little off-balance. Wonderful reflection on the price of perfection.

- Sea-Bells and Sunlight by @actual-bill-potts. Finrod, Lúthien and Beren in Mandos. This broke my heart in the best way.

- in the breaking by @thelordofgifs. Short but terribly impactful study of Maedhros and Maglor before the end, one of the best I've read of them.

Recommend up to 5 fics NOT from 2023 that everyone should read (oldies but goodies).

- A Farewell to Arms by MorwenSteelsheen (LOTR, Farawyn). Such a wonderful characterization and development of Faramir and Éowyn's relationship in a slight canon divergence where Éowyn arrives in Gondor two years before the end of the war of the Ring.

- The Splintered Light by @thearrogantemu. The whole series. These Gifts That You Have Given Me (Silvergifting) is well-known in the fandom, I think, and I absolutely loved it, but the other fics set in the Fourth Age were among the first I read in this fandom that I just fell straight in love with.

- The Host of the West by @mynameisjessejk. Various fics of the Otter Mayhem and Otterless Mayhem series could have gone into every category here because I love them all, but this is the one I chose because I reread it yesterday for the fourth (fifth?) time and it still had me bawling my eyes out. Probably my favourite Finrod, and definitely an inspiration for my own writing. The whole series is about healing and redemption and elf therapy and all of it is delightful.

- The Peril (and Potential) of Unleashing Lightning in a Fishbowl by @dawnfelagund. This one took everything I thought I knew about Caranthir, threw it out the window and gave me a truly brilliant characterization I didn't know I needed in my life. The worldbuilding is also delightful, and so is Amarië.

- Aranya by SpaceWall. I read this recently and it's really staying with me. Some people in my asks have expressed interest in fics that take the Valar to account for their mistakes, and this is a wonderful one. With a bonus revolution. I really love the non-linear storytelling as well, a hard-to-use tool that is done wonderfully here. Plus the title is inspired.

Recommend up to 5 of your own fics (completed or WIP) from 2023 that everyone should read.

- your veins are empty of dust. Character study of Nerdanel as feels her family die across the sea, and she sculpts. This is also the fic for which I made the art I'm probably the proudest of to date.

- your smile tells me I'm safe. Modern AU with aro Maedhros and a Russingon QPR.

- silver. Míriel, Celegorm and Celebrimbor, and living with chronic illness.

- the light that you keep burning there. Part of a much larger AU where the second and third kinslayings don't happen, but this one is about Maedhros, Maglor and Fingon in the later years, as the world crumbles, trying to remember what (who) they're fighting for.

- if I am to braid my mystic crown. The Silmarillion retold through worldbuilding headcanons about braids.

Tagging @unforth @foodsies4me @wren-of-the-woods @camille-lachenille (I don't know who has already done it, so feel free to send me a link if you have!)