#and yes all of them are traumatized
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OC QUESTIONS OPEN
I am now taking questions about my OCS, mostly about Zotz (My Sing 2 OC, who is part of the New Moon theatre crew) with also Mack and Aster ( two guys who are apart of Klaus’s dance class/group)
I’m even taking questions about Ocs, that are not Sing movie related (shocking I know) for example, Korrin (my main Oc), Arthur, and even more :D
#sing 2#sing 2 movie#sing movie#sing 2 illumination#gay#demiboy#fanfic#my ocs#sing oc#headcanon#hyperfixation#my ocs are my children#and yes all of them are traumatized#well except for Mack and aster#questions#taking questions and asks#asks
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Steph's Year of Recovery
So! Danny noticed that a new face had made it's way into town. Two new faces actually, an older lady known as Dr Leslie, and a girl about his age called Steph.
He first met them when he was at the hospital for one of his parents. They had stood too close to an explosion again, and he met them while he was in the waiting Area.
Dr Leslie was a strict but obviously caring older woman, who seemed to be the one taking care of Steph as a kind of maternal figure, or maybe more like an Aunt. She greeted him simply and then walked away to talk with the Secretary, leaving him to talk to Steph.
Steph was a blond girl in a Wheelchair, and he could see bandages piking out of her clothes as he talked to her. She explained that she had been in an Accident a few weeks ago that left her wheelchair bound for a while, and that she had come to Amity for their surprisingly good Medical Centers.
He and Steph got along really well, and by the end of it he asked her for her Number so they could continue talking later. They stayed in touch, and when she was finally permitted to leave the Hospital, he introduced her to his friends. They all got along like a House on Fire, both figuratively and in one memorable case very literally (Vlad had pissed them off okay!)
Eventually Steph recovered enough that she moved from a Wheelchair to Crutches, and their shenanigans got even more chaotic (Vlad hadn't even pissed them off, this time was just for fun)
The only thing Danny could complain about was the fact that Steph was hiding something from them.
She said that she had been in an Accident a while ago, which was why they had come to Amity in the first place. But Danny knew it was more than that.
He could sense lingering traces of Death coming from her after all.
...
Steph honestly loved her current life.
Sure she had lost everything, her home, her health, her friends, her life, but she had gained new things too! Like Danny and the Gang! They were honestly some of the best friends she had ever had, and for some reason they just clicked with her instantly.
Danny was interesting and funny, Sam was vegan and a badass, Tucker was smart and witty, they all fit with her personality perfectly! It almost felt like she bad been friends with them for years. (She ignored the way her heart skipped a beat when she saw them)
But she still couldn't shake the sense that they were hiding something from her.
She knew it had something to do with the Ghost Problem in the town. And wasn't that a kicker, there was a whole Supernatural Ghost Outbreak in this Town and nobody knew about it. Dr Leslie had said that Amity was off the map enough to hide from Bruce, but she hadn't mentioned it was hidden from the Justice League itself!
Danny, Sam, and Tucker definitely knew more about it than they let on however. Whenever a Ghost Attack would happen, at least one of them would rush off with some practiced excuse and return after the Ghost Attack was over all dirty. She could guess what was going on, and she really didn't like it.
(This had killed her, she had died doing what they were doing, she didn't want to lose them)
Eventually she had to confront them, coincidentally on the same day they decided to confront her.
"Are you Vigilantes?" / "Did you die?"
"..."
"What?" / "What?"
#Dpxdc#Dp x dc#Dcxdp#Dc x dp#Danny Phantom#Dc#Dcu#Stephanie Brown#Stephanie Browns Death#Steph actually did die to Black Mask#Dr Leslie didn't manage to save her but did manage to bring her back#How she did it is up to you#But because if that Steph needs Physical Therapy and Treatments only found in Amity#Amity is also secluded enough that Batman won't find them there#Steph knows she died but is willfully ignoring it to the point of almost repressing it#Especially because she doesn't know how she came back to life#She doesn't like that her brand new friends are also Vigilantes because being a Vigilante is what got her killed#She doesn't want them to die like she die#She doesn't want to lose her new friends#Trauma#Steph is Traumatized#Also all of them are 17 in this#Stephs age when she died is very vague but 17 is the most reliable middle ground#So the Trio has been Vigilantes for 3 years now#They know what they are doing and have a system so they can share the workload#Sam and Tucker still have their powers#So they can help Danny with the workload#Idk if Steph would develop Powers from the Treatment or her Resurrection but I kind of like the idea#Also yes this is Poly Eternal Trio + Steph cause she deserves happiness#I NEED more Steph Ships cause she deserves more attention
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Dick 'my mental stability is hanging by the rope that snapped and killed my parents' Grayson met Bruce 'emotions aren't real if you don't acknowledge them' Wayne when he was 8 years old and he never recovered.
#dick tries to have a normal day but all he gets is mixed signals from his dad and a traumatizing event (very probable)#“I miss you”#“now get out of my house”#← I'm paraphrasing but yes he's said that#I'm so sick of them one day I'll write the longest vent about them and nobody can stop me#their relationship is the definition of 'complicated'#dick grayson#nightwing#robin#bruce wayne#batman#bruce and dick#dc#dc comics
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De-aged and injured Danny
Danny is found out by his parents. They don't take it well.
Clockwork is very upset about this, because he'd gambled on almost-certain odds of them being chill about it. So now he has to run damage-control before this very unlikely time-line goes even further off the deep end.
Unfortunately, Danny needs to be in the living world, not the Infinite Realms. Which means that Clockwork needs to put Danny somewhere safe. Somewhere where nobody will find him.
And double-unfortunately, the only place that remotely fits this bill is to contact Lady Gotham.
City-spirits aren't... super-reliable. They're Neverborns who very very rarely consider "humanoid shapes" worth figuring out. So they just kind of... exist. An ectoplasmic presence that's undeniable, but also extremely difficult to have a conversation with.
Thankfully, Lady Gotham is (for all of her... quirks) generally very hero-aligned. Which is why she's the best one to ask for sanctuary for Danny.
Danny who Clockwork de-aged as a way to "limit his injuries" of being vivisected.
Lady Gotham agrees, but she only has one "safe place" to put him. And her Knight is a little bit too paranoid for her to just dump an injured child in his lair, without causing more trouble than it's worth.
But it's hardly a difficult thing, to arrange a few things, and place Danny in a spot where his injuries will cause her Knight to hurry to his aid.
Such as... in a room filled with medical equipment, right next door to where Joker has just lost a fight with Batman.
Things escalate somewhat when Batman finds him and makes some assumptions about what Joker has been up to. Tempers run a bit high, someone loses a few extra teeth, someone else has to physically drag Bruce off Joker's body before he beats him to death, and the Joker considers the whole thing a grand old laugh (he has no idea what's going on, but it sure pissed off Batty, and that's always a treat).
Of course, the Batfam has to actually investigate the scene, evacuate Danny, give Danny medical aid, and then also ask Danny about what happened.
Danny wakes up and is very confused about a lot of things.
He's no longer being vivisected. Great. Love that part.
He's somewhere he doesn't recognize (the Batcave). Could be good, could be bad. At least the bed is pretty nice?
He's very small. This feels like a personal attack. He might not have gotten a good growth-spurt yet, but taking away what he had is cruel and unusual.
And there's a weirdo in an... armored bat-costume? Who isn't setting off his ghost-sense? What the hell kind of "normal" person wears something like that?
Still, Danny does answer the questions that Batman asks him, because... well, there's a green post-it-note in his pocket that says he shouldn't lie.
So Danny tells Batman about his parents cutting him up "for science". And Batman hears that the Joker somehow managed to hire two mad scientists who (upon the tiniest bit of suggestion from the Joker, who'd definitely seen the similarities between Danny and Jason and thought it would be a "funny prank") had leapt at the opportunity to vivisect their own son.
This is definitely worrying, because from the phrasing, they'd been "wanting to do it for a long time". And considering Danny's slow heartbeat and low body-temperature? They'd been wanting to do it because he was a meta.
So, somewhere out there (the Bats had found no trace of the two) were two deranged lunatics who wanted to cut open metas to "see how they worked".
Batman does the very reasonable thing and actually contacts the rest of the Justice League with their descriptions, just in case they'd managed to leave Gotham before the Bats had tracked them down.
#danny might mention the anti-ecto acts. which would lead them to the GIW which would lead them to Amity Park and to the Fentons.#and would likely stir up a LOT of outrage for a bunch of politicians effectively creating a loophole in a very clear-cut humanitarian law#(the meta-protection acts). and those politicians would probably be very nervous about having gotten caught.#(think about all the cool ecto-tech they could use to make tons and tons of money. as long as ecto-entities don't have any rights)#also also. upon investigating amity park in person? jazz would probably witness against her parents on the spot. no questions asked.#like. she comes home. and danny is gone? her parents are talking about ghost-kidnapping? and now someone official is asking questions?#yes. please. please arrest my parents and tell me where my little brother is. tell me he's safe. tell me he isn't buried somewhere.#jazz is very aware of the risks of her parents ''reacting badly'' to the phantom-reveal. which is why she's been covering for him.#but yes. this is mostly written out as a ''and here is de-aged and traumatized danny in batfam-custody''-setting idea.#bcs involving LadyGotham is fine. but having her TALK to her bats? communicate clearly? make her presence known?#never. she'd refuse on principle. she'd rather stage an arkham-breakout and indirectly murder thousands.#it's her love-language. you wouldn't understand.#laughing#my writing#danny phantom#dc comics#batman#stories
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I’ve mentioned it before but I’m a fucking sucker for unhealthy dependent relationships. There’s just something about them that is so. Chef’s kiss 👌
Anyway I’m still thinking about how Law was so attached to Cora and was so traumatized by his death that he literally devoted thirteen YEARS of his life to revenge killing Doflamingo. Even though all Cora ever wanted was for Law to just be free and live his life happily. And Law spending all his time in a hateful revenge spiral is literally the exact OPPOSITE of what Cora wanted for him. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. If the thirteen years of endless devotion to avenging his savior wasn’t enough Law 1. Named his pirate crew the Heart Pirates in honor of Cora, 2. Covered himself in permanent heart-themed tattoos in honor of Cora, and 3. Fashioned his Jolly Roger to be a mockery of Doflamingo’s and ALSO to honor Cora. Homie is a walking memorial for a man he only really knew for six months and again crafted the most intricate plan known to mankind to murder Cora’s killer. Because losing Cora fucked him up THAT much. Because even though Cora set him free, the moment Doflamingo shot him Law was chained to the memory of a man who no longer existed. Law literally fashioned his entire life down to his own appearance after Cora and it makes me so insane. I cannot even imagine what went through his head after Dressrosa I mean how do you move on after a thirteen year grudge is put to rest. What is he supposed to do now. Avenging Cora was literally his entire existence, his entire reason for living for half of his life. He needs therapy probably. If Cora somehow ever did come back to life Law would lose his fucking mind. The dependency is SO unhealthy and I am SO here for it
#Anyway this is not me promoting unhealthy relationships irl#If you are that dependent on someone that you can’t bear to live without them. Get help! Therapy!! Actually!!!#In fiction tho it is a wonderful treat. Haha yes I love to watch my faves suffer.#One Piece#Trafalgar Law#Donquixote Rosinante#Donquixote Doflamingo#Doflamingo#Cora#One Piece Cora#One Piece spoilers#Dressrosa#Shima speaks#I AM SO. HNNGHHH. I AM UNWELL. I probably also need therapy. LMAO#Oda why did you do this why did you kill Law’s dad (again)#Law: Feel like shit just want Cora-san back#Also I didn’t even get into how much Cora influenced Law’s life VS how his actual blood family influenced his life#Flevance was traumatic as FUCK and yet all of Law’s notable trademarks are still Cora-themed…#(Bc Cora saved him. Bc Cora gave him a reason to live after he thought he’d lost everything)#Slams my head into the wall and howls
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No but this is so important and not just because Nureyev is finally waking up to something outside his Slip tunnel vision. But because Nureyev has never been in the position to plan for a life. His entire focus has been on survival and obligation and anonymity since he was (the equivalent of) a high schooler. He has never had the opportunity to be like "what do I want to do with my life?" because that agency was taken from him by the GAS, by Mag, by being a fugitive, by Dokana and he has actually never been at liberty to just, choose.
This aspect of Nureyev makes me that much more feral about his offer to run away with Juno way back in season 1, because being able to run away and live a life he wants is not something he allowed himself to even imagine until he met Juno goddamn Steel and that meeting like jumpstarted his heart. The life of thrills and decadence across the galaxy might not even be what he truly wants, but even being able to envision the fantasy of it was HUGE for him. Which makes Juno’s rejection of it (in Murderous Mask, but moreso in Final Resting Place after everything they went through together with Miasma, and realizing that there was the potential for genuine love, trust, compatibility between them) all the more devastating. It wasn't just a rejection of Nureyev, but effectively crushed that first real hope for the future that he had allowed himself since Saraswati.
#juno steel#junoverse#the penumbra podcast#tpp#jupeter#peter nureyev#tpp spoilers#i have so many thoughts about Nureyev and yes i am going to just spew them all whether anyone cares or not#he's been robbed of his agency and years of his life and those are literally the only things we have in our stupid short lives#also capitalism analogy amirite#like we're not all traumatized thieves enslaved by capitalism & the medical industrial complex but at the same time arent we all? arent we??
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ghost type trainersona moment 🖤 +extras and pokemon team below!
-a sweetheart!!!!! -the kind of person who'd be more likely to befriend all the really grown middle-aged people at their job and get along fairly well with the elderly -theyve always had a very generally gloomy outward disposition (unintentionally. like literal black aura hovering in the air over them) which people usually find intimidating, this further saddens them bcuz they mean well and are just quite softspoken 😭 -this also often causes bad weather to happen near them sometimes, so they tend to keep to themselves for the sake of others usually -wish they had a green thumb but its hit or miss on gardening probably. they fully believe plants may not like them but they still try! desperately so! -they take a lot of things very literally sometimes or take a moment to understand things -i pair them with Avery (and they do have kids later on) but honestly they are my doll to play house with whoever yay ^-^ -they also have a phantump they spoil and a ceruledge thats newer to the team whos still getting acquainted with the whole team dynamic -yes I do think that 99% of her pokemon give Avery a hard time since they really adore their trainer
#my art#pokemon#pkmn#trainersona#pkmn oc#pokemon oc#avery dont know what to do wit all dat.... chat should we kill that glasses wearing freak Yes or Yes#gengar#toxtricity#dragapult#mismagius#decidueye#mimikyu#debating giving the sona one of my names or if i should do a completely new. semi-related name. something something [redacted]#anyways as always outfit subject to change o7 among other things!#i was gonna go crazy if i couldnt give that trans enby another trans enby to bite them. in my head theyre kinda like abacelsus#i think the first time they see each other avery is intensely annoyed and focused on beating her and shes intrigued by his oddities#do not ask me who asked each other out first the more i think abt it the more i get a headache cuz i can see it from both sides theyre just#very frustrating when approaching the whole relationship HKFDSF i really dont know how they manage to have kids someday#somehow. cuz i also do not see either of them as the parenting type per se. but they get there! dont ask me how they manage!#something something abt two lonely traumatized ppl kinda finding each other or whatever
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Dc x Dp Prompt #1
Demon Twin AU Black Butler style:
Danyal Al Ghul was a well liked natural born assassin just like Damian. But he had something Damian did not, the favoritism of Ra’s Al Ghul. As the older twin, Danyal was heir to the Demon, as the younger twin, Damian was merely the spare. Damian, while always jealous of Danny, could never hate his twin when all they had was each other.
Danny himself never cared or loved anyone but his brother. When the twins were taught how to kill their emotions, they found that the twins only weakness was each other. They could not unlove the other the way they could with everyone else.
Danny and Damian were identical twins born with their father’s blue eyes. It was impossible to tell them apart with just their appearance. Their mannerisms and personality were what usually gave them away, but Danny and Damian knew each other, and they could be the other’s perfect clone if they wanted to.
No one ever knew which was which unless Danny and Damian allowed them to know and even then, they would never know if the twins were telling the truth. Rumors would spread that Talia and Ra’s themselves didn’t know who was who but that rumor was quickly shut down by Talia who as their mother would never take such an insult (even if it was true).
The twins obviously took this to their advantage. They’d take punishments for each other when the other couldn’t handle anymore that day, they’d pretend to be the other twin whenever Damian wanted to feel favored by Ra’s, etc.
However that changed after being sent on a mission together when they were 7. Danny and Damian were fine until they weren’t. Something happened and Danny died. Nobody knew what happened, the twins were alone, and all the league knew was that it heavily traumatized the surviving twin. Well that and it changed their eye color from blue to green.
When Danny died, Damian knew Ra’s would be disappointed if he came out as the survivor. Damian was never as liked by Ra’s because he was not the firstborn, not the true born heir, and most importantly not Danyal Al Ghul. So Damian did the most logical thing a traumatized 7-year-old could come up with. He took on his brother’s name and continued living on as him.
Everyone believed Damian when he told them he was Danyal. They had no choice but to believe him. And though they became suspicious when Damian’s personality and mannerisms changed, this was quickly attributed with his brother’s death. After all, everyone knew the only weakness the twins had was each other.
So when the Justice League summoned the High King of the Infinite Realms and a teenager that looked exactly like an inverted version of Danny claimed to have been Danyal Al Ghul while still alive, Bruce didn’t know what the King was trying to play at when he knew Danny was back home in the manor with a concussion.
#dp x dc#dc x dp#dc x dp prompt#dp x dc prompt#danny fenton#danny phantom#damian wayne#damian al ghul#danny and damian are twins#danny and damian are the demon twins#danny and damian never left the terrible twos#they are the terrible twos#let the incident be traumatic to both of them#let everyone else be horrified too#also yes danny did die die#whether he came back to life is up to you#is Amity Park even in the same dimension?#idk#all we know is that danny still became phantom#ghost king danny#danyal al ghul#how will damian react?#inspired by black butler
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Fyodor would absolutely invent a medieval cello just so he could celebrate😌🎶🎻 my tlkt0k: sarahdeleonart
#should I start posting my silly tlkt0k animatics here👁️#the clock app really liked this one lmao#bc we are all theorizing how ACTUALLY devastating & traumatizing his first time resurrecting probably was😀😀😀#I’m not kidding it’s keeping me up at night#the amount of angsty theories I have#yes I will be drawing them all👍🥲#and also my fanfic writing urges are tingling#what if I actually post this time ah haaaaa#fyodor#fyodor dostoevsky#fyodor fanart#bsd#bsd fanart#bungou stray dogs#bungou stray dogs fanart#bungo stray dogs#bungo stray dogs fanart#fanart#digital art#artists of tumblr#artists on tumblr#anime#manga#bsd manga#bsd 114.5#bsd fyodor#fyodor dostoyevsky bsd#bungou stray dogs fyodor#animatic#animatics
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second chances don’t come for free
cw/tw: child death and child abuse and related traumas
7652 words (!?) ao3
Everyone in the family had secrets, and everyone knew that everyone in the family had secrets. It was a promise that came with the crest they all wore on their chest. Some were more open than others, like the way that Richard always avoided tight ropes despite his impeccable balance, and how Father never enters the 4th room on the west wing of the 3rd floor.
Damian had secrets too.
After a relatively calm night by Gotham’s standards they returned to a briefing for their next big mission. Damian was one of the last to return, busy settling a mugging attempt on his return.
“Good, looks like everyone’s here.” Father announced, gathering the attention of the rest of the occupants of the room.
“Looks like a full house.” Richard commented lightly looking around as everyone gathered around the computer. Todd leaned casually on the railway to the changing room away from the crowd but close enough to be included, Drake was clicking away at the keyboard as usual. Brown and Cain stuffing in their last cookie before butting the container away. Thomas stood idly by waiting for Father to explain what their next operation was. Barabra likely was listening from a separate location as usual.
“We’ve received a tip from a trusted source that the League is up to suspicious activity.” Father began, as Drake pulled up a few schematics on the screen.
“When are they not?” Brown scoffed, lightly jabbing Richard in the arm. He chuckled lightly.
“Naturally,” Father continued, ���It would be irresponsible for us to all go and leave Gotham unprotected so Spoiler, Orphan, and Signal will stay to cover the city while the rest of us are gone. I’ve informed Batwoman as well, and she’s available to assist you if the situation demands.” Father paused to give the rest an opening to speak, when no one did so, he continued. “We’ve discovered that they’ve found a rare washup of some form of solidified Lazarus Waters. We don’t have much information on the substance itself apart from what's essentially speculation. Regardless if the League found a way to solidify the Waters, there is no telling what they would find themselves in possession of, weapons, tech, humans at a level we’ve never seen.” Damian knew all too well what the League was capable of. After all, he had been the League. Father continued explaining the details of the plan and the positions each of them were meant to play.
It would be the first time Damian returned to a League of Assassins base since he had first left them 7 years ago and he had met his Father at his own doorstep for the very first time at the age of 10. It had only been the lifetime's worth of rigorous training that kept Damian from curling into his gut at the sight of those eyes.
The eyes that haunted Damian the last days he had stayed in the league when Mother had ordered him to pack anything he wished to take with him. The look of terror in the eyes that look just like the one that calls him Champ while he ruffles his hair and tells him to go sleep early since it was a school night.
Damian found himself freshly showered and comfortably under his duvet, then a moment later he was pulling them off to go through the motions of his day. Next thing Damian knew he was in his Robin uniform in a jet that would be taking him to the sight of his biggest mistake.
The League had always kept a close record of Damian’s activities since he had been taken out of his test tube. Every daily schedule, no matter how mundane, every mission report, no matter how simple, was expertly stored in the League’s database.
That was with the exception of the final test. The League had taken extensive measures to scrub away any traces of the final test before Damian had gone to live with Father.
When Father and Drake had meticulously gone through every file about Damian on his arrival to the manor, Damian was told his first kill had been at the age of 4, a politician in his house in the capital city not far from the League’s Nanda Parbat base.
Though Damian had only understood what it meant to kill - to watch death - only 3 days before he had met his father.
“Damian.” Richard called, Damian hadn’t noticed that he had been approached, “Are you sure you're clear for this mission.” He sounded concerned.
“Yes.” Damian responded with a frown. He had his own mission, he could not afford to be benched.
“You seem kind of out of it. I know you don’t have the best memories with the League and none of us are going to force you to go if you're not ready,” Richard was trying to seem approachable and understanding, and perhaps Damian should be more reciprocative of his efforts. But he ‘knew’? What exactly did Richard Grayson ‘know’ about the League? About what happened to Damian in the League?
Damian bit his tongue, there was no point in lashing out before a mission only for it to impede needlessly on their cohesiveness “Would you prefer for me to bounce off the walls in excitement?” Damian allowed the snark to roll off his tongue, and raised a brow at the older boy.
Grayson let himself laugh at that, “No, I suppose not.” And with that Damian was alone again.
When Damian was 3, Mother had taken him to watch the older kids train. Damian had noticed someone else there, another boy around his age. They looked similar even, but not identical. Damian remembered the jealousy he felt when he started noticing the similarities the boy shared with Mother’s features, the audacity that he looked more like Damian’s mother than Damian himself. When he told Mother, she had found it humorous and praised Damian for looking more like his father insead.
While Damian sat on the bench with mother, their escorts behind them, the boy sat alone at a bench further away. “Damian, do you know who that boy is?” Mother had leaned in to ask him.
“No, Mother.” He answered honestly.
“That is Danyal al-Ghul, your twin brother by 76 seconds.”
“What is a brother, Mother?”
“Your opponent in all that you do, Damian, he is your enemy. You must always remember that.” Damian made his best efforts to remember that, because of course Mother was always right.
Damian and Danyal had been assigned rooms across the hall from each other but they never met outside of coincidental encounters. And whenever they had, someone had always been there to remind Damian that Danyal was not to be trusted, that he would get under Damian’s skin, find ways to exploit Damian, a cheat and a smear on the al-Ghul bloodline. One of his teachers at the time had told him Mother would’ve done well to leave that one in the tube he was born from. The people of the League would not dare lie to an heir of the Demon’s Head, so Damian believed them.
One night, after a particularly tiring day of training, Damian found he couldn’t sleep and decided to sneak out onto the roof. Damian had not been expecting anyone to be there but he was surprised to see the boy there. He considered his options, assessing his opponent like he had been taught to do. The enemy, Danyal, seemed to act purposefully unaware of Damian’s presence there. There were no weapons stored on him, and his posture was incredibly lax and he simply stared at the stars in the night sky.
With a sigh, Damian sat silently at his side of the building, and looked into the far expenses of the League's base and the mountains that surrounded it. Though Damian had intended to be alone, he found an unfamiliar sense of comfort from the un-accosting presence of the other, unlike the others of the League who always seemed to need to say something to him. But Damian knew, regardless, the boy was not to be trusted.
The next night Damain found himself climbing out of his window again, and found Danyal already there. For the next three months, every night Damian would sneak out of his window onto the rooftop and find Danyal already there, and the both of them would sit there in a comfortable silence, back turned to the other.
One day Damian had been sent out for a mission, nothing he wasn’t used to. Except the location was quite far so he had to leave early in the morning and would be returning much later in the day. He had managed to complete his mission much earlier than anticipated, and so with this newly earned time, Damian snuck off to explore instead of heading straight to the rendezvous point. Easily pickpocketing a handful of cash unnoticed from a preoccupied group of wealthy looking men, Damian pursued the options.
Perhaps he could buy a toy, a train set the other kids were ogling at. Except that would be much too difficult to hide, and needless to say Mother would not approve of such distractions. Damian overheard some others talking about the deliciousness of the sweets in one store, and he made up his mind. He bought 4 different types, not sure which would be the best, handing over his money to the clerk and heading out of the store.
Damian found himself anticipating the rooftop of his room, and wondering how Danyal would react to Damian’s new found treasure. Slipping the chocolates out of their hiding spot, Damian snuck all 4 bars onto his usual spot on the roof. Letting the wrapper crinkle loudly as he purposely fiddled with it unnecessarily, Damian successfully earned a curious glance from his roofmate. Damian took the first bite of the bar labeled ‘Dark Chocolate’ and let himself enjoy the bitter sweetness of it, as Danyal looked at the candy bars spread haphazardly across the rooftop.
Not liking that he was beginning to lose Danyal’s attention, and not receiving the eager response he was expecting, Damian found himself sticking a piece of chocolate towards the other boy, offering it to him. Danyal hesitantly took it, eyed it cautiously. Some of the chocolate had already melted on Damian’s fingers. “What is this?” Danyal asked him.
“It’s chocolate.” Damian explained to the other six-year old, not that he had really known what chocolate was either.
“Chocolate.” Danyal repeated, before carefully nibbling on the side of it. His eyes went wide in surprise at the sweetness, and he looked up at Damian in disbelief. “Woah.” He breathed, taking a much bigger bite.
Damian, having been the one to discover this, smiled pridefully at the other boy, “There's different ones too.” He proclaimed.
“Really?” Danyal asked wide-eyed crawling closer to Damian who turned around to face him.
At the end of that night, they were short 4 candy bars as they tried to keep their whispers hushed and the melted chocolate on their fingers left stains on the floor of the roof. Damian wondered how Danyal was supposed to be the villainous enemy everyone told him he was, but Damian was not so easy to trust, after all he was an assassin of the League, the heir to the Demon’s Head.
Every night they would meet on the rooftops, exchanging souvenirs, sharing snacks, telling each other stories of the stars and mountain demons. After a while Damian had forgotten what he had been warned of for his whole life, and would look forward to meeting with Danyal every night. Maybe Danyal wasn’t his brother, like Mother had said.
Perhaps Mother was mistaken.
One night, Danyal didn’t show. Damian waited for him for an hour, but the other’s side of the roof remained unattended. Finally, having had enough, Damian skillfully snuck over to the other side of the roof and peeked through his neighbor’s window to see if he had fallen asleep, but there was no sign of Danyal in his room, either.
Feelings Damian didn’t understand swirled in his gut, the ones he got when the mission unexpectedly goes off script, or the sharp end of a weapon comes closer than he would’ve liked. Hurriedly, he slipped down, letting himself stay hidden in the shadows, as he searched for the boy that wasn’t his brother. The kitchen, the hall, the training room, the weapons room, the barracks, the field, the river in the back, Danyal was nowhere.
Tired, and out of breath, Damian tried to formulate a plan. Where could Danyal have gone?
“Young Master Damian.” At the voice Damian instinctively reached for his sword only to find it not there. Had he forgotten to bring it with him? Damian assessed who had caught him, and easily recognized by the uniform that it was one of the servants.
“What are you doing here?” Damian demanded, frustration at his futile efforts at finding his… -at finding Danyal.
“I am cleaning the walkways, as we are to do every 10 days, Young Master. It is more convenient to do it at night, since there are less people around.” The servant explained, bowing his head. They seemed scared of what Damian may do to them. But when Damian did not respond, the servant hesitated before speaking again, “If I may ask, Young Master, what are you doing here at this late hour?”
Damian turned to the servant again, if they had been out cleaning as they said for the previous hours past curfew then perhaps they had seen or heard where Danyal had gone. “Do you know of Danyal al-Ghul?” Damian made sure his tone was void of emotions, it would not do either of them well for it to spread that Damian had found himself fond of Danyal.
The servant’s face paled slightly at the name, there was a small stutter before they finally spoke, “Young Master Danyal should be in his room at this hour.” The servant began fiddling, with the handle of the broomstick.
Why was he lying? “Where is he?” Damian kept his voice even, demanding respect.
“I- I do not know where the Young Master is.” The servant pleaded, but Damian didn’t believe him.
Anger growing at the situation, “Tell me.” He demanded.
“The Demon’s Head, and The Lady Talia were to speak with him.” The servant spluttered out, caving under the pressure.
Why would Mother and Grandfather seek out Danyal at this hour of the night? The feeling from before only strengthened as Damian rushed to find him.
“Damian.” Mother asked surprised, catching him easily at the door, “What are you doing here?” Damain tried to get a look inside the room, but Mother had positioned her body to block his view.
“Mother, shouldn’t you be asleep by now.” Damian asked, trying to find the casualness in his voice despite feeling like every vein in his body was being controlled to squeeze his chest.
Mother looked down at him in amusement, “I should say that to you.” Damian tried to force his way through the door, but he was no match for Mother, “Why are you here Damian?” She repeated.
“I would like to speak with Grandfather.” He tried, lies slipping easily out of his mouth.
“I’m sure it can wait till the morning, your Grandfather is tired from a hard day's work.” When Mother pushed her hair behind her shoulder, Damian wondered why there were splotches of fresh blood on her hand.
Damian stood there in defiance, and Mother seemed to consider him for a while. “Perhaps since you're merely a child you wouldn’t understand.” Mother thought aloud.
“I am seven, Mother, nearly eight. I am hardly a child, and have far surpassed the many of the teachers you’ve assigned me. I can understand.” Damian demanded. He needed to find Danyal.
Mother straightened, and with a nod, moved from the entrance allowing Damian to enter. There on the floor was a trail of blood, that led to one of the darker corners of the room, and Damian couldn’t tell what the heap on the floor was.
“Damian, you should be in your room.” Grandfather chided, sitting in his chair by the fireplace. The darkness of the room finally became accustomed to Damian, as he began making out the details of the room. Grandfather didn’t have his cane, instead it was left closer to the heap in the corner. The heap had its hair cut messily just like Danyal’s always was, and its hands were smaller than an adults, as it tried to bundle itself together. The heap moved slightly, it’s head turning to look at Damian. Damian drew in his breath, at the sight of Danyal’s fluttering consciousness on the floor.
Mother was right, Damian didn’t understand.
Grandfather followed his gaze, and nodded understandingly, placing a lit pipe between his lips. “Danyal is simply being punished.” Grandfather explained. Damian couldn't find the word to ask what for, but Grandfather explained anyway. “He seems to think he is your equal, in the way he speaks and acts. As if he is one of the respectable heirs of the Demon’s Head.” Damian didn’t understand what that meant either. If Danyal was meant to be his brother, would he not have equal claim as heir as Damian did.
“He is my equal. Mother said so herself.” Damian stated, not sure the source of his deep rage at his Grandfather and Mother at that moment.
Grandfather turned a questioning look at Mother. Mother turned to Damian. “What are you talking about, my son?”
“You said that Danyal was my brother.” Damian said, it was true that Mother had said this, regardless of whether Danyal should be considered Damian’s brother, “A brother is an opponent, someone waiting to strike me down at any moment. My enemy in all that I do.” Damian recited Mother’s own words, though he could not put his faith in them. Danyal had always listened to Damian, understood Damian, laughed at his jokes and added with his own, always the first one to comfort Damain. They weren’t brothers. “If he is to be my enemy, should he not be on the same grounds as I, as a true equal in skill?”
Grandfather considered what he said, and shared another look with Mother. “I suppose I see the reason in your words.” Grandfather turned to him again, “Why have you come Damian?”
“I simply was taking a late night walk since I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I would perhaps feel better if I came to visit you. I did not expect to see Mother here.” Damian was surprised how easily it was to lie to the only people he had trusted for the previous year of his life.
Grandfather let his hand rest on Damian’s shoulder “Take him back and dress his wounds.” He ordered Damian, “And do not trust his words, he simply wishes to get under your skin. Manipulate you.” The doors to the room shut behind them as Damian carried the body of his battered enemy back to his room, and patched up his wounds.
Danyal was sitting on Damian’s bed, fluttering on the line of consciousness. “What you said before,” his voice was barely above a whisper and he spoke slowly as his words meshed together. Damian listened raptly, “to Grandfather, do you-” Danyal seemed to be having a hard time forming the question, but Damian understood.
“It was the truth.” Damain said easily, Danyal's face fell at the admission, but Damian was quick to explain, “It was true that Mother told me what ‘brother’ meant, and that was the true meaning of brother. But I do not think of you as my brother.” Danyal examined him for a moment, trying to determine if he was being honest.
“I trust you.” Danyal said with more conviction than Damian thought he could possess in that moment. He trusted Damian’s words and actions when not even Mother or Grandfather did.
Finishing with the last bandaid, Damian looked at Danyal. “I trust you, too.” Trust seemed to light a word for Danyal, but Damian was not sure what word he should have used instead.
That was because Damian did not know what love was, and because Damian al-Ghul loved his brother.
“Mother you called for me?” Damian sat in the chair opposite of Mother’s study.
“Damain, you’re here.” She greeted, not looking up from her screens. Damain waited for her to finish what she was working on, arms crossed impatiently. “You do remember who your father is?” Mother started, turning the screen with two of Father’s well-known persona on display. One of billionaire Bruce Wayne greeting guests at a function, and the other of the Batman perched near the head of a gargoyle.
“Of course, I remember, Mother.” Damian sighed in resignation. “Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman.” He recited.
“Good. You are a decade old now, and there is not much the League has left to teach you. So, in one week's time you will be going to stay with your Father.” Mother said bluntly.
Damian’s brows creased together, “For how long?”
Mother looked at him with authority as the next in line for the Demon’s Head, “For the foreseeable future.”
“What!” Damian stood in indignation, “Mother that's unreasonable, how could you make me-”
“It is an order Damain.” Mother said with finality.
Damian frowned, “And what of Danyal then? He is Father’s child as well, I doubt he would sit by knowing he has another child here.”
“An intelligent conclusion.” Mother praised, “That is why you and Danyal will have a final test, the victor will be the one who is sent to your Father.” Damian’s eyes lit up at the concept, Danyal never talked about how he trained or what skills he best utilized, other than once slipping that he prefers to use katanas too, Damian did not know much of Danyal skills. This was finally Damian’s chance to see how capable of a fighter Danyal is. Despite whoever won, Damian was sure, even without knowing his father yet, that he would come back to retrieve the other.
“When will the spar be a mother?” Damian asked.
“In 4 days, you will be expected in the main courtyard by noon.” Mother said dismissively.
The day came both faster and slower than Damian would’ve liked. Wearing his usual gear, and his swords by his side he headed towards the field mother had instructed him to be at. Damian had waited in anticipation for this day, making sure all his swords were properly cleaned and sharpened. Of course they always were, but he had taken extra care that they would be in their best condition. His attire had been carefully selected by himself, a measure he usually wouldn’t take.
Danyal and Damian stood facing each other, waiting for the signal to begin. Mother and Grandfather watched them closely from their spots in the audience, as the two exchanged blows, swords slidinging across each other, dodges and blocks, evasive flips, feint attacks, Danyal punched him in the gut once when Damian hadn’t been prepared. Damian let the battle engulf his senses, body moving in flow with his weapon, switching seamlessly between offense and defense until Damian found the perfect opening for an attack and he took it, knowing he would be named victorious.
Damian’s katana sunk into Danyal’s chest, a gasp of pain escaping the other boy, as he looked down at the point of impact. Confusion filtered across his face for only a moment, and before Damian could question it, Danyal’s expression slowly morphed into fear as Mother and Grandfather approached them.
“Damian, congratulations are in order.” His Mother praised him, stepping in between him and Danyal. “I knew from the beginning you would come out victorious.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Damian tried to look at Danyal. “What now?”
“We will be taking your brother to the Lazarus Pits, and let Fate decree any value to his life.” Mother explained, turning to Danyal and pulling Damian’s sword out of his chest, Danyal yelped in pain.
Damian wondered if Danyal had been hurt during their fight.
Damian bent down to load Danyal onto his back and carry him to the mystic waters and let him heal so he could join him at Father’s later. Perhaps Father would not be as keen as Mother on fostering their brotherhood, and they could train and fight together like they always talked about.
“Damian.” Danyal croaked out lowly, if his face wasn’t already positioned near Damian’s ear he likely wouldn’t have heard.
“Shh.” Damian chided, “Mother will notice.”
“Damian.” Danyal called again, “Promise, you won’t forget about me.”
Checking to see that Mother was still occupied in a conversation with one of the servants, “Don’t worry, I'm going to take you with me. Or I’ll come back to get you.”
“Promise.” Danyal asked again.
Damian sighed, Danyal could be so stubborn sometimes, even with strange requests “Fine, I promise.” he rolled his eyes. Danyal didn’t say anything after that, instead resting his head on Damian’s shoulder.
“Place him in the waters, Damian.” Mother instructed.
Danyal’s body floated in the waters lifelessly for a bit, and Damian wondered why nothing was happening. And then suddenly, as if it were the mouth of some vicious beast, a gaping vortex circled around Danyal swallowing his body whole. Just as suddenly as it had erupted, the vortex disappeared and the waters returned to a deathly still seconds later. Everyone surrounding the waters watched in anticipation, but when nothing happened and enough time had passed, everyone headed back to their tasks.
Mother stayed for a moment longer, “It seems even Fate, too, was eager to be rid of you.” she muttered, before heading off.
Damian was the only one left there, waiting for Danyal to walk out and tease Damian for getting worried that it was taking so long. But the sun was beginning to set, and the waters had not moved at all, and there was no sign of Danyal.
“Young Master, Lady Talia says that you should return to your chambers.” A servant stood by the gates holding a plate of food for him. Or was it for Danyal? There was only one serving.
Damian turned to the servant, and he asked in a voice shakier than he had been expecting of himself, “Why hasn’t Danyal come out yet?”
The servant seemed taken aback by the question, before their face morphed into something sadder that Damian didn’t understand. “Young Master Danyal will not be returning to us.” They explained softly.
“Why not?” Damian demanded, confused and angry. His eyes were beginning to burn.
The servant hesitated before answering him, “Because Young Master Danyal is dead.”
“What difference should that make, people die all the time?”
“It is as easy for the dead to return as your grandfather may make it seem, Young Master.” The servant spoke again, their voice gentle and tone careful. “Usually when people die they are gone for good, and they don’t get to come back. Not even with the Lazarus Waters. Second chances do not come for free, after all.”
Damian let the words sink in. Danyal- Danyal wasn’t coming back?
It was dark out now, almost the time the two of them usually met on the rooftop. Danyal would be waiting for him there, like he was every night.
“You're lying.” He accused the servant, as he ran to his room, food left forgotten as Damian quickly made his way onto the familiar rooftops.
Damian waited there, the servant’s words echoing in his ears at every second Danyal didn’t show up. An hour passed, and then two. And Damian considered for the first time that the servant had been telling him the truth.
For the first time since he made his first visit to the roof of his room, Damian al-Ghul sat unaccompanied.
After six years of carrying out various missions as an assassin, Damian al-Ghul cried when he learned what death meant.
For the first time in his life, Damian al-Ghul cried when he realized he was alone.
“We’re here.” Red Robin announced, as the plane landed silently about 15 miles away from base like they had planned the night before.
“Oracle, testing comms and visuals,” Nightwing spoke into his earpiece.
“All good on my end.” Her voice echoed in all of their ears.
“Okay, just like we discussed, Robin and Red Hood will head to the surveillance room and get a location for where the experimentation is taking place. Nightwing and I will be on standby until the information is provided, Red Robin collects samples and information in the time that we have.” Father went over the plan again.
Robin stealthy led the two of them through the LoA’s familiar layout, and the mission went smoothly. Within the next two hours they had the location of the experimentation site. It was on base, but a further location, so Nightwing and Batman headed there, ready to collect whatever information they could. Downloading the files for the surveillance and sending the access over to Oracle, their job should be done, and they were set to wait at the rendezvous point until further orders, or back up was requested.
“Where are you going, Brat? We’re supposed to head that way.” Red Hood chastised as Damian took them off course.
“Then go that way, if you wanna be such a goody-goody.” Damian shot back easily. Knowing the route to his destination easily. Damian kept to the least used route.
“What’s with you, today? Pissy about not getting to see your Mommy?” Red Hood snarked, still following behind him.
Damian wasn’t going to justify that with a response. The green of the Lazarus Waters came into view. A shiver went up his spine but he ignored it.
“Robin. What the hell are we doing here?” Red Hood demanded, eyeing the familiar green with contempt. Damian bent down to pick a handful of stay dandelions from the corner of the unused ally, and easily jumped over the gates surrounding the water. “Damian.” Jason hissed, “What are you doing?”
“Relax.” Damian sighed, bending down near the waters, “I just came to give my greetings to… someone.” To his brother. Danyal was is his brother. Despite the mask hiding his face, Damian could see Jason’s posture soften.
“Make it quick.” Jason huffed, letting Damian have some pseudo-privacy by turning his back to him. Damian set the flowers he had picked near the edge of the water, only noticing that the temperature had dropped when the wind blew a slight chill at the exposed skin of his face. It wasn’t temperatures Damian couldn’t handle, Gotham was often dreary and chilly even in her summers. But they weren’t in Gotham. They were in the Middle East, where they would consider themselves unlucky when the winters got this cold.
“Hood, do you-” Damian was cut off by the loud acidic bubbling of the previously calm green waters.
“What the-” Red Hood balked, turning around alarmed.
Damian backed away in alarm, the edge of the waters expanding to swallowing the flowers he had laid down. The two brothers could do nothing but watch in suspense as the waters started swirling into a vortex garnering attention they had been trying to avoid. Just as suddenly as it had started the waters returned to their previously calm state, only for the surface to be broken by what looked like a young child, trying desperately to keep himself afloat and get to land.
Damian and Red Hood were too busy holding off the assault from the small force the assassins had managed to form together to help the child. The second either of them turned their back to the assaulters, the assassins would take the opening to finish them. By the time they had dealt with their attackers the boy had already brought himself to shore, hacking up water.
Familiar choppy black hair, and blue eyes Damian could never forget. “Danyal.” Damian found himself gasping, body frozen not from the cold.
“Don’t mean to ruin your meet cute, but look like they brought their friends.” Red Hood warned as more assassins surrounded them.
“We need to leave. Now.” Damian told him decisively.
“Wow I never would’ve guessed.” Red Hood snarked back.
“Call for an extraction.” Damian huffed annoyed, blocking an attack from the left. There weren’t many well trained members currently aware of them, but they knew better than to wait for backup to show up.
“Red Robin, what’s your eta to the jet? Team 1 needs an emergency extraction.” Oracle spoke through the main line of comms.
“I can be there in 10 minutes.” Red Robin responded easily, “What’s the situation?”
“We’ve been made.” Red Hood reported back disarming his attacker and knocking them out.
“Will likely need medical attention.” Damian added, looking back at Danyal, who only now seemed to be registering his surroundings.
“What happened?” Nightwing asked, concerned at Damian’s statement.
“Not for us, for our new little stowaway.” Red Hood explained finishing off the last of the assassin, before turning around to face Danyal.
“Explain.” Batman demanded
“Perhaps now is not the best time or place for that, Father.” Damian snapped back.
Danyal stood scarily still from the bay of the Lazarus Waters, wet and dripping, and despite the chilly temperature and his wet clothes he didn’t seem cold. If Jason had not tried to approach Danyal as well, Damian would’ve thought he was simply a figment of his imagination.
“Hey, kid.” Red Hood put his arms out to show he meant no threat. “Do you know how you got here?” He tried to make his voice soft and approachable but the voice modulator of his helmet was not doing him any favors.
Danyal didn’t respond, eyeing the both of them carefully. They let him, not making any movements that may scare him. The world seems to go still around Damian. Go colder.
“I’m in the jet, heading your way.” Red Robin reported over the comms.
“We’re coming to find you too.” Nightwing added, Father presumably with him.
Neither Jason or Damian made any moves.
“Team 1, do you copy?” Oracle asked when neither of them sent a signal for receiving the message.
Damian wondered what he should do? How was he supposed to approach Danyal, and begin to explain what was happening? Damian wasn’t even sure what was happening.
“Team 1?” Father repeated.
Do something, Damian.
“Copy.” Red Hood clicked into the comms and everything rushed into motion.
At Red Hood’s response and the rapid movements of the wind at the approaching jet approaching overhead, Danyal dashed away alarmed.
“Wait-” Damian called, running after him. But Danyal only seemed more distressed at being chased. He ran through small crevices Damian was too large to fit through, trying to deter him. But Damian followed regardless. Finally catching up to him where he knew that alleyway to come to an end, Damian caught sight of him, reaching out to grab his arm. Only for it to fall through as if nothing was there.
As if Danyal wasn’t really there.
After the failed attempt at contact from Damian, Danyal was only able to get so far before he seemed to trip, his foot catching on something that Damian couldn’t see.
Why had Damian’s hand just gone through him like that?
Damian began to question whether Danyal truly was in front of him or if it was just some sort of illusion. Damian was quickly reassured of the validity of his vision when a sharp rock Danyal launched let blood drip on his skin. The hiss of pain was real. And so was Danyal.
Damian didn’t stop his domino from falling off his face, from the rock’s impact. Danyal stared at him. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me?” Damian tried to laugh, but it sounded pathetic.
Danyal analyzed Damian’s features, confusion washing over him. It made sense, the Damian Danyal had known was a 10 years old assassin, not a 17 year old Robin. Danyal was smart, smarter than Damian had been. Damian waited for him to figure it out.
But the world did not wait. Red Hood, Nightwing, and Batman dropped in from various rooftops, as the jet hovered loudly above them. Spooked by the sudden appearances, Danyal quickly started backing away.
“Excretion ready. Preparing Medbay.” Red Robin reported.
“I was wondering when the news would reach you, Beloved.” Another familiar voice grabbed their attention. Damian looked to the sound to see Mother with at least 10 of her personal guards staring them down. Although Damian couldn’t see the others, he knew they had been surrounded.
“Talia.” Father hissed, a cold anger in his voice.
Damian's eyes shot back to Danyal who looked like he was trying to find a way to make an escape, exhaustion seeping through him. Deciding to take his chance, Damian approached him while Mother was occupied with Father.
“Who are you?” Danyal asked him, hesitantly, trying to keep the distance between him and Damian.
“I promised I would come back for you, didn’t I?” Damian said in lieu of an answer.
Danyal’s eyes widened in recognition but before he had the chance to respond, an arrow was launched landing between them. Looking at the source, it was Mother. At the signal attack, all the other guards swarmed in from their positions and started attacking. Damian, blocking a sword, aimed to slash his side, before another sword came for his shoulder.
Occupied with his two attackers, Damian didn’t notice Danyal trying to escape by climbing the side of the brick building. Fortunately, Mother still hadn’t noticed him yet thanks to their surroundings, and Danyal’s insistence to stay in the shadows. Danyal’s progression was decelerating, the weight of his still wet clothes and exhaustion slowing him down.
Damian tried to keep an eye on him so he could follow after, once he dealt with his attackers. Disarming both of them and knocking them unconscious, Damian was able to turn around just in time to notice Danyal on the brink of unconsciousness, and losing his grip on the stones he was using to climb. Damian moved quickly, just in time to catch Danyal as he fell and his eyes rolled back. With Danyal in his arms, Damian only registered the on coming projectile without enough time to dodge or block. Damian braced himself for the hit, using his body to shield Danyal as much as he could.
Only for a familiar black cape to flutter in front of him, blocking the attack before it hit either of them. “Go,” Father ordered, tipping his head towards the jet, “We’ll follow.”
-
“So basically, correct me if I’m wrong,” Steph started incredulously, “Damian had a twin brother that died, they dunked him in the pit waters but then he didn’t come back. So, they were like ‘welp, lets tell no one about this, ever’. Except the water ends up literally throwing him out when Damian goes back and does this huge water show grand entrance thing. And now we have another 10 year old Wayne child.” Steph summarized arms moving wildly. If there wasn’t a kid that looked a lot like Damian lying unconscious in the bed two feet away from her, and the body cam footage from both Damian and Jason, Steph would’ve thought they were pranking her. Though, she hadn’t entrily ruled that out yet either.
Tim nodded in conformation, leaning back causally on his chair.
“You were gone for 36 hours.” Cass added exasperatedly.
Damian still hadn’t said anything other than explain who exactly Danyal was. They were twins, apparently, and they had been forced into a battle to the death a few days before Damian had been brought to the manor. He hadn’t told them why, but Steph suspected it was for some stupid successor business. Some of the other’s had tried to get more information out of Damian, demanding answers for why he never said anything before, never told any of them, why there weren’t any files of Danyal in the League’s databases. But Damian hadn’t answered any of them, so they had been forced to give it a rest- for now. Looking back, Steph could see the signs that Damian was dealing with grief when he had first come to the manor, but no one had been looking for that, and it had gotten swept under ‘weird assassin cult child’ behavior.
It had been about an hour and a half since the jet had landed in the cave, and Steph, as a certified medical practitioner, had been called in for an emergency. She had thought it was strange that Oracle hadn’t specified who, and now Steph understood why.
Danyal didn’t seem injured, other than a lower than average body temperature and a slightly slower heart rate, which was likely due to the body temperature, he seemed in relatively normal health. That was if he hadn’t been a 10 year old who had been marinating in Lazarus Water for seven years. Most of the bats had experience with Lazarus Water, and it had never been pleasant. But they hadn’t been in the prime years of their physical and mental development, and at most had been in the pits for an hour.
Steph, Cass, Tim and Damian were in the medical room with Danyal. Jason had gone to his apartment, and said he would be back later, and to let him know if anything happened. Bruce had changed and gone straight up stairs, not taking the news of having a second kid who Talia had hidden from him and a second kid who had died very well. Dick had stayed for a while but he had an emergency work call and had to leave. Duke was still patrolling, since it was earlier in the day, but was being kept up to date on all news thanks to Oracle.
Danyal was due to wake up any moment, and none of them knew how to feel about it. Not liking the morbid atmosphere of the whole manor, Steph decided to change topics. “Did Cassie tell you about what Conner and Bart did last week?”
Tim turned to face her happy for the distraction, Cass humored her with an intrigued look. “What?”
“Okay so basically- it was so cringe-” Steph let herself laugh “They were at the mall right. The one near Mount Justice, y’know-”
“-yeah it’s the same one they go to all the time.” Tim interjected, rolling his eyes.
“Right, so-” The door opened, as Alfred walked in, cutting off her story but not unwelcome.
“You’ve all been in here for quite some time, so I brought you some snacks. Sandwiches, fresh cookies, and water, juice and milk to drink. All your favorites, do indulge.” The old butler explained, rolling the cart through the door.
“Thanks, Alfie.” Tim went to grab a glass of water, and a sandwich.
“And anything for our newest addition?” Alfred questioned.
“He’s not awake yet.” Damian said quietly, sipping at a glass of warm milk. Like a weirdo.
“Is that so?” Alfred said with a thoughtful drawl to his voice, as he walked closer to the kid. “Hm…” He stroked his chin animatedly, slowly bringing himself closer to examine the boy’s face, but still keeping a comfortable distance. Steph was about to question what he was doing, only to see the boy’s eyes shoot open, and stare back at Alfred like a deer caught in headlights. Alfred straightened, as Danyal seemed to realize that he had been discovered.
“What? How long was he faking being asleep?” Tim asked, baffled.
“56 minutes.” Cass answered, easily.
“Wait- you knew this whole time?” Steph asked betrayed, only for Cass to smile back cheekily.
Damian didn’t say anything as Danyal sat up in his bed slowly, examining every one in the room. Steph tried to make herself seem non threatening but stayed ready in case the kid lashed out, not knowing how he would react. If it was anything like how Damian had been during his early days, it would pay to be ready.
After a long moment of no one saying anything, Tim decided to prompt, “So, how’re you feeling, kid?”
Danyal didn’t respond right away, instead watching Tim, Steph and Cass from his spot on the bed. Steph was beginning to wonder if this was another case, like Cass, where the kid had never been taught how to speak. Danyal opened his mouth hesitantly, looking over at Steph hesitantly, then Damian before answering.
“Cringe.” There was a flat blunt honestness to his tone that added to the sudden comedy of the situation. Damian choked on his milk, and the room burst into laughter at the unexpected response. Danyal looked a little embarrassed at the reaction, but there was still a small smile on his face.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterall.
“Do you want some?” Damian asked, breaking a cookie in half and offering Danyal a piece.
The younger boy took it, curiously, “What is it?”
Damian took a bite, chewing it before responding, “A cookie.”
“Cookie.” Danyal repeated thoughtfully, before taking a little nibble of it. His eyes widened at the taste, “Woah.”
“There’s plenty more of those, Young Master Danyal, I’m glad to see you enjoy them.” Alfred smiled happily at the reaction.
“Really?” He asked hopefully. Steph tried to remember if Damian had been this cute when he had first come to the Manor. “Who are you?” Danyal asked again after a moment.
“I’m Alfred Pennyworth, you can call me Alfred. I'm the butler at Wayne Manor, your father’s home where we currently are.” Alfred took a pause before speaking again, “Now, I hope you all will excuse me as I go fetch Master Bruce, he’s been quite excited to meet you, Young Master Danyal.”
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guys this was just suppose to be an itty bitty little thing. WHY DID IT TAKE ME 3 WHOLE DAYS??? im sensing a pattern and i'm not liking it.
I was suppose to be studying for physics :/
#danny and damian#character death but its danny#please someone help these poor traumatized kids#the mother gothel references go hard#danny is going thru it#first he gets stabbed/killed by the one person who's ever cared about him#gets dunked in a bunch of nasty green water#wakes up to find people in weird costumes chasing him#tries to get away from them when his powers start kicking in and tripping him and not helping at all#and then his mom find him and hes kinda scared out of his mind#and then more weird costume furries are chasing after him#but apparently its aged up damian and his father???#he deserved that cookie#yes that was totally parallelism from when damian first offered him chocolate and they started becoming friends#ngl idrk how i feel abt the end#damian ate the cookie first to prove it wasnt posion also y he ate the chocolate first#but also he was eavesdropping on them for almost an hr so he kid a had a vibe check on them#his ghost powers let him pick up on languages faster which is why he said cringe lol#he was trying to assimilate and get them to like him so they wouldn't get mad at him#also kinda explains y damian was so aginst having brothers#becasue he had a rly twisted understanding of what that is#damian the one (1) time he tries to socialize: yah i had a twin once#rando: oh wow thats so cool what r they doing now#damian casually: oh he's dead#rando: oh- oh wow im so sorry#damian: yah anyways have i told u abt my brother damian#also damian: idk y pple think im wierd#i actually want danny to be the older twin#just for the unhindged conversation of a 10 yr old turning to a 17 yr old and being like im older than u#and dami responding completely seriously yah but i lived longer than u
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geralt is also a most real depiction of good quality fatherhood and great girldad representation because EVEN THOUGH witchers don’t even experience aging at the same rate as non-GMO humans, EVEN THOUGH it would be “biologically impossible,”
geralt having had been raising a pre-teen girl for maybe a few months to a year already “gave the impression of having aged,” his “face slashed by wrinkles.” the emotional toll on this man from raising she-devil ciri
and this is only the very beginning of the saga. BEFORE everything goes to shit. the wrinkles have set in
#i know this is description is colored by triss’… [sighs] aroused… point of view#but the lines in the second screenshot are such a good description of him come on 🥺#same with when cahir sees ciri then him at thanedd#it’s not canon but please also apply to yennefer post-thanedd 🙏#can you imagine geralt and yennefer reuniting at stygga castle and yennefer only got even more MILFy#sorry. who said that#it’s actually surprising that when geralt frees her from her shackles#we don’t get a paragraph about how he was down bad. not the time geralt but you know he would be thinking ‘ravishing’#meanwhile yennefer is covered in blood and bruises and her hands are fucked from torture and geralt’s still adoring her beauty#yennefer: at her most undignified | geralt: i would worship her#yes yes i know they were defeated and horribly empty at stygga castle#but i’m just saying despite it all the love and attraction persisted. despite IT ALL#you know like they changed so much and got even more fucked up and traumatized#well i’m just raising my hand to say well also they also got sexier.#actually fuck it remember she appears like a titaness for a brief moment. her short queen REALNESS#like i do think geralt deciding to split up is what further doomed the hanza (they were already doomed but you know)#(it was very scooby doo of him to do that)#(on the way there) angoulême sees stygga on the cliffside jutting out above the lake: what?! that creepy castle… nuh-uh…#milva: … would you do it for a bump of fisstech? | angoulême: … | milva: two bumps of fisstech?#um anyways#i was going to say that once geralt freed yennefer it was OVERRR for vilgefortz and skellen and co#BOOO you were all fucked. woman unleashed#remember when bonhart attacks yennefer it is like a lion and a panther in the cell#geralt just unleashed the panther on them#they really should have had yennefer under stronger security like i guess vilgefortz’ misogyny really was the death of him#that is also kind of true because he dies because of geralt’s amulet from fringilla#so it was literally because of several women and a girl and also a vampire that he triumphs#you know when you put dandelion with a group of women it feels like a fox in a henhouse. even if said fox is stupid and gets kicked#however putting regis with a group of women is something like the angel that appeared to mary#the elbow-high diaries
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Is taylor posing while asleep yes, do i know how it works? No i dont. Anyway they deserve softness.
#dndads#dungeons and daddies#my art#link li wilson#taylor swift dndads#taylors shirt says i survived the apocalypse and all i got is this tshirt#also yes that is links hoodie#swiftli#techniclly idk i always see them as queerplatonic#also i give link scars cause hes the protective paladin and i enjoy charakters with scars and its my time to traumatize the teens#also i was on the fence with his shirt and what to do with it and while looking thru pintrest i saw the ideal shirt for link in the future#oh yeah also this is kinda a second part to that other drawing i did and i might put these all together in the end but my cropping got wierd#so idk
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being obsessed with yakumo is a job and baby i’ve never called in a sick day!!!!!
#nu carnival#yakumo ♡#you could not pay me to ramble this extensively about anything else#but yakumo’s trauma?? his childhood?? his growth?? his fears and insecurities and how they affect his current relationships??#his abandonment issues and jealousy and darker desires???#and how he’s so scared he’ll hurt others even though it’s far more likely he’ll be the one getting hurt??#how he’s not violent or scary at all but after years and years he’s been conditioned to think he is??#the significance of his relationship with eiden??#the significance of his ‘platonic’ relationships with the other clan members??#how important his grandparents were in raising him??#how his desperate want to hide his serpentine features and be ‘normal’ is a perfect allegory for autism??#the fact that he’s been treated horribly in the past and yet still chooses every day to be kind??#how he probably definitely has bpd??#the burden he has to carry just because of who his ancestor is??#the fact that it almost seems like what he does doesn’t matter because the actions of his ancestor will always be looming over him??#how he’s been hurt so many times both physically and emotionally and yet his heart is still so open to loving others??#how he has a tendency to push down his traumatic memories until he thinks they no longer affect him??#and how even when he’s suffering because of that trauma he would still rather suffer alone than bother someone and tell them??#how slowly but surely he’s unlearning all of the harmful ideas burned into him since his was a child??#and how he’s learning that people do love and care about him and he’s not a burden and he deserves love and care??#and that the serpentine traits he tries so desperately to hide aren’t as disgusting as he was meant to believe??#that his dark desires don’t define or control him and that it’s okay that he has them??#that just because he has them at all doesn’t make him a bad person???#why he makes soup for his loved ones so much!!!! yes that is important actually#i will sit and write about that for hours and hours for FREE#my favourite fictional character of all time he’s so so real#he’s so well written and his trauma and growth are handled with such care and consideration
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You know what I just realized? Jason Todd is the Dabi/Todoroki Touya of the Batman fandom
#batman#dc comics#my hero academia#mha#boku no hero academia#bnha#jason todd#red hood#todoroki touya#dabi#Canon: not a good person#does not care about/actively hurts his siblings to get back at his dad and teach him a lesson#a villain/anti-hero#Fanon: did bad things but he was traumatized so that makes it okay and everyone forgives and loves him#is a good older brother who secretly cares about his siblings even if they don't know it#has a good relationship with his dad#just needs someone to listen to him so he can erase all the effects of his trauma and turn into the perfect hero that everyone loves#this is very specifically about jason when he was in his villain arc not later DON'T ATTACK ME PLS#Am i comparing Bruce and Endeavour?#NO!#do i think that Dabi and Jason are a little similar?#kinda#do I think their respective fandoms treat them in very similar ways that are high key disrespectful to their character and erase a bunch of#what makes them a compelling character?#yes#do i love them anyways?#also yes#I'm still reading the comics#please don't attack me if my understanding of Jason's character is off#this is just how i feel about what I've seen so far
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hiiii omg introduction to the fact that our Norse AU comes from The Last Unicorn!! so when we mention the Norse gods me and @clusterpuppy have come up with they’re basically caricatures and different spin offs of the gods but in THIS universe YIPPEEE
but Thor has a silly group of friends he likes to be around on Midgard to escape the craziness on Asgard! From left to right we got Dmitri, Aimery, Billie, Mirche, Roland, Thor himself, and Neisti! Also his goats are featured in this piece too ^u^
close ups!!! back at it again with trying to mimic the shows style but the show does not include characters that look like all of them 💔 so you see more of my style leaking in this one but it’s okay I had to simplify them as best as I could. I’ll make a masterpost of them all later going into detail!!
#the last unicorn#norse mythology#norse mythology au#norse gods#norse mythology art#norse thor#norse tlu au#procreate#the temptation to give little facts about them is insane#Okay so Dmitri is a ye olden version of a psychologist and psychoanalyzes all of his friends#Aimery is always high. Alwyas got weed. always smoking. He also owns a metaphysical shop of his own with his wife#Billie is actually elven and doesn’t really know it!! very little with elven features but was raised by cowboy parents LMAO#Mirche recovers from his addiction to alcohol by drinking copious amounts of tea. and has a crush on the store owner of the tea place. Corny#Roland is a walking compass and map if they don’t know where to go he’s got it. also has narcolepsy#Thor is Thor let’s be real guys being the constant defender of everything gets tiring#and neisti…. really sharp shooter and good with a bow but will never hunt bc he’s vegan. also is very very traumatized#girls just wanna have fun! (and it’s a gaggle of middle aged men)#OKAY IM DONE RAMBLING ILL DRAW MORE OF ALL OF THEM LATER#need to draw more of the actual gods for y’all#I promise we got interpretations I promise I think about the plot (genuine)
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(Image description below 'read more' line.)
[Image ID: A four-by-four alignment chart on a white background with text descriptions to the left and to the top of the squares.
The top left description reads, "seems like they'd be good at parenting." The top right description reads, "seems like they'd be bad at parenting."
Then, from the top down, to the left of the squares, the other set of descriptions reads: "excellent child rearing instincts," and "never trust them with a child in your life."
Each of the four squares contains an image of a different character. At the top left is an image of Lan Wangji of the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua. He sits between the descriptors "seems like they'd be good at parenting," and "excellent child rearing instincts."
In the top right square sits an image of Wei Wuxian, also of the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua. He sits between the junction of "seems like they'd be bad at parenting" and "excellent child rearing instincts."
In the bottom left square is an image of Xie Lian from the Tian Guan Ci Fu manhua. He occupies the square with the captions, "seems like they'd be good at parenting" and "never trust them with a child in your life."
Finally, in the bottom left square, sits an image of Hua Cheng from the Tian Guan Ci Fu manhua. He occupies the junction between "seems like they'd be bad at parenting" and "never trust them with a child in your life". /End ID]
#look ok#i see all the cute little fics with xl and hc talking about becoming parents and etc etc#and that's cute! that's adorable!! let them be happy!!!#but. you have to admit ok. hualian need to work through their own problems#like c'mon. xl picks up like AT LEAST three kids in the book and then proceeds to forget about one on his shelf for a while#just kinda. stands judgmentally with his hands on his hips about guzi and qi rong (it's really funny though don't get me wrong)#and after finally re-capturing lang ying he's like 'i'm gonna guardian you!' and then a whole bunch of shit happens and uh well#ly turns out to be the ghost of some kid xl traumatized 800 years ago come back for vengeance (L)#which means xl traumatized him multiple times lmao#we aren't even touching qi rong and lang qianqiu which YES i know the latter wasn't xl's fault and i am fully aware that the situation with#qi rong is and was complicated. BUT. come ON man can these poor kids never catch a break? the one kid he DIDN'T accidentally traumatize#turned out to be obsessively in love with him so like maybe this is for the best?#anyway i also just don't think they'd be... genuinely interested in a commitment like that? like hc would go along with anything xl wants#but he doesn't seem the type to be interested in kids (he's mostly just interested in xl)#xl isn't off the hook either ok#people bring up hc's treatment of e'ming but xl isn't exactly a saint to ruoye. i dont blame the guy he's got a lot on his mind#but he's also very.... absent#plus with the responsibilities of their respective positions all their extra time is like. spent on eachother jk?#this isn't to say xl doesn't *like* kids or anything i just don't think he would want to be a full-time parent lmao#also they DEFINITELY have their own issues with themselves as kids and i'm afraid that might translate into like. parenting#meme#tgcf#mxtx meme#tgcf meme#xie lian#hua cheng#lan wangji#wei wuxian#wei ying#lan zhan
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