#but theres something abt a joint...

[amygdalae]

Lol smoked so much weed on my birthday my voice is a lil hoarse :P oooppss

[judasisgayriot]

I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive Now I only waste it dreaming of you

[cinnabeat]

ohh the curse of making color palettes

[luxaofhesperides]

greener on the other side.

Danny makes a habit out of hopping into portals and exploring the places he ends up. It just so happens that this time, he ends up in Gotham right as the Signal begins his patrol. Duke meets the strangest, funniest, cutest guy on the roof of the Gotham City Public Library. He knows Batman would not approve of literally anything he's doing, but sue him, he wants a meta friend and this guy seems to be up for it. -- OR: how Duke and Danny get together despite having secret identities and living in different dimensions.

chapter three: how it shines - 8.6k

read the entire fic on ao3!

the final chapter of this fic... and the end to the first fic in the series!! theres a lot i say in the end notes of ao3 so i highly recommend reading this chapter there! . . .

Signal: you ever feel like maybe the world is out to get you

Signal: [attached photo shows Signal lying in the middle of a torn up road, post-fight, his helmet lightly blackened with ash.]

Danny: buddy, the world has already taken me out

Danny: [attached photo is a selfie of Danny, frowning at the camera. Behind him, a large, flying robot is pointing a rocket launcher at him.]

Signal: okay, you win. are you alright???

Danny: lol im fine. this literally happens every week i know how to beat this guy up

Danny: tbh i think the real threat to my existence is school

Signal: so true. one day we will be free of it….

Danny: but not today

Signal: but not today

-

Danny: got a minute?

Signal: yeah what’s up?

Danny: u have a secret identity

Signal: …yes?

Danny: have u told other people abt ur secret identity

Signal: yes? but some of them just kinda found out on their own

Signal: why? 

Danny: how did that go. did they react well? did u have to defend urself from them?

Signal: there were some problems about me throwing myself in danger, but i was always safe with them

Danny: okay. cool. got it.

Signal: everything okay?

Danny: im thinking about telling my parents a secret about me. im kinda terrified of how they’re going to react

Signal: are you coming out to them?

Danny: in a way i guess. 

Danny: gonna recruit my sister into helping me talk to them. and also get rid of all their weapons beforehand so there’s a lower chance of them shooting me

Signal: shooting you?!?!? dude are you going to be okay??? don’t do anything that could get you hurt!!

Danny: gtg

Signal: dude??

Signal: danny?

Signal: let me know how it goes, okay? i can’t travel through dimensions like you can, but i can figure something out if you need a rescue

Signal: good luck danny!

-

Danny: ever get into a fist fight with a walmart knock off vampire in the parking lot of a burger joint?

Danny: [attached photo is Danny’s hand flipping off a man hovering in a parking lot. He’s wearing a cape and vampire-coded clothes.]

Signal: ever have a snack break in the middle of fighting a crocodile man?

Signal: [attached photo shows Signal holding up a half eaten taco, a giant crocodile man behind him with his own box of tacos. They’re sitting next to each other in an alley.]

Danny: point to u bc u actually got food

Signal: 😝

Signal: also, everything okay? with your parents?

Danny: let’s not talk about that.

Signal: okay. but if you do want to talk, i’ll be here for you

-

Danny: idk if dash is trying to annoy me into another fling or if he actually wants me to throw him across the field but if he doesn’t back off im going for violence

Signal: uh

Danny: THAT WAS MEANT FOR TUCKER IM SO SORRY

Signal: should i be jealous that someone is hoping for another fling with you lol

Danny: it was once and will never happen again. 1) he’s not my type 2) he’s so annoying

Danny: also why would u get jealous of anyone ure literally a hero? hello?

Signal: hey man that guy is with you in your dimension and im all the way over here

Signal: totally reasonable for me to get jealous!! this is like a more extreme version of having online friends

Danny: true… hey i can swing by for the weekend if u want!! honestly the less time i spend here the better

Signal: that bad?

Danny: i’ve known everyone here for my entire life. i need OUT

Danny: gothams cool! its a big city with things to do!!! obviously im gonna like it more than Normal Town Illinois 🤮

Signal: weather is bad all week tho…. even if you come over we wouldnt be able to go out

Signal: its been a while since we had a storm so bad

Danny: man if that was happening here i would be able to punch the storm away

Signal: im taking that as a joke

Danny: no i literally punched a storm away before. he was a dick tho he deserved it

Signal: ….this is still Normal Town Illinois right?

Danny: .

Danny: ok fine maybe u have a point

Danny: anyways!!! i just wanna hang out with you dude i would be happy just playing video games or something

Signal: we can do that!! let me know when u get here 😊

Signal: and good luck dealing w this dash guy!!

Danny: ugh dont remind me

-

Signal: hye u know our plana to hang out tody

Signal: maybe rain chek tht im not goos company rn

Danny: u ok? i can always come by some other weekend

Signal: got hit and everythif bad

Danny: did u hit ur head?

Signal: yes

Danny: ok im going to call u so you can stop looking at ur phone screen. just in case u have a concussion

-

The phone rings twice before Signal picks up. He mumbles something that might be a hello, but it’s honestly hard to tell. 

“Hey, man,” Danny says, leaning back in his chair to look up at the faded glow in the dark stars he stuck up on his ceiling years ago. “Are you okay?”

Signal hums a vague response, then sighs, sending static down the line. “Just got a headache right now. Can’t even go out since it’s too bright.”

“Is it sunny in Gotham right now?”

“No, it’s super cloudy and that’s still too much. I hate concussions.” There’s a bit of a whine in his voice that reminds Danny that under the helmet, Signal is a normal guy just like anyone else. And like everyone else, powers don’t save him from the pain of brain trauma. 

Danny would know; he’s gotten pretty good at taking care of injuries and the such through his high school career of getting tossed in lockers and attacked by ghosts. He’s pretty sure parts of his brain are still rattled from the amount of times he’s been thrown into and through walls. 

“I hear you, man,” Danny commiserates, “Head injuries are the worst. But it should start feeling better in a few days, so you can just stay home and relax until the pain stops.”

“Ugh, I wish. I still have to go to school tomorrow.”

“Dude, that sucks. If you can stay home sick, then don’t force yourself to go. Concussions are no joke.”

Signal hums again, then mumbles, “I can’t think of an excuse. Cause the concussion is from being hit on patrol so like. I can’t say that! I have to figure out a reason for my civilian identity to have a concussion.”

“Can I suggest something?”

“Please, I’ll take anything at this point, man. My brain is done for.”

“Make up an embarrassing story. You have to make yourself look silly and people will believe you more and not ask follow up questions because you’re too embarrassed to say more.”

“...Keep talking. This sounds viable. The only advice I got was to basically fake my death or get into a car accident to get more injured.”

“I think you need to fight whoever said that,” Danny says, “That is horrible advice.”

“I know!” Signal laughs. “Oh I shouldn’t have laughed, my head is hurting more.”

Danny lets out a slow breath, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling of his bedroom. If he strains his hearing, he can make out the rustle of fabric from Signal’s end of the call as well as the murmur of his parent’s voices downstairs. He closes his eyes and focuses on the call, pushing away the heavy weight of regret on his chest that hits him each time he thinks about his parents. 

Now is not the time for that. Signal needs calm and quiet, so Danny is going to give that to him and then let him go to rest.

“Are you drinking enough water? Getting some comfort food?”

“Yeah, I’m being taken care of. Don’t worry Danny, I got a whole crew of dysfunctional caretakers.”

“Good. I’ll let you get back to resting, then.”

“I’m still so sorry I had to cancel. I was looking forward to seeing you again.”

Warmth rises to his cheeks and Danny rubs a hand against them, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that came to life at those words.  “We can always do a different day. Let me know when you feel better, okay?”

“Yeah, alright. Thanks, Danny.”

“I hope you feel better soon, Signal. I missed you too.”

There’s a pause where Danny’s heart pounds hard against his chest, as though trying to escape his ribcage. He bites his tongue, wondering it that was too much, if he made things weird, if Signal didn’t feel the same way. 

And then Signal says with a soft voice, “I can’t wait to see you again. You’re too sweet to me.”

“Okay!” Danny squeaks, cheeks aflame, “Go sleep, Signal! I’ll talk to you once you can look at a screen again.”

“Alright. Thanks, Danny.”

“Of course, dude. Bye.”

Signal makes a soft mumble that could be ‘bye’ but it’s hard to tell with Signal’s voice going all rough and low, exhausting in every sound, and then the call is ending. 

Danny drops the phone onto his desk and draws his knees up to hold them against his chest. He rests his chin on them, filled with longing for Gotham.

Not just for the Signal, though that’s a big part of it. But for the anonymity of a big city in a dimension where he doesn’t exist. A place where he can be himself, just Danny instead of being torn between his parent’s son and Phantom. Plus, Gotham has heroes! Not other ghosts, not ghost hunters, but people with superpowers who help people whenever they can. 

It would be nice to be someplace like Gotham where he wouldn’t have to carry the responsibility of protecting an entire city on his shoulders. It would be nice to have friends who understand why he can’t not give his all to protect people, regardless of how they feel for him, friends who make the same choice, friends who aren’t weighed down by guilt with their part in his death.

As much as he loves Sam and Tucker, he knows that will be something that haunts them for the rest of their lives. 

It’s better now that it had been in freshman year, but it’s still something that changed them all. He’ll always love them, and he knows they love him, but they need to spend some time apart.

In Amity Park, they’re the outsiders who are too weird for the rest of the school, outcasts who stick together, a tightly knit group full of secrets. They’ve been each others only friends for the longest time; sometimes, others come in and out of their lives, like Valerie, but the bond he has with Sam and Tucker can’t be replicated. 

They need to be with new people to grow any more. He can see how they’re holding each other back. 

They’ll always find a way to be together, but they have to be apart first.

Gotham will be good for that. 

Hell, any place in that dimension would be good!

Danny just wants to be more than he is, wants to be better and he can’t do that here or with his friends. 

And he certainly can’t do that with his parents.

After telling them about everything’s he’s done as Phantom, all the times he’s ruined their inventions or fought with the GIW or endangered people through his fights with other ghosts, his parents just stared at him. They were seated around the kitchen table, Jazz standing behind Danny with a comforting hand on his shoulder, as his parents just… stared.

There were no accusations of possession, no weapons drawn, no demands for an explanation. Just a haunted look in his parents eyes as they went silent, still, horrified. 

“Danny,” his mom had whispered, “You mean you’re—”

“I’m Phantom, yeah. The ghost menace,” he had answered.

“You’re dead,” she finished as if he hadn’t spoken. “You died and we didn’t… we never noticed. What— How—”

The thing about being Phantom is that Danny knows he died. He knows he came back changed. But he doesn’t like thinking about it, still wakes up from nightmares of electricity racing through his body, frying him from inside out as it stops and restarts his heart in an endless painful pattern. Yes he died, but he got powers out of it! He got to meet other ghosts, explore the Infinite Realms, do so many cool things no one else is able to do…

But he still died. Half of him is still dead. He’s never going to be the kid he once was.

“It was an accident,” he had whispered, “With the portal. The on button is inside it, and when I went in for some stupid picture, I tripped and hit it.”

“And we only cared about the portal working,” his dad had said, grief coloring every line in his face. “We didn’t even look at you. We just went straight for the portal. We were so happy to be right that we didn’t stop to think about what it meant, how it could have happened…”

The tears he saw well up in his parents eyes made his heart twist uncomfortably in his chest. For several long minutes, silence settled around them as his parents closed either eyes are stared down at the table, refusing to look at him. Jazz had squeezed his shoulder, then pulled him up out of his seat.

“Danny, go upstairs. Or to Tucker’s place. I need to have my own talk with them,” she had said. There was a steel in her gaze that told Danny there was no use in arguing, so he walked out the front door and transformed so he could fly out into the woods where he could be alone, watching the sky change colors as the sun set.

It’s been two weeks since then. His parents still can’t look at him for too long. They can’t look him in the eyes at all.

He wonders if he would have preferred them trying to kill him. At least then they would acknowledge that he’s still here instead of moving around him as if he’s a memory haunting the halls of their home, one they’re too guilty to face just yet. 

He misses his dad’s loud voice and enthusiasm. He misses his mom’s quick wit and quicker reflexes. He misses the chaos of each meal they would have together and how his parents would drag him and Jazz along on random, sudden trips for the sake of science. 

He misses his parents. 

Danny hates that the family he loves died with him in that portal. 

As much as he still loves them, being in the house, and in Amity Park in general, is suffocating. The farther he can get from them the better; Danny isn’t sure he’d react well if he stayed in this universe and woke up one day with his parents decided to break into his new home because they finally feel up to having a conversation with him. 

Maybe he’d talk to Signal about what living in Gotham is like. That might help him make a decision on what to do with himself once he graduates from Casper High School.

He’ll save it for the next time they meet. 

Some things are better done in person, after all. And it wouldn’t hurt for Danny to use it as an excuse to make sure he’s fine. 

But for now, he’ll wait until the days pass and keep daydreaming about better things.

-

Signal: hey man, u doing okay? i haven’t heard from u in a while

Danny: yeah im good! i was waiting for u to text first bc i didnt know how long you’d need to recover from a concussion

Signal: ive been good for a while, dude. dw abt waiting to text me, just send me something and i’ll reply once i can!!

Danny: i’ll keep that in mind for the next time u get injured 👍

Signal: but fr are u good? tell me to back off if u need but u seem kinda down

Danny: im fine!!! just dealing w the crushing weight of existence, that’s all 🫠

Signal: oh mood. anything i can do to make things better for u?

Danny: nah it’s fine, im just like this sometimes. i promise it’ll pass

Signal: want a distraction?

Danny: please

Signal: so i was just swinging thru the streets as i do and this group called me down while theyre having a huge argument

Signal: so i go bc i dont want things escalating yknow? 

Signal: and idk the context of this argument AT ALL but one of them turns to me

Signal: looks me dead in the eyes

Signal: and says ‘penis enhancement pills are NOT a thing, right?’

Danny: SKDFJALSDJ NO WAY

Signal: oh man. this isnt even the best part of this story

Danny: there’s MORE?????

Signal: its gotham, danny, there’s always more lmao

Signal: so anyways……..

-

Danny: i hope you know that story has been haunting me all week

Danny: dash was being a dick again and i was half asleep so i told him ‘maybe u’d be less of a dick if u stop taking penis enhancing pills’

Signal: THATS GOLD

Signal: my job here is done. nothing will ever top that. i’ll see myself out ✌️

Danny: he looked so shocked lmaooo

Danny: tried to say he DOESNT take any pills but it was too late

Danny: he was too flustered by it no one believed him

Danny: top 10 things to say to ur former bully

Signal: i didnt know he bullied u. good for u! get his ass!

Danny: he’s fine now lol just annoying. we all grew out of the super cliche high school phase after freshman year when we had to work together to fend off ghosts and the government

Signal: nothing like a little anarchy to bring people together

Signal: its why im still good friends w the people who were in a gang i joined when i was younger to be like. street kid vigilantes bc gotham was going bad back then

Danny: everything u say about gotham and ur life is so fascinating literally how are u real?? ure the perfect ya novel protagonist

Signal: thats the sweetest thing anyones ever said to me ❣️

Signal: but also lol. lmao. gotham really is just like that. no one is immune

Signal: u also sound like a ya protag jsyk. 

Danny: literally how im so boring??

Signal: danny. babe. im gonna have to bring out the capital letters for this bc i get the feeling that u really believe that

Danny: oh boy

Signal: Listen. You live in a small town that’s Haunted, fight ghosts, have powers, went from being bullied to being chill with your bully, and can travel the multiverse. You are a YA Protagonist.

Danny: damn i can’t argue with that :/

Danny: why’d i have to be the ghost hunter’s ghost son. i wanna be a side character. give me a refund on this life pls

Signal: do i dare ask clarification on the ghost thing?

Danny: uuuh no? its kinda personal and im dealing w it but its also kinda like ur civilian id?

Danny: its something i’ll share once we’re closer and i know u better and can trust u with it

Signal: totally fair. want me to pretend that part of the conversation never happened?

Danny: please

Signal: cool. watch this

Signal changed Danny’s name to YA protag (real)

YA protag (real): ooooh my god

YA protag (real): im not taking this lying down

YA protag (real) changed Signal’s name to YA menace

YA protag (real) changed their name to YA protag (retired)

YA menace: lmao

YA menace: does this mean… ure my senior…. my knowledgeable mentor… my senpai 🥺

YA protag (retired): i will throw us both into a black hole dont even try me 🔪

YA menace: LMAO

YA menace: fair. just saying that dealt me so much psychological damage

YA protag (retired): deserved

-

YA protag (retired): can we attempt Danny Visits Gotham: 2! Electric Boo-galoo?

YA menace: yeah!!!! im free this weekend if u wanna come by then!!

YA protag (retired): i can do this weekend!!

YA menace: i will do my very best not to get a head injury before then

YA protag (retired): can u maybe aim for no injuries?

YA menace: danny we need to be realistic here

YA menace: my goal is to have no bleeding wounds that need stitches. as long as i don’t bleed its not a problem 👍

YA protag (retired): …..

YA menace: no need for the judgment i have everything under control

YA protag (retired): …………

YA protag (retired): :/

-

YA menace: lmk when ure gonna be in gotham! i’ll make sure to be outside waiting for u

YA protag (retired): i’ll be another hour but i’ll send a msg before i head out!!

YA protag (retired): actually it might be a bit longer i gotta fight some people who are trying to cheer me up

YA menace: should i be concerned

YA protag (retired): nah its fine they’re just annoying

YA menace: if u need to reschedule

YA protag (retired): noooo!!!! i’ll be in gotham soon i swear!!!!

YA menace: ok!! ok!!!! i will keep waiting for you then 🫡

-

Duke waits for an hour and a half, swinging through streets and waving to people, before Danny texts him to let him know that he’s next to the botanical gardens. 

One moment, Duke is perched on the roof of a Mexican restaurant in the Bowery. The next, he’s halfway across Gotham, swinging recklessly from building to building.

So what if he’s excited to see Danny again! That’s normal!

Anyone would do the same in his position.

Plus, Duke still feels so bad about having to cancel last time due to his concussion. The sooner he gets to Danny, the sooner he can start making up for it. He didn’t spend the last few patrols being extra careful for nothing; he only has a few bruise and no bleeding at all! 

Danny’s star glow helps Duke find him behind the botanical gardens, hidden away from the rest of the street. 

He drops down from the roof, using the shadows to soften the impact of landing.

When he looks at Danny, leaning against the building, he’s greeted with a bright smile. 

“Signal!” he says, pushing off the wall to close the distance between them. “I hope I didn’t make you wait too long or anything.”

“Nah, you’re good. You alright?”

“Oh, yeah, of course! It was just some friendly fighting, and they wouldn’t be able to really hurt me even if they tried. I’m all good! So, what’s the plan for today?”

Duke looks him over just in case, but Danny does appear to be perfectly fine. Not a single bruise on him. Maybe it was just a few friends roughhousing with him? That might be it, since Sam and Tucker did try to take each other out last time they were in Gotham. So he’s just going to go with what Danny says! He’s fine, and they can move on!

He’s totally going to worry about it later, but right now is not the time for it when Danny’s waiting to spend the day with him.

“Well, I still have to finish patrol, but that’s just for another hour if you wanna join me,” he says. “And then we can head to the Hatch to just… hang out. Or we can find something else to do, totally up to you.”

“The Hatch?” Danny repeats, tilting his head to the side curiously. Duke has to take a moment and just appreciate how cute Danny is before he can compose himself enough to answer.

“Yeah, it’s like my… secret base? HQ? The place I go for superhero things that is for me, specifically, and that I don’t have to share with a bunch of other people.”

“You have a secret base?! That’s so awesome! I just have—” Danny falters, his excitement falling, and then he plasters on a pained, fake smile. “I’ve always wanted to see a superhero’s HQ. Are you sure it’s fine to show it to me, though?”

Part of him wants to ask about what he was going to say before switching gears, but the drawn expression on his face is more than enough to make Duke back off. “Yeah, man, don’t even worry about it. Besides, it’s not like there’s any other places we can go to without me revealing my identity, you know?”

“Fair enough,” Danny nods. “But maybe one day we can?”

“For sure,” Duke says. “Come on, up for a quick patrol around Gotham?”

“Oh, definitely.” The light returns to Danny’s eyes as he lifts off the ground, floating. The smile on his face is more sincere, and the sight of it makes the knot of worry in Duke’s heart pull loose. He pulls his grapple out and aims for the highest ledge of Poison Ivy’s greenhouse, tucked in the back of the botanical gardens, then takes off.

Danny is flying next to him immediately, a blur of invisibility, and they fall into a rhythm quickly as they head towards the Bowery. As Duke free runs and swings between buildings, Danny flies around him, the occasional laugh slipping past his lips as he circles around Duke. 

It’s hard not to have his attention stolen by Danny, but Duke is here to protect the people of Gotham, so he focuses 90% of his attention to the streets, keeping an eye and ear out for any trouble. 

There’s not much happening today, thankfully. He’s only had to stop a few burglaries, a bank robbery, and chase off a stalker before Danny arrived. Truthfully, the peace is making him nervous; there hasn’t been a big attack to the city in a while, with no word on the movement of rogues and nothing big brewing among the gangs and mobs. Peace rarely lasts so long in Gotham, and Duke is genuinely worried the next thing will be some continent destroying, apocalypse bringing disaster. 

In the last hour of his patrol, he only has to stop a purse-snatcher and help someone move their broken down car off the street and into a parking lot. Danny stays in the air for both, invisible to everyone but him, and the blur of his aura floats around the areas Duke stops at curiously. 

They hit up touristy places last time he was in Gotham, and food trucks before that. Maybe next time Duke can get takeout from a nice restaurant and they can have a rooftop picnic. 

Not quite a date, not yet at least, but something close to it. A testing of the waters. An unspoken promise for something more.

With the hour ends, Duke comes to stop on the roof of a tattoo parlor and gestures for Danny to join him. 

The blur of invisibility fades away and Danny’s features come back into focus as he lowers himself down to the roof. 

“What’s up?” Danny asks, glancing around them curiously.

“It’s about time for patrol to end, so we can head to the Hatch now. But I do need to blindfold you so you don’t see where the Hatch is located.”

“Oh! Yeah, that’s fine. Will I just have to hold onto you or something? Since I won’t be able to see where we’re going.”

“I was thinking I’d just carry you. It’s easier that way.”

“Sure, that works!” Danny closes his eyes, cheeks already darkening with a blush. “I’ll just… let you blindfold me now?”

Duke desperately wants to smoosh Danny’s cheeks together in his hands, but valiantly resists the urge. He’s on a mission! To hang out with Danny! He can cry about how cute Danny is later!

He walks up to Danny on silent feet, circling around him. Then he lifts his hands, picturing the light solidifying in his palms, turning to fabric that darkens and obscures, bending the light to be darker and darker until it’s nearly black. He gently pulls it across Danny’s eyes, leaning in closer to him to make sure he’s not putting it on too tightly.

Danny gasps slightly when his back bumps into Duke’s chest, and Duke can’t help the way his eyes dart down to Danny’s mouth, his red cheeks, the long line of his neck. 

Focus, he tells himself sternly, and draws the ends of his makeshift blindfold back to tie the ends together behind Danny’s head. 

“There,” he says in a low voice. “All done.”

Danny doesn’t answer. He just leans back against Duke, pressing them together slightly, and Duke brings his hands down to Danny’s hips to hold his steady.

“Ready to go?”

“Ready,” Danny answers in a faint voice. “How do you want me?”

Now that’s a dangerous question to ask right then and there. Duke bites back a number of flirtatious, suggestive answers, and makes himself actually think about the best way he can carry Danny while grappling to the Hatch. He’ll need one hand free to grapple, but also needs to keep a secure grip on Danny…

He steps to the side and guides one of Danny’s arms up to wrap around his shoulders. Then he picks Danny up, leaving him to wrap his legs around his waist as he walks over to the edge of the roof and looks towards the area in Gotham where the Hatch is hidden. Duke takes a moment to adjust his arm to keep Danny secure against his chest, then takes hold of his grapple with his free hand.

“Ready?” he checks, tightening his hold on Danny’s waist.

Danny nods against his neck, tucking his face in the crook of Duke’s shoulder. “Ready!”

Duke grins and jumps off the building, shooting out his grapple as they begin to fall. Danny yelps lightly, then clings to Duke even harder, his blindfold still secure around his head. It’s become a bit fainter as Duke’s attention slipped off of it, but he focuses on it again to darken it and keep Danny from seeing where they’re going.

It occurs to him halfway to the Hatch how much trust Danny is putting in him. To put a blindfold on him. To lead him to a place he’s never been to before. To let Duke swing him across the streets of Gotham without using his own ability to fly. 

Oracle’s apprehension about Danny (and his friends) is a heavy weight on his mind, but he can’t help but think it’s unnecessary. She’d understand if she ever met Danny in person. He wears his heart on his sleeve and offers it so freely; how could Duke not trust him? 

The weeks they’ve been texting each other only make him sure that Danny’s a good person, someone he wants in his life for as long as he can stay, someone he wants to be honest with. They just click, somehow, like they’re each holding a puzzle piece that’s been missing in each other’s lives. 

I think I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you, he wants to say. But the street entrance to the Hatch is just a block away and Danny still doesn’t know his name, so Duke bites his tongue and forces all those feelings back into more platonic territory. 

Just as the reach the building with the hidden panel to allow him entrance to the Hatch, Duke pulls at the light around them to hide them from sight as they drop down from the sky. 

“Almost in,” he says, holding Danny up with one arm as he tucks his grapple away and push the fake brick cover out of the way to punch in his twelve digit access code. 

A hidden door in the wall of the building, the back bricked off from the operating portion courtesy of Wayne Industries funding the restoration project for this area of the city after a major alien attack, opens up smoothly and without a sound. The ground slopes downward at a steep angle; he uses this door for when he’s riding his motorcycle out of the cave networks underneath the city that keep the Hatch connected to the Batcave, but it’s not too far from where the Hatch itself is. 

He carries Danny in, then makes sure the door closes completely behind him before setting Danny down on his feet. “We’ve still got a bit of a walk to the Hatch, but you can take your blindfold off now.”

“I’ll wait until we get there,” Danny says. “I’m going to use this as an excuse to cling to you for as long as I can.”

“Fair enough!” Duke laughs, “Cling away, I’ll make sure you don’t trip.”

And cling away Danny does, wrapping his arms around Duke’s left arm, holding onto it as they make their way down the tunnel. Duke keeps an eye out for anything that might trip him and carefully steers him past them. 

“Are we underground?”

“Yeah, there’s this huge cave system under the city that we use to get around,” Duke answers. “Though we’ve paved in small roads and made stable tunnels to go through, so it’s all safe.”

“Huh, that’s cool. It would be nice if I had a way to get around Amity like this.”

“Danny, you can fly.”

“That’s not relevant!”

“How is it not relevant?” Duke laughs incredulously, jostling Danny slightly. Danny turns towards him and they trip over each other slightly, clutching to each other to keep their balance.

“It just isn’t!”

They bicker lightheartedly down the tunnel until it opens up into the garage of the Hatch. Duke helps Danny up the stairs to the main area, where he keeps his suit, weapons, and the large computer Bruce installed when the Hatch was first made. Once he’s sure Danny’s comfortable, he leaves to change into his civilian clothes with only a domino mask slapped over his eyes to protect his identity.

And if Duke takes an extra minute to fix up his hair, the long locs in a disarray from being tied back and stuffed into his helmet, then that’s no one’s business but his own. 

Maybe he does need to get a hair cut. He’s starting to get why Steph wants to shave her head and rock a pixie cut like Selena. But, on the other hand, he does like how he looks with longer hair, especially when it’s tied up…

Long hair for now. It makes him look good and he’s here to impress Danny. 

When he heads back to where Danny is, he sees Danny sitting down patiently, his blindfold still on, though it’s become much more transparent than it was before. He can see how Danny’s eyes are closed beneath it, waiting for Duke to return, tapping out a slow rhythm on his knee with his fingers. 

“You can take that off now,” he says as he walks up to Danny. 

“You sure?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have brought you in here.”

Danny reaches up and gently pulls the blindfold off, slowly blinking his eyes open. He watches as the blindfold dissolves in his hand, becoming light again, then shyly turns to look at Duke. 

“Oh,” he says softly, taking in Duke, who tries very hard not to fidget and reveal just how nervous he is to be out of his Signal armor before Danny. “You are so unfair?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You can’t be kind, a superhero, and attractive! Tell me something you’re bad at so I know you have some flaws.”

Duke grins, flattered. “You think I’m attractive?”

“Stop fishing for compliments!” Danny pushes him lightly, barely enough force to make him tilt to the side. “Give me something you’re bad at, come on.”

“Well, if you really need to know…” Duke takes a moment to think of something that won’t completely embarrass him. “I’m terrible at learning other languages. Vocab doesn’t stick in my head, grammar rules mean nothing to me, and my accent is atrocious.”

“That doesn’t count, that’s normal,” Danny argues.

“It the only thing I can think of right now! I’m just really bad at non-English languages!”

Danny rolls his eyes, shaking his head fondly. “I can’t believe you. You have powers, you’re cute, and you’re good at flirting. Stop winning at life so much, the rest of us stand no chance against you.”

“I promise I’m a disaster when I’m not trying to impress people.”

“Lies. You’re being perfect right now and there’s no one to impress.”

“I’m trying to impress you.”

Danny blinks. “Oh.” He bites his lip in an attempt to force down a smile. “Shut up. I don’t count. You don’t need to try to impress me, you’ve already done that.”

“Yeah? Well, maybe I’ll try to be more of a mess around you from now on.”

“Please do, I can’t be the only one making a fool of myself. Where’s the friendship? The solidarity? Suffer with me!”

Duke shoves him back playfully, and just like that, they fall back into a rhythm of easy conversation and light touches, skirting the lines of friendly with something more. Time slips away from him and Duke spends every second with Danny wishing he could have this always, that they didn’t have a time limit over their heads, that the universe itself wasn’t keeping them apart. He shows off the Hatch and some Bat gadgets, which Danny finds fascinating, then they spend an hour comparing their most commonly used powers. 

Danny has to leave all too soon, opening up a small portal of swirling green with the help of a small pocketwatch-like device, and Duke can only hope that they can do this again soon, but without the domino on his face.

One day, he swears. One day they’ll have that.

-

YA menace: hey quickly rate this guys fit

YA menace: [attached photo is a goon with a black and white striped shirt with a purple question mark safety pinned onto it. They’re also wearing neon purple sweatpants and are glaring at the camera.]

YA protag (retired): ngl thats not the worst ive seen. 6/10

YA menace: 6???

YA menace: 6?????????????

YA menace: danny i say this with all the love in my heart, go get ur eyes checked

YA protag (retired): before u say anything else. look at what i regularly have to deal with

YA protag (retired): [attached photo is a floating man with blue-ish skin an d a very dramatic hairstyle. He’s wearing a long black cloak, a white suit, and a Green Bay Packer’s football jersey on top of all that.]

YA menace: damn. no wonder ur judgement of bad fits is Like That. this guys to blame

YA protag (retired): wanna know the worst part?

YA menace: this can get worse??

YA protag (retired): thats my godfather. 

YA protag (retired): this is a man my parents thought were fit to be responsible for me and my sister if anything happens to us

YA protag (retired): THIS GUY

YA menace: u have my sincerest condolences

YA menace: oh shit more riddler guys are here i gtg they got guns

YA protag (retired): be safe!! please dont get shot!!!!

YA menace: i’ll do my best 🫡

-

YA protag (retired): came home today and all the weapons that were attached to my house disappeared

YA protag (retired): i feel like im in the twilight zone

YA protag (retired): if i start talking backwards or acting like a robot pls know it is not me but something wearing my face

YA menace: the weapons attached to ur house???? 

YA menace: im starting there but i want u to know that everything u said was concerning

YA protag (retired): have i not mentioned it before? my parents are kinda mad scientists and make a lot of weird but working things. mostly weapons to fight ghosts.

YA menace: cant believe ure only just dropping lore abt urself when we’ve been talking for so long

YA protag (retired): in my defense!!!! everyone here knows abt them so im used to not having to say anything!!!

YA protag (retired): people usually just Get It!!!

YA menace: moving on to my second point: having the weapons removed from ur house is whats concerning??? not the weapons being attached to ur house???

YA protag (retired): listen. i have spent p much my entire life with a house that doubles as an armed fortress. when i was a kid i was convinced it would come to life and protect me from monsters. this was also during my urban legends monster phrase and i scared myself reading abt them and needed the comfort

YA protag (retired): my POINT is that its normal for my house to have weapons. so seeing them gone is worrying!!!!!

YA menace: .

YA menace: ok fair enough.  last point: is being replaced by a robot version of urself a concern in ur universe? bc it is here

YA protag (retired): no its not a legit concern here

YA protag (retired): probably. dont quote me on that. i had a cloning situation a few years ago

YA menace: a hwat

YA protag (retired): dont worry about it!!!

YA protag (retired): oh my parents are home. i need to talk to them. Bye!!

YA menace: gl!! let me know if u need rescuing from evil clone robots

-

RED: before I say anything else, Signal this is the price u pay for not letting me play with interdimensional tech after you let O have a turn at it.

YA protag (retired): um.

YA protag (retired): wrong chat???

RED: no this is the right chat. Hi Danny :) 

YA protag (retired): hi???? who are u????

YA menace: oh my god

YA menace: this is NOT NECESSARY RED

RED: as I said. U did this to urself.

YA menace: 🙄🙄🙄

YA protag (retired): wait. did u… hack into this chat?? did u hack the phone????

RED: yeah lol.

RED: was a bit of a challenge but it was fun

RED: had to pull out the spare alien tech to make something that would connect

YA protag (retired): ok 1. tucker will want to marry u for ur brain

YA protag (retired): 2. ALIEN TECH?????

YA menace: i feel like we already talked abt aliens being real in my dimension

YA protag (retired): THATS DIFFERENT FROM HAVNG ALIEN TECH

YA protag (retired): hey red what do u accept as bribes

YA menace: u ask him while im right here????

YA protag (retired): u dont have the alien tech. red does. case closed.

RED: oh wow. Signal….. Wow.

YA menace: what? shut up. cant leave any of yall unsupervised i swear

RED: also, Danny I accept tech from different dimensions and also fun tasting sodas and energy drinks

YA protag (retired): done. i will have the goods ready next time i go to gotham, pls hook me up w alien teach

RED: do u just like new tech?

YA menace: hes a space nerd so he loves aliens

RED: do u just wanna meet an alien then?

YA protag (retired): CAN I??!!

RED: yeah I can pull something together for u

YA menace: omfg. Red can u go stop stealing danny from me

RED: up ur game Signal. We’re ALL going to try to steal Danny away

YA menace: how tf do i kick u out of the chat

RED: u cant 😇 im too good to be kicked

YA menace: put that halo away we all know what u really are

YA menace: 🤡

YA protag (retired): omg….. rip red ur cool reputation will be missed

RED: hey now. What happened to the bribes :( 

YA protag (retired): ur still gonna get them but i am playing favorites

YA protag (retired): and signal is obviously my fave

YA menace: knew i could count on u to have my back danny 💛

YA menace: drop ur location red i just wanna talk

RED: lol no

RED: good luck catching me :) 

YA menace: coward!!!!

YA protag (retired): there he goes…..

-

YA protag (retired): hey u know what i just realized?

YA menace: what?

YA protag (real) changed YA menace’s name to Light

YA protag (real) changed their name to Night

Night: rhyming buddies 😄

Light: i get the light bc of my powers but wheres the night coming from?

Night: bc i love space! the night sky!!

Light: ok thats pretty cute ngl

Light: give me some warning bc u do stuff like that its bad for my heart

Night: stop sweet talking me im busy feeling clever

Light: lmaooooo

Light: fair enough i’ll get back to it in 3-5 business days

Night: good 👍

Night: also is now a good time to ask abt red…. who was that….

Light: that was a nerd. dont worry abt him ok im cooler

Light: serious answer: hes red robin and hes another vigilante in gotham. we’re chill

Night: did u find his location for a throw down tho

Light: i can do u one better: i know where he lives

Night: oh???

Light: yeah his dad is my mentor of sorts so its not THAT impressive that i know

Light: i did steal all his zesti tho lol

Night: not sure what that is but im proud of u

Light: its just a drink that hes obsessed w. i love being a minor annoyance 😇

Night: shaking ur hand. its really the best thing to be

Light: hell yeah!!!

-

Light: hey got a kinda serious question for u

Night: whats up?

Light: have u thought abt ur future?

Light: like what u want to do in college, where u want to go after high school, what career u want

Night: i mean. some. 

Night: not as much as my parents want me to. 

Night: my sister goes to harvard and is super smart. im not that impressive so i keep disappointing them

Night: and with things recently… idk its hard. it kinda feels like they dont believe i have a future.

Night: not that they really see me in the present anyways

Night: sorry that was heavy. short answer is no! not really!

Light: that sounds rough. wanna talk abt it?

Night: not really but not talking hasnt done me much good

Night: my sister would want me to talk anyways. to someone trustworthy at least

Night: so if u dont mind listening…

Light: go for it!! im here for u danny

Light: emotionally at least. not physically but thats not by choice

Night: it can wait tho honestly. whyd u ask abt the future? something on ur mind?

Light: just feeling really lost rn is all.

Light: its like everyone around me has an idea of what to do with their lives while im still surprised that i made it as far as i have

Light: this is really the first time ive seriously thought abt my future and i have no idea what to do

Light: so i wanted to talk to u bc u help make things feel less terrifying

Night: signal…. ur going to make me cry

Night: u make me feel brave too

Night: ♥️

Night: i get what u mean 100% btw. u go so long sure that u dont have a future that u dont know what to do now that its here

Light: exactly.

Light: what am i supposed to do with my life? i dont want to be a hero full time, ive seen how that breaks people

Night: do u want to go to college? or do u just feel like u have to bc everyone else is?

Light: i do want to. 

Light: my parents both went and theyve always wanted me to get a degree and be successful

Light: they may not be around anymore, not really, but i do still want to make them proud

Light: they cant see me graduate, but maybe when i tell them the next time i visit, itll reach the part of them thats still alive in their minds

Light: what about u? do u want to go to college?

Night: yeah. it was always my dream to become an astronaut. work at nasa and everything

Night: no chance its ever gonna happen now tho lol

Night: dying and the health problems that comes w that will do that to ya ✌️

Light: oh man that sucks

Night: yeah

Night: i might still study aerospace engineering tho. even if i cant be an astronaut, maybe i can help others get there

Light: thats a good alternative!! im glad u still have some idea of what u can do that can help u work at nasa and achieve part of ur dream

Night: we’ll see tho

Night: im not really feeling college atm. or life in general

Night: idk i feel…. stuck. like nothing will change even if i get out of illinois. it’ll just be the same stuff at a different place

Night: and i know itll take one visit from my parents to start ruining things for me

Night: i just… dont really wanna deal w that. ive kinda given up on life tbh i might as well just focus on the ghostly side of things. stay in the ghost zone more permanently

Light: i dont wanna judge or anything but that doesnt sound healthy?? 

Light: pls dont disappear into the ghost zone. i’d miss u.

Night: sweet talker

Night: i wont. dont worry. its just a feeling i get sometimes, that it’d be better if i wasnt in this world. if i could just go somewhere else

Light: hey. what if

Light: sorry if this idea is stupid or something

Light: but what if u lived here? in my dimension? u could establish a life and go to college here. 

Light: a total fresh start

Night: thats. not a bad idea actually

Night: i would love that. wouldn’t it be hard to do tho? i dont exist there.

Light: we can make it work. its not like us gotham vigilantes are new to creating new identities/lives out of nothing

Light: i could ask for a few favors, do a few dubiously legal things. you could live here

Night: im planning to take a gap year to figure out if i wanna stay in the human world at all. i could spend that year in gotham before making my choice

Night: if u dont mind me asking this huge favor of u

Light: i dont mind at all!!

Light: danny i would love for u to be here are u kidding me. i’d do anything so we could be closer together

Night: thanks signal ♥️

Night: i made this all abt me im so sorry

Night: wanna talk more abt how ur feeling or ur plans for the future?

Light: maybe some other time. i wanna get to work on making sure u can live here for the year (and more! hopefully!)

Light: tell u what. 

Light: we can talk more abt this the next time we see each other in person ok?

Night: deal

Night: im really glad i met u

Light: me too

Light: im here for u for as long as u want me around, honey

Light: u dont need to worry about a thing with me

Night: ure too sweet.

Night: im going to go now before u make me melt into a puddle of feelings

Night: ♥️

Light: ♥️

-

“Hey Babs, I have a favor to ask…”

[enid-rhees]

AKK, OKAY SO IDK IF I ALREADY REQUESTED SUMN LIKE THIS (my memory = shit 💀✋) BUTTTT

Imagine Carl has a sleepover with Enid and reader! They paint eachothers nails, braid Carl's hair (he acts like he hates it, but lowkey loves it heh), take selfies together with a Polaroid camera they found on a run, listen to music on an ipod (they also found on a run), and get high together hehe~

Maybe they play Truth or Dare, and Carl being the lil' shit head he is, dares reader to kiss Enid (they're not dating yet, but it's more than obvious that Enid and reader are crushing HARD on eachother!).

Just some fun teen stuff with our fav holy trinity 🛐💜

(I made this for some inspo for ya' :D!)

THESE TYPES OF STORIES ARE MY FAVVVV THERES SOMETHING ABT THEM THAT ARE JUST SM FUN !!! tysm for requesting :D !!! hope you enjoy 🩷 all these pics are *chefs kiss*

warnings: weed. smoke (and drink) responsibly !!

a/n: hope you all enjoy !! 🫶🏻 got quite a bit of stories coming out within the next week so look out for those :)

music was blaring through the scuffed ipod, the sound filling your entire room. Enid was busy painting your nails while Carl sat in the corner of your bed, reading a comic.

Enid sang along to ‘Bulletproof Love’ by Pierce the Veil as she swiped the brush down onto your nails one more time. “done!” she smiled, lightly fanning your nails with her hands to dry them quicker. she painted them light purple.

“how are you so good at this? i swear i stained the shit out of your fingers.” you asked, taking her hand to compare it to yours. Enid’s skin burned under your touch.

she giggled, “maybe i’m just better than you.” your jaw dropped as you gasped dramatically. “wow, okay.”

“i’m kiddinggggg.” she dragged out, hugging you from behind. a mischievous smile made its way to her lips as she whispered something in your ear. you mirrored that smile and you looked over at Carl.

“oh, Carllll.” you sang. he looked over at the two of you, staring with uncertainty in his eyes. “what are you two planning?” he asked cautiously.

“sit.” Enid instructed, patting the space in front of you and her. “tell me what you’re doing first.” he responded. 

Enid huffed. “can we braid your hair?”

“absolutely not.” he responded, shaking his said profusely. both of you whined, “cmon! just this once, you never let us do anything with your hair.” you pouted.

he shook us head once more. “no!”

you thought for a moment, trying to think of something you could easily bribe him with. “you can have a whole joint to yourself.” you said.

“deal.” he answered immediately. you rolled your eyes playfully as he sat in front of you guys, taking a joint from the bag of the hundreds you had.

Enid started to brush through his hair as you gathered hair ties and a few clip-ins for his hair. “if you’re gonna sit in my room during a girls night, you need to commit to it!” you told Carl.

“yeah, yeah. whatever, just get it over with.” he told you. you separated his hair into three sections and started to overlap them, creating the braid pattern.

Enid nudged your shoulder, holding up a joint. you nodded as you added one butterfly clip into the top of the braid. she lit the joint and took a few hits first before she held it up to your lips.

she watched you take into your lips, take a hit while also exhaling the smoke through the other side of your mouth as you worked on Carl’s hair. a blush made it’s way to her cheeks while she watched you.

“done!” you exclaimed. “see? didn’t even take me five minutes.” you handed him a hand mirror and pushed him over to the one that hung on your wall.

Carl turned around with the mirror so he could see the braid. his eyes widened, “you added butterfly clips?!” he screeched.

you and Enid bursted into laughter, holding onto each for for stabilization. “it’s cute!” you defended through your laughter.

“you’re both evil.” he said, pointing between the two of you. you shrugged, “you agreed to do it.”

“i didn’t agree to the butterfly clips!” he retorted. “can i please take this braid out?” he whined. you and Enid turned to each other, “i don’t know. Enid… should we let him?” you asked in a teasing tone.

Enid looked up at the ceiling like she was pretending to think. “okay, listen!” he exclaimed. “i have an idea. the two of you play one round of truth or dare and i’ll come up with either one, and if you do it, you have to let me take this braid out.”

“deal.” you said at the same time. “sit on the bed.” he instructed. you both took a seat back on the bed.

“Enid, truth or dare?”

“dare.” she said immediately. a devilish smile spread across his lips. he looked between the two of you before speaking up.

“Enid, i dare you to kiss Y/N.”

your heart felt like it stopped beating as those words fell out of Carl’s lips. you’ve had a crush on Enid for too long, and Carl knew that. you would lay upside down on his bed, ranting about how cute she looked that day, how her laugh was infectious, and all you wanted was to kiss her all day and be able to call her yours.

you told him it was impossible for Enid to like you back. someone as smart, or as beautiful as her could never like someone like you.

Enid’s face flushed red as she turned to you. your heart was now about to explode. but then she smiled, and leaned in, connecting your lips with hers.

it didn’t even feel real, and it took you a moment to kiss her back. she put a hand on the back of your head, and her touch brought you back to reality.

she pulled away after a short while, smiling at you while she breathed for air.

“god! fucking finally. i only said that so i could finally stop the whining from you two! both of you just blabbering on and on about how you can’t possibly like the other. i had to put that shit to an end!” Carl suddenly yelled, taking the braid apart as he did so.

you stared at him, dumbfounded. “you… planned that the entire time?” he nodded, “yes. and my work here is done.”

you and Enid turned to each other again, not knowing what to say or think. you broke out in laughter, causing Enid to start laughing as well. she leaned in once more, pressing a short kiss to your lips.

“okay- that doesn’t give you the pass to make out in front of me, alright? i just had to stop the whining and that’s it.”

“listen i’m gonna go shower, if i come back and you’re sucking on each others faces, you’re both dead.” he warned, leaving without another word.

“so…” you trailed off, “you like me, eh?” you asked, nudging her shoulder teasingly. she blushed, “more like love, but yeah. guess we both ranted to Carl about our crush on each other.”

“poor guy. had to deal with our constant whining.” you laughed. you scooted closer to her to where your thighs touched.

“how long did you have a crush on me?” Enid asked you. “since the day we arrived in Alexandria.” you responded immediately. it was an easy question, the first time you saw her, you were entranced. “what about you?”

“the same. i can’t believe we both waited this long.” she answered. Enid leaned in once more, pressing her lips to yours.

this was the closest to heaven you’d ever get, her lips on yours.

you kissed back, tangling your fingers into her hair. you weren’t sure if it was the haziness you felt from the weed, or maybe even her kiss, but you couldn’t get enough of her. your skin ignited under her touch.

when she pulled away, both of you were breathing heavily. “i don’t think i’ll ever be able to get enough of kissing you.” you admitted. “me either.”

Enid picked up the beaten up polaroid camera from your bedside table and held it in front of you two. she suddenly kissed your cheek, and then snapped a photo. the picture slid out of the camera and she pulled it out, shaking it until the picture appeared.

“cute.” she giggled. “how much film is left in this?”

you scratched your head, “quite a bit. i found some more a while back.” she smiled, “good. cause we’re using them. wanna light two joints for us?”

you took two out of the bag and lit each of them. Enid held up the camera again as you both put the joints between your lips, and snapped the picture. she took it out of the camera and placed it on your table.

“smile.” she said suddenly, even thought you had the joint in your mouth. she took the picture and smiled to herself when it came out, “i’ll be keeping that.”

you shook your head and laughed. “what was that for?” she shrugged, “you looked cute.” she answered simply. Enid placed the camera back on your table and laid down on your bed. you laid next to her.

Enid backed up until she was completely pressed against you. you wrapped an arm over her stomach and laid your head in her neck. “god, this is so comfortable.” you groaned, “you’re staying the night. i do not care if Maggie gets mad, you’re staying here.”

she giggled, “that sounds perfect.” Enid picked up the camera once more, snapping a quick photo of the position you two are in. “we’re so cute,” she mumbled when the picture slid out.

you hummed in agreement, feeling yourself getting sleepy. you were so comfortable holding Enid like this, you decided this is what you want to do for the rest of your life.

“tired?” she asked. you nodded, and Enid turned over so she was now facing you. she laid her head in your neck, and her legs tangled with yours. “wanna sleep?”

you nodded again. Enid lifted her head up slightly and connected your lips. you sleepily kissed her back. when she pulled away, she placed one kiss on your head and laid her head back down in your neck.

“goodnight, girlfriend.”

you chuckled, bringing your head down slightly to kiss hers as well. “goodnight, girlfriend.”

after a few minutes, both of you were fast asleep. Carl walked back into your room, drying his long hair with a towel. he was about to speak until he noticed the two of you sleeping peacefully in your bed, arms and legs tangled with each other. he laughed quietly and shook his head, turning your light off before leaving your room and closing the door behind him.

[ethmaron]

i wonder if bruce has developed any special scar creams through wayne medical specifically for his/his families comfort. theres a lot of over the counter stuff you can use to combat scar pain/itchiness (lotions/oils, silicon sheeting bandages, special compression bandages, etc) but i like to think that he's helped develop something special that also works to help fade them out.

slightly unrelated but i do think besides that he has a lot of home treatments/methods for easing scar aches and pains that he teaches to the kids and stuff to help them with their own pain and discomfort

(he of course, i think, also helps with muscle pains/joint pains that they have too--supplying braces and PT as they need it. idk im thinking abt them and their aches and pains)

[naturenaruto]

but also im laughin at my prev reblog abt sam having a supernaturally strong immune system- and not at all bc of demon blood lol but bc he grew up in rank motels where there were infinite strains of mold and various other evils and it......did something to him,,,,,,,,also just by going thruout the days/cases..hopping rusty fences...eating spoiled and expired food..showering with suspicious well water..sleeping on ancient musty mattresses with devious dust...dean started noticing he never needed doctors visits..never required a tetanus shot...cuts healed fast...someone could cough on his face and hed never get sick..........imagine the horror when he finally was around ~normal~ ppl and sure hed wash his hands but like he mentions once he never gets a tetnus or flu shot and theyre like 🤔 someone asks abt the food in the communal fridge if its still ok to eat and he unthinkingly goes off on this tangent abt how once he was so delirious he grabbed the food in the motel fridge and then passed out on the kitchen floor and the next day when he woke up he saw it had bluish black mold on it bc it wasnt even their food the last residents left it and e was TOTALLY FINE so aha this 3 day old sandwich is totally fine aha and theyre all like 😶

and then he regails a story abt how once he was the only kid in an entire town who didnt get like,,the school plague and thats why its so important to get enough sleep and theyre like 😕 and then after a few months he gets known for bein the 7ft tall guy around campus who will physically carry you home after a party so you dont drive or get attacked and as he deadlifts some equally big guy off the floor of a frathouse he mentions how this is nothin bc once he had to carry his heavyass big brother "about" 12 miles through "light" woods to get to a clinic when he was around 15 bc said brother got alcohol poisioning at a cabin they were vacationing at bc sam ate all the food so maybe he didnt realize how much hed had so thats why its so important to not drink on an empty stomach guys and make sure you have a friend pour water down your throat and have someone who can cut you off and theyre all like 😟 and then yet another time hes playing a pickup game of flag football and they all get rly into it and one girl ends up getting her finger popped out of joint so sam kinda asks if its ok if he puts it back in yknow, before the ambulance shows up just to help with the pain and shes like in shock so she says yeah okay and he puts the right pressure on and holds her arm and its over before she even realizes and decides to call off the ambulance and just go to the school clinic and it saves her a few hundred dollars and then yet another time jess drags him to her friends friends sisters sorority end of the year party and its a bit more intense than any others hed gone to and after a few hours demons must whisper to someone that yes, they can make that jump from the second story window to a makeshift trampoline (made out of bedsheets) and he ends up with his tibia poking out of his shin and isnt even screaming bc of shock but sam knows the ambulance isnt gonna get there in time so he moves around everyone screaming and puking and wraps it up using jess' crop cardigan and keeps as much blood in as he can while keeping the guy awake and so there just gets to be alot of stories and rumours abt him, not that noone else can stitch a wound or knows how to do shit but sometimes he'll tell a story and his friends think theres something a bit off about it but they dont mention it bc they like sam sams cool sams a genuinly nice guy and yeah maybe sometimes jess will gently cut him off and steer the conversation to something else and yeah sure sometimes ppl get a weird vibe from how nonchalant abt things he can get, like nothings a big deal, like that fight wasnt soo crazy, like that guy isnt even that scary, like the bathrooms in the humanties building isnr even that gross, like that professor isnt even all that, like hes coasting, like nothing phases him unless they bring up that brother he mentioned once, then he wont be in class for the next four days, and sure sometimes he gives off a weird vibe and sure sometimes he'll be telling a story and he'll trail off like hes suddenly remebered who hes talking to and theyll be left with a cliffhanger, not knowing what happened after he pulled a knife on some guy at the library when he was 11, and sure sometimes jess will cut him off when she feels like its going somewhere and she'll steer the conversation elsewhere, and sure sometimes when someone fucks around a bit too much theyll be met with a cold stare thatll give everyone around the heebiejeebies for awhile, but hey, sams a good guy sams a helpful guy sams a nice guy, sams just some guy

[sylwanin-was-right]

I adore the folklore paragraph and I'm really excited to learn more about the cultures of the Anurai and others throughout the game and new fauna of Pandora's landscapes!

However....

...I'm ngl, the first two paragraphs are a bit strange to me LMFAO.

Their aerodynamic wings are connected to their forelimb joints [...]

This seems a bit redundant; wouldnt their forelimbs being wings mean their forelimbs would be "connected" to their wings inherently? Unless they dont truly fly and just glide with specialized forelimbs with membranes in a similar fashion of some terran squirels or lizards, or that i cant see their other limbs that are hidden by perspective. This sentence rlly stood out in a strange way lol.

Ig im having trouble imagining what they mean so I anticipate seeing more images of this creature and its movement and appearence in the game! :D

Coronis have a large narrow tail made of muscle that can vibrate like insect wings.

Im ngl I had to read this sentence repeatedly bc at first i was so amused by the redundancy of saying their tail was composed of muscle LMFAO. But then I realized they mentioned the muscles of the tail were unique by using the subordinate clause "that" to detail how the tail is specialized.

The diction still threw me off though, bc I dont really think of insect wings as vibrating wrt their movement, as much as the sound their flapping makes. So when I read this sentence, i had a hard time picturing the tail of this creature rapidly flapping back and fourth in a blur like insect wings do, and thought the comparison was strange.

But maybe the Coronis can move their tails that fast! Maybe even if the movement is slower than the flap of insect wings, the movement they do make when wafting or attracting insects to them in some way truly does make a vibrating sound like the hum of insect wings, which is pretty cool! I want to learn more about this incredible tail with muscles in it 💀.

Coronis always flee to safety whenever a predator is nearby

I think this mainly stands out as strange to me bc the diction. I see that its kinda like a set up to a juxtaposition or something, where the the idea that theyre skittish is introduced to comment on the irony that their high fear response is result poor preceptions (which is a nice lead into the folklore abt the creatures' propensity to flee lol). But it seems a bit odd to say an animal flees upon seeing its predator. Bc yea? Why wouldnt it?

Ofc theres other fear responses to seeing a predator, real or percieved, like hiding, freezing, playing dead, etc. And not all prey animals flee from seeing their predators (ex: deer sometimes just stare and move on if ur far away enough). But idk... i think I would have just started out by saying the Coronis is skittish bc of its poor senses or high fear response. It would have been interesting to add a detail about what biologically makes them easy to scare to juxtapose to the folklore. Maybe we'll get those details in the game lore and other Avatar books!

---

Anyway, go check out Pandorapedia for some new entries on new characters, flora, fauna, and environments from the upcoming game, which releases on December 7th!!!!

Oe so'heia nìtxan - I'm happy to say I'm so excited!!!

[kenmagoesblep]

For the writer ask meme: 5, 8, 37!

5. Share one of your strengths.

i feel like i got a good grasp on how to convey and evoke certain emotions in my writing as the years went by!! its something i always admired in the fics and books that i enjoyed, and as a big feeler myself, i always wanted to get these feelings across thru what i do as well. it fills me with joy to see when things land gldskhgdslk

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

a part of me feels like this is cheating bc theres a lot of prose in between but i have to be honest and put it down here

“Before you go…” once they’re done with their meal and simply sitting in quietness as the food settles in their stomachs, Giyuu speaks out, reaching for Kyojuro’s hand over the table. “I wanted to talk to you about something. If you let me.”  Giyuu tentatively places his hand over Kyojuro’s fingers, looking at him with purpose . Kyojuro’s hairs stand up at that and his heart — the poor, aching thing — starts running again as he nods vehemently.  That’s the cue for Giyuu to fully hold his hand, get up from the table and gently guide him back to the couch. Oh, that fateful couch. Giyuu lets go of his hand once they get there and sit down, right next to each other.  “I’ve been thinking about… A lot of things lately,” he starts, bowling his hands in a tight fist over his knees and worrying at his lip, initially not looking at anything in particular. “Mostly about us.” Giyuu glances briefly at Kyojuro, letting out a brief sigh before speaking again. “At first, I thought it’d be best to let bygones be bygones and… not keep you waiting for me, when I never felt worthy of your time,” his eyes drift down. “But after what you said to me last time you were here, and… With a little pushing from my family, I decided to look for help.” There’s a pause for deep breaths. Kyojuro didn’t realize he was also holding his breath until now. “I got into some medication and started seeing a therapist. And it’s been… really hard, looking at myself. Or what’s left of me,” he mutters those last words, looking at his own hands like he can see his own broken pieces. “It doesn’t feel much better, but it’s a start.” There’s a pause there that Kyojuro feels like filling with encouraging words, but he doesn’t. Giyuu has more to say, certainly, he just needs some time to recollect his thoughts. He takes a few deep, grounding breaths in silence, tightening his fists so much his joints go white, before looking back at Kyojuro again with a newfound determination.  “Therapy helped me see a lot of things,” he says, voice more certain now. “Some things were ugly, some were not, but mostly… It helped me see that I can only decide what I feel about things and about myself, not what others feel. And I may not understand why you would want to be with me, or feel like I really even deserve it, but… I want that, too.”  There’s another moment of hesitation as Giyuu chews on his lips, cheeks growing pink, as he reaches out for Kyojuro’s hand again and weakly laces their fingers together.  “I love you, still, Kyojuro,” he whispers solemnly. “Would you give me another chance?”

the reason is... kinda personal i guess? its something i havent spoken much in any public platforms but i think its been long enough since i posted this chapter (2021 holy shit?!) and the only person that could possibly be offended by it basically doesnt care abt my existence anymore, so here it goes!

this is an excerpt from my biggest fic to date, which was a collab fic i wrote with a close friend of mine at the time, but i wrote the last chapter on my own. not only did we start having creative disagreements at some point (that i took way too long to voice), but i also fell in love with them, confessed and got rejected, that spelled the end of our collaborative effort since they decided that, when they said "i'll let you take creative lead for the finale" they meant "i'm never touching this fic again, not even with a 7 feet pole".

so i had a lot of complicated and raw feelings abt what had happened between us and the fic, but ultimately i managed to finish the fic on my own thru the sheer power of wishful thinking and projection! this specific scene felt so monumental to me and i'm happy about how it turned out to this day - and ironically glad they never read this part.

37. Talk about your current wips.

oooo i'm so excited!! i havent been writing much the past month or so since getting into a new job (working as a cook is so hectic and tiring istg!! everydays 50/50 either i'm living the dream or i'm questioning my career choices) but i've been working on three akeshuake fics that are bringing me a lot of joy to think abt even in the most tiring days!!

one of them is a silly 4+1 fic where joker gets hit with the rattled ailment (mechanic in game that turns players into rats) on purpose to spend time with akechi

the second one is my ghost hunters AU that i'm writing for the akeshuake AU zine, in which joker is a medium who runs a paranormal investigation channel on youtube and he invites akechi - who makes videos debunking and exposing fake paranormal videos - for a collab

and the last one is a more personal project, exploring akechi's character thru the lens of him being demisexual and developing feelings for joker !!

[alexging]

dating sean diaz hcs pt 3

sassy man apocalypse is real

- does that thing where he lights ur cig/joint/whatever like he did w lyla at the beginning w u ALL THE TIME. in fact he will purposely offer u one just so he can do it. he absolutely loves it and he has no idea why

- if ur not a smoker at all he thinks u coughing up a lung is cute in a weirdly endearing way! he pats ur back while laughing and urges u to try again bc he can be a bad influence at times LMAO

- whenever u guys sit together in class sean has a natural tendency to start doodling on ur arm. some days he just does one or two cute little drawings and other days hes a whole fucking tattoo artist. u walk around school with whole arm sleeves for the rest of the day

- “don’t move (y/n) im drawing the tentacles”

- “sean u said u were gonna draw a little rose…”

- he will look up rlly quick at u and goes back to drawing the kraken LMAO

- u draw like one little dot on his paper and u guys start fighting over it 😭 by the end of it theres 50 micopenises on his paper and u have a HUGE detailed penis on urs bc sean is extra asf

- sean loves messing with ur hair. after a while of dating he will just walk by u and ruffle ur hair at school. honestly, a part of him likes doing it and just fast walking away bc he can hear u complain in the distance LMAO

- hes weirdly into the unkempt look...

- bf air is real with him. if u wear makeup, u always leave his house with smeared lipstick and smudged eye makeup. not even bc u guys were getting down (sometimes) but just bc u guys are constantly play fighting

- u almost always text sean later saying how embarrassing that was and get mad at him for not telling u the whole time

- daniel, being a blunt kid, tries to say something abt u looking like a mess when ur about to leave and sean just slaps his hand over his mouth. daniel makes indistinguishable whining under his palm while sean ushers u out the door 😭 he chooses not to tell u bc he loves when u look like a mess, stray hairs and everything.

- despite u not liking it AT ALL he draws it in his journal later while kicking his feet LMAO

- sean is very prone to accidents. it doesnt help he loves risky activities (ex. skating) which causes lots of scrapes and bloody noses

- he likes when u wipe his nose with a tissue with a concerned face it has him feeling pampered asf.

- when u get close to his face with a swab and nag under ur breath abt him doing stupid shit he just goes “ur right it wont happen again” while trying to suppress a cheeky lil smile. he loves it when u care for him and act bossy/motherly in general 😭 does this imply the void karen left is very big and wide? maybe! he lacks self-awareness in this department tho.

- all he knows is gf take care of him = feeling like a snug bug in a rug

- hes a dork but also a gentleman so hell do backflips to hold the door for u and make sure u walk on the inner part of the sidewalk. when u refuse to listen he gets mad and forcefully drags/shoves u 😭

- i feel like u guys are such a night couple. sean just enjoys places better when its dark tbh. plus u guys are always up to weird antics so… u guys get to be as loud as u want and nobody is out to hear—and boy r u guys loud

- VOLUME UPP on ur guys favorite songs in some desolate area and screaming the lyrics in sean’s car is ur guys' THING. u guys start acting out the lyrics and dancing bc both of u feel so comfortable with each other

- the thing is u guys r always doing separate dance interpretations. chronic engagement in parallel play 😭

- except sean stops like a deer in headlights when he hears a crunch. sean is a scaredy cat tbh he def snapped his neck to look at where the noise came from. both of u guys slowly turn ur heads to each other and sean immediately starts the car. u call him a party pooper and hell just keep shaking his head instead of responding LMAOO

- "we're not staying here that's some white people shit (y/n)"

- considering sean grafittis, i feel its an almost given for him to know all the local abandoned places in seattle

- at first u were totally creeped out by the dark corners but sean made it a point to keep u safe and comfortable! sean was acting like a lil ninja and kept peeping around corners. the whole way there he awkwardly semi-rotated around u like a shield bc u couldnt decide whether being behind or in front of him was scarier LMAO

- he was also a lil smug bc he finally gets to the be the one whos not scared. he does the MOST to look cool in front of u

- “squatters better not snatch my girl around the corner…” u just look at sean in disgust 😭

- sean used to HATE the phrase “my girl” and thought it was so corny. he started using it ironically bc both of u guys thought it was funny and now he cant stop 😭

- when u guys got to his spot u were smacked in the face with all his VIBRANT beautiful work. u walked up to each of them like a museum exhibit and sean stood behind u rubbing the back of his neck all embarrassed

- sean does a little one dedicated to u! u watch his concentrated face; his furrowed eyebrows and occasional lip lick before he turns to u with a shy smile!!!! he gives u the spray can and guides ur hand to put a little smiley face + ur initial next to it

- since then, u guys always made it a small thing to leave ur marking everywhere. u guys r the couple that etch their initials into trees, benches, etc 😭😭😭 im sick.

- sean keeps a sharpie in his pocket just so u guys can do an impromptu grafitti sesh

- on nights where sean doesnt feel like seeing daniel u guys go to empty parking lots. he does little skate tricks while u sit there in his hoodie complaining about something and he exclusively replies in "right" and "mhm”

- u get annoyed thinking hes not listening and then he responds word for word what u said PLUS his interpretation 😭 shuts u right up

- sean acts like he doesnt love girl gossip but hes a closet chismoso. theres this little curious glint in his eyes whenever u start talking more passionately and he stops skating just to sit next to u on the sidewalk w u and tune in

- ud be dropping hot gossip and sean would do dramatic ass facial expressions. his eyes would bulge out his head and his mouth would drop LMAO. he hollers “what??” after u drop big details too

- he doesnt like anyone u dont like and he supports u blindly ALL THE TIME. even when u backtrack and think u did something wrong he reassures u that ur right with a deadpanned face

- he lowkey a little instigator bc he always feeds ur delusions

- sean and u have like two screws in ur heads combined so when u guys call u just sit in silence and try the filters. literally all u can hear for half an hour is nose huffs from sean and screenshot clicks when u change to another filter

- u guys will start talking with ugly filters over ur face and sean's eyepatch and parrot filter starts glitching when he turns to tell daniel to get out of his room LMAOOO

- both of u guys are weird as hell bc the call will be going on for another five hours and sean will be in the kitchen with a horse head eating cereal. neither of u guys are questioning it at this point

- tbh u both can be kind of tmi with one another 😭 u guys say “eww” to each other so often but it doesnt stop either of u LMAO

- best friends who are also lovers is a must

also i associate steve lacy with sean sm like infrunami, SOME, bad habit, and Uuuu is what i envision when i write these hcs. when steve lacy was trending it was such a good era 😭😭 oh and also i associate los retros with sean heavy

[highschool-rooftop]

oct. 27th, 2020

man its weird to think this blog is 2 years old isnt it? like when I started this i thought that i was anyday from just killing myself, i had no hope, no job, and was about to love my living situation but thanks to a few nice friends and accepting people, i was able to land a job at *generic sounding name for local seafood joint* and then after that place stressing me to the point of panic attacks and taking it out on the wait staff... then i ended things nice with that place despite how much i hated it and i apologized to the wait staff alot.. probably too much...

now ive worked at *big store chain* a year now and i hate it just as much as i hated *generic sounding name for local seafood joint* for a similar reason too!! i fucking despite the people that run the places i work because i know i could probably do their job 30× better, i just choose not to because thats also 30× more responsibility on my shoulders and ive already got broken legs from the shit i feel like im dealing with outside of work.

the more i focus for a minute the more i feel like my life is in shambles and that im barely functioning right anymore. ive been horribly depressed again as of the past couple months and my family i live with barely talk to me because im always in my room which is like totally fair, but if im not sleeping up there im using whatever energy is left from work to hang out with my friends because theyre actually engaged in the topics i talk about, they show interest and actually talk to me not at me. my aunt and uncle and i have few interests in common so its incredibly difficult for me to keep a conversation going for long with them. theyre always playing card games or board games but im not interested in them, theyre not really that fun for me. my uncle plays xbox but hes typically on COD which i dont enjoy because of how toxic those communities are, hes got minecraft but the last time he played he never told me he was getting on at all otherwise i would've joined! then theres me and my cousin who are currently on nearly completely different schedules and really only see each other when hes taking me to and from work which makes it hard to hang out and play games, and thats of hes even willing to play any of the games im comfortable with and not trying another Survival-Crafting-RPG-Game of the week or something like factorio which is hyper complicated and i dont have the time to dedicate to learning how to play correctly so i just end up being a resource collector and its kinda boring..

and all of thats just the at home situation. my friends at least hear from me more but since alot of them have moved out of town for college at this point i haven't hung out with a friend outside of work irl in like 5, maybe 6 months... and i dont interact with many people at work. im really really lonely.

small bit of good news i feel i should add here in case i dont come back again for a few months is that ive scheduled an appointment to see someone abt getting hrt, itll be Jan 19th! ill also be seeing a few of my online friends in December too!! i hope i can stay alive at least until then. sometimes i feel like im in the same situation i was in when i started this blog but those two things are the two things giving me the hope to keep pushing on i guess.

oh and my old friends birthday will be this weekend, i probably shouldve just forgotten them by now like they probably have me but in the off chance that they ever find this stupid blog: happy birthday BXXXXX, hope you have been in good health and that you are happy ! please be well and enjoy Freddy VS Jason and the Scary Godmother, and the live action Scooby Doo movies again this year !

with that i think thats all ive had to say. im neglecting mentioning new speaker of the house, Mike Johnson, and all the terrible horrible things i want to say abt him and how im worried it will fuck with my healthcare before i even recieve it due to the fact that im typing this up outside, its cold out, my phones almost dead, im tired, and i still have a bit of this bowl of the married iguanas to finish up with before unwinding and going to bed to repeat this living nightmare of a life all over again tomorrow. maybe ill watch adventure time before bed ..?

[ataraxixx]

ok every time i make designs i have a million thoughts abt details but i dont like includingthem in the post bc i figure nobody gaf but i wanna yap anyway so

my main inspirations were mr e & harumi's outfits (canon) namely ofc mr e's helmet + harumi's belts. i wanted to give morro a sleeker/less 'biker' look because hes not Really a biker in this au hes more like a guy who happens to be in a biker gang LOL(tho i still think he looks pretty biker-y) .. i leaned a lot into mr e's canon design i think w the mostly black look (a lot diff than how i draw mr e in my own design) but also wanted to keep mostly black + green motif since i wanted it to be as striking as mr e's black and red without muddying it too much (aka not using morro's canon color scheme which i am unfortunately a hater of)

as for smaller details theres some key elements. for his jacket u may notice its not very SoG-like... no patches or emblems beside his number and initial. this is mainly bc this morro, while being in the SoG, doesnt really associate w them/their ideals/etc. hes like hired help at best. he also hates garmadon so he would never wear his name or face anywhere on his clothing. for his helmet i wanted it to have a different shape than mr e while still remaining similar so i added silly little ears/horns. i kind of had the thought of a cat or dragon motif to parallel lloyd but ill leave that to interpretation ... and ofc morro's hair is a bit straighter than i usually draw it ! mostly bc i hc him as having straight hair it just gets fucked up by his wind powers; ofc in this au he doesnt have wind powers, so his hair stays nice and combed😭

like original mr e, morro is not human... altho hes not a robot, hes a doll, but nobody can tell the difference at a first glance, so he may as well seem robotic in nature to someone not familiar with magic. i might do a pic eventually of him w/o the getup so u can see his ball joints but blehh . work whatever

and then for his weapons i wanted something just a little different than mr e's iconic twin katanas... he still has a katana, but also a combat knife, bc i think morro would be very versatile in combat since he trained to be a ninja... i think hes good w all weapons but sword + knife is his preference

Finally solidified swap morro's design. (Until i change it again #girl) . Will probably make a ref for echo eventually but i also draw him significantly more LOL but i feel like every time i drawn morro he looks different so. Proper reference

[chisatowo]

I kind of want to complain abt how generally boring 90% of mastermind aus are, but like also most of my main issues with them tends to be the lack of thought put into them from a character perspective, and I think that isn't rly the point of them? Like from what I've seen, it's more abt character design and getting to put a new vibe to a character you like, and not necessarily about finding out why they'd actually go down that path. And like, some master mind au designs ARE rly cool, but it feels like so much more could be done with the concept than is usually done? But like also I get that that's not what everyone wants from them :/

[synchlora]

aughhh thinking way to much into detail on how ran's arm works..

[doebt]

me taking my jacket off so the counseling doctor nurse lady can take my blood pressure

[inkybinkyboink]

@upsidedownatlantic​

you little BITCH (/lh)

jean valjean: i don’t...know how this would work. but i cant help but come back to the idea that he works for gus. i dont know if jvj knows abt the cartel side hustle, but gus definitely knows jvj is an ex-con. i feel like jvj is too morally opposed to getting involved, so he probably works as a part-time assistant manager or supervisor or something at los pollos. i mean. you gotta bread the chicken correctly, right? OH. yknow what. he probably used Ed’s Vacuum Service or something.  

javert: doesnt work with the DEA, but rather the FBI. he’s been tracking down Valjean even though the case went cold months ago. he gets called to take a look at a drug case in albuquerque at some point that involves gus and los pollos and probably literally comes face to face with valjean but doesnt recognize him bc he’s going by sgt. spice curl or something. 

fantine: god ok if we’re breaking bad-ifying fantine we’re breaking bad-ifying fantine. she used to be university sweethearts with tholomyes, and they were actually taught by walter white, but then after graduation, tholomyes dumps her when he finds out she’s gregnanante. cosette is born in the winter when it’s cold and dry and far too bright out and fantine nurses her kid in some alleyway after being evicted from her apartment. she cant get a job and starts selling herself to make some money so cosette can eat, which is how she meets the thenardiers. saul goodman is 100% involved somewhere, i just dont know where. 

bishop myriel: au where walter has a come-to-jesus moment and sees the bishop for advice and the bishop actually gives him really good advice but then walter takes that and turns it on its head and interprets it as the bishop justifying him cooking meth and killing people 

cosette: god ok wait. hang on. um. what if. and this is gonna be really trope-y but what if her mom passes away and shes put into the care of the thenardiers but it’s utter dogshit and she’s hurt one night and the cops are called and she’s put into foster care. this is where she first meets marius. jvj takes her under his wing, and she doesnt see marius again until years later. 

marius: what if. hear me out. what if. marius is gretchen and elliot’s adopted kid. his dad dies, and then they find out he’s being mistreated by his grand-dad so he’s also put into the system but then adopted out by gretchen and elliot. one day, he gets a call from one “saul goodman” who tells him his grand-dad is dead and theres a bunch of money left for him in his will. he has a meet-cute with cosette in the lobby of saul’s office when cosette is there with jvj for a touch-base meeting with saul. it would be hysterical because there would 100% be an instance where marius is sitting across from walter white and has no sweet clue that’s the dude who has beef with his adoptive parents. 

thenardier: one million percent buddies with spooge (atm thief guy with the little kid jesse plays peekaboo with) likes to think he runs cool scams like jimmy mcgill did but really he’s more just stealing peoples money and running like a fool than he is actually tricking them and being sneaky. 

mme. thenardier: probably bought meth off of jesse at one point. she lives at the crossroads motel and gives hank a fucking earful every time he pulls up. her favorite food is expired mr. noodles. 

eponine: friends with jane. jane, eponine and esmeralda would bond together and maximize their joint slay SO fucking hard oh my god literally i am on my knees and at their service. eponine and jane either work at the same tattoo parlour or jane has given eponine a handful of tattoos. probably stick and poke too.

enjolras: runs an advocacy group for minority rights. goes to unm for human rights and political science. probably had a couple run ins with gale. i could see them grabbing coffee together and talking for a bit, but at the same time enjolras is WAY too serious for gale to digest, so im on the fence there. him and gus need to have like a seriousness face off bc it would be unMATCHED. hates cops with a burning passion (as he should). if howard was still around he would be scared of enjolras. 

grantaire: i would bet you my fucking scholarship that grantaire in breaking bad would be a stoner who sells weed to jesse. definitely went to high school with him. 100% friends with jane’s circle. god he would fit in so well it physically hurts. 

gavroche: probably hangs around the girls a lot. :( what if jane makes him little sketches. he returns the favours by bringing her cool rocks. she keeps them all on her window sill. somehow ends up at walters house at some point and skyler would make him pancakes because he asked nicely. no one knows how and it only happens once and then never again.

this one was harder ngl bc every les mis character is in essence just a cartoon character trope. also i read some of this to my mom and then later i was sitting with >:) this expression and she went “you’re enjoying writing this, arent you” 

dedicating this post to @upsidedownatlantic 😔😔be careful what u wish for

who would the hunchback of notre dame characters be if i dropped them into the gilligould-verse:

quasimodo: i feel like he works for gus. maybe alongside mike? like he's smart, and assuming that we're not following hunchback canon and that these characters are just there on their own, i think this would work. he works for gus with mike. probably helped build the superlab. dont you dare tell me he wouldnt be BESTIES with gale.

claude frollo: definitely ran a "drug rehab" support group at the church. jesse's parents almost definitely made him go there and jesse stopped going of his own volition when he found out how terrible and abusive it really was. frollo also definitely frequents HHM when it was still HHM to report literally every single little thing ever. howard hates him but cant say anything because Frollo is like tight buds with Chuck

clopin trouillefou: 1000% nacho's weed dealer. lives at the Crossroads Motel. friends with wendy. has absolutely hired saul as his lawyer. actively sells weed to los pollos employees behind gus' back but has no idea gus is really high up in the cartel, he's just doing it for shits and giggles.

esmeralda: the one sane character. i keep coming back to the idea that she somehow knows jane. i think she'd work at a sick ass cafe, maybe the diner mike frequents? that way she would still be in contact with quasimodo. big fucking brain. she's taking a couple classes outside work, maybe her and jane are in the same sketching class? she eventually meets jesse and kind of knows him through mutuals. probably aware theres something bigger at stake but actively ignores it and doesnt get involved. god i would smoke a joint with her so bad.

phoebus de martin: an intern with the DEA. he eats lunch at los pollos every single day and gus just kind of watches astounded that this man hasnt picked up on a single thing yet and really believes gus is an upstanding citizen who solely gives back to his community.

jehan frollo: 1000% jesse's meth dealer. ahaha what if hes still friends with phoebus but phoebus is SO oblivious he has no sweet clue jehans a drug dealer. phoebus is just like "eh he's just kind of like that." and moves on.