#i need to work on how this au actually works... i feel like danny doesn't ping as a ghost unless he's being all portal-y

[surelysilly]

do they get paid enough for this, i wonder (danny has zero concept of the economy)

[bloggerspam]

Cousins, Clones and Conning the Family

Family Reunion AU, where cousins Maddie and Clark try to smuggle their clone children into the family reunion that happens every 5 years and pretend they've been there the whole time.

Spoiler alert, one of them does significantly better than the other. Mainly Kid POV, and also on AO3! Multichapter. ===

The problem with big family reunions, Danny thinks, is how utterly fucking lost Danny is all the gosh dang time.

"Well now, you're Maddie's son now ain'tcha? How old is you now?" The woman standing before him guffaws, ruffling his hair. He lets it, trying desperately to remember the speadsheet Jazz created for the family and (obviously) failing to recall this woman's name.

Agatha? Selene? Riri? No, Aunt Riri is over there—

"Yes ma'am," Danny smiles up at the unnamed aunt, accent going a little twangy like it always does at these functions, "I'll be hittin' 17 in a coupl'a months or so."

"My, my, you youngin's sure grow like weeds!" The aunt coos, gesturing to a height by her hip, "You used to be this tall last time I saw ya, betcha don't r'member me now do ya?"

It's a trap. If he says he doesn't remember, which is expected at reunions such as these that happen every 5 years or longer, she'll start going on and on about the stories she has of the family. Danny would have to stand here and demure and laugh at these cousins he doesn't really remember too well, but know enough to know that she's gotten them all mixed up.

"Pshaw," Danny doesn't react when a whisper breathes the answer into his ear, "I'd never forget a pretty lady like you, Aunt Helena!"

It works like a charm.

The second he's out of her clutches, he feels around for a cold spot. There, trailing just behind him, is Ellie. She's not invisible anymore, so he tucks her under his arm and bee-lines it towards the metaphorical kid's table.

"Thanks, Ellie. Weren't you supposed to stay with Dad?" Danny leads them around, trying to avoid any other mishaps. "Did Jazz send you?"

"She made me flashcards!" Ellie smirks up at him, ignoring his other question and pulling a corner of an index card out from the palm of her hand. She's always been better than him at manipulating the ecto in her body, for obvious reasons. Danny's not bitter about it at all.

"Damn, all I got was a presentation." Danny grumbles. Jazz and Dad somehow know every single one of their family members, which is ludicrous when even Mom doesn't know despite it being her side of the family.

He still can't really believe how big his family actually is, but he supposes that's natural. He only sees them once every couple of years, the only relative they see even on a remotely regular basis is Aunt Alicia, who has no kids and refuses (rightfully so) to remarry.

Danny's fine with that, he gets the best of both worlds after all. Cozy holiday stays with Aunt Alicia and he has places to stay all over the country if he really needs it, no questions asked.

Plus, crazy as they can be, these reunions have always felt like a big country festival for Danny.

"She likes me better." Ellie snickers, tugging him back to avoid Uncle Charlie's drunken stumbling.

"Everyone likes you better," Danny rolls his eyes, pushing Ellie's head down and ducking to avoid a stray kid's toy flying overhead, "I like you better."

As if somehow knowing Danny's being self deprecating again, Jazz shows up to smack him on the head. "I like both of you equally in special ways."

Danny makes a disgruntled noise, grumbling as he rubs his head, "Mooooom, Jazz is therapizing me again!"

Even though he was only half joking, Mom does show up specifically to laugh at him. "Honey, your father and I love all our children equally!"

"It's a secret," Dad says from behind Jazz, kids climbing all over him, "But Ellie's the favorite!"

"Jack!" Mom yells at the same time Jazz screams, "Dad!"

Ellie dissolves into giggles, making everyone but Dad helplessly laugh. It's good to see Ellie laugh, she does it a lot but it still doesn't feel like it's enough. Danny picks her up, giggling mess and all, and tosses her at Dad.

She lands, as expected, straight into the pile of children who scream and accept her easily.

"Nice." Jazz chuckles, this time patting him gently on his head in approval. Danny shrugs, dusting his hands off and heading back towards salvation: the food.

He and Jazz mingle a bit, exchanging greetings and school updates with the Aunts and Uncles they occasionally bump into, making their way slowly through and keeping an eye out for the other cousins.

Eventually, Jazz gets nabbed by Cousin Dermot just as Danny reaches the table, tossing a pig-in-a-blanket into his mouth and chewing with glee. The locals of the family usually something potluck style—and though Dad's genes are strong and the Fentons can't cook, the bulk of the Walker family definitely can.

In fact—Great Aunt Martha said she was going to bring some mini pies right?

Danny spies a pile of them in the middle of the large table and reaches for one, only to bump into the spikes of black fingerless gloves.

The gloves are, of course, attached to someone else.

It's a boy, around Danny's age, in a spiked leather jacket (matching the gloves) and white tee shirt with ripped jeans. He's got the tiniest John Lennon sunglasses and piercings everywhere—it makes Danny squint at him, with how much the sun keeps catching on everything—the spikes, the piercings, the metal arms of the sunglasses, is this dude also wearing lipgloss?

Danny's not judging, a guy can appreciate proper hydration to avoid chapped lips or even just for the aesthetic, but it doesn't help with the glare.

"Sorry, my bad." Right, okay, city slicker then. Not that Danny's much of a country boy or anything. "Did my spikes get you?"

Maybe Cousin Jenny brought a plus one? Danny eyes the guys jeans—they look tight. Was Cousin Mark into guys? Is this dude a guy or possibly a masculine girl? Ack. Stupid sun frying his brain.

"It's okay," Danny says, blinking away and tossing mini pie to the other person. "Aunt Martha's pies are worth the minor injury. You comin' in with one of the cousins?"

"Uh, yeah." Citypunk looks at Danny nervously, "I mean, I am one of the cousins." The guy bites his lips, shrugging, "Uh, one of the Kents, actually. Ma's real proud of the pies."

Danny blinks.

"…You're not Jon." Danny says, very carefully and slowly.

"…No…" Stranger Danger draws his vowels out, "I'm Conner. His, uh, older brother? Can't blame ya for being confused though!"

"…You can't." Danny agrees, because out of the two them, Danny definitely isn't to blame for the confusion.

"Yeah, lots of cousins, and all," Curiouser and Curiouser beams at Danny, shrugging and rubbing the back of his neck, "Plus, I know Jon's more sociable at these things."

"Right, he really is rambunctious, that guy." Danny nods, as if that's the problem, and not the fact that Danny knows every single cousin his age. Big as his family might be, Danny's generation came out the smallest. Cousin Jenny and Cousin Mark are the only two his age.

With Ellie and Jazz each being four years younger and older than Danny, and the other cousins being well beyond those ages in gaps, there is no way this guy is a cousin.

"Don't worry," Punk'd laughs self deprecatingly, "I know he's the favorite. even if Mom won't admit it."

Danny feels a vein throb in his right temple.

He's unsure if he should slowly back away or get up in the guy's face. It's just—now that Danny thinks about it, if wedding crashing is a thing, does that mean family reunion crashing is a thing too?

What's the protocol here? Should he fight this guy for having the audacity to use Great Aunt Martha's name in vein?

Wait, no, that's Jesus.

Is Great Aunt Martha Catholic? ...Is that the one with Jesus, or was that Christianity?

Wait, Danny, you knuckle head, Uncle Clark was adopted. Conner could be adopted too! Even though he looks exactly like that Uncle Clark when he was younger…

"Is this your first time at a reunion?" Danny ventures, "We only have 'em—"

"Every 5 years, yeah." Conner huffs, "Nah, I just used to hide with Ma in the kitchens."

Okay, clearly Great Aunt Martha isn't in on this, because Danny used to hide with Great Aunt Martha in the kitchens. Danny's about to lose his shit on this guy—or maybe sic Ellie on him. Whichever is worse.

"Oh yeah? That's must have been cozy." Danny grits out, taking a deep breath so his eyes don't flash.

"Yeah, it was!" Conner beams shyly. though all Danny sees is a smug smirk. "She's real nice-like, I'm sure you know. Real lucky to have her for a Grandma."

"Real lucky." Danny agrees, because Great Aunt Martha really was one of the better Great Aunts. Though most of the Walker Kin were hardy and tough, in that badass kind of way. Mom really liked Great Aunt Martha's lessons on bull wranglin' back when they were younger. "Speakin' of, she ain't here?"

"Nah," Conner makes a sad little pout. "She hadta stop by Auntie Agatha's for an emergency. She left two days ago, so she's runnin' a little behind. Cl—Dad went to go pick her up."

Danny squints at the possible imposter. That sounded like he was going to call Uncle Clark by his name, which makes things confusing for Danny. Guy will call Aunt Lois Mom but he won't call Uncle Clark Dad easily?  Maybe he's a kid Aunt Lois had before marrying Uncle Clark? But Aunt Lois would never hide a kid, and Great Aunt Martha would never let her treat a kid like that. That's not even taking into account that this kid looks way too much like Uncle Clark for it to be a fucking coincidence. Plus, Danny knew about Aunt Aggie's emergency and how she might not be making it to this year's reunion—this gives Conner's story credibility.

But Danny knows that the best way to lie is with truths, even if the truths are confusing.

So what the hell is going on? Is Clockwork fucking with him? Did an alternate timeline get switched with his?

It wouldn't be the first time, but Clockwork at least had the decency to let him know at least.

"What the—" Danny blinks, as Conner picks up a very familiar, eye-searingly green colored post it note that was stuck to the plate under a mini pie. "Is this yours?"

"Yeah," Danny huffs. taking the note and rolling his eyes as lies roll off his tongue, "Sorry, y'know how it goes with Jazz."

"Oh, yeah." And Danny has to give it Conner, he at least rolls with the punches real quick, "I heard about it but didn't ever uh, see it in action."

"Really?" Danny feigns surprise, head pulsing in irritation at the words all is as it should be written in purple pen. There's no mocking smiley face, but Danny feels it in the ink anyway. "Thought she got all the cousins at the last reunion."

Conner chuckles nervously, "Oh, yeah—Guess I'm just, easy to miss you know?"

"Uh huh…" Danny eyes the guy and his piercings and very distinct style, from the tip of his clearly styled hair and needlessly ostentatious big black studded boots. "…Right."

Conner laughs, wincing. "These're new. High school debut."

"…You're a freshman?" Danny tilts his head, squinting.

"Junior." Conner automatically corrects, before stiffening. "…I just wanted to reinvent myself for Junior Prom."

"Right." Danny repeats, drawing out the vowels and finally giving up. He can tell Conner already knows what Danny is going to ask, and is trying to exit this conversation post-haste.

Fortunately for Conner and unfortunately for Danny, Jazz comes barreling in, almost knocking the former out in the process as she grips the latter's biceps tightly with her eyes wide and nervous.

Unfortunately for Conner and fortunately for Danny, though the look in Jazz's eyes thoroughly distracts the latter and gives the former a window to escape, Jazz's hissed out words end up keeping Conner rooted to the floor.

"Baby Jon has powers!" Jazz hisses as she moves Danny away from the possible imposter a couple feet. Even though she says it low enough for only Danny to hear, Conner's wide eyes as he whips his gaze towards them suggests that Jon's not the only one with powers.

And then words actually register along with that thought.

Danny hisses out the first thing he thinks of. "Since when?? I thought he took after Aunt Lois!"

"Since now," Jazz gruffs, switching her grip to drag Danny away, "and I need you to do something about it!"

"What?" Danny doesn't struggle, going along even as he eyes Conner who seems to be following them at a distance. "Why?"

Jazz pushes him towards the kid's area, rushing out a frantic "He's in the bounce house with Ellie!"

Danny freezes, or tries to even as Jazz keeps tugging him along, before shaking off her hand and booking it towards the bounce house.

Once the bounce house (a castle) comes into view, Danny clocks several things in succession:

One: Ellie and Jon are thankfully the only ones in the bounce house right now.

Two: Ellie and Jon are laughing, and through the mesh Danny can see Ellie watching Jon jump way too high to be considered normal.

And three: The bounce house is about to fucking tip over.

There's a gaggle of Aunts herding the younger cousins towards the food that's dense enough for cover, but sparse enough for Danny to dash through.

Between one blink and the next, he disappears.

[lilianade-comics]

Has Danielle tried considering Danny's perspective on Vlad? The guy tries to hit on your married mom the instant you meet him, has attempted multiple times to kill your dad, *clones you* (which, as the clone themself, I can see this being a morally grey dilemma because they wouldn't exist if that didn't happen), etc, etc. Is she truly aware of the type of sleazy scumbag he is and simply doesn't care? Is her perception of him warped that much due to bias?

Not saying she isn't allowed to love Vlad as a parent, of course, especially when she's the first and likely only person he (in your AU) genuinely cares for and treats with any amount of respect.

I was just wondering when the two finally form a mutual understanding that, "Yeah, Vlad sucks as a person. I won't betrayal him, and you can't change my mind, but I at least acknowledge how he's made your life hell." Surely, they do at some point since they're seen causally hanging out and getting along in your other comics without much issue. They don't have to entirely stop being enemies, either, as they're naturally on opposing sides because of her loyalty, but she can still sympathize with him and find the whole situation a bit depressing to say the least.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. Merely wanted to spill my thoughts and curiosities after seeing your Eye-for-an-Eye snippets. Would love to see or hear about the first time they sit and have an actual heart-to-heart conversation about everything that doesn't devolve into an argument or physical fight.

Danielle at this early stage in this AU is more in denial about Vlad's villainous behavior than she is later, and she's mostly ignorant of Danny's personal experiences with him. She thinks the best of Vlad because she's his child, and because Eye for an Eye isn't exactly the most ideal circumstances for her to meet Danny, they're going to be pitted against each other in an antagonistic rivals relationship for a handful of "episodes". From Dani's POV, Danny is the so-much-better-than-her ideal golden boy that her father (used to be) obsessed with, and Danny had her home destroyed, so Dani is not currently keen to hear Danny's justified objections to her father's lengthy rap sheet.

Urban Jungle is going to be the much needed Danny & Dani relationship development episode, because it's the perfect backdrop for them to come to an understanding since they'll be the only two people who escaped Undergrowth's control. Two incredibly similar rivals, one town to save, and a ton of interpersonal issues to work through. They'll end that story on much better terms than they did in Eye for an Eye, and Dani will begin to morph into Danny's chill cousin instead of his bitter rival.

(In the meta sense, Dani's stubborn defense of Vlad is meant to mirror Danny's stubborn defense of Jack. I'm not saying either one is right or wrong for this or that Jack and Vlad are a 100% fair comparison, but I am saying the kids are kindred spirits and both feel they are in the right. That being said, Dani becomes a relatively neutrally aligned character rather than a traditional antagonist, and she's just as likely to side with Danny later on as she is with Vlad.)

Thanks for the ask! Rambling is great, and it's helpful to me to have to try to articulate what I'm doing with this AU. (I originally envisioned this monster as half semi-serious canon rewrite, and half obnoxiously self-indulgent fanon fluff. And since it's based on season 3, there are so many pacing and narrative direction issues to try to account for that I. Simply haven't done that. So it's kind of all over the place & I couldn't tell you how the AU ends because I don't know :P)

[lsunstreakerl]

part fourteen of the maxiel corporate au! this chunk is all maxiel, but rico has a presence, and he's got a pretty solid feature in the next chunk before the fic goes back to mostly maxiel, just a heads up.

explicit! they kind of live together now, so. lots more of that. and also this was originally a kink prompt so we're really just going back to this fics roots here

1.8k words, Max POV :)

Max has a hard time falling asleep. He's tossing and turning in Daniel's extra room, and he can't find a comfortable position to settle in. The sheets are too silky against his legs, the pillow is weird under his head, and in just a few nights he's gotten attached to falling asleep with someone else.

He's not exactly well rested when his phone reads 05:07, but he drops his head back onto his pillow, groaning softly.

Work. And also-

Max freezes, eyes shooting open. How is he supposed to...?

There's not exactly lube laying around in the extra room, and it's not like Max kept any with him, so he's either going to need to forgo the rule or ask Daniel for some.

Having to ask for it when Daniel might not even fuck him today is humiliating. Max bites at his lip, teeth sinking into skin.

He wants to follow the rule.

Honestly, it's Daniel's rule, so there's no possible way he could be upset with Max for asking for lube when it's something he wants.

Max slides out from under the sheets, silky smooth against his skin, trying to tug down the hem of his borrowed shorts. It doesn't do him many favors, leaving most of his thighs exposed.

The flat is still quiet, although he can start to hear the sounds of movement from Daniel's room, and Max lingers in the hallway for a moment before the door cracks open.

Daniel steps out, low slung sweatpants and nothing else, and Max feels his heart rate notch up. There's so much skin- miles worth of tan and tattoos, lean muscle and-

"Max?"

Daniel sounds dryly amused, and Max snaps his eyes back up from where he's been blatantly staring at his crotch, face burning hot.

"Ah-"

Daniel raises an eyebrow at him.

"Can I help you with something? Coffee machine instructions?"

Max brightens up- he actually would like coffee machine instructions, but then he cringes, looking to the side of Daniel's eyes instead of at them.

"I was wondering if I, uh,"

Daniel's watching him curiously, and Max forces the rest of the words out.

"-could have some lube? Sir? I mean- Danny."

Max's ears must be red now too, and he squeezes his eyes shut. There's the sound of footsteps, and then Daniel is right in front of him. Max can feel the heat from his skin as Daniel settles a broad palm just under his ribs, fingers curling around his waist.

"Don't get shy now babe."

There's laughter in his voice, and Max blushes hotter, only holds eye contact for a second before he looks away.

Daniel's fingers trace lightly up his side under his shirt and Max shivers, cock stirring in his shorts. A thumb presses up at one of his nipples, nail flicking into the sensitive skin as Daniel looks him up and down slowly.

"Ask me again, Maxy."

Max hesitates, wanting to shift on his feet, but he holds off, nails digging into his palms.

"Please give me some lube, Danny."

Daniel hums softly, gaze dipping to Max's collarbones as he starts slowly walking them backwards, toward where the guest room is.

"On one condition."

Daniel's toying with him. Max tries not to let any annoyance shoot through him, even though it's Daniel's rule that's the reason they're doing this at all.

He waits patiently even as his heart thuds in his ears, letting Daniel walk him all the way into the bedroom.

Daniel's fingers find his way to his sternum, groping at his chest briefly before Max feels the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress, and then he's being shoved, lands on his back with his knees forced apart.

He's hard already.

Daniel laughs, lightly tracing Max's cock through his shorts, giving a short squeeze as Max gasps, head dropping back.

"Danny-"

Daniel takes a step away, digging around in one of the dresser drawers before tossing something on the bed next to Max.

"I want to watch you do it."

Oh, that's- that's not going to work well. Max barely knows what he's doing, a frustrated whine building in his chest as he snags the bottle of lube.

Daniel's leaning against the side of the bed, eyes dark. Max gives him a tiny glare as he shoves his shorts down, face burning.

The lube is cool on his fingers. Rico always manages to have it warm, so it's not a shock to him, but Max doesn't know how he does that, and he flinches when he presses a finger in, wrist crooked awkwardly.

Daniel lets him struggle, watching as Max works up to a second finger, but it's through slightly teary eyes, frustration building in him as he drops his head back.

Daniel leans down onto the bed, one knee braced on the mattress as he tugs Max's fingers away, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I find it hard to believe that's how you've been doing it, babe. You're too well prepped in the mornings, so either you're lying, or..."

Max shivers under the weight of his stare, because he knew he couldn't keep a secret forever-

He just hadn't expected to face the consequences at Daniel's.

Daniel pinches the inside of his thigh, laughing softly at Max's pained yelp as he tries to yank his leg away, held firmly in place by Daniel's hand, fingers digging in.

"I think there's something you're not telling me, Maxy."

He turns his head away, mouth pressed shut in a tight line as he doesn't meet Daniel's eyes.

"Look at me."

Daniel's not asking, he's telling, and Max raises his head up slightly to look, face hot. His ears are burning, and he's more turned on now than he'd been earlier.

There's a brush of fingers at his cock, more of a tease than anything, and Max squirms under Daniel's hand, lips twisting into a pout.

"Yeah, you're hiding something. Something you like, clearly."

Daniel trails the tip of his finger against Max's cock, running it through the trails of precome before pressing it to Max's lips.

Max opens his mouth, and Daniel pushes his finger inside, pressing onto his tongue briefly as Max gets his own salty taste, hips twitching.

Daniel's mouth curls into a smirk.

"Something you know I'm not going to approve of, yeah? You've got a dirty little secret going on here."

Max licks at his finger, head falling back into the pillow when Daniel withdraws it, wiping it against his hip.

"Let me guess..."

Oh, Max is so screwed.

Daniel's still grinning, holding Max down with one hand as he continues teasing at his cock with the other.

"Dildo before work? I don't think that's your style, you're too shy for that. So here's what I think, babe. I think you've got a friend,"

He puts 'friend' in quotation marks, squeezing Max's thigh.

"-and I think maybe he fucks you in the mornings, doesn't he?"

Max can't help the blurt of precome, because he doesn't- it's just his fingers, just to help Max, but the thought of it makes his blood hot, and he tosses his head to the side again.

Daniel laughs sharply, flicking the soft skin of Max's hip.

"There it is. Greedy little slut, getting fucked at work not enough for you? You needed your big strong roommate to do it for you, get you all stretched out? You're something else, babe. Do you come when he fucks you?"

Max's hips jerk, mortified.

"No, no he doesn't fuck me, just you-"

There's a squeeze at the base of his cock, and Max can feel tears at his waterline.

"I find that hard to believe, I'm sure you understand."

Max shudders, embarrassingly hard at Daniel's judgmental tone.

"He just- Danny, it's just his fingers, and I- I told him not to let me come, he doesn't let me-"

Daniel makes an intrigued noise, and Max is cut off by two fingers pushing inside of him, cold with lube as Daniel scissors them, tapping one against his prostate.

"Ah- Danny, Danny I promise, I listened, you never said I couldn't-"

Daniel laughs, pressing into Max's prostate hard as his other hand squeezes as his cock again. Max's fingers curl tighter into the sheets.

"So you want to turn it on me? Make it my fault that you can't stand not having something in your greedy little hole, need it so bad you're throwing yourself at other people? Nice try, Maxy."

Max sniffs, tears sliding down his cheeks as Daniel brings him closer to the edge.

"But you have a point, that I didn't tell you that you couldn't- even if that's a ridiculous caveat- so I'll give you some lenience, cut you a deal, how's that sound?"

Max nods, eyes wide as he looks up at Daniel, thoughts swirling between Danny and Rico and how badly he needs to come.

"If you want to come at all, in the next few... let's say days, yeah? At all in the next few days, you'll have to call him and beg for it. I won't let you."

Max jerks, right on the cusp of his orgasm, and Daniel pulls his fingers out, wrapping tightly around the base of his cock, ruining it as Max cries.

"Danny! Please, please, I'm sorry, I'll be good-"

"Oh I'm sure you will- but if you want to come, you'll do it while he's fucking you, and not a moment sooner. You want him to help you out so bad, call him over."

Daniel's pulled his own cock out, jerking himself off over Max, fingers wet with lube and precome as he looks down at Max, crying underneath him.

Max's own orgasm is ruined, but he's humiliatingly turned on at the thought, the idea of Rico, how huge he is- Max would be cored open if he fucked him, it would completely rearrange him, there's no way it would fit-

Daniel scoffs, sharp and cruel as he squeezes at Max's hips, fingers digging into him.

"Oh you want that bad, don't you? Fuck, that's pathetic."

His hand speeds up, and then he's coming, wet splatters across Max's chest and stomach, adding to the mess.

He slaps the side of Max's hip, closer to the meat of his ass as he stands, leaving Max sniffling on the sheets.

"Say it."

Max tosses his head to the side, face burning.

"I want it, Danny."

Daniel tuts, disappointed.

"Not good enough, babe. What do you want, need it so bad you're crying about it on my bed?"

Max won't meet his eyes, halfway to being hard again.

"I want Rico to fuck me."

Daniel's fingers curl around his ankle, squeezing.

"Weird way to say you want to be split open on his cock, but sure Maxy, I'll let it slide."

He lets go of him, stepping back towards the doorway as he looks back at Max.

"Go shower- and you know better than to get off. Come find me when you're done."

Max swallows, horny and upset and pissed off all at once, a sweaty mess on the sheets, Daniel's cum cooling on his skin.

He nods anyways.

[mutable-manifestation]

Actual Scientists Jack & Maddie AU Part 3

Part 1 & 2

***

The lab is empty when they get to Fenton Works, his parents busy off helping the JLD wherever it was they were working from.

The journey the rest of the way to the Far Frozen passes relatively quickly under the weight of discussing how to reverse engineer the sarcophagus of forever sleep to make Naptime Box 2: Vlad Edition.

Could they probably just beat him up with the right plan and aid? Sure. But then they risk having to play royal hot potato (Danny doesn't want it and he doubts most of the allies he has would want the extra responsibility. Assuming there are responsibilities - Danny wouldn't know since there hasn't been a king, for all intents and purposes, since well before he became a halfa so who knows what the position even means in the context of the Zone).

Plus it would be way more satisfying to shove him in a box. Vlad gets a nice long nap and Danny gets to live the rest of his half-life without worrying about his Dad getting stabbed or something if Vlad starts feeling impatient.

It would also give Danny plenty of time to find some way to buy the Packers - not because he wants them, just because it would be really funny if Vlad eventually woke up to find that the only thing he wanted other than Maddie was now also very permanently out of reach.

The city of Green Bay could fold eventually, after all. But Danny? Danny would never yield, just to spite him, and Vlad would know that.

He probably won't actually do it, seeing as a) expensive and b) probably complicated.

But it would be really funny.

Their discussion on the ethics of using the Fenton Stockades as the base for the Box cut off as they land.

Without the distraction of their chat the adrenaline of panic comes rushing back, and he transforms as he steps out of the Speeder, nyooming to hover in front of Frostbite so quickly that the entire welcoming party - Frostbite somehow manages to have one arranged every time he drops by, and Danny is usually willing to at least try and indulge them since it seems to make them happy - jolts in surprise.

"Greetings!" Frostbite smiles wide, arms open in a grand welcoming, the only hint of lingering surprise the trails of slightly puffed up fur up his arms and the sides of his neck that has already mostly smoothed itself back out. "The Far Frozen welcomes the Great One and friends-"

"Hey Frostbite sorry for being abrupt but I'm kind of freaking out and you seemed like the best person - uh, ghost to go to because you always seem to know lots of things and I kind of need to know what's going on as soon as possible just in case it's a worst case scenario because the Justice League came to talk to my parents about some papers and I probably haven't mentioned them to you before because they're awful and I thought my parents made them but surprise I was wrong! Which is good! Except the League was mostly worried about them maybe causing the new ghost king to war with the human realm because apparently there's a supernatural branch of the Justice League and they think there's a new Ghost KingTM as in the Ghost King after Pariah Dark and I'm kind of freaking out because if there is a new ghost king there's actually a chance it's Vlad and oh ancients please tell me it's not Vlad or that the League heard wrong please."

Sam and Tucker had caught up by then, coming to stand on either side of him as Frostbite blinked.

"You are...asking me the identity of the current High King?" He asks, face scrunched in a bewildered expression.

"Oh my gosh Batman was right!?" He floats a bit higher at the news. "Please just tell me it's not Vlad! Uh, Plasmius."

"Plasmius?" Frostbite asks, eyebrows crawling higher. "Certainly not! What in the realms - do you truly not know?"

"Oh thank goodness," Danny sighs, sinking back to his usual level. "Not Vlad, okay, one less disastrous possibility. And whoever it is probably already knows they're the king and nothing bad has happened yet so it's probably fine, right?"

He looks back to meet Frostbite's eyes.

"Wait, nothing bad has happened yet, right? Like, is everything okay? I know Pariah caused you guys a lot of grief before; the new guy 's not going around causing trouble for you and you just haven't told me because you're worried about being a bother, right?" He frets, eyes flicking about, searching for fresh injuries on the various members of the welcoming party.

"...No, Great One," Frostbite answers, blinking away the surprised expression to be replaced by something soft. "Though I, and all the Far Frozen, are honored by your concern. While Pariah Dark is no longer the High King of the Infinite Realms, I can assure you, with utmost certainty, that you have nothing to fear from his successor. But I believe we have much more to discuss. Come, let us find somewhere more comfortable to talk - and get your human friends out of the cold."

***

It didn't take them long to reach a sitting room, and soon enough they were all settled into the enormous, fuzzy chairs in one of the warmer rooms available, Danny and Frostbite each with a cup of shaved ice tea while Sam and Tucker were offered beverages warm enough to steam in deference to their need for warmth.

Once everyone had taken a sip - or bite - Danny launched back into his questioning.

"So did Dark have a kid hidden away somewhere or did some kind of council finally decide on his replacement? Actually can ghosts even have - wait right Box Lunch, forgot about that on purpose but never mind. Or is there some fourth option that isn't those or trial by combat that we didn't think of?"

"Before I answer that, Great One, may I ask why you have already discounted trial by combat?" He returns curiously.

"Because if it was trial by combat it would be Vlad - er, Plasmius - and you already said it isn't him."

"Or it could be you," Tucker ribs, waggling his fingers at him.

"We already talked about why it couldn't be me, Tuck," Danny huffs, rolling his eyes and taking another bite of his... smoothie?

"Oh? And why do you think it would be Plasmius?" Frostbite asks.

"Because! I may have fought Pariah Dark, and sure I put him back in the sarcophagus, but I was running on fumes by that point, and he was still slamming around in there! Vlad, as much as I hate to admit it, is the one that turned the key and made sure he stayed locked away. It took almost everything I had to keep him pinned long enough. If...if he'd been even a few seconds later I probably would've died the rest of the way before he even had the time to break out a second time."

"But had you not put him there, no key would have mattered," Frostbite begins quietly. "Plasmius was no match for Pariah Dark; he was defeated in an instant the first time they clashed."

"Well, yeah, but so was I," he protests, not liking the direction the conversation is beginning to take.

"And yet, you alone went to face him a second time. You alone stood against the King of All Ghosts while your armies clashed."

"Our-!? I didn't have- you mean the ghosts that came to help me???" Danny sputtered, incredulous. "They weren't an army they were just-"

He pauses, searching for words that would not come.

"They were just a large group of ghosts who sided with you, who aided you in combat and kept the multitudes distracted while you went to face their leader alone. However you thought of them at the time, whatever they were to you up till then or are to you now, after, in that moment they were your army."

"Danny's totally the ghost king, isn't he?" Sam drawls after the brief silence that follows.

"Indeed," Frostbite answers her, but he looks Danny in the eyes as he does so. "You are the savior of the Ghost Zone, Pariah's Bane. And you are the High King of the Infinite Realms."

"I cheated!" Danny blurts out, shooting up to float above his chair.

"Cheated?" Frostbite's lips twitch as he fights down a smile.

"I had the Fenton Ecto-Skeleton! That's totally cheating! Don't combat trials have to be honorable or something?!" He begs.

Frostbite chuckles.

"I apologize, Great One, but I am afraid there is no such thing as an honorable war," he says, expression briefly turning solemn. "And even if it were, just as you had your "Ecto-Skeleton," did not Pariah have his ring and crown?

You issued a challenge and he answered, your armies clashed while the two of you stood against each other and each other alone; you alone put him back into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, and you alone held it shut long enough for Plasmius to turn the key.”

Danny drifts back down to his seat as Frostbite speaks, then continues slouching further with every word.

“I am given to understand that Plasmius likes to think of others as pawns on his own personal chessboard,” he says, “But at the time he was but another ghost, come to fight Pariah's army on your behalf - as a member of your army. A pawn, to paraphrase his own words, that you used to topple a king - not through any intentional manipulation, but through the sheer magnetic charisma of your willingness to stand against monsters like Pariah Dark and of your ability to do so. The confidence to stand alongside you that such strength inspires. 

He would not have approached if he did not believe you could win - would not risk endangering himself so. At best, you could consider him a referee, calling the match to a close once it was decisively in your favor.

Plasmius may think of existence as a game with himself as the only player, and he may have been acting in his own self-interest overall, but by every measure, in this instance, he was undeniably your piece.

The Zone itself acknowledges your right to rule by the way the crown of fire sits where you left it, unmoving on the floor of Pariah's keep until the day you finally choose to wear it, no matter how many hands may try to move it."

Frostbite's words are slow and measured, but as undeniable as the creeping of a glacier. And by the time they cease, Danny has sunk so far as to end up an undignified heap on the floor before his chair.

The trio remains silent as they absorb his words.

Minutes pass before Danny finally speaks.

"If the crown can't be taken, then how did I get it from Pariah?" He questions, a final hope that Frostbite may be mistaken.

"It will only remain unmoved until you first put it on. After that, it will be up to you whether it stays safe on your head."

Danny groans his despair, final bit of hope shattered.

"I must apologize again, Great One," he says solemnly. "Had I known you were unaware of your station, I would have informed you sooner."

He frowns heavily, looking into the distance thoughtfully.

"The Observants should have informed you long before now."

"Well, that explains it. The Observants hate Danny's guts," Tucker says.

"To neglect their duties for such a reason...," He trails off, his glower highlighting the inhuman nature of his visage. 

The trio fidget.

Danny coughs after a few seconds of tense silence.

“Uh, speaking of duties,” he begins, relaxing as Frostbite’s expression smooths back into something kind and polite as he listens, “What exactly does the Ghost King even do? Like. Pariah was locked away for… a long time? I guess. So does the Zone even need a King? Can’t I just, like, resign?”

“I suppose it might seem that way from a younger ghost’s perspective - Pariah has been locked away for millenia, after all, and the Zone is still in one piece.” 

Frostbite pauses, leaning back in his seat and taking another bite of his drink. 

“However. What you must understand, Great One, is that the problems caused by the absence of a king in the Infinite Realms are not the whirlwind that such a thing would be in the living realm - social order is affected, but the speed of bureaucracy is slower by orders of magnitude in the Realms, and there is not the same level of inter-reliance that the living tend to require - but rather, they are winds and waters sliding against a rock, chipping away at it bit by bit until it is either worn smooth… or the whole structure collapses under its own weight.”

“How does not having a king cause dimensional collapse!?” Tucker shrieks, clutching his cup like a lifeline.

“How long do we have before it collapses?” Sam asks urgently not a second later.

“Oh shit, how long do we have before it collapses???” he echoes, hunching over his cup enough that the steam adds a layer of fog to his glasses.

Danny sits bolt upright, whipping wide eyes away from his friends to join them in staring at Frostbite.

“Total collapse would take millenia more to truly begin,” he placates before taking a more grave expression. “This does not mean that there will not be issues before that point, however; the symptoms of the High King’s absence have begun to show this past millennium. But rest assured, there is time enough to heal the wounds that have been wrought. The only permanent damage would be the collapse itself, and that, as I said, is millenia away.”

“Is… is that why you never mentioned it to me before?” Danny asks, dropping back to the ground in relief. “Because it’s not urgent and you figured I’d just…get to it eventually? Actually, why did you think I knew if you knew that the crown was still in Pariah’s Keep?”

“It is the duty of the Observants to observe, but also, as you have experienced, to oversee - the timeline, trials, the general functioning of the zone. Without a king to report to, much of their ability to act is crippled, of course - their ability to interfere directly with the timeline has always been severely restricted, their options for sentencing are severely reduced, and there are some things the Realms require that only the High King can provide - but one duty remains unaffected: overseeing the ascension of new kings. 

Coronations have taken many forms in the past, from a quick swap in the battlefield to a formal ceremony to a celebration that lasted a decade. Given the dark era we are, at last, able to put behind us and the non-urgent nature of even the most severe problems that the Realms are currently affected by, I had assumed that the large delay was in preparation for that last form - the lead-up to a grand celebration.”

“Except instead it’s just them being petty,” Sam notes, sitting back up from her own relieved slouch. 

Danny groans, leaving his tea to float and covering his face with his hands.

“Why couldn’t it have just been as easy as shoving Vlad in a box,” he whines.

“I mean, we still can?” Tucker offers, prompting Sam to smack him over the head before pausing consideringly.

“OW!”

“He might be right, actually,” she says, ignoring his exclamation. “Given Vortex’s trial and sentencing, there’s clearly some kind of legal system in the Zone that isn’t just Walker on a power trip. No doubt he’s broken some kind of Actual Realms Law - I’d be surprised if breaking Pariah out like he did wasn’t some form of highly illegal - so you could probably send him to actual Ghost Jail. It’s certainly where he belongs, given all the….”

She makes a vague gesture with her hand in lieu of words.

“That doesn’t resolve the problem of I Don’t Wanna Be A King!” Danny exclaims, sitting back and throwing his hands in the air.

Then he turns to Frostbite, eyes pleading. 

“Can’t you be king?” he asks. 

Frostbite opens his mouth to reply, but Danny steamrolls over him.

“It makes sense! You already know how to lead people! And your people love you! You already know about all the king stuff too! You’ve beaten me in spars before! We’d just have to go to the keep, I put on the crown, you beat me, and problem solved!”

Frostbite’s smile is a mix of amused and pitying.

“I have only ever beaten you in training spars, Great One, and you and I both know that is largely because they were focused on improving your skill with ice and ice alone. Even if I could defeat you in a true all-out fight as you are, I believe you underestimate the boost granted by the crown of fire.”

“I can just put it on then take it off again before we fight! And we can stick to ice!”

“I’m afraid it is not so simple,” he shakes his head. “If you do not give it your all, the crown - the Realms - will not recognize the transition. The only way to “throw the match” successfully would require your opponent to fully End you: to crush your core and snuff your spirit from the very fabric of existence. I am unwilling to do such a thing, and I sincerely hope you would not ask it of me - or, indeed, of anyone.”

Danny paled enough that he nearly matched his human form in skin tone.

“Right. Let’s… let’s not do that, actually.”

“On the bright side, you can probably weasel ruling tips out of Aquaman in exchange for not declaring war on the Living Realm!” Tucker chirps, aiming to cheer him up.

“I’m not going to threaten the Justice League!” he yelps, scandalized.

“But you probably won’t have to threaten them,” Sam chimes in. “They’re already trying to summon you, you already know their goal is to avoid a war. As long as you don’t ask for anything unreasonable, they should be inclined to give you what you want in exchange for peace.”

“Once you offer peace, they will be invested in your successful rule of their own volition as a means of perpetuating said peace,” Frostbite corrects. “If you would like to set preconditions to an accord you should make them things that will not readily be given as a result of said accord. But before we discuss further, perhaps you can fill me in on why war was a concern in the first place? I believe you mentioned something about papers?”

[nightshade962]

Late night ramble is like 1:00 a.m. for me I am tired but I can't get this off my mind

Of course it is dcxdp what else is new I'm still on that kick just during a bit more bat family in there lately but I'm still on that kick just kind of swapping between several other ones haven't touched really any other fandom as of lately so hyper fixation for the win man I guess anyway this one's kind of a play on one of the other ones I already posted the one about soulmates but this isn't a soulmate AU it's just kind of I want something sad I had a long day at work and I've been reading quite a bit of a sad bat family fix lately but like I said this one's quick so let's go

Okay so I kind of want it where Maybe Sam and Tucker aren't quite agreeing with how Danny is handling everything becoming ghost King and all that they're stressed about it I'm kind of blaming all their problems on Danny and he's at this point trying to like help them( once again I don't think they would actually do this but I kind of just want it) where I don't like a lot of teenagers do blame others it's never their fault type deal but this gets out of hand and they're just blaming Danny for absolutely every problem they have in their life while Danny is just trying to be a supportive friend even though they're not being supportive back eventually Danny has enough and let's say maybe in the last years of high school plus being ghost King he had more free time to get his grades up so he graduates early from high school just like a semester early thank you he worked his butt off for that jazz this is just so supportive of her baby brother well their parents don't even realize Danny even lives at home anymore and when they do they're not great if you know what I mean with jazz being gone for college in Gotham there's no buffer and Danny should get like a brunt of horribleness and once again I just want glad to be a creepy guy (don't get me wrong I do like those few fix that he actually gets Redemption Ark this just ain't one of them) so with him graduating early he actually just goes to Gotham to be with his sister and get away from his s*** life in Amity and he decides to apply for Gotham University he does get in but not until the fall semester so he and Jazz have an apartment and got them together jazz is more than happy to welcome her baby brother in her apartment

Let's say over the summer he decides to get a job at I know this is a cliche and a thing that happens a lot in this fandom but a cafe where I'm going to let you guys shoes like I said before in previous posts I hop between Tim X Danny and Danny X Jason you can choose or really any other pairing you really want glorious thing about fandom and fix you can read whatever you want but he meets one of the bad boys I'm going to go with Tim cuz I'm still kind of a on a kick of that one and they hit it off because they both have Unholy amount of caffeine in their drinks

And let's say they start dating pretty quickly not too seriously you know but by the time it's fall they're a little bit more serious and didn't actually starts going to college as well and let's say it's actually because of Bruce Jason Jazz and Danny all convinced him to go yes I'm going to have Jason starting on like online classes he doesn't feel quite comfortable enough yet to go in person so he's going to slowly like make his way up there Bruce is just happy to if his sons are going to college and actually Tim actually deciding to go encourages Jason a bit more as well I know Jason is like a really independent guy but I think he would be nervous after being Resurrected going back to school Bruce already helped him get his GED or full on diploma you can choose I like both

Let's say maybe Tucker and Sam who haven't spoken to Danny for like 8 months at this point if not more go to Gotham University to study whatever field you want maybe you can go with the certain kick that Amity Parker's need more ambient Ecto so they have to go to cities that have more of that and Gotham has a decent amount so good portion of Amity Parkers go to Gotham for college

They run into Danny maybe he's walking to a on-campus Cafe with Tim to get some in between Class coffee and getting to see each other and talk and just or just be in each other's presents cuz they're both quite busy Sam and Tucker try to go talk to him like nothing happened between them Danny is mad at them he is not forgiving him that easy he forget forgiving him for a while there but they kept hurting him and him being with jazz she actually helps him talk through it and make him realize that yeah we shouldn't be around each other at least for a while if ever again

So a few months go by and Sam and Tucker are getting fed up with Danny ignoring them walking away whenever he sees them and Tim glaring at them to eventually it comes to a head where they actually start arguing Tim's there unless they actually Jason and Jazz are there as well you could even have dick and Damien there if you want like maybe they were picking up their brothers or you maybe have dick dating jazz maybe if you want to do it that way that's how Tim and Danny meet whatever but they just come in hot at Denny just pissed off and Danny just snapped at them and goes I was there for you and all of your darkest times when you couldn't be there for me I would have lost my mind without my sister and they just get into a full on argument I want to say that jazz got Danny into some therapy with the help of the Wayne's Lake maybe Jazz was talking to dick or Tim that or even Jason that Danny needs more help than she can offer but they can't afford it so the bat boys go and talk to Bruce and Bruce was more than willing to help because let's say maybe he read the files of his mom being in Arkham( I think that's right I don't quite remember I can't remember if she's actually ever been in Arkham I thought she was locked up at some point and like an institution but I could be misremembering or just straight up fan on) but he helps them and gets them help so Danny starting to heal from the horrible life he had before well Sam and Tucker are just yelling Danny's actually keeping a pretty even tone you can tell he's getting worked up and he's getting upset but he's not yelling Jazz can't be more proud of him eventually Tim and Jason step in Danny is their friend and boyfriend respectively and defend them against these people eventually they walk away

Okay this was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be like I said though I am quite tired but I had to get this off my brain cuz it's been gnawing at me and so horrible grammar and pretty much zero punctuation but like I said it's 1:00 a.m. when I am doing this and I'll be honest I am using speech to text and I know this is real rambly and kind of all over the place I did warn you at top should not be new anyway feel free to add on if you wish

[broadwaytheanimatedseries]

Okay but hear me out!

Dead On Main Revolutionary Ghost Utena AU:

Canonically, Jason focuses his rage to summon the All Blade

Ghost Prince Danny would have the Ring of Rage, but not the Crown of Fire yet

I hypothesize to you that the two are connected, and not only that, but that wearing the ring allows one to draw the All Blade out of the other. Like, literally.

Because of this, summoning the All Blade of their own accord is the mark of a ghost powerful enough to be the ghost king's betrothed, and whatever other ghosts were in the running are pushed back in line as the All Blade wielder is now at the front.

It is part of ancient ceremony that predates Pariah as Ghost King and dates all the way back to the first Royal of the infinite realms, King Lazarus.

The connection itself is no more than a pull towards each other, a fascination at most to make an easier base to build a genuine and in this case, human connection.

To become actually engaged Jason would have to willingly appear before the Ghost Prince and allow him to draw the All Blade out of him, something he is not very excited for and might actually have other lasting impact besides the engagement.

Y'see Jason isn't a halfa the way Danny is, he came back twice in a short amount of time between those two instances, and while the second time was Lazarus induced, no one really knows how he woke up in his grave and broke himself out. There are theories but Clockwork was watching and even he doesn't seem to know for sure, so it's really anyone's guess.

So what the engagement ceremony could do, potentially, is either solidify his halfa status by sheer amount of ectoplasm transfered by the act, or alternatively it could just kill him on the spot and then he'd probably become a full ghost.

Now, neither of these sound great to Jason, but he also doesn't like that a bunch of ghosts have been trying to fight him for their Prince's hand in marriage, something they can only do while the Prince is still not engaged to anyone.

Meanwhile, Danny doesn't appreciate that as soon as he came of age all these marriage proposals started being thrown at him, he's known some of these ghosts since he was a teenager so that's really weird for one, and he gets that most of them are just trying to secure their happiness and not to mention their future safety as the mortal world seems to be moving on with the anti ecto act, which had lead many a specter to retreat back to the realms, causing a lot of unrest as the realms become more crowded and politically tense between factions who have not needed to interact for a while now.

It would seem the Amity portal and even Danny fighting the ghosts and sending them back through it was the break many of the realms' denizens desperately needed, but now with that option no longer being safe, as even their king can't protect them from the GIW when they're gaining so much support from governments across the world, tensions are running high in the realms and it seems that it's every ghost for themselves.

Danny doesn't really resent any of the ghosts for doing what they feel they must to make sure they aren't destroyed in what is shaping out to be a realms wide war at this point, even as he works overtime with his council to prevent that from happening, and he understands they obviously don't expect any actual marital kind of relationship from him, which is at least a little reassuring even if the idea of being married to any of them is still very weird, but he can't help but think there could be a better solution here that he's missing.

And then he feels it, a pull telling him he's overlooked something, someone important.

It's like a fire engulfing his ice core but not burning it somehow, just as it does not cool the fire around it.

Two opposite forces meant to cancel each other out, somehow instead keeping perfect equilibrium with one another.

He talks to Frostbite and Clockwork and finds out what that pull is and takes their advice to follow it.

Jason doesn't realize he just altered the source of all his recent problems to his location as he draws the All Blade to fend off yet another "challenger to the Prince's hand" whatever the hell that means, as finally one of them was dumb enough to try to use actual magic against him.

However, he soon feels the answering pull back from Danny as the latter decides to use the power in his ring to open the portal, feeling that this candidate should at least know he's coming to talk to him.

It's almost the opposite, he feels the fire of the pit madness flaring a bit, but instead of immediately trying to spread, to threaten to consume him unless he tempers it himself, it is still burning just as strong and wild, but kept in one place by an icy chill, an aura of cold, clear fury and calm in equal measure, it doesn't thaw from the fire anymore than his fire dies from the lack of heat around it.

They sustain each other, impossibly.

So Jason and Danny finally meet and give each other the rundown of their side of things and agree that maybe the best bet to not only stop ghosts from attacking Jason and proposing to Danny, but perhaps the key to overthrowing the GIW so the realms' denizens don't have to afterlive in fear and portals can be reinstated to allow travel through the realms and back, not to mention keeping the GIW from going after Jason himself who by their definition is certainly considered an ecto entity, is in fact to go through with the Ring and Blade ceremony.

Jason, at this point, is more of Earth than Danny, who has unfortunately had to step back from his normal mortal life when he turned 18 to take care of realms business, despite still only being Prince.

He was meant to have more time but with the GIW advancing like they had been it was in the realms' best interest as well as his own that he decree the realms going no contact with humans for the foreseeable future.

It's been nearly 3 years since then and they are still getting ghosts back from parts of the world who have been avoiding humans as much as they can.

As soon as he turned 21 all this ghost marriage nonsense has has been making his job of protecting the ghosts in all the realms a lot more difficult, so when ghosts realized he didn't want to be challenged every day for his hand, they went to the next best thing, the top candidate.

Now, Phantom was saying that he's gonna marry the guy they've all been trying to defeat (and failing, to his credit, so at least he was worthy of being top pick)

A lot of them were upset or disappointed, but he explained how this arrangement could potentially help out everyone in the long run and most got on board when they heard the new plan.

Now the only problem is that getting engaged, as mentioned previously, is a ceremony that could prove dangerous to Jason and "not to be insensitive about it, but if you die and become a ghost that sorta defeats one of the main purposes of us even doing this." Danny points out.

"So what's our plan, Your Majesty?" "It's Royal Highness, I'm not king yet, thank the ancients for that." "Yeah yeah, so what are we doing, Your Royal Whinyness?" "Rude. Anyway, there's a chance you might become a full halfa during the process, that means getting a second form and a fully developed core and powers besides the All Blade, which would be better than you dying. So the best way to ensure that outcome, as much as any outcome can be guaranteed anyway, is to start the process of making you a halfa before the ceremony."

"Okay? How do we do that?" "Well, we gotta get some ecto in you - " "aren't you made of that? This better not be a pickup line" "no, not like that! I told you, this marriage doesn't have to be anything more than a contract, I'm about as thrilled about having to get married to save my people as you are about doing this to stop ghost from kicking your ass on a weekly basis." "Excuse me? I won all those fights!" "Yeah, after getting tossed into brick walls 5 times per ghost" "not every ghost tossed me into walls. Box Bitch did throw crates at me tho, that hurt." "Holyshit, Boxy is not messing around anymore huh? Well, makes sense, he's a father now. He doesn't wanna raise his little girl in these conditions. Still glad he lost, but I'm surprised Lunch Lady even agreed to him trying."

So they start Jason on his ecto diet and in the meantime the batfam is brought up to date about everything that's happening and they get to work, Batman gathers the JL to push back on the GIW's fuckery and all of Jason's siblings have an engagement party and a bachelor bash to plan. The girls decide to plan a Bachelorette party for Danny because he deserves to have a break as well.

Jason hates his stupid family, but Danny seems happy to be part of one again after so long, so he sucks it up and plays along.

It's possible that maybe while preparing and planning and helping each other and working together, Jason has gotten to know and developed a fondness for Danny.

Okay so maybe he's a sappy fuck who fell head over heels in love with him in the span of like a month, but this is still just a contract to Danny, and Jason isn't going to push for or expect anything more. Danny doesn't need that kind of stress in his life rn.

Danny has been freaking out since he met his soon to be husband because holyshit that's Red Hood, that is THE Red Hood! No wonder he passed the trial of the All Blade, and the way that fire burned around Danny's core, a fire he now recognized as the warmth answering from Jason's own, made him realize that this is way more than just a contract to him. Still, he'd been part of the realms for a lot longer than Jason ans he was their future king. Jason as part of this contract would be his equal but until the marriage was sealed, he was still technically Jason’s superior. And it didn't feel right to take adventage of that and suddenly change the terms of this deal, to make Jason in any way feel pressured by Danny's own feelings. No, this was just a contract, like Jason wanted it to be. He would keep that promise to him.

Jazz and Babs get together to help their idiot baby brothers figure out their unrequited love is actually very much mutual pining and they're just being stupid.

Anyway the marriage ceremony is a different ritual from the engagement ceremony, the All Blade wielder summons it and presents it to the wearer of the ring, who sheaths it back into the summoner's core, symbolizing that they both have power over the Blade but it belongs to its wielder, and even the king himself may not keep it without permission. The Blade as a manifestation of Jason's will.

(And as a bonus, we know Jason is a literary nerd so he recognizes and appreciates the romance novel tropes happening to him, especially in the high king's court, but he is not a weeb. So I don't think he'd recognize the Utena references happening to him. But you know who I think would? You know who is a weeb who loves swords and is soooo jealous of Todd and his husband right now? It's Damian. Damian's fucking seething that he doesn't get a magic sword. He's so pissed and it's very funny.)

[starry-bi-sky]

For your Martha Knight AU I'm curious about Ellie.

I am too! I haven't put much thought into her role, and I suppose that since its a genderbent au, she'd be Eli huh?

Man,,,, i won't lie Ellie is such a non-thought of mine, and I blame canon for making her so narratively insignificant that she feels like narrative deadweight. 90% of the time I forget about her while making aus up until someone asks me about her, and when they do I blink for a moment and go 'oh sHIT WAIT--' like a parent that forgot to pick up their child from school.

it's why i made her non-existent in the blood blossom au and in the stillborn au because i didnt wanna deal with finding a place for her in the narrative lol.

At least in the stillborn au there's a legitimate narrative reason for it. The reason being that it'd contradict Danny and Vlad's relationship, since Ellie canonically is proof of Vlad giving up on convincing Danny to join his side, and stillborn Vlad would NEVER.

In the blood blossom au I don't have any in-world excuse, i just didn't wanna deal with her. Sorry boo </3

ANYWAYS to ACTUALLY answer your question,,,, for the sake of things I'll say he's Eli now, and that he exists. Just for fun. And I guess that his significance in the story is about the same up until Danny ends up disowned and homeless? There isn't much he can do to help his sister after, and she doesn't really want his -- or anyone else's -- help right now. She wants to be left alone, so he reluctantly does.

Though I think he follows suit and changes his name after Danny's disowned, from Daniel Fenton to Elijah Knight.

He does find out that she's pregnant around the same time Sam and Tucker do, which is about a few weeks after she panic calls Jazz about it. He needs an impromptu health lesson about how that works, which is embarrassing for everyone all around.

Other than that though,,, up until Bruce is born there isn't much for him to do? It's important to me that Martha/Danny is relatively and largely alone during this time, plus it's not like she has the money or space to keep Eli with her while she's traveling around the US.

I think he plays a more active role though after Bruce is born and Martha settles down in Gotham! He adores his nephew and sobbed when he first saw him because he couldn't comprehend how teeny he was, he had to sit down before Martha let him hold Bruce because she was afraid he might drop him.

I haven't really decided yet whether or not Bruce knows about his Mom being a halfa growing up, so far my general consensus has been that Martha keeps it a secret from him at first due to a number of things. Some of it being trauma related, the other being that kids have no concept of secrecy and she's scared Bruce might accidentally tell other kids that his mommy has superpowers and suddenly they'll have the GIW knocking on their doors like ICE.

Another is that she doesn't know if Bruce inherited any of her powers, and she worries that if she tells Bruce about them before they manifest in Bruce, he'll get his hopes up. The last thing she wants to do is break her baby's heart if he doesn't have any.

BUT, if she's keeping it secret from Bruce, then so is Eli.

Overall though,,,, there isn't really much for Eli to do lol. Which is my exact problem with him. But! Those are some of my ideas for him.

[neversleep5842]

Anyway I'm bored, so here is how I feel about some popular Dp headcanons

1. Danny Phantom has constellations freckles (bonus if they glow)- I LOVE this headcanon especially if it's space obsession au

2. Danny Phantom has fangs (including his human form)- I don't like it 😞 I feel like it's more of a vampiric trait than a ghostly trait.

Vlad has fangs in his ghost form because he is a vampire wannabe.

3. Danny's eyes glow in the dark- I like it in a crack/fun way but I can't imagine it in serious fics, I can't see it working well or just imagine how it will fit in a story. (But it looks cool in fanart).

4. Danny has high metabolism, basically he needs to eat more than the average person so he could create his own ectoplasm- I like it, it's an okay headcanon.

5. Danny Fenton grows up(his human form) but Phantom doesn't (his ghost half is forever 14)- I love it, it's great for angst and for funny fics but I like more as an au (basically I don't want this to become the default).

6. Danny's heartbeat is slower than a normal person- I love it for angst fics(he can't be an astronaut because of it) and for funny/crack fics but I don't want this to become the default 😭.

7. Phantom can breathe which is something other ghost don't do and it's freaking them out- I don't actually think this one is a popular headcanon but I LOVE this, it's so funny. Like if his ghostly traits leak into his human form then he should show some human traits in ghost form.

8. Wes Weston- YES (technically he exists as a background character but pretty much all of his personality is one big headcanon).

[radiance1]

Back on my bullshit with the Eastern Dragon Danny and Phoenix Vlad au:

So basically, Vlad decided to go to sleep for a while, inside a modified coffin built to withstand him and all that. So, he tells Danny a specific time to wake him so that he could resume his duties as Duke.

Why did Vlad decide to take a really long nap? Because he was extremely tired of ghost zone politics and decided to just go fuck it, I need a nap.

The deadline he needed Danny to wake him up at is relatively short in ghost terms really, just about a period of 40 years, he's currently 20, so at the end of this he should just be an even 60. Which would give him plenty of time to finish forty years of work before his rebirth cycle kicked in again.

He gave Danny the key to said coffin, with its specific magical signature and everything. So he expected and trusted that Danny would awaken him within a span of forty years, perhaps a bit earlier if push came to shove.

Then he just went to sleep.

Danny doesn't like his decision to just, up and go sleep for forty years, only because he would have to be the one doing the paperwork but its like, whatever he guessed. Do Danny was now actually handling the paperwork and navigating ghostly politics once more!

Joy...

He was buried in work for a fair amount of time, sometimes literally, and had to kick it back for a bit before going back to work. He felt like he was forgetting something, though...

A key appeared under a stack of papers that he just worked through, a veeeeeeery familiar key that he was sure had some kind of importance based on that itchy feeling in the back of his skull.

Eh, it's probably not important.

Welp, back to work!

Danny worked in silence for a bit, before getting up and slamming his hands on his desk.

OH FUCK, VLAD!

It's been waaaay more than 40 years last he checked, enough time that Vlad must've rebirthed inside his coffin already by like, a lot of times by now.

Considering that 5 millenniums have passed.

Well, shit.

So he hid the key in his hair, shifted, and flew off to Vlad's domain to wake him up. But when he got there, weeeeell, let's just say that Vlad's coffin was. Well.

It was gone.

Now, you see Observants. He had a totally reasonable explanation for this, you know. It was uh, well, you know, he just, ya'know?

He just, kinda, forgot...

He'll get him back! He swears! He just, need to, ya'know, find the guy!

Couldn't be that hard!

Another five millenniums later, he felt like punching his past self for fucking jinxing future him! The Observants were literally breathing down his neck to find the guy, and he didn't want to go back to doing paperwork either!

His salvation came in the form of a summoning, one he answered and finally, finally found the location of Vlad's coffin. He honestly got extremely, he didn't want to face paperwork again, so he asked these group of heroes to help him find this specific coffin in exchange for whatever they wanted him to do.

And he's Ancient damn thankful he did cause oh boy, cause like 2 days later he was presented the coffin that was just sitting collecting dust in some magician guy's house that was apparently passed down throughout generations that the Justice League managed to get their hands on.

So he opened it, and literally had to catch Vlad, who fell out of his coffin and looked like a literal 10-year-old. Did Vlad's temporary retirement plan include his deadline of 40 years being stretched by 9,960 years? No, no it did not, and unlike the previous ghost king, he was not unaffected by the length of his sleep.

So forgive him if he had to relearn how to do basic body functions, his memory foggy, and his powers were a bit outta wack.

[tgmsunmontue]

Dear J9

🔥 for your Grease au???? 👀

YOU WENT THROUGH THE RECYCLING BIN??!?!?! 🤣🫣

Okay - so in this little AU we've got our theatre kid Jake, the entire Dagger Squad feature in this. They're putting on Grease in a community theatre which is attached to a Rainbow Community Hub. They're planning on the show being for Pride Month, so they've made Sandy a male part. It's still a fish-out-of-water romance story, surprisingly very few tweaks need to be made.

Jake has one of the lead parts, playing Danny. (Age everyone down to their early 20s here - Jake is TOTALLY more of a Sandy, but he can play at Danny. He thinks he looks very cool.)

Now - because it's community theatre (and it's my fanfic idea) there is a live musical accompaniment to the play, and the piano player is Bradley, and he just steers clear of the actors and singers, he doesn't want to be on stage. (Also he is definitely more of a Danny, he's got a leather jacket, he was a jock all through high school, but he can play musical instruments SO EASILY and Natasha is putting the play on, she's the creative director and Bradley lives with her so he gives in to her pleading/begging to be involved, so he joins in for the music side).

ONLY THE MUSIC. (He insists).

(Bradley is quiet, he does everything Natasha asks, they arrive and leave together. Everyone sort of assumes that they're TOGETHER).

Bob is playing the part of Sandy. And he falls over and breaks his leg, about three weeks before the final dress rehearsal. (Cue jokes about how he wasn't ACTUALLY meant to break his leg).

(Also Bradley is only quiet because he's shy around all these people he doesn't know very well. He was in an accident and didn't socialise much for about nine months while he recovered so he feels a little socially awkward to begin with - but once he's comfortable he's a total show off).

Now - Natasha knows Bradley can sing, and he knows all the words because she's heard him singing the songs around their apartment. And she's persistent. "Think of how disappointed everyone will be if we have to cancel!!!"

Bradley crumples like a piece of wet tissue paper. Finding someone else to play the piano is easier than finding someone to replace the other lead. So Bradley's now got the other lead.

Now - Jake has picked up that Bradley doesn't particularly WANT to be on stage, and he's trying to figure out if it's the kissing a guy thing (doesn't think the guys homophobic, but...), maybe it's kissing someone when he's with Natasha? Maybe it's stage fright?

So Jake is trying to embody the personality of Danny Zuko, but he's not actually like that at all, but Bradley's not sure what Jake's truly like. But Jake is all courteous because he doesn't particularly want to kiss a guy who doesn't even want to be on stage in the first place. So there's a little misunderstanding here with Bradley asking what makes Jake think he's never kissed a man before...

THEN Jake realises (is blatantly told) that Bradley is NOT straight, SINGLE, and he's feeling a little shy about being on stage and Jake is ENDEARED by that (and maybe they have sex on the middle of the stage one night, because Jake's reasoning is that no matter what Bradley does on stage, he's not naked and having sex, so it's not the worse case scenario, and somehow THAT WORKS and Jake is very smug about it all...)

ANYWAY - I just have this image of Bradley rocking up on a motorbike to pick Jake up for their first proper date and Jake's all tan slacks and blue button down and Bradley in jeans and black leather and it's the flip of their parts in the play they're in...

Me now staring at this wall of text... Where can I chuck the Read More?

Edited to add the Read More. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[yellowocaballero]

I love your moon knight fics so so much — would you ever consider writing more of them? Sorry if you’ve answered this question before.

Also, the way you portray Boba and Fox inspired me to write a fic about the two of them which is not very good but is so in my brain all the time that I have written like 40k words and counting in a week. Twilight On Owl Creek Bridge is such a masterpiece that it has irrevocably changed the way I view Star Wars as a whole. I genuinely could not have cared less about the Clone Wars before reading it, and now it is on my mind 24/7. Boba and Fox are the most tragic characters in the SW universe and nobody can change my mind about it. They both just want to live goddamnit!

On another note, have you watched Thunderbolts? I’m not usually a marvel movie fan but watching that one really hit me in a way I seldom feel except for reading your works. The idea that a group of unambiguously, absurdly fucked up losers are truly the only people that could feasibly make a team of heroes we deserve felt like it just fit so well with all of your marvel stuff.

I will not be writing more Moon Knight stuff! I told all of the stories I wanted to tell, and then some. I did recently post a 60k thing that I should have probably put on the masterpost...here's the post, I'll stick it onto the masterpost. Beyond that, I do have a bunch of unposted stuff lmfao, but none of it is really fit to print. When I first got this ask I poked around my drive a bit to see if I should throw any of it on here...the third story in the MK mens rea trilogy was really ALMOST done, there's the entire Heroes For Hire backstory fic, it's a lot but none of it's really...I might reblog this with some of it, when I have a second.

And I'm SO HAPPY that Fox and Boba live rent-free in your brain because they also live rent free in mineeeee. Fishhooks was a solid little story, but I ended up touching on some concepts that got much, much more fleshed out in the Boba POV story for the No Chip AU. Every time I write Boba I really do just go deeper and deeper into how fucked-up weird that entire situation is. Also Fox. Unfortunately, my takes are very - uh, Meg specific, they're very much a me thing, so it makes me happy to know that the vision is spreading (somebody wrote a Supernatural/SW AU influenced by my Boba and it was FANTASTIC).

Obviously I need to see the fic once it's done. Obviously you have to link me. Obviously. Give me it. It's also very hard on me being the lone cowboy in this town.

I have not seen Thunderbolts, and I wasn't really planning on it! That tracks with the Heroes For Hire thing lmfao - the connecting thread between them is honestly how they were all fucked over and disenfranchised by society (or is Danny), and that feeling is very coherent with them Just Being Guys. Something I liked to do in the best life world was to just imagine superheroes being things other than superheroes, living their lives in their own way - MK as an indentured servant, She-Hulk as both a superhero and an influencer, the HFH as losers who live like college students helping people for very little pay, Dr. Strange working retail, MCU!Peter Parker being his assistant and finding his own path, Ghost Rider doing Doordash. It makes the actual superheroes in the story a lot more purposeful - the Avengers (She-Hulk, Wasp, Monica, Hawkeye, Sam!Cap) are Avengers on purpose, it is a very specific kind of thing that a very specific kind of person does. It creates this rich and robust feeling world and I ended up being very fond of it.

I'll let you know if I do see it, but I wasn't expecting to. I haven't seen an MCU movie innnnn a while (I would say that the last I saw was No Way Home In Literal 2021 but Wikipedia says Wolverine & Deadpool is MCU, which - doesn't feel right at all). Glad everybody has the Avengers 2012 fanfic life that we all wanted, though.

[bartletslesbians]

CJ and your choice of character: performer AU + fake dating

Fanfic trope mash-up! (Still accepting!)

This took me so long to answer but !! I kinda went through too many possible versions of this and it was so much fun.

So I'm gonna make this CJ/Andy, but I also wanna say that one of my thoughts was a CJ/Danny "bearding turned real relationship" concept and I didn't work it out fully but I thought that was fun and you should know about it.

But for CJ/Andy: I'm thinking like... actors. They're starring in a movie/show/play together, maybe some long-running tv show, or a movie franchise, something with a lot of buzz around it that doesn't die down that easily.

And they really don't plan to do any PR dating or anything of the sorts, why would they, but they get along and they become close friends, and people are eating them up and speculating, and one of them is definitely falling for the other but keeping that so buried deep. And maybe at first they're like, just denying the rumors, nothing happening here,and it's the truth but no one gives a fuck about the truth, and every time they try to say it's nothing, the speculation increases.

So after a while they have the 'brilliant' idea of just saying they are dating, holding it out for a while, pretending it's true, and then afte a few months they tell the world they broke up and that'll be that. Can't go wrong, right?

Which obviously does not happen that way. They start pretend dating; they go on dates, they're holding hands on the red carpet, there's a kiss in front of some cameras, they're going all in on this and you know it's... really surprisingly easy to do that? It just comes so easily to reach for each other's hands; it's like Andy never not had her hand on CJ's back when walking anywhere; turns out kissing your hot co-star, even for show, is fun.

So by the time they could realistically tell the world they split up and let that be the end of it, and they start talking about how best to do that, neither of them actually want to do that. They have these conversations, but they're having them over wine while still touching each other way more than they really need to when no one's watching them anyway, and it just kinda ends in "or.... we just don't say anything?"

After which it's that strange thing where no one else really realizes there's anything different, but everything feels so different for CJ and Andy. There's no announcement that they're a couple cause everyone already thinks they are, there's the weird thing of having a different public vs private 'anniversary', but it's also kinda fun to navigate that, honestly.

[gunebuggieswriting]

̶Good Bad Habits Run In The Family: Chapter Ten

DPxDC Crossover, Jason Adopts Danny AU

[AO3] [FF.net] [Wattpad]

First Chapter || << Last Chapter || Next Chapter >>

"You're related to Red Robin?"

Jason kind of wished he could be re-buried at the moment, knowing he was going to have to explain a lot. He could only hope that Danny wouldn't freak out too much, or any of the other bats for that matter. He already knew Tim had linked him with Danny, and that he probably knew that Danny was the new meta, but the rest of them didn't know. Bruce would most likely be furious that Jason was hiding information about a pressing subject, or for that matter hiding an actual meta with him. Not like he cared what the older man thought.

Sighing deeply, his hands rubbing his face with new found stress, he looked at Danny. The teen's eyes were wide, holding both shock and a layer of fear, stirring the inside of Jason’s stomach. He didn't like the idea that Tim had done something to Danny to make him this on edge, right when he was finally starting to relax around Jason.

Deciding to stop dragging it out, and to put them both out of their misery, he leaned forward. "For one, you can't call him that in public, secret identity and all that."

Danny, after hearing Jason's voice, snapped back to reality, his eyes more focused and analytical towards Jason. The sharp eyes were tinted with a bit of green, like it was barely being restrained, unsettling Jason more the longer he looked. "That doesn't answer my question. I thought you two just worked together or something! Are you all related?" Danny's hands were moving frantically as he quickly spoke, showing how frazzled the situation has made him.

"Well, kinda, but not really?" Danny deadpanned at Jason, his answer not being really helpful. Jason grumbled a few curses, uncomfortable as he ran a hand through his hair, no doubt messing it up. "Most of us are adopted, so we're technically related, just not by blood."

Danny was staring at Jason with a critical expression, trying to process everything that the man just told him. Then it all seemed to suddenly click and Danny almost fell out of his chair from realization, jaw gaping with surprise, causing a few other customers turning towards him confused. "You're Jason Todd, aren't you? How did I not figure that out earlier?" Danny was leaning back in his chair, a hand over his mouth as he continued to think.

Jason was dumbfounded, as he already thought that Danny would've put two and two together. Surely he would recognize him from Bruce? Perhaps he was being too egotistical and not everybody immediately knew him like he thought. Years in the spotlight and constantly being headlines for news would do that to somebody. "Yeah? I honestly thought you already knew."

"No? Why would I? I don't keep up with all the Wayne drama, wait, does that mean Wes was right? There's no way that Bruce is-" Danny stopped himself before he finished his sentence, but both of his hands were in his hair and slightly tugging on them. "It makes so much more sense now."

Jason could tell he wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed, after all this is a lot of information to take in. That didn’t stop him from wanting to know Danny’s thoughts, surely him being acquainted with the Wayne's didn’t change anything, right? "First of all, who the hell is Wes and what does he know? Second of all, you need to shut the fuck up a little, we're in public. Third of all, what do you mean it all makes more sense?" Amy had come back with their food, placing them down in front of the two. She must have noticed the difference in atmosphere, not being nearly as laid-back as earlier, keeping quiet as she walked away, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was happening.

Danny seemed somewhat anxious to talk now that he was the one being questioned. His hands released their grip on his hair and began to fiddle with his shirt. "Well, um, Wes is just somebody from my school, or the one I used to go to. He comes up with all kinds of conspiracy theories like that, nobody ever takes him seriously, so don't worry about him." Jason couldn't help but think to Benard and how that all went, and he frowned, knowing that he probably should worry about this Wes guy. Though Danny was clearly uncomfortable having to speak of his past, so he wouldn't push it for now.

"Alright, what about the whole making 'more sense' thing?" Jason pressed, wondering if Danny already had a suspicion of his relationship with the others, or if this somehow made his view of Jason different. He hoped not, he hated being looked at with a difference only because he was known as the "son of Bruce Wayne who died and came back".

Danny's hand, which seemed to not quit moving, began to scratch the back of his neck. He was biting his lip, nervous as he debated on what he should tell Jason. Hopefully he doesn't find what he says rude or upsetting, like it would for many others. "Well, it makes sense why you have such a powerful aura of death around you. I thought it was because of the whole crime lord thing and killing others, but now I know why it felt so much different from the others."

"Death aura? What do you mean by that?" Jason questioned, but he knew what Danny was referring to, he just wanted to ignore it. The swirls of discomfort were him, not another force, he was far past that. He knew he was. His vision was clear, and he would keep it like that. There was no pit other problem.

"The stories were true, weren't they? You died before, haven't you?" Danny asked Jason, with an air so nonchalant that it made Jason both curious and uncomfortable.

Jason didn't want to answer that, to be forced to remember and face a reality he wanted to keep buried with the rest of his past whenever he dug himself out, so he ignored it. Danny already knew what his answer would be anyways. Jason had a feeling that Danny knew all too well, and it only made those green specks in his eyes be that more concerning. "Is that 'death aura' how you knew it was Tim earlier, since apparently everybody's is different?"

Danny let the fact that Jason danced around his question go, understanding the way he didn't want to go into more details. Danny didn't like his past being explored either, so it was only fair. The teen took a bite of his fry, surprised that the green seasoned food was actually decent, before speaking. "Yeah, sorta. Usually most people have little to no hint of death on them. Though you bunch seem to all be affected one way or another. Red- Tim's is quite powerful and a lot different than yours. It seems he's killed quite a few people, even more so than the crime lord himself."

Jason was beginning to get used to how relaxed Danny talked about these things, as if being revived from the dead or killing people were something that came to no surprise. Though the thought of Tim having killed more people than him did take him back a little. He knew that Tim was a bit unhinged at times, but surely the replacement followed Bruce's strict "no killing" rule.

"So, about that family dinner?" Danny asked after he ate a few more of his fries, not liking how awkward the silence was getting. They were getting along so well a few minutes ago, and now it felt like they were right back in the warehouse that night that Jason dragged him there. Then after a few  of those tense seconds he continued. "And your adopted family?"

The man swallowed the bite of his burger, and then took a big gulp of his tea, his throat suddenly dry. He never really liked talking about the others, and them being referred to as "family" made him somewhat queasy, a rise of longing unnecessary emotions he wanted to block. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Though it might make it easier to explain everything to them if you do." Jason saw how Danny's lips pulled into a small frown, quickly glancing away from the other, and he suddenly felt like he was pressuring him too much. "Of course, you still don't have to. We can sit this one out and chill in my apartment, maybe fix up your room some more."

Danny looked at Jason, his frown now more thoughtful. "Can you tell me more about them?"

"Huh? You mean the people who will be at the dinner?" Jason asked, a part of him surprisingly pleased at there being a chance Danny will want to go. It was either because he wanted to resolve the unavoidable drama that was bound to happen or because he was craving some more of Alfred’s food, perhaps both. It wasn't that he was wanting to introduce them to Danny, or try to make Danny feel more comfortable with them.

"Yeah, maybe if I already sorta know what to expect I might be okay with going." Danny explained, already half way done with his burger and still working on his pile of fries. It made sense to Jason, as he knows how overwhelming new situations and a huge group of people can be. Especially with Danny having been homeless before, there was a possibility that the prospect of being around more than well off people could cause insecurity. Jason knew that personally, having been there once. Danny may need time to warm up to the idea.

"I'm going to be honest, they're mainly idiots." Jason said past his burger, waving his hand, Danny letting out a small chuckle. "Although they can be a lot at times, they usually mean well. Except for Damian, that little brat is evil and he lets you know, so I'd be careful around him until he warms up to you. Kind of like a feral chihuahua really."

That caused Danny's growing smile to become a full on grin. "Wait, if all of you are- well y’know, does that mean he's…" Danny asked without finishing his words, but Jason understood nonetheless. He nodded, a confused look on his face, wondering why Damian being Robin would matter. "Man, I already like him. He's such a good kid."

The anti-hero almost choked on his food hearing the earnest way Danny had just complimented the small demon. After composing himself once more, he looked at the furrowed eyebrows on the teen's pale face. "Are we talking about the same kid here? Damian is literally the most violent one of us, he'd stab you over a cookie if he wanted it."

Danny tilted his head, but a smile formed on his face anyways. "He still means well. I mean, he's a kid, I know they can be a little feisty sometimes."

"I'm sure the highly trained 'kid' would love to hear that. I would never expect a knife in your shoulder by the end of the night." Jason replied sarcastically, balling up his trash, finally having eaten his food. Danny was still eating the last few of his fries, having stolen half of Jason's as well as they were talking. Not that the man minded, wanting Danny to eat as much as he wanted in order to gain some more meat on his thinned figure. He didn't like how sickly Danny had gotten to look after his time stuck in the warehouse and then on the streets, it made a worm of guilt work its way into Jason, knowing he should've done more. 

Danny, not knowing Jason's inner turmoil, laughed, showing a bit of those canines that seemed to have grown since last time. Jason didn't know if Danny could control that or not, so he chalked it up to the nonhuman part of the kid. "He likes me! Plus I can easily heal from any attacks, that is if I don't just plain out avoid them. Who knows, maybe we can rough house a little." Danny said with an easygoing smile, brushing off the threat without any doubts. Jason knew that the other had powers, but he felt like he may need to teach him about self preservation skills.

Then Jason remembered the best part about the dinners, and he knew that this would win the boy over. "Hey, you remember some of that food I fed you while you lived in the warehouse?"

Danny nodded, curious as to where this was going. "Yeah, it was pretty good. Definitely the best food I've had in a while."

Jason smirked, "Well, you'd get more of that food at the dinner. Alfred, the best cook in the world, always fixes everything. Now, imagine fresh food like that." Danny perked up at that, and Jason knew he had found the right bait. After all, it was what Alfred used to get him over there every weekend. It wasn't because he wanted to help cook, feeling like a kid again. "Sounds good, doesn't it? Who knows, maybe for being a guest he might give you an extra chocolate chip cookie. Trust me, they are to die for."

Danny smiled at the small joke, but his mind mainly focused on the promise of good food. Perhaps this dinner wouldn't be such a bad idea, plus, he would be able to see Robin again, or Damian in this case. He wonders if the short tween would act any differently out of the costume, or any of the others for that sake. He was nervous meeting Signal again, and the thought of Tim made him squirm, hating how the constant loom of being watched had felt days before. He could only hope that they wouldn't jump on him with too many questions as soon as he showed up.

After a few minutes of debating internally with himself, weighing the pros and cons, he came up with a decision. "I guess I'll go, but if anything happens I'm leaving."

Jason couldn't ask for any more, already surprised that Danny agreed at all. "Don't worry, I leave anytime they annoy me too much. They know not to fuck with me."

"You sure it's not just because you're a big baby and they don't want to upset you?" Danny asked, raising a teasing eyebrow as Jason's face erupted into red, stammering out some denial that sounded more like complaining.

"I am not a 'big baby', and I can easily pummel you and them. I can already imagine how well you're gonna get along with Dick, it's going to a fucking nightmare." Jason continued to grumble, glaring at Danny across from him, the teen laughing at his misery.

"I'm already starting to get excited for this dinner now. When are we going this weekend?" Danny finally asked after calming down from his giggle fit, which Jason had suffered through. He wanted to make the kid laugh more, to just let the other be a teen.

Jason smoothed out his disheveled hair with a few quick swipes of his hand, huffing a bit before he spoke. "This Saturday, so tomorrow."

Danny slightly freaked out, not expecting it to be so soon. Though he already told Jason he'd go, and he didn't want to back out now. The man may not show it, but he obviously wanted Danny to go with him. A small part of him also wanted to go, to have a chance to be normal again. "Alright, so what will we do for the rest of the day?"

Jason thought about it, and realized he didn't exactly have anything else planned. He shrugged, making the other boy roll his eyes. "What do you want to do?"

At first the raven haired boy seemed taken back, not expecting the question to be turned on him, as he had nothing in mind. He looked at Jason's relaxed posture, realizing that he meant it, that Danny could choose anything. He thought it over, coming to a simple conclusion, one he hoped the man wouldn't mind. "Can we just go back to the apartment? I kinda had enough for today…" It was true, Danny was ready for a nap after the meal and amount of things he did. He may have only spent a few weeks closed off from society, and then a week of being completely homeless, but it was enough for him to no longer feel comfortable in public. It wasn't because he felt like he didn't deserve this, this sense of normalcy in a life he ruined, or the many others he ruined as well.

"That's a good idea, I'll need a bit of rest before patrol later anyways." The anti-hero said, standing up and grabbing both of their trash to throw away, before walking to the door. Danny nodded while following along, being brought out of his thoughts, and he couldn't help but realize he sort of forgot that Jason was Red Hood. It wasn't because it was unbelievable, the two had the same build and attitude, but by how normal Jason was compared to Red Hood. Sure, Jason was the adopted son of a billionaire with a crazy back story, but other than that he was still another civilian. Adding in the whole vigilante stick made it that more surreal. Or too close to something more familiar to him.

Danny remembers whenever he used to do patrol, the insane amount of fights he'd get in, especially at night. He missed doing them sometimes, he really missed his friends. Danny realized that he had been silent for a few seconds longer than usual, Jason looking at him somewhat concerned. "I can always skip one, I know I could do with a bit of a vacation." He said, wanting to make sure that the younger boy would be fine on his own.

Danny quickly shook his head. "No, I'm fine!" The man looked unconvinced, so the other tried to put on a small smile. "Really! I was just thinking about how bizarre my life kind of is right now." The partial lie worked, Jason letting out a small huff of amusement.

"I bet, compared to how most people would react, you've been taking it all pretty well." Jason lightly nudged at Danny, who in turn tried and failed to push the bulky man.

After an annoyed huff Danny straightened back up to walk better, knowing how clumsy he could be. It was what started this all in the first place. "I kinda take things in stride, go with flow y’know." He did a wave with his hand, before thinking about how silly he probably looked and shoving his hand back in his pocket.

"I like that attitude, don't let life drag you down. You know people who have your back no matter what, why worry all the time?" Jason meant for it to be light hearted, maybe even encouraging to a degree, but Danny’s smile quickly faded from it. Before Jason could ask what was wrong, Danny looked away, his expression now carefully crafted to be blank. The older man felt terrible, not knowing what he said wrong. He knew he shouldn’t ever give advice, as he hasn't lived the best life, or try and take care of a teen for that matter.

Danny on the other hand was trying his hardest to not let his thoughts wander to those who he should've been there for, or the fact that he shouldn’t allow people close to him, to let them want to help him. The guilt he's been repressing came back full force, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his rising tears at bay, cursing how emotional he could be from some simple good natured words. Though he couldn't help but feel as if he shouldn’t have 'gone with the flow'. If he thought things through, not have been so impulsive and selfish, then the others would still be here. He would be with his friends, his family, the town he loved but was forced to leave behind because of his mistakes.

It didn't even seem that he learned his lesson, doing everything he regretted all over again. He told himself that he wouldn't be so selfish ever again, and then he goes and decides to pull more innocent people into the mess that is his afterlife life. How could he be so laid-back, so careless, after everything that's happened?

"-kid? Hey, can you hear me?" Danny's haze was broken from the wave of Jason’s hand in front of him and voice.

"Huh? Sorry, kinda spaced out for a second. What is it?" Danny asked, nervously scratching at the back of his neck, keeping his head turned slightly away as he blinked back tears. 

"We made it back and you tried to keep on walking, so I called your name and you didn't answer." Yeah, Danny was so not getting out of this. "Are you okay?" The teen opened his mouth to make up another lie, hoping his luck would work a second time. Before he could get a word out, Jason raised a hand stopping him. "Actually, I know you're not, so don't say you are. I know you don't wanna talk about it, but know that I am here and I'm not leaving, no matter how stubborn you are to not realize that. You can't get rid of me kid, after all I always come back."

The tears began running down midway through Jason's small rant, and he was wiping at them furiously, though he finally turned back to Jason. He was clearly out of his element, not used to comforting, but it made Danny feel a bit better anyways. To hear the words made it somewhat easier to swallow, to put into reality as he forced his other thoughts back down. He wished he wouldn't cry as much, hating how it felt like he was only being a burden to the other.

Jason hesitated to take Danny's arm and lead him into the apartment so that he could cry more openly, not wanting to make the crying teen run away by the sudden touch. He did anyway, seeing how some people passing by were giving them weird looks, and he glared at a few before gently grabbing Danny's arm. He didn't expect for the other to latch onto him in turn, turning his head to sob into the outer part of his arm as he walked slowly to the door of the apartment.

As soon as they entered, Jason wrapped his arms around Danny. Danny didn't hug back, only slightly burying his face into the man's chest as he tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to cry now, ruining the good mood that they had built back up. He pushed himself away from Jason, yet some of him yearned to be hugged right now, to be told that it was going to be okay. He knew it would never be, and that he deserved that.

Danny sucked in a desperate gulp of air, sounding more like a hiccup than anything as he held his hands above his face, trying to hide it. "I'm- I'm just going to go take a nap." He barely stuttered out, not waiting for an answer as he quickly went to his room and shut the door. This left Jason there, his hand outreached to try and stop the upset teen, but not knowing if he should. This was something that he didn't know how to handle. When it came to comforting, he only knew the basics, such as reassurance and hugs. Complex emotions like this he couldn't handle, and it made him feel guilty that he couldn't actually help Danny through whatever he was going through, even though he promised he would.

The man sighed, slipping off his leather jacket as he wondered if he may have bit more than he could chew this time. He wouldn't ever give up on Danny, but he may not be what the teen needed at the moment. If only Alfred was here, he'd know what to do.

He wasn't though, leaving it all up to Jason, who couldn't do anything. He ran a hand through his hair, not caring if it got messed up as he walked over to his barely standing couch. He laid down on it, enjoying how his body sunk into the well worn cushions, pulling one of the small pillows he had to lay his head on. He wanted to help Danny, but he was somewhat overwhelmed himself, and he had a feeling that giving some space may be better anyways. He wasn't lying earlier either whenever he said he would like a nap, still planning to go out that night. Danny most likely wouldn't leave him room for the rest of the day, so Jason would just leave him a plate of food before he left to go on his patrol.

He'd make it a quick one tonight. His people wouldn't mind if he canceled one meeting and instead checked up on them, as there was no way he would be able to focus for too long anyways. Most of his thoughts would circle around Danny, like they have been for the last few weeks. His worry had eased after wrangling Danny into his apartment, but now it was worse with how sullen the boy looked earlier. He still didn't understand what he said or did to cause such a reaction, but he guessed that it could be anything, though it had to be related to whatever trauma Danny had gone through and that was enough. He wanted to apologize, but that could cause Danny to feel guilty for making Jason feel like he did something wrong.

He was beginning to get a headache from thinking so deeply about something he had little intelligence in, so he shut his eyes. He didn't  bother to take off his shirt with the small wet spot in it, the coldness of it a stark reminder to how he failed Danny was. It didn't really matter though, as no matter what he couldn't block out the quiet sniffles and sobs coming from the other room, or the countless thoughts running through his own head.

They might not make it to dinner tomorrow after all.

[jon-withnoh]

Hello! Hope this isn't a bother, but do you have any tips for thinking up plots? I mean for the whole story. Reading Nie Wirst made me want to try to write something longer, but I'm a bit lost since all I've ever written are short one-shots or drabbles. Again, hope this isn't bothering you, feel free to ignore it! Also, this goes without saying but I'm looking forward to the sequel if you do write it

Hi! I love this question, thank you for asking it 😊 I'm pretty sure you'd get a variation of answers depending on who you ask, so my way might not necessarily work for you. (I'm thinking of this as a fun Pick&Mix of things that work for me and might work for others.)

My strategies differ for different kinds of writing. When I'm working on a poetry collection, it sometimes takes years to accumulate enough individual poems that fit together for me to start working on the arc or through-line of that collection. This just for context, since you did ask me about prose.

Whether for fanfiction or original fiction, I've found that I can only keep up my motivation for a longer piece if I am absolutely obsessed with it. Was wird aus uns was born from the immediate aftermath of me seeing Rebecca in Vienna, reading the book and pretty much every single fic on Ao3 and just needing those two fools to be okay. That one really came out of pure obsession. Nie wirst Du was a lot more considered and since the plot is quite complex, I did plan things ahead of time.

I'm going to try and sum up some of the things that I need in order to sustain my focus for a longer piece of writing under the cut!

I need to be absolutely obsessed with the initial idea. No matter how interesting a concept or fic idea is in theory, if it doesn't have that spark of obsession I might toss it around in my head for fun, but I won't actually write it. If an idea doesn't grip me enough that I'm constantly looking forward to the next plot point I'm "working towards", then I'll get bored and abandon the piece. This is especially true for fic. For Was wird aus uns, the first plot point everything was moving towards was their first kiss. Then Christmas, and then, finally, Danny's collapse and the changes that it brought. With Nie Wirst Du, I was constantly hooked, tbh. It's a little bit like a soap opera in that it has many twists and turns, very complicated relationship dynamics and many big feelings. Some plot points I was working towards there were the tea party and the costume ball. Once I knew what the fallout from the ball was going to be, I had a much better idea of how things would continue to escalate develop.

I figured out how I need to approach plot. A friend of mine is a hardcore plotter with detailed outlines, diagrams and everything. I used to try and approach plot like that with the result that by the time I'd thought everything through, I was bored and didn't actually write the story anymore. The thing I do is apparently called pantsing. It means I know the inciting incident of the story, maybe a few major plot points and I have at least a vague idea of how I want it to end. There is an overarching structure, but it's loose enough that it keeps me interested. I can decide to add or take away smaller plot elements without having to do major rewrites.

There needs to be a drive to the story. I need a sense of movement when I'm writing. Even if a story is set entirely in one place, there needs to be some undercurrent of change or development. If the story feels static, I don't have any way of getting a character from point A to point B.

I write the things I want to see. If you find yourself looking through Ao3 thinking "I wish someone had written about xyz", then that might be a sign for you to write the fic you're looking for! For example, I needed a happy ending for Danny and Ich, so I wrote one. Then I became really interested in learning more about Rebecca as a character. Who is she outside of the stories being told about her? To find that out, I needed a story where she was alive and since I didn't want to write a prequel, the idea for Nie Wirst Du was born.

I hope this was somewhat help or at least interesting! It also really helps to have a person who's just as excited about your story idea as you are. They might ask you questions you hadn't considered and give you a whole new insight into what you're writing. Feel free to ask more questions about this if you want. This was really fun!

[emphasisonthehomo]

Hi! I just read all of 'Where Waters Do Not Curve' and I'm obsessed and I was just wondering what you see Rachel's reaction being once she finds out Steve and Danny are dating/ hears the new that they are moving in together (or her getting to design a room at Steve's house).

(Sorry if this is super annoying lol) love your writing!!!

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much!!! And you're not annoying at all, I always love getting asked about my fic. (The fic in question.)

I think Rachel is deeply unsurprised, but also unimpressed. Frankly she had an idea that something was going on with those two before they got their shit figured out.

On principle, Danny doesn't tell her he's seeing Steve until the thing with his apartment comes up and he has to move in. And the only reason he does is because it means that Grace will now for sure be spending the weekends at Steve's house. (Not that she didn't spend a lot of weekends there already, but this time it's Official.)

And Rachel is about "well about damn time" because in her head they've probably been sleeping together since Matty was in town. She'd be shocked to find that's not the case, but she and Danny don't really talk and he feels no need to give her more information because it's not her business.

Rachel is fine with their relationship, she doesn't really care. Steve is a good man and Grace likes him, and Grace's safety is her top concern. It does begin to bother her once her second marriage starts to fail though. It hurts that Danny can make his second major relationship post divorce work, and she can't.

In her mind, a significant contribution to her marriage with Danny failing hinged on his "refusal" to change. In reality it was more complicated than just that (lack of communication, the fact that they had different priorities, etc) but from her perspective that's the main reason.

So when Danny starts this new job and has a new relationship and seems to be thriving, she sees this as "oh so now he's willing to change, he wouldn't change for me but he'll change for Steve" situation rather than what it actually is. It's actually a combination of bullshit luck, Danny learning from his past mistakes, and the fact that Steve is full stop just not Rachel. Steve and Danny match each other's crazy in a way that Rachel and Danny never did.

But for the most part she's fine with it, if a little bitter. She and Steve don't really get along, but they're civil with each other. I think her relationship with Danny does smooth out and get less rocky as the years go on, but they stay firmly as co-parents and don't ever really become friends again.

I'm still up in the air for how I'd handle Charlie in this au tbh, it's not possible for there to be any surprise babies. Plus I hated the whole infidelity story line anyways, and their relationship in this fic is different from how it is in canon.