Tala

[rainbow-femme]

Oh shit wait ok

So one year for charity different pro athletes get asked to participate in a live game based on one of those “how well do you know your partner” games but instead it’s “how well do you know your rival” and participating means you get to raise money for a charity of your choice and obviously Shane and Ilya want to promote the Irina Project so they agree and go up against other current famous rivals from other sports

And Shane and Ilya discuss ahead of time that obviously they’ll have to just play things off as they usually do, light hearted chirps back and forth and what not, “winning” is just for the show and won’t impact how much money gets made for their charity so it doesn’t matter. Except then they get there and become overtaken by the need to Win and Be the Best and they are the best. So without needing to discuss changing the plan, as soon as the questions start they lock in and decide that actually they have to demolish everyone else

The other rivals are laughing and making jokes at the questions but Shane and Ilya are deadly serious and the host starts to get a little weirded out by the fact that they actually know the answers and aren’t just saying things like “how many goals last season? Probably one less than me haha” and actually have each others stats memorized

Because the audience is loving it they go to a lightning round that’s just Shane and Ilya and it’s now the usual couple game questions and they’re still getting them right because they can make excuses for knowing later, right now is about Winning

“What is Shane’s favorite breakfast?”

“Kale protein shake with a scoop of peanut butter and a handful of blueberries.”

“Ok um, what is Ilya’s favorite breakfast?”

“Two sausage egg McMuffins with an extra slice of cheese and hashbrowns.”

“What is something on Shane’s bucket list?”

“Sleeping in one of those see through igloos under the northern lights.”

“What is something on Ilya’s bucket list?”

“That thing where you feed giraffes at a zoo.”

“Ok last one. I think we all know Shane’s answer is former paramour Rose Landry, but who do you think is the most famous person Rozanov has ever slept with is?”

*through teeth gritted so tight he is in danger of chipping one* “Probably a model. Or something.”

“… Yeah, let’s go with that.”

Years later when they’re out Shane reshares the clip and the only non-PR approved thing he says on the matter is “It was me, by the way. I am the most famous person Rozanov has ever slept with.”

[limpwristedrose]

Ilya gets off on chirping everyone and one of the things that makes him annoying is that he ALWAYS has a come back for when someone tries to start shit. you are not getting through that skin he will roast you until you are a husk who forgot why you tried to chirp Ilya Rozanov in the first place, and his team mates are NOT SPARED.

but but but Luca 'butter wouldn't melt' Haas snapping at Ilya at practise one day calling him an old man and everyone holds their breath waiting for Ilya to snap back, but he just tears up and grabs Luca by the cheeks and plants obnoxious kisses all over his head sobbing "you are my SON i BIRTHED YOU my BABY BOY I am so PROUD mama bird you chirp SO GOOD" and Luca just wants to die while everyone looses their shit laughing

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]

[perlukafarinn]

Canon divergent AU where Shane is a little more paranoid and when Hayden first comments on "Boston Lily", he decides he has to do something to break up the pattern and make it not so noticeable that he's got someone on Boston.

Not seeing Rozanov is not an option, so instead Shane picks out a few other cities to regularly go out by himself in. He'll go for a long walk, maybe sit down somewhere for a drink, and then catch a taxi back to the hotel an appropriate amount of time later. It's honestly pretty nice, unwinding by himself in this way, and now disappearing after games is not a thing specific to Boston! It's just another strange Hollander quirk!

Unfortunately, he fails to account for the guys on the team jumping on the most obvious explanation for all these disappearances, which is that Shane now has a girl in every port.

Word about this starts to spread quick, because it is so out of character for Shane, and pretty soon half the league is under the impression that he's some secret playboy.

Ilya is extremely not chill about this rumor.

[perlukafarinn]

@scunthotter

help 😭😭 ilya's playing 4d chess to keep his man to himself and meanwhile shane's like "it's so nice having ilya with me on my little walks 🥰"

[handsywoman]

Shane and Rose getting drunk and she shows him some of the guys she's been talking to recently. One thing leads to another and she tells him how well one guy sexts and how hot it is and Shane gets a little bit sad and embarrassed. Eventually he tells her that he sucks at sexting and it's a bit of an insecurity of his because the guy he's seeing is very good at it.

She tells him to give her his phone and takes the matters into her own hands typing out some filthy stuff, but she doesn't send it. She shows it to Shane and he gets absolutely terrified that it could get to Ilya. He snatches the phone out of her hands and just turns everything into a joke.

Later that night he hides under a separate blanket and tries to remember everything she wrote, but in his own words. He ends up sending the message to Ilya in a surge of drunk bravery and turns off his phone for the night.

He wakes up to 23 new messages from Rozanov and some sexual threats he can't wait for Ilya to bring to life when they meet up next.

[dontcallmeanythingplz]

Or Rozanov gets the sexy texts and is super confused and a little angry that someone must have stolen Shane's phone and is teasing his Shane. He is freaking out about it and wants to call, but is afraid of who will answer and thus blowing the cover that Lily is him. It isn't until the next morning that Shane is able to clear everything up and talk Ilya off the cliff. Shane said he wanted to get better at sexting and Ilya says no Shane you're perfect the way you are, don't change. I love my boring Jane 😭

[wolfythewitch]

all all all

[stellarumexp]

AO3 BADGES, GET YOUR A03 BADGES HERE

made by a human, no ai, featuring silly gradients and arbitrary color choices.

EDIT: i added the tutorial for how to add the individual badges under the cut :)

Use this code:

<img src="INSERT_LINK_HERE">

To get the link - right click and click "copy image address" on desktop OR if you're on moblie press+hold the badge you want, open it in your preferred browser, then press+hold your badge, click "open image in new tab" then copy the url that it takes you to! To make your badge centered - <center><img src="insert_link"></center> To change the size of your badge <img src="insert_link"> width=##%> (change ## to the percent of the screen you want the badge to take, 20% is typically a decent size :))

[abelvee]

The idea is so very fun so I made some for my profiles inspired by this post 😎

[notcraft]

Wear a helmet guys.

[actually-a-menace]

Jack is only a step away from being out of the ER when Dana stops him with a hand on his bicep, clearly hating to keep him a minute longer, but knowing well enough that he wont want to miss whatever gossip it is that she has to share. 

“We’ve got trouble incoming.”

He stops, turning to face her.  “Trauma?”

“Ha, if only.”  She shakes her head, blonde hair swinging too and fro from where it’s fallen from whatever madness she’s used to pull it back from her face today.  “There’s a pissed off Whitaker in the ambulance bay.  I think we both know where he’s headed.”

Abbot throws his head back with a genuine laugh, turning back to glance at Robby.  The daytime attending stands on the other side of the hub, reading glasses perched low on his nose as he reviews the cases still waiting for care, completely clueless as to what’s coming.  The kid was going to eat him alive.  They both thought they were slick, but Dana knew the ER like the back of her hand and Abbot knew Robby.  They had clocked their relationship, if you could call it that, weeks ago.  Though Dana had to admit, the kid made it past seven.  

Abbot shakes his head in mock sympathy.  “Well, it was nice knowing him.”  He points a finger at Dana as he speaks.   “But even if he kills him, you can take the nightshift from my dead hands before you put me in his place.”  Dana rolls her eyes before she speaks.  “Gotta wonder what it is though, kid was nearly cursing at the poor driver.”

They mosey back towards the station at a casual pace, taking in the calm before the storm that lasts until they are at the counter facing the doors, patient board at their backs.  It’s only a heartbeat, maybe two before Whitaker enters the ER.

“Michael Robinavitch!”

The Pitt grinds to a halt at the sudden outburst, employees and patients alike going wide eyed and silent as Dennis Whitaker charges towards the hub.  The double doors close at his back with a whoosh, the sound nearly deafening in the now quiet space.  The young doctor’s brows are furrowed, agitation pulling his body tense as he passes Santos and Garcia, the former stopping her brief on the patient the moment she caught sight of her roommate.

“Oh shit.”

Garcia raises a brow, watching as the curly haired intern storms past.

“ER is more entertaining than usual this morning.  You know what’s going on?”

Santos shakes her head, honestly a bit startled by the sight.  “No clue.  I didn't even know Huckleberry could get that mad with all the midwestern politeness he’s got tucked away.”

Perlah and Princess are whispering rapid fire tagalog behind the pair, heads swiveling to make eye contact with Amad.  They might have a new pool on their hands.  Santos chuckles at their commentary, even throwing in a few comments of her own into the mix.

Mel, ever the peacekeeper, tries to slow him, arm outstretched for a brief touch to his arm.  “Wait, Dennis-”  But he pays her no mind as he catches sight of their attending.  Frank is forced into a stumbling back step, colliding with Joy as she films what is looking like a hell of an interaction.

Robby, for his part, looks like he’s seen a ghost.  Dana chuckles as she leans on the counter.

“Go get ‘em kid!”

“Dana!”

Robby whips around to level the nurse with a look of betrayal before his gaze is back on the swift approach of one Dennis Whitaker.  He isnt slowing, forcing Robby to take a step back, then another until he’s stumbling into a chair with enough force that it rolls back more than a foot.  Abbot steps forward without hesitation, stopping the wheels of the chair with a foot while ignoring the protests of the other attending.  He’s essengtially cornered, the tall counter of the hub at his back while Dana and Abbot flank his sides.

He pins Dennis with a bewildered look.  “Whitaker?  What-”  He’s cut off before he can finish.  “Save it Robinavitch.”

Those blue eyes, normally ocean bright, have gone stormy, further darkening the already angry expression on the younger man’s face.  His tone is cool, all of his usual meekness absent as he levels the attending with a look.

“Michael, what did we do last weekend?” 

Robby blushes, “I hardly think that's appropriate.  I thought-

Dennis cuts him off again, throwing his hands out.

“We went shopping, didn’t we Michael?”  It may sound like a question, but Robby is sure the other man isn't actually looking for an answer.  He nods, and Dennis continues without missing a beat.  “-And do you remember what you bought?”

Robby tries to gather some composure, sitting up straighter, trying to look less like he’s cowering before a lesser ranking doctor.

“I bought, uh, some gear for the bike.  Dennis, what is this about?”

Dennis is shaking as he pulls his phone out, the only sign of a break in his composure.  A sense of dread settles hard into his stomach.  Trying to think of something, anything that would have upset Dennis this much.  

Oh no

“What’s this about Michael?”  Dennis barks out a laugh, humorless.  “This is about the picture one of the ambulance drivers just showed me!  The picture they took of you this morning, with something very important missing!”

Robby goes pale, skin ashen in an instant.  The ride in this morning, perfect weather to take the bike.  The idea taking Dennis on a ride after they got off of work.  Both helmets had been strapped to the seat behind him, out of sight and out of mind as the wind blew through his short hair.  Fuck

“Den, I can explain-.”

“I sure hope you can!”  Dennis is the picture of righteous fury, still dressed in jeans and boots from running a few early morning errands before his shift.  He’s technically late, but he had wanted to try to cool his temper before he saw Robby, though it made little difference, his ire flaring the moment he spotted the other man. “We left that shop with two helmets last weekend Michael, and yet you still couldn't be assed to wear one this morning.”

Robby gapes at him, stammering as if anything he could say would break the moment into something less tense.

Dennis pinches the bridge of his nose.  This is wildly unprofessional.  All of their efforts to keep work and life separate going up in flames thanks to Robby and his midlife crisis on wheels.

How many motorcycle traumas have we had this week?

Robby is silent, and Dennis meets his eyes, tears welling.

“We’ve had five this week and its only Thursday.”  The younger man sucks in a breath, and Robby knows that whatever comes next might just be what breaks them.  “Robby, I can't keep loving a man who doesn't want to keep living.”

The statement rings between them like a flatline, loud and devastating even as the quiet as the words were.  Dennis wishes it was as easy as medicine, that he could fix whatever was happening between them with a shot and a splint for the broken pieces.  

His face crumples in the next breath, rage leaving him and taking his composure with him.  It hits him then, how quiet things are, the scene he has caused.  He lets out a breath, sucks in another too quickly.

“Uh, sorry everyone. I-I’m sorry.”

He throws up a hand, trying to be nonchalant before he can't take it a moment longer and bolts for the lockers.  But he doesn't stop, feet carrying him past patients, past supplies, through a door until he’s in familiar stairs, legs carrying him up up up until he’s back in that abandoned ward from all those months ago.  Part of him screams for fresh air, begs him to go up to the roof, stand beneath warm sun and bright skies, but he knows that's where Robby will go first.  He had never told Robby about this place, the sad little room in an abandoned ward that Santos saved him from.  

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]

[meatswitch-deactivated20231107]

Wizards (1977)

[definitelynotindecisive]

[bogleech]

Oh are there people who don't know this mess of a movie has the all time most spectacular final wizard battle in the fantasy genre??

[magicpiano]

Danny Fenton sends Superman a fan email in which he asks for advice. In it he says he is also a non-human hero (he is vague because being a ghost is illegal) Danny mentions that he is being raised by humans. His parents don't know about his activities or species and hate his kind.

Danny was mostly looking for advice on how to make people stop being scared of his non-human characteristics. But Clark really sees himself in this teenager's email. He knows he was lucky to get parents who loved him even as an alien, but he also recalls being young and scared that would change.

So they start regularly exchanging emails, and Superman becomes a kind of mentor even if Danny refuses to tell him anything about his identity.

[liketolaugh-writes]

Clark was embarrassed to admit it, but the first thing he did every morning was usually to check the inbox of his official Superman email. He tried not to check it too often, but in the morning, reading those emails reminded him why he did what he did. Why it was so important to keep treating each civilian with such compassion, and not allow himself to become preoccupied with other things while he worked.

There were at least half a dozen emails every morning, more after major events, and he read them all. Occasionally, one stood out.

To Superman,

I wanted to tell you that I really admire you for what you do. I'm fifteen now and you've been a pillar of safety for as long as I can remember, and I can't imagine how much dedication it takes day-to-day, especially for as long as you've been a hero. I hear stories all the time about how considerate you are, and how understanding, and how unconditional your compassion is. It's something I try to keep in mind.

You haven't saved me. Not personally, I mean, and that's not why I decided to email you. I actually wanted to ask you for some advice, if that's okay.

See, I'm not human. I'm not going to tell you what I am, but it's really obvious whenever I'm using my abilities, although I can hide it the rest of the time. (My parents are human and even they don't know. They don't like my kind.) I started doing hero work about... eight months ago now. But the people in my city are scared of me, because of what I am. And I wondered if you had any advice about that. Everyone knows what you are, and how powerful you are, but no one is afraid of you. Well... no one reasonable is afraid of you.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions you might have for me, but either way, thank you for everything that you do.

From Danny

Clark set his chin on his hands and considered the email for a while. It wasn't unheard of for young heroes to email him for advice - all of the Justice League founders got them sometimes except, amusingly, Batman, the only one with significant experience teaching new heroes. But it was rarer for those heroes to identify themselves as nonhuman.

His parents must have found him and taken him in without knowing what he was. For those same folks to be anti-alien... Clark's heart ached for the young hero, growing up without the kind of support Clark had gotten. It was admirable of him to stick to it despite an apparently chilly reception.

He set his hands on the keyboard and started to reply.

---

Danny was shocked to receive an actual reply from Superman just the morning after he sent his email. He hadn't expected a reply at all, really - surely Superman had better things to do than read emails from random civilians? But he'd been awake long past his bedtime, kept up by the aching burn on his back from Valerie, and sent it in a fit of self-pity.

And Superman had replied.

To Danny,

The more time passes, the more often I hear from kids and even young adults that I've been making them feel safe for as long as they've been alive. That is worth more to me than you could imagine, and it makes every day of hard work worthwhile. Given what you've told me already, I think you're doing an excellent job of keeping those values in mind.

Believe it or not, my reception was rather lukewarm at first as well, for much the same reason. Batman and my media contact, Lois Lane, helped me straighten the issue out over the first few years. (Yes, I'm sorry to say, it may take years for you to be fully accepted.)

Here are some suggestions:

Try to stick around for at least a little while after each incident you help with. Let people talk to you. Let them see you outside of fights or feats of strength. You are not a combat machine.

Don't be too secretive about yourself. You implied that you have a secret identity, but there are still things generic enough for you to share without giving yourself away. Work with those.

Don't hide what you are, and don't lie about the traits that you have from it. I know it might seem like a simple short-term solution, but it won't help you in the long run. It will just make people suspicious.

Let people know at least part of your motive for helping people. My planet was destroyed, and I want to protect this one. The same goes for Martian Manhunter. Starfire fled her planet and has found this one to be much kinder. Be as open as you can.

Keep yourself safe. Don't be open about your weaknesses, no matter what people say to you. Don't linger too long around people who openly hate you. Don't allow yourself to be a target for hatred.

I hope you find these ideas helpful. And feel free to contact me for further advice anytime you want. I check my email every morning and I'm always happy to help a budding hero.

From Superman

Danny muffled a delighted squeal into his arm. Sam and Tucker weren't going to believe this!

---

It soon became apparent that Danny was either mostly or completely without an adult support system, because he quickly took to emailing Clark every day, usually in the early evening or late at night. Clark continued to read them in the morning and reply to them as thoughtfully as he could, and Danny soon grew to be a constant presence in his inbox. Which also meant...

"You're worrying about Danny again," Lois pointed out over breakfast.

"I wouldn't worry about Danny if he didn't say such worrying things," Clark muttered, rubbing his hand over his face.

Because over the last year, that trend had quickly become apparent. Whatever Danny was, their reception was more hostile than any other Clark had encountered on Earth, matching more to some of the blood feuds he'd heard of on other planets. Every few emails, he slipped in the most concerning little nuggets, seemingly without noticing.

One day my parents are going to invent a shield that actually locks me out of the house and I'll really be in trouble.

I keep trying to do what you said and stick around to talk, but it never lasts for long before the hunters show up and start shooting at me, which makes things kind of awkward.

I don't know what I would have done if defeating that tyrant guy hadn't brought my city back to Earth.

I wish there was some way I could convince the hunters that I'm just trying to help.

And now, most recently:

It's illegal to be what I am now. I'm getting kind of scared.

"I think I'm going to call out of work today," Clark said at last, still staring down at his computer. "I need to do some research."

What was Danny that he had apparently just been declared illegal?

[queenofthequillandink]

Clark was ready for one of the more off-putting alien species. He was ready for something he'd never heard of before. He thought even some sort of time-traveling incident that resulted in more Martians would have been less surprising than this.

He'd combed through new federal legislation from the past two months. Danny had mentioned the ban as though it had just happened, but Clark would look back further if he needed to. He had no idea what he'd do if it was a state law; he knew Danny was in the Central Time Zone and almost certainly in the US, but he couldn't pinpoint it more clearly than that.

So yes, he'd prepared himself for some sort of Eldritch horror folded into human skin or violent race that was famed for massacres that Danny himself wasn't carrying out.

Clark had not prepared himself for ghosts.

"'-extra-dimentional ectoplasmic entities, self-identified as ghosts, hereafter refered to as ectoentities, are defined as any being with a physical makeup that includes 9% or more ectoplasm; or which needs ectoplasm to continue its existence. They have been deemed non-sapient and non-sentient threats to public and personal safety. As such, ectoentities are banned from all public and personal property. Knowingly harboring or aiding an ectoentity-' I mean, this is complete bullshit!" Lois hissed, cutting herself off and smacking the printout Clark had handed her. "You talk to Danny every other day; he's obviously sapient. And they folded it into a bunch of stuff about infrastructure, clearly hoping no one was going to read it. Clark, this says 'all necessary force authorized.'"

"I know," Clark responded, feeling sick. "They have a task force, apparently. One that can apparently harm these ghosts. They're clearly trying to prevent public panic by keeping this quiet, but if you searched the right things, I bet a Ghost Investigation Ward squad would show up anyway. There's a clause in there about the Patriot Act; it's on the third page."

Lois hissed like an angry cat, flipping the pages until she found the highlighted section. "You need to be careful what you email Danny. This is broad-spectrum permission to interfere when they even suspect someone's talking about an ectoentity."

"I need to find Danny," Clark replied. "His parents will almost certainly be on the side of this new law. If they find out what he is..." Some of Clark's worst nightmares come from the time he had just begun to understand how he was different from his peers and what that meant. Government experimentation was a recurring theme until well into his 20s. "I need to evacuate him."

"And that means you need to find him." Lois' eyes lit up with the challenge. "He's been cagey, right?"

"Yep," Clark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've tried to get more information out of him, to set him up with a mentor, but he clams up every time. Once, he stopped sending emails for a week. I don't think I could take the worry if I didn't hear from him after this."

"So we find him," Lois told him fiercely. "Are you an investigative journalist, or not? A young hero as divisive as this, no way he didn't make the news. What have you got so far?"

~*~

Three and a half weeks later, Lois slammed a newspaper page on the kitchen table, eyes lit up with the manic glow that she got when she was hot on the trail of a new story. "Amity Park, Illinois doesn't exist."

Clark paused, spoonful of cereal halfway to his mouth. "...okay?" he said uncertainly, lowering it.

"It used to exist, but they tried to erase it. But they couldn't erase everything." She jabbed a finger at an article in the paper impatiently.

Clark bent over it. A quick glance at the top told him that it was a copy of the Elmerton Enquirer from November of thirteen years ago. "'Elmerton Central Rams Face Casper High Ravens in Final Game of Season'?" he read. "What is this-?"

"In the article, it says the Casper High Ravens are the team from a city called Amity Park. A city I can't find a mention of anywhere else."

Clark finally started to catch on. "Is this about Danny?" They'd hit a brick wall on their search for the young hero almost instantly. There were no reports of unknown young heroes anywhere east of the Rockies.

They'd started smaller, of course. Clark had tentatively identified Danny as probably being in the Midwestern part of the Central Time Zone rather than Southern, based on his speech patterns and some of the things he'd said about the world around him. When that didn't turn up anything about any controversial heroes, they'd expanded it to all hero news in general, then to crimes getting stopped without anyone knowing how. They'd expanded the area they were looking at three separate times. Nothing they couldn't explain turned up. Clark was growing increasingly frantic, breathing a sigh of relief every time Danny sent another email. But he also knew that there was no guarantee the boy would keep being safe.

"Yes, it's about Danny!" Lois brought Clark back to the conversation at hand. "This is the only mention of Amity Park I've been able to find, and I had to have it mailed to me by a college friend in Chicago with an ex-boyfriend whose stepson has a best friend that moved to Elmerton to live with his grandmother who obsessively collects old papers that mention the charity she volunteered for. Do you know how hard it is to maintain that chain of communication without incurring the wrath of the Patriot Act?"

"Super hard," Clark guessed, mind already spiralling with the implications. "I'm assuming there's nothing online about Amity Park."

"Some sort of agent pair converged on the east branch public library 7 minutes and 36 seconds after I searched the town name," Lois told him, mouth tight. "I'm guessing that's our Ghost Investigation Ward. They wore all-white uniforms, so they should be pretty easy to spot."

"As long as they're in uniform," Clark replied grimly.

"As long as they're in uniform," Lois agreed. "I was able to find out that Amity Park isn't on any of the map softwares I could access. There was no mention on social media. No local paper online. I couldn't even find a parent portal for the high school."

"The agents didn't see you, did they?" Clark asked, suddenly straightening. "If we need to take an unplanned vacation to the farm-"

Lois waved him away. "I gave myself five minutes. And wore a wig. I still look terrible blonde."

"You look good in whatever you wear," Clark replied absentmindedly, scanning the article. There wasn't much information in it that helped them. "This says Elmerton and Amity Park are rivals. That means they're probably nearby each other, right?"

"I have the sudden urge to visit my old college friend," Lois said with a sharp smile. "Wanna come? We can leave Jon with Ma and Pa, maybe see what else Illinois has to offer?"

Clark was already reaching for his phone to call into work. "I think a bit of travel would be excellent for us."

[liketolaugh-writes]

It wasn't the first time Lois and Clark had done undercover work. Lois in particular was a widely-known reporter of corporate crimes and human rights violations, so the people who indulged in those sorts of activities often knew her name. Clark wasn't as well-known, but he wasn't unrecognizable either. They went to Elmerton as Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and headed for Amity Park as Lucy and Clark Taylor.

Their rented vehicle was stopped not far past the billboard that read 'Amity Park: A Nice Place To Live!'

"Names," barked the agent, a brown-haired man with sunglasses that hid many of his defining features.

These types didn't like people who knew their rights. It wouldn't be impossible to get into Amity Park without using a road, but the agents inside might keep records of who had been let in. "Clark and Lucy Taylor, sir. Have we done something wrong?"

"Not yet," the agent said darkly. He repeated their names over his comm unit, and waited for the voice on the other end to give him a tinny 'they're clean' before addressing them again. "Professions?"

"Between jobs right now," Clark said with a bashful smile. "A friend of mine told me that the high school here was looking for teachers? I teach social studies. I just wanted to have a look." It was a guess. A town blocked off by the government probably had trouble finding teachers.

The agent grumbled something indistinct. "And your wife?"

Clark smiled guilelessly. "She's my wife. What do you mean?" He could practically hear Lois rolling her eyes, but the agent bought it.

"Head on through," he grunted, waving them on. "You might change your mind about living here once you've seen it."

"Oh, it can't be that bad!" Clark chuckled, and raised the window to pull away before the agent could reply.

"Soft lockdown," Lois interpreted, frowning at the road. "They'll probably have us sign an NDA on the way out."

Clark nodded. Less red tape on the way in, less suspicion from casual visitors, less eyes on them. "Not if we don't leave that way." They wouldn't be able to take Danny out through the checkpoints anyway. It'd be best to fly out.

Once they were in, it was almost insultingly easy, considering all the trouble it had taken to get this far. He focused his hearing on Amity Park, but there didn't seem to be any fighting at the moment, so he and Lois headed to a diner for lunch and, more importantly, to chat with the waiter.

"You're from out of town, aren't you?" the waiter checked, catching both of them by surprise. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged at them. "I don't recognize you, and Amity Park is a pretty small town. What brings you here?"

"Well..." Clark dragged it out, scratching his neck in embarrassment. The kid caught on quickly and laughed out loud.

"You're here about the ghosts, aren't you?" Completely unconcerned, matter-of-fact. He hadn't been told to keep it a secret, Clark realized, which meant that the GIW probably didn't want the residents to realize how tightly locked down they were.

"Yes, we are," Lois confirmed, leaning over to catch the kid's eye. "What's your name? So I can write it down."

The kid lit up, which wasn't unusual. People loved to be in the paper. "Kwan Choi!" he chirped. "Are you a reporter?"

Still no concern. The GIW had never intended outside reporters to ever get this far, probably. People at nearby tables were starting to turn around, interested in the proceedings but not stepping forward yet.

"That's right," Lois confirmed, flipping her notebook open. "May I record this conversation?"

"Sure!"

Lois set her phone to record. "So, Mr. Choi, what can you tell me about the ghosts here?"

"They're pretty much everywhere!" Kwan told her, with obvious delight that became disconcerting as he went on. "There's attacks every day, you'll probably at least hear one if you're staying for a couple of days. Ghosts are pretty powerful too, so it's not like you'll miss it. Just follow the sound of smashing concrete. And yelling."

"You don't seem very worried," Lois pointed out mildly, exchanging a look with Clark. Danny had never really indicated how powerful he was, and had avoided mentioning most of his powers. If his rogues gallery was regularly breaking buildings...

"Of course not!" Kwan exclaimed, laughing at the thought. "Trust me, we don't have anything to worry about as long as Phantom's around." He almost vibrated with excitement, obviously waiting for them to take the bait.

Clark was happy to. This was what they'd come here for, after all. "Phantom? Is he a hero?"

"He's the best!" Kwan beamed. "He's a ghost too and he's super powerful! Don't listen to what any of the ghost hunters tell you. Phantom's casualty record is literally perfect and Dash says even Superman can't say that! Course, Amity Park is a lot smaller than Metropolis..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while Lois and Clark exchanged a look. "Phantom beats up all the ghosts, even the ones the ghost hunters can't touch, and he doesn't cause as much collateral as the Fentons say he does! They just blame him for all the damage from all the ghosts and that's bullshit."

"So he's controversial?" Clark prodded carefully. He was startled when Kwan actually scowled at him, dropping his bouncy demeanor for a moment.

"You can't do one of those scaremongering articles on him, okay?" the kid argued, looking defensive. "None of that 'he's a scary ghost' or 'is Phantom secretly behind all the ghost attacks' horseshit. He's a hero. We'd be completely screwed without him."

"We won't do that," Lois promised Kwan, earning a beam in return. "Is Phantom the only hero in Amity Park?"

Kwan actually looked thoughtful, and he wriggled his hand. "Depends on who you ask. The Red Huntress is pretty cool too, when she's by herself, but she attacks Phantom a lot, so a lot of people don't really like her. The Fentons and the GIW are both almost as dangerous as the ghosts though, and they're not nearly as good at fighting them."

"The GIW?" Clark asked, just to see how he reacted. He wasn't entirely surprised when Kwan flinched, glancing nervously at the door.

Kwan lowered his voice. "You should probably avoid those guys, all the government people in white suits. They're, uh, pretty liberal with those guns." His nervous expression said it all. Clark's hatred for the GIW grew.

"We'll be careful," Lois assured him. "What about the Fentons?"

Kwan made a face, but he did straighten up, his shoulders relaxing. "If you're reporting on the ghost attacks, you probably want to talk to the Fentons." Another grimace. "Well, want may not be the right word. They know a lot, but they're also wrong about a lot, and they're really anti-ghost. Maybe you can talk to their son Danny instead. Rumor has it that he's where Phantom gets all his Fenton tech."

Bingo. Clark wasn't expecting Danny to fall right into their laps, but this fit perfectly: the son of two ghost hunters, already suspected of having ties to the town's hero. "And where can we find Danny?"

"He lives with his parents," Kwan shrugged. "It's hard to find him anywhere else, unless you want to catch him at school or something." Of course; if there were multiple attacks a day, he probably poured a lot of time into his vigilantism. "I don't know their exact address, but you don't really need to. They have a giant UFO on top of their house, you can't miss it."

"They have a what?"

----

They did have a UFO on top of their house.

"Well," Lois said resignedly. "I think we found it." 'Fentonworks' blinked on the sign, pointing to the door. "Now let's find your adoptee."

"Who do you think I am, Bruce?" Clark asked indignantly.

Lois didn't dignify that with a response, instead making her way toward the door and pressing the doorbell. It rang, and almost immediately, there was a crash, a clatter, and a blast on the other side of the door. Someone yelped. Clark tensed, but a moment later, the door swung open, and a red-haired woman smiled at them, unaffected by the commotion.

"Hello, can I help you?" she asked, perfectly cheerful.

Lois and Clark exchanged a look, and then Lois focused on the woman. "Hello. My name is Lucy Taylor, call me Luce, and my husband Clark. Mrs. Fenton, right? I was told you were the people to talk to about ghosts." It was always best to get both perspectives of a story; even with something as one-sided as this, you had to understand what everyone was thinking.

It was also the easiest way to get in the door.

"Dr. Fenton, actually!" the woman said, with a smile that showed she wasn't offended. "Both me and my husband. Come in!"

She spun on her heel and went inside, and Lois and Clark followed. The commotion had evidently been someone dropping a large energy gun, which had then gone off and hit the ceiling; the scorch mark was still smoldering. The gun was on the floor. Clark glanced at it, and Maddie chuckled, picked it up, and put it on the table.

"Don't worry, it doesn't harm humans," she reassured them both, unconcerned. "I know it can seem a little extreme if you've never met a real ghost, but I assure you, those ectoplasmic abominations deserve no mercy."

The sudden vitriol was disconcerting with her cheerful, upbeat tone.

"Really?" Clark asked, unable to help himself. "From what I've heard so far, they sound pretty complex." Along with Kwan, who was happy to talk as long as his manager would let him, they'd heard stories from all the people at the tables around them. It wasn't just Danny; plenty of the ghosts had shown obvious signs of sapience, from dating problems to earnest chats about new music to a child ghost playing carefully with other kids, supervised by Phantom.

"Oh, this talk again," Maddie sighed, and sat down with a reassuring smile. To show she wasn't offended. She gestured for them to sit down. "Not at all. It's all in the science of it. Ghosts are very good at appearing complex; it's necessary for their manipulations. But all of the emotion and personality that they display is faked. It's an echo of who they were when they were alive. What's really happening is a mindless feeding instinct, since ghosts need human emotion to sustain themselves. The more emotion they can evoke, the more they can feed." Maddie smiled and shrugged, like 'it can't be helped.' "That's why the best thing to do is to put them out of everyone's misery. Someday, I hope, there won't be any ghosts to haunt us."

Clark couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this sick and angry. Maybe when Kon had explained exactly what had happened while he was still at CADMUS. He closed his hands gently, careful not to clench them, so as to not tip Maddie off too much.

Lois set a hand on his arm, understanding. "You want to wipe them out?"

Maddie blinked at them guilelessly. "Well, yes, of course. They're very dangerous, as anyone in this town knows. And as I explained, they're not sentient at all, so there's really no reason not to. It's like putting down rabid animals, really - after all, by rights, they should already be dead."

Clark wondered how often Danny heard his mother call him a rabid animal.

Lois squeezed his arm. "What do your children think of this?"

Maddie's smile thinned, showing that she was losing her patience. "Oh, they're quite pro-ghost, I'm afraid. Most of the children are. I try not to hold it against them; they're very vulnerable to the manipulations of Phantom in particular. It was clever of it to both take the form of an adolescent and wear something resembling a superhero costume. It even formed an emblem after a while."

"How can he be clever if he's not even sentient, ma'am?" Clark asked, quiet and even. Maddie's smile disappeared altogether.

"I see you formed an opinion before talking to an expert," she observed coolly. "One of the children, I'm guessing?"

Before the situation could escalate, the front door opened, and another energy beam fired. Clark shot to his feet, but was too late to react, caught in his secret identity; the beam hit, and the person at the door yelped in pain and reeled back.

"Mom!" they yelled after a moment, more frustrated than hurt. "You're supposed to tell me when you turn on the security system!"

With a sinking feeling, Clark guessed that that was Danny. He glanced up at the ceiling above the door. A smoking gun was pointed at the door.

"I'm sorry, dear!" Immediately forgetting them, Maddie bustled to her feet and across the room, opening a panel in the wall to input a code. The gun withdrew into the ceiling. "I really thought I got it this time, I don't understand why this keeps happening."

"Mom." Danny appeared in the doorway, giving the ceiling a wary glance before continuing inside. He hadn't noticed them yet, focused on his mother as he pleaded with her. "I'm not even asking you to stop testing it, just tell me when you turn it on, please?"

That was a pretty big concession, considering that Clark suspected it was doing exactly what it was supposed to do, and shooting a ghost that tried to come inside. Into his house, where he lived, with his parents that were supposed to be protecting him. Clark clenched and unclenched his fists, not sitting down yet.

Maddie sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. Every time I think I've figured out why our trackers lock onto you..." She trailed off with a shake of her head, and gestured for Danny to come closer. "Here, let me fix that up for you. And be polite, we have guests."

Despite her willingness to program the house to shoot him, apparently at random, Danny approached his mom without hesitation and held up his burnt arm for her inspection. A large pink splotch was on his forearm, where he must have blocked the beam, maybe protecting his head or chest. Most tellingly of all, his heart beat slowly, at half the rate Clark was used to hearing.

Maddie winced. "Oh, that's going to blister," she murmured.

"Mom!" Danny whined, glancing down. "Did you turn up the power too? Seriously?"

"I really thought I had it this time," Maddie repeated, contrition tightening her voice. It meant nothing, Clark thought darkly. She grabbed a first aid kit from under the sink and spread burn cream over the injury, then started to wrap it up. To Lois and Clark, she added, "I'm sorry you had to see this. If you could keep it private, I would... appreciate it. I'd rather it not get around exactly how ectocontaminated Danny is."

A hint of apprehension crept into her voice. It was telling. Even the Fentons feared the Ghost Investigation Ward.

"We understand," Lois said smoothly, pointedly not promising to keep it quiet.

For the first time, Danny glanced over at them, and confusion entered his eyes. Then they widened slightly. If anyone was going to see through Clark's thin disguise in less than a second, it would be another vigilante.

Clark wasn't surprised that Danny's only response was to tense nervously and look away again, shoulders rising. He'd gone to lengths to hide his identity and location from Superman, after all.

"Who are they?" Danny asked his mother.

"They're journalists!" Maddie said, bright and cheerful again. She finished wrapping Danny's injury, that she gave him, and took his shoulder to steer him toward the living room. "Luce and Clark. They're doing a story about Amity Park, so we're talking about ghosts."

"Great." Danny looked unenthusiastic. "Can I go upstairs, to do my homework, and like, not be here for this conversation?"

Maddie paused, studying him for a moment, and then tugged him gently toward the living room. (Truly gentle - Clark had seen people yank others and disguise it as a gentle motion before, and this wasn't that.) "No, I think you could benefit from this conversation too."

"Great." Danny looked defeated, and didn't protest further as he was pushed onto the other couch. He glanced at the gun on the table. "That's a new one. What does it do?"

Maddie beamed. Clark hated everything about this.

"It's the Fenton Ecto-Incinerator! It should cause any ghost's ectoplasm to react violently with itself and boil them from the inside out!"

The look of defeat magnified into a recognizable 'I wish I had never been born' expression, with dull, lifeless eyes and slumped shoulders. Maddie didn't seem to notice. "Fantastic." He scuffed his shoes on the floor and stared at his knees. Clark tried to figure out if there was a diplomatic way to ask 'have you noticed that your son obviously needs serious mental health treatment or are you ignoring it on purpose?'

It occurred to Clark that if Danny was a ghost, and his parents didn't know, that implied that he'd died and they hadn't noticed.

Lois, as always, rallied first. "Is that an... efficient way to get rid of a ghost?"

Danny sighed softly. With a wince, Clark realized that he'd missed the part of the conversation that indicated they were against this.

Maddie sighed too, but for a different reason, and she gave them a rueful smile. "No, not particularly. We're still trying to figure out how exactly to destroy ghosts permanently. We'd need to experiment with an intact specimen to manage it, but they keep... escaping." She glanced at Danny, indicating she had a suspicion as to how, but he didn't seem to notice. "Until then, we're trying to use pain as a deterrent."

"I thought they weren't sentient," Clark said, meeting Maddie's eyes. She pressed her lips together before responding.

"Everything dislikes pain, Mr. Taylor."

Clark had to work to retain his patience. "Do you know the difference between sentience and sapience, ma'am?"

Maddie's brow furrowed. "I... didn't believe there was one?"

"Sentient beings are capable of sensing and reacting to stimuli," Clark told her, because everyone needed to understand this, even - perhaps especially - the most horrible of people. "Sapient beings possess human intelligence."

Maddie looked thoughtful. "Hm... perhaps we should amend some of our professional work. That's quite a mistake." She shrugged it off. "But the principle remains the same. They can't stay here, and the pain is a deterrent."

Danny didn't look comforted by the concession. It was possible he wasn't even listening, and Clark couldn't blame him.

"Dr. Fenton, do you realize that that mistake enabled the government to give ghosts fewer rights than are given to lab rats?" Lois asked, barely maintaining a veneer of politeness.

Maddie's voice chilled again. "Ghosts don't need rights, Mrs. Taylor. As I explained, they are evil, selfish creatures, manipulating humans and feeding on the resulting emotion. I assure you, I've read the entirety of the Anti-Ecto Act, and I have no problem with any of it."

Danny stared at his knees and picked absently at a hole in his jeans.

"There's a reason that animal cruelty is illegal, Dr. Fenton. No feeling creature deserves that, whether you believe in their sapience or not."

"Rabid animals are put down as a matter of course. Why should ghosts be any different? Of the two, ghosts are far more dangerous."

Danny poked his finger into the hole.

"They're not sick, they're not dying. Rabid animals are put out of their misery. What is the point of torturing a ghost?"

"By all rights, they should already be dead. It's frankly an abomination that they didn't stay that way. Whatever measure is required to make that happen, I will do it myself - for the safety of our town and my children."

Actually, Clark was starting to get... extremely concerned about Danny's lack of responsiveness.

"Danny," he said, interrupting the intensifying argument. "Can you hear me?"

"What?" Maddie asked, baffled. Lois, however, caught on quickly, her back straightening with alarm. She held up a hand, indicating for Maddie to wait, and watched Clark scoot closer to Danny.

"Danny," he repeated, slightly louder and firmer. He reached out to touch Danny's hand, and Danny blinked, lifted his head, and met Clark's eyes, tilting his head in silent question. Clark repeated, "Can you hear me?"

There was a pause. Danny hummed noncommittally.

"What is-" Maddie started. Lois shook her head sharply, and Maddie fell silent.

"Danny, do you know where you are?" Clark asked, keeping his voice calm and even while his anger with Maddie and the absent Jack Fenton rose substantially. He doubted this was the first time this had happened.

Danny stared at him blankly. It was apparent that he either didn't understand the question or he didn't know where he was.

"Danny?" Fear entered Maddie's voice, and that was all that kept Clark from snapping at her.

"He's dissociating," Lois explained, terse but more patient than Clark at the moment. "It's a symptom of trauma and a sign of extreme stress. Clark's trying to snap him out of it."

"What?" Maddie repeated, horrified, and this time was ignored.

"You're at home, in your living room," Clark told Danny, maintaining eye contact. "Can you see that you're in your living room? Two couches, a coffee table, a television, and a ceiling fan?" Danny glanced around, checking for those things. Couches, coffee table, television, ceiling fan. Danny nodded. "Can you tell me what else is here?"

Danny glanced down at the coffee table, and his eyes landed on the gun. He clammed up again, eyes losing what little life they'd gained and shoulders going limp. Clark suppressed a curse, and glanced at Lois, then at the kitchen. Bless her, she understood, and got up to look for the freezer. Surprisingly, Maddie also responded, and picked up the gun, disappearing into a door to the basement. She returned empty-handed, giving Danny a worried look.

Lois returned from the kitchen with a bag of frozen vegetables, which she dumped into Danny's hands without ceremony. Danny started, blinking down at the bag, then up at Lois in question. She gave him a tense smile and sat down.

"Danny, can you tell me what you have in your hands?" Clark asked.

"...bag of frozen peas?" Danny stared down at them again, then up at Clark, meeting his eyes on his own with visible confusion. "Why?"

Clark gave him a small, relieved smile. "It got your attention, didn't it? You were dissociating. Do you know what that is?"

Danny wrinkled his nose, handling the bag of peas absently as he tried to retrace his mental steps. "I... felt kind of floaty, I guess. Like in a bad dream. I dunno. I wasn't really paying attention." Something about his tone indicated that while he was responsive now, he was still trying, on some level, to 'not really pay attention.' "What's wrong? Can I go now?"

He stopped fidgeting with the frozen peas and left them in his hands, limp and forgotten. Definitely still out of it, Clark decided.

"What's wrong with Danny?" Maddie repeated forcefully, fear in her voice and clearly done with being ignored. As if she had a right, as if she hadn't just bandaged a burn on his arm that she'd put there with carelessness bordering on malice.

"Some people detach from their surroundings as a coping mechanism," Lois explained, clipped but calm. Danny blinked down at the bag of peas in a slightly more ominous kind of confusion, and Clark put a hand on his arm again. Danny jumped, looking up at him in question, and Clark gave him a small, comforting smile, trying to make him feel at ease. "They'll feel like they're just having a dream, or watching something happen to someone else. It's a way of dealing with stress or trauma."

Maddie blinked at her in infuriating confusion. "But... he's just at home. Did something happen while he was at school, or on his way home?"

"I imagine," Clark said calmly, "it's because he was attacked at the door, and then forced to sit and listen while you discussed beings, that at the very least he thinks of as sapient, and justified your desire to torture them to death."

"But-" Maddie cut herself off this time, giving Danny a worried look. "But that's just-" She faltered again, and it was obvious that she didn't know how to deal with the conflict of what was, to her, undeniable scientific truth, and the equally undeniable harm it was causing Danny. "Are you sure?"

"If it was something outside, he would have been unresponsive when he came in," Clark informed her.

Maddie shrank, and Danny looked at her with matching worry.

"It's okay!" he said hastily, trying to shake off Clark's hand. Clark kept it there, and Danny didn't try very hard. "I can deal, I just- today was a bad day is all, I'm just..." He trailed off, lost as to how to play this down.

They stared at each other.

"...I'm sorry, can you leave?" Maddie asked softly. "I think Danny and I need to talk."

[queenofthequillandink]

@liketolaugh-writes Tag, you're it.

Clark does the social math quickly and doesn't see how them staying will do anything but escalate the situation. It's not like he can't just listen in on the whole thing anyway and have them back here in seconds if they need to interfere.

"We'll be in the area for a few days," he says through a tight smile as he stands. "In case we have any more questions."

"Feel free to reach out if you have any thoughts to share," Lois adds, standing and leaning over to hand Danny a business card. She does not hand one to Maddie, and from the narrowed eyes, the woman notices. "Or if you need any other kind of advice."

"Yes, thank you," Maddie says frostily. "I'm sure we'll do just fine. Why don't I show you the door?" Clark slips Danny another business card when she turns, in case the woman confiscates Lois'.

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Fenton," Clark says, because Ma and Pa raised him right. "Danny, it was wonderful to meet you. Feel better."

"Yeah," the teen says, eyes darting side to side, presumably looking for a way to flee before having this conversation with his mother.

That's the last thing Clark sees before Maddie practically shoves them out the door and shuts it quickly behind them.

Clark makes for the car, ears already tuned on the house, but Lois darts around the corner instead, hauling on his arm. "I don't care how fast you can get back here, we are not leaving him alone with that woman," she hisses. "Do you think you know enough to guess which bedroom is his? There's nowhere to hide out here."

"I can give it a shot." Clark shoots up, hopefully faster than any nosy neighbors can track, eyeing the second floor windows. A large bedroom, clearly the parents' by the bed. A bathroom, a study, a wildly pink bedroom. He won't judge, but it doesn't seem Danny's style.

Then, jackpot, a room decked floor to ceiling in NASA merch and teen boy mess. He remembers the kid going on and on about meteor showers and an observatory field trip and how cool it is that the Justice League has a base in space. The room is even on the back half of the building, convenient for sneaking in and out as a teenage hero and a nosy reporter.

He's back at Lois' side in a flash. "Got it." He leads her to the window and boosts her up easily, so no one has the chance to see anything super-related as she jimmies the lock. They're through in under a minute, Lois already cracking the door open so she can hear as Clark tunes back into the specifics of the conversation.

"-just don't know why you didn't mention anything sooner, honey," comes Maddie's voice. It's even, but her heartbeat is elevated and he can detect the tension in her tone that normal ears can't.

"I did," Danny snaps in reply, sounding like he's finally reaching the end of his temper. "I told you the third time you shot me that I wanted the front door guns gone and you gave me an hour-long lecture on ghost safety. I told you when the system shot me the fifteenth time that I wanted it on an automatic timer so it'd always be off when I got home from school, at least. You told me holes in the defenses were unacceptable. I told you the twenty eighth, fifty seventh, a hundred and third, and after I lost count, that they hurt, that the burns made it hard to do my chores and to focus on homework, that I got an infection once from one of the wounds. That was the fifty seventh time, if you were curious."

"...the third time I shot you?"

Lois' nails bite into the doorframe. Danny just sounds exasperated. "All that and that's what you gleaned from it? Alright, fine. The third time the house shot me with weapons you and Dad designed, you and Dad programmed, you and Dad installed, and you and Dad armed without telling me."

"Young man, I do not appreciate your tone. We're just trying to protect you from those abominations. I have no idea why the systems always lock onto you, but we're doing our best to figure it out."

Danny laughs, the grating, sharp edge of it making Clark cringe. "You have no idea? Really? No possible idea at all why I could be so ecto contaminated that the weapons can lock onto me? Mom, you make me clean the lab at least once a week and you two never make sure I have proper safety equipment. You and Dad practically live in your HAZMAT suits. Mine hasn't fit since the beginning of freshman year, right before the portal started working. And I know Jazz put it on the list of things you needed to order, but it never did get here did it? And neither did the industrial filters for the HVAC or the extra fridge so you'd stop putting samples in the kitchen. Do you know how many times I've had to shoot my own dinner?"

Lois has one hand clapped over her mouth in horror. Clark slowly opens and closes his fists, wishing anything in the general vicinity was strong enough to take one of his punches without disintegrating. This house is such a nightmare, it's shocking that the other child who lives here hasn't died. Danny's been careful not to mention a sibling outright, but Clark's made an educated guess from some of the anecdotes he's shared. And the pink room clearly belongs to a fellow teen. Though, hell, for all Clark knows, they have died or gotten sufficiently contaminated to get ghost powers.

"Sweetie." Maddie sounds every inch the exasperated parent. Clark can just picture her pinching the bridge of her nose. "Your father and I have made sure you know the rules of the lab perfectly well. We thought you were old enough and responsible enough that you didn't have to be babysat." Forget super strength, Lois looks like she's about to punch something hard enough to atomize it.

"Did you not just hear me-" Danny cuts himself off, voice shutting down into something painfully toneless. "Yes, Mom."

"We'll order you a larger suit and I expect you to wear it while you're in the lab."

"Okay." Danny doesn't sound like he believes her. Clark wonders how many times she's made similar promises.

"For now, we'll have to get back to work on calibrating the defense system, at least once we're done finalizing the Ecto-Incinerator schematics. We'll get it right, sweetie. It might take a few more tries, but you won't have to deal with this forever. And then you won't have to do this dissociating thing any more. Alright?"

"Uh huh. Can I go do my homework now?"

"Of course. I'll be in the lab if you need me."

Her voice is already getting further, walking away, so she probably doesn't hear Danny mutter, "Right, the lab I don't have any safety gear for doing a project I'm going to have to go down there and literally drag you away from to get any attention. Great." He sighs heavily and Clark can hear him run a hand through his hair. "Right, might as well actually get some homework done while I can."

His footsteps hit the stairs as Lois eases the door closed and they both back away. There's no way to seem casual in the teenager's room they've broken into, but Clark sits at the desk to make his height less imposing and Lois chooses to lean nonchalantly by the window.

Danny freezes comically when he opens his door, eyes darting from one to the other. Clark's never felt less like laughing.

"You can leave the door open if it makes you feel better," Lois says softly. "Or tell us to get out and we will, but Danny, I think we need to have a talk."

"Do we?" Danny's hand tightens on the knob. Clark can hear the metal protest. "Because from what I see, you came in here, got my mom all riled up, and bailed."

"I didn't want her to be more defensive with strangers around, but I can understand why that was frustrating-" Clark starts.

Danny snorts and rolls his eyes. "I'm not having this conversation without backup."

Lois holds up her hands placatingly. "Whatever makes you feel more comfortable."

Danny pulls out his phone, then pauses. "Am I telling them that it's a couple of out-of-town reporters or Superman and his... was the wife thing real?"

"It was. Lois Lane, star investigative journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He's Clark Kent, slightly less good investigative journalist for the same."

"Hey," says Clark mildly. He's not actually offended; he and Lois have been playfully duking for top spot for years now. Turning to Danny, he adds, "I assume these are people who know about your double life?"

"They've been there since the beginning. Accident and everything." Danny's eyes tighten at the corners. It's clearly not a pleasant memory, but most who got their powers by accident didn't have a kind experience.

"Then you might as well tell them. It will make things easier." Danny nods and starts typing.

"You said they were there for the 'accident,'" Lois pipes up. Danny's mouth flattens, but he nods. "Were they close enough that they might be in the contamination range prosecuted by this new law?"

Danny's fingers freeze and he slowly looks up. "Oh, you really don't know, do you?"

The tone sets every one of Clark's instincts on edge, reporter and hero both. He leans forward in his chair. "Know what?"

Hitting send and shoving his phone in his pocket, Danny shakes his head. "Nine percent isn't actually that much when you live in a town with as many fights as Amity Park. At least half the town has enough contamination to qualify. Most of the Casper High students for sure; my rogues like to pick fights while I'm at school."

Clark's jaw drops as he tries to unpack multiple parts of that at once. "I'm sorry, did you just say at least half the population can be detained under this law, most of the teenagers have repeatedly been exposed to a substance that the local experts wear constant HAZMAT suits to avoid touching, and most of your rogues know where you go to school?"

"Oh boy." Danny grins, showing off larger-than-normal canines and a sardonic type of humor that Clark's only seen from the most world-weary heroes. "Welcome to Amity Park. It's a nice place to live, at least if you're already dead."

[liketolaugh-writes]

"We figured out that there was an information blockade a few weeks after the Anti-Ecto Act passed," Danny told them, settling by the park bench where they were supposed to meet Danny's friends. "How'd you get through?"

Danny's other form was interesting, and frankly, a lot less off-putting than Clark had been prepared for. He sat cross-legged in the air, more casual in his defiance of gravity than Clark was, and his glacial white hair drifted slightly, as if he were underwater. He gave off a faint glow, which cast his features into stark relief, with none of the usual shadows. His eyes were a vivid radiation green. The only thing Clark found disconcerting was that he had no heartbeat at all.

Clark felt strongly that the hunters who were so afraid of him needed to get a grip.

He wore an interesting suit, too. Clark could see why Maddie had mistaken it for a superhero costume, except it obviously wasn't - it was a haz-mat, exactly like hers. Apparently it hadn't done him much good even when it fit.

"A lot of persistence and a lot of contacts," Lois said with a rueful smile. "Amity Park disappeared extremely suddenly, and while not a lot of people noticed, some did. One of my old college friends lives in Elmerton, and Elmerton certainly noticed."

"Elmerton's so close that they're lucky it got spared," Danny said dryly. He hesitated for a moment longer, his eyes flicking warily between them, and then asked, "Why did you...?"

Clark gave Danny a gentle smile, noting that while the shocked hostility had faded, Danny was still nervous. "Well, it was obvious that you weren't safe here," he said. "And not in the normal way for heroes. When you mentioned that your species had become illegal, I combed through recent legislation, and..." He trailed off pointedly, and Danny looked away. "I consider you a friend, Danny. I have for a while now. I wanted to help you, if I could."

Danny ducked his head, looking self-conscious and a little overwhelmed. It wasn't a bad change from the defeated look he'd had during Maddie's lecture. Before Danny could figure out an answer, his friends showed up, and he perked up with visible relief. That made sense; Danny seemed like the type of kid that drew a lot of courage from his friends.

"Oh my god, you weren't kidding," the tallest girl said, eyes wide. She was a redhead, with bright teal eyes that had a touch of unnatural luminescence to them. Clark would bet money that this was Danny's sister.

"Of course not, he's Danny," the other girl scoffed, walking forward without hesitation to swing into a seat right next to Danny. There was a hint of a starry-eyed look to her when she looked at Lois, but - the mark of a vigilante's support team - she didn't let it take control. Instead, she crossed her arms and regarded them warily.

The only boy sat across from them, looking almost as nervous as Danny, and the taller girl perched on the table, uneasy and uncomfortable.

They were just kids. Untrained kids, at that, doing their best for the world.

"Jazz, my sister," Danny explained, indicating the redhead. "She helps me deal with my parents, mostly. Sam, my best friend, she's the only good shot here." Sam smirked. "And Tucker, my other best friend, tech whiz." He waved awkwardly.

"It's good to meet you," Clark said politely, giving them a sincere, if tense smile.

"So," Danny continued, with more confidence now, "you wanted to give me a lecture about how my parents are monsters, I shouldn't live with them anymore, and I should pack all my stuff and move out. Am I right?"

Pause.

"Well," Clark said at last, scratching the back of his head with embarrassment. "That wasn't our intention in coming here, but it was the way I was leaning by the end of that conversation." Danny sighed, and Clark hastened to continue, "I'm sure you've thought about it before-"

"No," Danny cut him off, reaching up to rub his face in obvious stress and frustration. Clark winced in guilt. He was trying to help Danny, not make him more upset.

The only other one who looked sympathetic to Danny's plight was Jazz, who explained to Clark, blushing and apologetic, "Danny's really sensitive about our parents, especially Mom. I know you got a big face-full of the bad lab etiquette and the anti-ghost stuff, but Danny and Mom used to be really close." Something about her tone told Clark that she wanted to defend them too, but knew from experience it was futile.

"As Danny puts it, he's the one that keeps getting shot, and he doesn't need to be reminded how much it hurts," Sam put in, more dry than Jazz, but with the same glance of worry at Danny.

"Of course," Clark sighed, giving Danny an apologetic smile. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Can we talk about literally anything except how much my parents hate me?" Danny pleaded, pushing his hand up his face to run it through his fluffy hair.

Clark took that as a no, and when he glanced down, Sam just gave him a resigned shrug, so clearly this was not new behavior for Danny. Clark resolved to try and approach it again later, much later, when some of the other problems had been solved.

"Practicalities, then," Lois said briskly, bless her. She grabbed her notebook and flipped it open. "So, you said most of the town falls under the Anti-Ecto Act?"

Danny looked relieved by the change in subject. "Most might be a little generous," he hedged. Tucker shook his head fervently, and Danny ignored him. "But yeah. The portal gives off a lot of ambient ectoplasm, which is great for like, me, because it feeds me, and no one else, because it settles into their nervous system." He shrugged. "I never really thought that much of it. At 5%, you maybe start to be able to sense ghosts subconsciously, and you're a bit more resistant to future contamination. At 10%, you can sense ghosts nearby and you might start to see in the dark."

"For the record, he and Jazz were at 20% before the portal even opened," Tucker put in, "at which point shadows cling to you, you develop tapetum lucidum, and your footsteps don't make noise."

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you eat it from a young age," Danny muttered. "Anyway, all of which is to say: it didn't really matter until the Anti-Ecto Act passed."

"But now it does," Clark said quietly.

"But now it does," Danny agreed. "Most of the townsfolk don't know it yet, I think, but that's why the GIW is so careless about collateral damage here. You're not a person until they've tested your ecto levels, and they don't usually bother."

"You didn't..." Clark hesitated, reluctant to say anything that might be construed as an accusation against the young ghost. Danny caught on anyway and ducked his head.

"Well," Danny said quietly, "I didn't know what you thought of ghosts."

"Danny," Clark said seriously. "I will make sure you get rights if it's the last thing I do."

[kyri45]

Family Portrait

oh boy I sure hope nothing traumatic will ever happen to poor little Kai

many of you already know, but the council (me and you guys) have decided that the canon fankid of Spicynoodle is Kai. Yes, Kai from Ninjago.

Kai was born decades after the current events of the SBP Second Star timeline. He mostly inherited the Demon Bull family traits, especially his human appearance from both Red Son and Princess Iron Fan. He has small fangs, a pair of horns that wont grow until he is of age, and a thin tail with a bigger tuff on the end of the same fur and color of his Baba Xiaotian.

As for powers, Kai developed pyrokinesis for a different kind of fire than his Father Red Son (of which none of the parents have yet figured out the kind, thus making training much harder), as well as the agility of his father, and the love for swordsmanship from his aunt Mei (although they agreed he's too young to use anything close to a real blade yet). Being born throught the "mortal way" he is thus not immortal like his parents, as Xiaotian wished they could give him the choice to become one once he reaches adulthood.

I wont go too much in deep here, but while the timeline pre-Ninjago pilot is slightly different for obvious reasons, most of the canon events of Ninjago Season 1-8 still happen.

Let's just say the events post-pillar of Season 5 had to do with how Kai ended up in the Ninjago realm after a certain age...

[hoppy8544]

I liked the Kai is a child of MK and Red Son fanfics. But there truly aren’t many of them unfortunately.

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]

I know I keep on looking to see if someone made a new one and no one does!!! If only I was good at writing!!! 😭😭😭😭

must ... have ... MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[coelii]

reblog to give your headache to elon musk instead

[kinkykinard]

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

DPXDC prompt. Field trip.

Some people would call gothamites petty, but given that most of the USA population treated them as scum, they believed that their behavior was justified.

They didn't like tourists, to put it mildly. Therefore, after learning that in their city were people on a field trip from Amity Park who could not leave Gotham for several days due to weekly escape from Arkham, the news channel immediately decided that a short interview from the guests would definitely amuse the locals. The reaction of outsiders never ceases to be ridiculous.

Reporter: ~Good afternoon~ Gotham News! May I ask you to share what you liked most about our wonderful city?

Mr. Lancer*still in a cold sweat and looks at every passerby as a potential villain*: Uh, no, me..It's so unexpected. Well, first of all, people here are very…

Danny *is high after the tasting samples Dr. Crane gave him for free and is extremely eager to share his happiness with others*,* picks a microphone*.

Danny: Gotham is the best city in the world! Like seriously, damn, I'd like to die here. Although there are constant shootings somewhere, half the time people don't even shoot at me! I haven't been this relaxed since middle school! And in the evenings, there is often such a pleasant scent of fear and despair on the streets. This fear toxin of yours is a real miracle! It's sooo good!

Sam *decides to take the initiative in her own hands before Fenton says too much*: Personally, I am very pleased with the number of green spaces you have in your city. It's nice to see that here eco-activists are really being listened to. Also, the fact that most restaurants have a thoughtful menu for vegetarians left a very pleasant impression.

Dash in his favorite T-shirt "it's not gay if he's dead": Four words. Hips of Red Hood. The fact that it is not marked in the guidebook as the main attraction of the Crime Alley is a real crime. This dude clearly never skips leg days. My respect.

Tucker: What can I say? The speed of internet here, even during villains attacks, is absolutely  unbelievable. I don't want to leave this place.

Jazz: I love Gotham! Finally, I was able to buy all the works published by Dr. Harleen Quinzel. *girl picks up an impressive stack of books* For some reason, they are not available online.

The camera points at a red-haired guy with a twitching eye.

Wes: I'm 85% sure Bruce Wayne is Batman. I have a proof and I am ready to provide it.

A girl with a "Good Guess" pin from Riddler enters and takes camera away from conspiracy theorist.

Star: Sorry, he slipped out at night and went to look for problems. Again. Don't pay any attention to him. He's always like this when he drinks more than two energy drinks in a row.

[anonymous-existences]

Chapter 1 : Off to Gotham

I had to make it.

I just had to.

THE VOICES WANTS ME TO.

So far Danny and the Class's on the way road trip 'Tour' to Gotham so far was going amazing, it was funny to see Dan get dragged by Vlad and Lancer putting Dan on a ghost leash just like Ellie and Him, It sucks that Lancer had set rules for them though. Lancer cleared his throat and sighed, "Alright students, these are the rules we are going to do in Gotham— why did you all choose Gotham again?" He asks them confused on Why GOTHAM of all places. Could've been metropolis or Star City first but it had to be Gotham.

"Because Danny can stay stable there with the lingering ectoplasm in the air!" Star spoke up, "Because Metropolis is too boring." Wes simply said deadpan, he looked tired and he probably hasn't drunk any sort of caffeine to kickstart his day. "Because Jazz wanted Harleen Quinzel Psychiatric Books and I want to see Chaos." Dash spoke up with Jazz nodding profusely with a smug smile. "Because I can stab people in Gotham and claim it's self defense." Dan chuckled grimly, "First Rule, No Stabbing unless I permit so." Lancer narrowed his eyes at Dan and Dan rolled his eyes and stuck out his tounge.

"Because It's Gotham." Sam finally says and everyone agreed so, Making Lancer sigh in defeat, "Alright Then. Rule 1 I have said is no stabbing unless I permit to

Rule 2 is "Do not catcall cat-woman, not a whistle OR star I'm looking at you, A Kitty Kitty." Lancer states and squinted at star who coughed nervously and smiled 'innocently'.

"Rule 3: Do Not Raise the dead and I repeat... DO NOT raise the dead,

Rule 4 : if any were to see joker or any clown in the immediate sight, Close Danny's eyes, Do not let him see the clowns.

Rule 5 : There will be no Haunting, Pranking, Stalking any Vigilantes.

Rule 6 : In Under any circumstances I will not let go of anyone's leash, Unless I permit so and/or absolutely necessary to do so.

Rule 7 : Please do not, And I repeat, DO NOT taunt any rouges, Join any Rouge Activities, become a rouge, or become a part of a mafia, if you do indeed DO that, do not involve other students.

Rule 8 : Do not for the sake of the Lord Great Above, and Danny's Last Bits of Sanity Left Throw a Bomb, Throw A weapon on vigilantes or rouges Or call the Vigilantes, Rouges cosplayers, Meaning do not provoke them.

Rule 9 : Do Not Steal my Crackers.

And Last of All, I BEG YOU my students, for the love of my love for the lord and the afterlife's impending end, DO NOT RAISE THE DEAD!

Is that clear?" Lancer cleared his throat and closed his list, The students Groaned in annoyance. "But I want to Join Poison Ivy!" Sam protested, "Refer to Rule 7, if you want to become one and if you do then DON'T coerce or involve the other students into becoming rouges as well Sam Manson." Lancer states clearly without any space for reason.

"So if necessary I can go feral?" Danny raises his hand with a mischievous grin and Lancer nodded, Danny cackled to himself grimly, "Sir Lancer am I the only voice of reason here?" Jazz tilts her head nervously and Lancer stared at her deadpan, "Jasmine Fenton last I heard you beat up, and I qoute from the Amity Park Page Posts, "Beat That Ghost Ass Skulker With a Bat Jasmine is my Type of Cunt" from Paulina's Post last week, So no Jasmine, I don't you are any better than your brother, maybe slightly but you'll still be sometimes in a leash if I deem necessary so." Lancer states and closes his notebook and Jazz laughed nervously and scratcher her Nape, Paulina crossed her arms and groaned in defeat.

"Dash, why are you wearing a shirt that says, "It's not gay if he's hot and Dead."?" Ellie, Danielle, Dani, Or whatever her actual name that she prefers to be called in asked Dash who was sitting in the back of the bus, "Cuz I'd Fuck Danny Phantom." Dash just gave Ellie a Hand Rock Sign, "That's me." Danny Glances at Dash, "Is It too late to say Danny Fenton is also my Bisexual Awakening?" Dash states bluntly and Wes looked at him, "The whole school knows so No." Wes crosses his legs and he was bored as shit, "I still hate that you all didn't believe me at first." Wes clicked his tounge and huffed. Valerie was very eager to say that she can practice her krav maga talents to beat up criminals without hesitation and she can get away with it.

Danny Laughed until everyone looked at Tucker as he yelled, "Bets STARTS NOW! WHO DO YOU THINK WILL GO FERAL FIRST?!" He grinned widely and the class walked over to him crowding him in his seat. "I bet 20 bucks Jazz does first. She has a bat and she will use it." Sam States, "Danny, 30 bucks." Dash blurts out as they were placing bets.

[The bets were :

Jazz Fenton : 98 $

Danny Fenton : 100 $

Sam Manson : 40 $

Valerie Gray : 100 $

All of them : everyone gets back their money.]

Tucker cracked his knuckles approvingly knowing he'd get 20% of the money betted as his 'share', He snickered Triumphantly as the Bus drove closer to their destination, Gotham City. "Wow! IT'S SO BIG!!" Ellie exclaimed as everyone looked over at the bus windows and started becoming fascinated and in awe of Gotham City upon setting their eyes on it.

"I Like it already, " Dan snickered with Ellie Menacingly, "I fear more about what happens to Gotham Rouges than what happens to all of you." Lancer states which earned him happy amused laughter's from his students, he sighed and smiled before laughing with them and going back in his seat. "And I will remind all of you, Do not raise the dead, especially you Daniel Fenton." Lancer narrowed his eyes at Danny who laughed amusingly with an 'I can't promise shit' glimmer in the boy's eyes with that wide ear to ear unusual Canine Bearing Teeth Smile. Danny licks his teeth as if ready to break that promise any time if possible or permitted to.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿───※ ·❆· ※───✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

"Wow... It's so amazing. So fascinating, so vast." Danny commented with his eyes sparkling as he observed the ghost Blobs hovering over the buildings and on the streets, although they stayed at a particularly safer part of Gotham, Lancer still let the kids tour themselves and have comms on their clothing Incase one goes feral, Danny with Sam and Tucker to supervise him, Dash coming along with them to 'protect them' he says but Lancer knew Dash was only following them to see Danny and Keep close to Danny.

Dan and Ellie were with Jazz Fenton and atleast Jazz was Saner compared to her Siblings — Cousins — Clones — Brother Alternate Self — Mad Scientist Family Members and the trio headed to a nearby book store, Paulina, Valerie, Star and Kwan Decided to Drag Wes along with them to a Coffee Shop and Lancer was left to rest at the hotel they were staying at because the children convinced him that it is essential that and he quotes ' The Feral Children Handler ' Get some rest. They even bribed him with crackers but he knows it's just an excuse for him to let them have some fun in the Streets.

He made sure they're wearing a "Amity Park Denizen/Tourist" Pin which they were not allowed to remove, He had to match the colors of the pins to the Student's 'Aesthetic' which was hard but he loves his students enough to spend that time to nitpick the pins theme, Lancer opened his tablet and watched the comms cameras which the children are fully aware are in their comms, He listened to them having fun and making sure they're not in any sort of danger or is not putting any others in danger for if they are a danger to others they are also a danger to themselves unsurprisingly enough.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿───※ ·❆· ※───✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

[Danny Fenton POV]

"So this is crime Alley! Cool. Let's go see if we can find red hood." Danny suggests, "YES! that's totally not a bad idea or anything. It's not like it's literally called Crime Alley because it's full of crime and we're TEENS." Sam Rolls her eyes sarcastically and narrowly looking Danny Who pouted. "Sam you Have Plant Powers because of Overgrowth's Apprenticeship, Danny is a ghost he's also phantom and the Ghost King by Technicality, Dash started going to the Gym and is Slowly rising up the Ranks of Taekwondo, I Have a Bat and I'm good at using it, We also have ray guns from Danny's Parents, Let's find Red Hood or beat up any criminals we come across."

Tucker blatantly says with a mischievous smile and Danny agreed fully whilst snickering and Dash nodding making Sam sigh in defeat and compliance as they walked through the alleys like it's Amity Park Territory, eventually they find muggers who had guns. "Give me all your money kid or you're getting i—" the Mugger immediately got kicked in the chin up high by Dash upon pointing his gun at Danny directly, "Nuh-Uh, give us YOUR money." Dash scowls and glared at the now on the ground mugger.

Dash took their wallet and was pinning them down the floor after kicking the gun away from reach of the Mugger, "Check the Bucks Manson!" Dash threw the wallet over at Sam who counted without hesitation, "Mmmm 1 and a Half Grand in this wallet, we're keeping this as compensation loser." Sam grinned and Dash nodded and kicked the Mugger in the stomach much gently but still quite painful this time, "Damn, These muggers are lame." Tucker groaned and rested his bat on his shoulders as he stuck his tounge out and stared at the terrified Mugger.

"And I thought adults were supposed to be able to defend themselves much better, do you think at this rate we'll get an autograph from Red Hood?" Tucker yawned, bored of seeing untalented, and uninteresting Criminals on the block. "If we beat up enough muggers surely we can get his autograph!" Danny exclaims as he knocks out someone about to mug another woman with merely throwing a stone to their head, the woman thanked them profusely and Sam Generously gave the woman 500 bucks so she could go home without any more worries for the day. "Muggers are Boring, wonder how Star and the others are doing." Sam States and opens the Class GC.

※ ·❆· ※──Ghostly Liminals──※ ·❆· ※

Creepstick Wielder sent an image.png

Creepstick Wielder[Jazz]: Guess What! We got Catwoman's Autograph Because Ellie Gave her an Unmelting Cat Ice Sculpture!

StarOfTheDay[Star]: WHAT??? HOW? WE'RE LITERALLY 2 BLOCKS AWAY FROM YOU JAZZ!

TheMostFab[Paulina]: Did you also get everyone some Autographs? 🥰 I'd pay you for one.

Creepstick Wielder:Don't Worry! I got everyone their own pieces of hand signed autographs! ❤️

GhostKing:This is the Fenton Luck I'm talking about. Jazz gets the good ones and I'm the unlucky one.

EcoTerrorist[Sam]: If you meet PoisonIvy Please call me stat. I will break the boundaries of light and speed to get to you to meet her personally Jazz.

ConspiraryTheorist[Wes]:Guys I Met Riddler.

ConspiracyTheorist sent an Image.png

GhostKing:WES WHY ARE YOU TAKING A SELFIE WITH THE RIDDLER???

Pharaoh:OH NAH!! I WANTED TO MEET HIM WES!! HOW DARE YOU!! TAKE AUTOGRAPHS RIGHT NOW!!

ConspiraryTheorist sent an Image.png

ConspiraryTheorist:Don't worry we're on it and he's writing down for everyone his autographs :))

HomoJock[Dash]:If we find red hood we'll also ask him for Autographs, Good Luck finding your favorite rouges guys!

HomoJock sent an Image.png

Creepstick Wielder:Take your Hands off my Brother's Waist

HomoJock:Nuh-Uh

Creepstick Wielder: I'LL FIND YOU DASH!

HomoJock:Instead of marrying you I'd rather marry your brother

StarOfTheDay:This was obvious from the very start we found out Phantom is Danny Jazz! It's to be expected.

TheMostFab:HEY! HE'S MINE!!

Huntress[Valerie]:HEY!! GUYS!! I JUST MET THE SIGNAL!!

Huntress sent an Image.png

Huntress: He's also giving me autographs, this is the best day ever!!!

StarOfTheDay:LUCKY!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! WES WHERE ARE YOU!!??

ConspiraryTheorist:I Am Having tea with the riddler.

ConspiraryTheorist sent an image.png

HomoJock:What the Shit Wes.

Pharaoh: GRAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!

GhostKing:Crazy.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿───※ ·❆· ※───✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

Tucker was scowling, "This is so unfair, how come they've already met rouges and WE CAN'T EVEN FIND RED HOOD, I wanted to see riddler first!" Tucker growled subtly and crossed his arms, "No Idea but I'm absolutely just going with the flow at this point!" Danny laughed as Dash pulled him closer still holding him by the waist. "I can't tell If they're dating." Sam blurted out and Tucker also had a speculative look plastered curiously on his face as he looked at Dash who was visibly protective of Danny and Danny in his phone as they walked down Park Row, Dash still holding Danny by the Waist.

Danny suddenly perked up and bolted, "YEAH! GHOST SENSES LET'S GO!" Tucker yelled out and All of them bolted following Danny, eventually they stopped near an alley, again. But this time they saw Red Hood Chilling on the rooftop who perked up as soon as they seemingly made eye contact with Danny, "HEY! CAN WE GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!" Danny yelled out and Red Hood just tilts his head in confusion as the 3 other teens with an older looking teen stared up at him from the ground of the alley.

Red Hood decided to comply because there's not much crime going on yet and he went down through the fire exits and landed Infront of the Teens, The Kid who's eyes were Baby Blue with Black hair and white natural looking undercut suddenly pulled out placards and a pen. Red Hood was taken aback as he took in the features of the younger boy because damn, he looked like Adoption Bait. "Can we also get a selfie?" The goth girl asked, all their eyes glimmering in fascination before finally noticing their themed pins, "Amity Park Tourists : Can Be Feral", Hood raises an eyebrow to the pins but it was odd to see teenage tourists, perhaps on a school road trip go out without a reacher but then he also noticed the comms clipped to their t-shirt meaning they could probably contact their teacher through it with ease.

Red Hood signed the placards in compliance, also taking a selfie with the four teenagers, "you're our class's idol type of personality Sir Red Hood." The Taller Much Muscular Boy who the other Teens referred to as Dash exclaimed and saluted hood subtly. Danny who was adoption Bait just smiled softly, "Yep! Although Sir Red Hood can you please sit down for a moment?" The boy asks and Red Hood tilts his head again, "Sure Kiddo." He lowers his body and the boy placed their palm on his chest. Red Hood was confused until the Boy's eyes suddenly glowed Green and the Pits In Red Hood's Chest bubbled, Sam the Goth Girl Held Red Hood's Hand as Hood froze in place, He felt the pits stir up before slowly calming, he felt like throwing up.

When he finally could move he immediately raises his mask half up and threw up dark bubbling Lazarus Waters in the trash bin, "Why do you have Ectoplasm Sewer inside you.." Danny the boy muttered and Dash spraying alcohol on the boy's hand. "What... COUGH... What did you do to me...?" Hood asks as he leaned somewhat weakly on the wall and threw up more. "I just cleaned your system up! You should be good now especially with all the ghost Blobs around making sure to clean you up as well! Thanks for the Autographs and Selfie Sir Red Hood!" They waved goodbye towards him as they walked away, "W-wait... What the fuck... What the fuck do ... Do you mean.." he coughed more and threw up even more, gasping for air every time so.

The pits inside him had calmed. It was still and devoid of any type of rage, did the boy cure him? How? What the fuck just happened? Hood wondered feeling his chest stir in confusion instead of rage, his mind felt clearer and quiet now that he threw up this disgusting dark green bubbling Lazarus Waters. Stillness and peace slowly settling in his now quiet mind, Just what the fuck did the kid do to him?

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿───※ ·❆· ※───✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

[Dan POV]

Dan was smoking with his Ecto-Cigarette upon meeting someone he really didn't want to meet, "John Constantine." Dan scowled, "Bloody Hell..." John just looked at the Taller Man. "Why is that of all people, YOU are here Dante." John exclaimed tiredly and irritatingly as he sighed and heading back to the bar but Dan held John's wrist to stop him. "Let's Talk, I've changed I promise." Dan just mutters softly and John looks at him with a near pained expression and sighed before nodding.

Jazz and Ellie who was witnessing this was baffled, what's going on between this random tired sad Trenchcoat man AND Dan, why does Dan suddenly grow softer around the shorter man. What's up with them?? What the hell?? Jazz tilts her head as she hands the stack of Harleen Quinzel Psychiatric Books to Ellie who stores them in her chest quite literally through a random pocket in space. Jazz was stunned when Dan kisses the Back of The Man's palm and they seemingly exchange numbers before the man walked away not before taking Dan's Cigarette and putting it in his mouth.

"Who was that?" Jazz asks as Dan clutched his chest, "My Ex..." Dan muttered and Jazz jumps in surprise, "YOUR WHAT??? DOES VLAD KNOW?!?" Jazz grabbed Dan by the collar and started shaking him frantically in confusion, "Jasmine Fenton Calm the fuck down, yes Vlad knows and yes he's my Ex, We were together for many years, I almost got to.. uhm.. changing myself because of him but some complicated stuff happened between us leading to well, me and stuff." Dan shrugged and Jazz just processing that information. She was in shock that Dan would even become or act this soft to anyone at all, it was a total surprise to her but she slowly composed herself.

"You want him back don't ya?" Jazz elbows Dan gently and Dan's eyes soften and he nodded subtly with his cheeks slowly flushing up. "Damn, and I thought Daddy's Relationship with the god of time was Complicated." Ellie blurted out and Dan just blushes in disappointment to himself, clearly embarrassed to show that soft side of his Infront of his family who was not used to seeing that on him. "Yeah I want him back, he's kinda like my bond at this point.." Dan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat.

"I think I'll have to call Vlad later to understand my emotions better..." He sighed as they went onto their merry way trying to find where Valerie Is because she almost seems to be a Gothamite Rather than a Parker despite it being her first time visiting Gotham. Dan also finally started to noticed the glances and stares they were getting from Gothamites, he snickered menacingly, atleast it's only them they've noticed and not the others yet.

Oh how much Gotham would seem more normal than Amity Park Denizens.

I fucking love this prompt.

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]

Snow pup during the rare snow storm in the south. He was not built for this kind of weather, he almost got lost in the snow!!!

[fallen-lucifiel]

#BUDDIE : Epilogue 1.0 ~ Some Things Just Go Better Together | Story & Art by @fallen-lucifiel

Part of Meet Me Halfway Across The Sky 🌌 Series

Read the Main Story HERE!

Just something short and cute. See you in Epilogue 2.0!!Happy New Year everyone!! 🎆🎆

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Ring of Rage? More Like Ring of Engage

The thing is, Tim didn't mean to put it on. He was just kind of playing with it to keep his hands busy while he was thinking about the recent murder case. GCPD had their hands full with the serial robbers that didn't rank high enough to catch Batman's attention, and Tim never had a problem with helping the police if he had time.

And the ring was a perfect fidget toy, if he is being honest. Small and plain enough not to distract him, but the round stone in the middle was loosely attached, making it able to spin inside the frame. Which is what he did, again and again, like those fidget spinners.

Of course, he was just destined to drop it sooner or later. And then, when he reached under the table to pick it up, his finger caught inside the ring, and, well.

The ring was now firmly on his finger.

The problem was that he couldn't take it off.

It wasn't stuck, at least not in the general sense of it - Tim could easily spin it around, and it wasn't tight. But it wasn't loose either, and as soon as he tried to move it past the knuckle, the ring heavily disagreed, almost like shrinking down and absolutely refusing to be detached.

Barbara suggested soap, which didn't work. Dick tried for a more mechanical approach, first with pliers and then with a laser, which the ring resisted with no effort. Cass, who was actually the one who brought the damned thing into the Cave after one of her adventures in Hong Kong, just smiled and shrugged, which was of no help either. Damian offered to cut the finger off, which probably would have helped, but Tim rather liked all his limbs attached.

Bruce called Constantine. The magician took one look at the ring, barked a humorless laugh, and pat Tim on the shoulder sympathetically.

"Congrats, mate," he said, a wry smile on his lips, "I hope you file for divorce."

Although, while all the rest of the Bats and Birds devolved into fits of hysterical laughter (Steph), indignant sputtering (Damian), and cries of outrage (everyone else sans Alfred, who was pointedly unimpressed), Tim couldn't even bring himself to be surprised. Really, his life had been a shitshow since he was around ten. It's not like he didn't expect himself to be accidentally married to some otherworldly magical creature by this point.

The worst part - worse than the actual engagement, that is - was that Constantine couldn't exactly tell them who the spouse was.

What he did say was that the Ring belonged to the King of Infinite Realms, Keeper of Unseen Worlds, and Eyes of Universe. But those were only titles, and, as John Constantine begrudgingly admitted, there has been a change in the management recently, so no one really knew what the new almighty monarch looked like or what they were, much less their whereabouts.

"You can't blame me for not being keen to find out, though," John said, wincing, "The last one was a bloody tyrant, and the Realms operate under the right of conquest rule."

At least, the mage assured them that since the being had not yet come to collect their shiny new spouse, they might never show up at all. The Ring has been lost for ages after all, so maybe the King didn't even remember having one. Or, the previous King didn't, and the new one didn't know about or didn't care.

The first week after the incident, they spent anxiously researching and worrying. Bruce even went as far as making Tim wear a tracker at all times, which was not great, but he did appreciate the gesture. Kind of.

After the first month with no sign of any changes, the worry started to abate. In half a year, most of the family stopped trying to keep an eye on Tim at all times lest he suddenly disappeared. Two years later, even Tim himself treated the Ring as a natural part of his daily life. The stone inside was still a great fidget toy, engagement or not.

Three years, one month, and five days after Tim first put the Ring on his finger, when the world was falling apart and breaking in front of him and there was not a single thing he could do to stop it anymore, Tim pressed his lips to the cold, dark strip of unknown metal on his finger.

"Whoever you are, I don't even care, please," he whispered in a useless prayer, his voice hoarse and his throat dry, "please, help."

And the world came to a stop with a short, amused chuckle.

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

[vythika96-dpxdc]

[thatrandomsarahchick]

Danny has been locked away by the Observants, and physically can't enter the living realm again until his living fiance calls for him.

The problem is that he was still a teen and didn't have a fiance. The only people he had access to were all some variety of dead. So Kitty had an idea, hopeless romantic that she is, to fling his Ring out into the Mortal Realms. Whoever was worthy would find themselves unable to take the ring off after putting it on. For everyone else, it would just be a regular ring.

Finally, after 5 years, he felt the connection. Someone Worthy had put the ring on. Now, he just had to wait for them to call on his aid.

[alaianapotter]

Danny grinned as he watched Kitty disappear through a portal, it had taken a lot of work to get to this point. Countless messages ferried between the living world and the Realms by some of his former rouges to keep in touch with his former Fraid had led to this plan. Boxy had oddly been the biggest help, so long as no one actually tried to keep the boxes he moved around that is.

When Kitty had come to him with the idea he had no clue how they were actually going to manage it. After all the Observants hated him enough that they had found a way to lock him in the Realms until his mortal fiance called on him. They had managed to bar him from physical contact with the mortal world and never informed him of the Ring of Engagement. Kitty had been the one to do that after she had gotten back from a date with Johnny 13 (and Jazz, but he was staunchly ignoring that little bit of information) in the mortal world.

She and Johnny had quite literally crashed through the wall of his office in the Keep to tell him of this brilliant plan. Really, it wasn't that hard, the Observents were content to let him wallow in paperwork, confident that he had no knowledge of the ring, and that even if he did no one would help him get the ring to the mortal world and since he could not interact with it, he would not be able to create his own portal and send it there himself. And that plan might have even worked out for them if Kitty and Johhny hadn't got themselves together and come to the realization that they both liked his sister.

So, Danny and Kitty had made sure, with the help of Dora, that the ring would A) find the perfect spouse for him and B) be unable to be removed from their finger.

Now all Danny could do was wait and hope that his future spouse and hope that it was only idle curiosity that would bring them together.

[juubi-mage0327]

Love all this

But more to add

Many worlds and the ring ended up in dc

Tim called danny

And while danny wished it wouldn't be about disaster coming

He was always prepared

Invoking his domain over spirits, the unseen, and all of the likes (personally picture danny as ancient of space, gates, doors, change, duality)

He dusts the enemy

And kisses Tim's knuckles

Towering danny kissing the knuckles of a short king tim who has whiplash of blushing and shocked face

And danny summons the council of ancients which the observant blocked from him to break I'm out

And ready to give his fiance q bundle of crystal eyes as his engagement gift (the cores of the observant who locked him away)

[alaianapotter]

I love all of that and I also love that since one of the popular things for fics like this is to have Pandora as a mentor figure for him alongside Clockwork (and since a lot of the dcxdp crossover likes to have Pandora as an ancient like founding member of the Amazons and Clockwork as Kronos) the whole Ancient of Gates, Change, Door, Duality, and Space give off major Roman God Janus vibes (god of beginnings and ends, entrances and exits, change, transitions, gateways, doorways, and archways. And to some, he was the prime beginning and end and curator of the universe) I just love that so much <3

Anyway onto more blurbs

Tim stared at the being that towered above him. That towered over the battlefield not five minutes ago and with seemingly nothing more than a thought had decimated the enemy. The being had hair the color of silvered moonbeams and constellations of freckles that seemed to utter a soft glow as they stared down at him with eyes that glowed an eerie green he thought should make him pause, and yet, they only drew him in.

"Oh," he felt the word pass his lips more than he heard it. He could feel his cheeks heat up with a blush. he could also feel the gaze of his allies as they all slowly began to pick themselves up from the ground.

"While I would have loved it if you had called on me sooner, I understand your hesitance," the being spoke with a masculine voice, their thumb slowly moving across Tim's knuckles, where they still grasped his hand. "I am glad we did not have to meet in the afterlife. You have been found worthy by the ring. You have saved me from the curse I had been placed under and have allowed my counsel to return to me. For that alone, you would have my gratitude."

Tim could only blink in mild bewilderment at the somewhat flowery and official-sounding words, his blush darkening as the being looked around at his companions. He could swear he saw a lavender tinge to their cheeks as their own odd companions gathered around them. One of them, a Greek warrior with four arms from the looks of them, cleared their throat.

"High King Phantom," their voice was feminine and stern as they looked around the field, lingering on Diana and the Wonder Family for a brief moment before sweeping the rest of the field. "Welcome back."

The being, High King Phantom, smiled, turning towards the warrior slightly.

"Thank you, Lady Pandora, I trust you and the others can handle the cleanup? My betrothed's allies deserve a break I believe."

High King Phantom turned back towards Tim, their smile still in place. "I am High King Phantom of the Infinite Realms, but you may call me Phantom, and you are the Hero Red Robin, he who is worthy of the title consort and breaker of the curse placed upon me."

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]

[bunfart90]

[savanir]

DP x DC prompt [3]

during one of the final psych evals at Arkham right before he gets to be released, the whole thing wrapped up so tidy, just a little relapse which involved a robbery. Getting sent back to Arkham, but he got to stay at the asylum so long that he no longer has to serve a prison sentence, score!

But during that eval his overseeing psychiatrist recommended him to have a change of scenery, some fresh non polluted air.

Riddler was rather convinced the guy was making this recommendation to everyone in Arkham in their own weird way to convince them to just leave Gotham and become someone else's problem. should he notify Batman about it somehow? nah, it’ll be more interesting to see how this is gonna turn out in the long run.

But can he leave the state? Can he even leave the city? he never really bothered to look into it, at least not legally, up until now if he felt he needed to leave for one of his plans he just did it.

Turns out he can, it’s a whole hassle and a half though, first a judge and then a probation officer and he’s pretty sure both were like “what the hell is this psychiatrist guy thinking!?” but at the same time, shrink probably knows what he’s doing (WRONG) so he’s allowed to go visit out of state family or whatever.

he had to wear this nice ankle monitor though, Wayne Enterprises™ tech, not overly bulky but still very present. real fancy, and a fun extra challenge heh.

now as for a good reason to leave New Jersey he’s going to need distant relatives, and he finds some, great grandpa walker also has a son, who had a son who had a daughter Madeline, who married some guy Jack Fenton, and she lives somewhere out in the boonies Illinois. great he’ll visit her.

far enough away in all sense of the word that there is no way she knows anything about him. it would be best to call her first though, be polite about it.

“hello, you have reached Fenton works, this is Maddie speaking” 

“Riddle me this-” ah whoops, habit, oh whatever, “we don’t share parents, but certainly a part of your life, from laughter to strife. Who am I?”

there is a pause …  he’s going to be a bit disappointed if she hangs up if he’s honest.

“cousins~” comes the cheery reply.

“correct! the name is Edward Nygma, we are distantly related you and I and well-”

“oh you simply must come visit!” 

well this was rather easy, perhaps a little too easy, but she lives in the midwest so maybe just going with whatever some guy says over the phone is normal there? stranger danger not really a thing in a small town where everyone knows everyone?

things start to make a little more sense once he gets there and he’s starting to think some things might run in the family. like a preference for the colour green and weird hyperfixations and genius bordering on insanity. Though that remains to be seen, Jack does not seem like a very bright light after his very enthusiastic welcome.

their kids however are observant and sharp. young Jasmine is wasting no time trying to psychoanalyze him. and the boy, Danny, he had not really meant to and he swears he’s sticking with calling the kid Danny so he wouldn’t seem overly familiar, but he might have called him little bird a couple times now.

but that’s all whatever, he’s playing nice here. and he doesn’t even have to worry about his eccentricities tripping him up because this place is insane.

There actually is a local teen vigilante active but he seems about as loved as he’s disliked. and the ghost boy’s enemies are basically all his own kind, which another crazy thing to now know about. ghost. they are real actually, how is Gotham not completely overrun? and how do they even work? and where do they keep coming from?

Edward might be getting a little sidetracked here. He had fully intended to sneakily get his next big game plan underway all the way out here, ankle monitor be damned. but he hasn’t made any progress at all.

Instead he’s been listening to Madeline and Jack to maybe figure out what the deal is with these ectoplasmic entities, he has to know, at this point he might go crazier if he doesn’t. 

He’s making Jasmine promise him not to get her doctorate in Gotham, he’s going back and forth with space riddles with Danny.

so yeah the whole thing kinda just became a vacation, maybe the psychiatrist had the right idea after all? hmm nah, probably not. but this is fun. He’s thinking about recommending this place to some of the others.

It's different enough to get the vacation feel, but enough crazy shit happens to make it all feel like home.

it is not until Maddie wants to talk with him about potentially switching the position of godfather of Danny to him rather than some weird rich friend of theirs that Edward realizes he might have lost the plot somewhere

Apparently the little bird basically begged them with a powerpoint presentation on how he likes Edward so much more than that Vladimir guy. 

And honestly, the fellow sounds like a Dracula Lutho so even if it’s kinda sad Edward can understand why he’d be considered a better option. Even if the guy has more money and a huge company that makes him said money. And it’s not like the Fentons know about his Riddler activities.

Thinking it over, Edward does think that Danny would like Gotham and Wayne has that space program thing right? The kid is definitely smart enough for that (Nygma certified), and yeah Edward does quite like their space themed back and forth. So, fuck it, why not, what is the worst that could happen?

He doubts Maddie and Jack are gonna kick it any time soon anyway out here in the boonies, it’s just a title thing, a stamp of approval or something.

he should have known he was going to eat those words later… he had this whole beautifully elaborate trap set up for the whole Batclan, and he was just getting to the good part when his phone went off.

Had to put the whole thing on pause cause that particular contact wasn’t gonna get ignored. He did promise to be available.

If the whole thing he had planned now went tits up he could at the very least laugh later at the reactions of the bats as he told them to “hold up one second, I have to take this.” while they were all in various perilous positions. 

Sadly he did have to go, he had a very distressed godson to pick up.

[robinasnyder]

"You have to go," Batman said, his voice low and extra gravely, like he couldn't believe it.

"Unfortunately, family matters. You understand."

"You have a family? Since when?" Hood asked from his position upside down. He sounded deeply unimpressed.

"Well, he did take time off to go out of state," Red Robin stated (he's Eddie's favorite for a reason). "He was gone for multiple months. Supposedly, it was to visit extended family... does no one read the briefings?"

"I read it," Batman said, reminding Eddie of Danny so much it made his chest ache. He'd do something like that. If Jazz was upset about something she put together that her family didn't look at, Danny would say he read it. He'd actually read it, too. About the 7th time that happened, Eddie started reading Jazz's beautifully constructed reports as well. They were highly insightful, showing off the type of mind that would get gobbled up by Gotham in no time.

Eddie was on the other side of the county and on the no-fly list, and Danny *needed* him!

"You have a plane, right? The Batplane?" He asked suddenly.

"Dude, why?" Spoiler asked, sounding extremely done with (also) being hung upside down.

"I'll let you go if you'll fly me to Amity Park, IL," Eddie said.

"Well, that is where the family is," Red Robin said. "Sure, I'll fly you." Batman made an unhappy grunt. "I don't feel like being tied up all night, thank you. And we can keep an eye on him this way."

"Yes, we will definitely fly you," Nightwing said more cheerfully than was needed, making Eddie feel proper unsettled. Nightwing just gave him the heebie jeebies sometimes like that.

It took ten minutes tops to get them down, which grated Eddie's very last nerve, but the Batplane got them there in under an hour, and Eddie got a Bat-escort to the hospital, where Danny was in one of the family waiting rooms, barely holding it together while that creep Masters hovered over him like a mosquito. Blood sucker.

"As your godfather, you'll find-"

"You'll find you're not the godfather anymore," Eddie said, cutting Masters off.

"Uncle Eddie!" Danny shouted, climbing the chair and throwing himself over the back, right into Eddie's chest. Eddie had his arms around Danny immediately, trying to hide him. He'd taken off the mask, the hat, the gloves, and the jacket, and left the cane in the plane. As such, he was just a guy in black slacks and a purple shirt and tie. He looked relatively normal, so when Master's eyes went huge, Eddie realized it was because Batman and Red Robin (and Red Hood, who was *definitely supposed to stay in the damn plane*) were right behind him.

"Batman," Masters said with a strained smile. "What brings you here?"

"Ghosts," Eddie lied. "Of course. They're just kind enough to escort a Gothamite in need for a bit while they're in the same neck of the woods." He had his fingers buried in Danny's hair. The boy, who was always cold, was freezing and shaking all over.

"Ghosts," Master said, his eye twitching.

"Danny, what happened?" Eddie asked, completely ignoring Masters. He didn't care about the creep, and said creep couldn't get through Batman.

"Explosion," Danny whispered. "At Nasty Burger. I tried- I didn't cheat. It wasn't supposed to happen! I don't want to become evil!"

Eddie's heart squeezed. He didn't understand, but Danny's terror was real and visceral. While he might enjoy scaring Gothamites like that from time to time, it made him feel like hell to see it on Danny.

"What happened?" He asked again. Hood and Red had moved around them and were questioning Masters, and Batman had disappeared, but Eddie didn't care.

"Nasty Burger exploded. Mom, Dad, Sam, Tuck, they were all in there. And Jazz. I just, I managed to get her out, but she's still in surgery. Val got everyone else out, but just not-" his breath hitched.

Eddie swallowed thickly. Jack and Maddie were dead. They were dead. He wanted to throw up. But also, in the Riddlier part of his brain, he thought the Fentons would get way more data being part of the ghost population. That thought nearly made him laugh and nearly made him cry.

The Fentons were dead, so were Danny's friends, and his sister was seriously injured. And Masters was circling like a shark.

Danny couldn't stay here. Jazz couldn't stay here.

He could feel when Batman returned, the dark, heavy presence at his back.

"I need to take my kids back to Gotham," he said, to Batman. He felt Danny tense in his arms. "And Jasmine needs the best medical care. I'll kidnap Wayne if I have to get it."

"You don't have to do that," Batman said. He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Masters?"

"He's a super villain," Danny said from Riddler's chest. "He's part ghost. He can possess people. It's how he made his money."

That- that style-less motherfucker! Discount Luthor indeed!

"That's not a super villain. That's a capitalistic asshole," Eddie grumbled, which made Danny laugh wetly in his chest.

"Don't let the GIW get him, though," Danny said, speaking only a little louder. "I hate him, but he doesn't deserve to be experimented on or ripped apart molecule by molecule."

Eddie tensed and he was sure Batman did as well, in his own Batman way.

"The what?" Eddie asked weakly.

"Ghost Investigation Ward. Government ghost torturers."

"I won't," Batman said. "And you?"

And Danny? What?

Danny pulled his head up, looking up at Batman. His eyes were bright green, the same glowing green as Phantom, the town hero.

"When did you die?" Eddie whispered, his mouth barely moving. When? When did thos happen?

"Accident with the ghost portal... I turned it on while inside of it."

Eddie sucked in a breath. He squeezed Danny to his chest. "He's a good kid. You have to let him stay," Eddie hissed, turning to Batman.

"He can stay," Batman said. "We'll work out details later. I want to know more about the ghosts too."

"Later," Eddie muttered, turning back around because he could see Masters break away from the other bats and storm over toward them.

"Now see here-" Masters started.

"The Fentons legally changed me to be Danny's godfather a few months ago. You can take it up with a judge," Eddie said. He glared at Masters. He wasn’t a good super villain. He lacked pinache. Eddie itched to show him what a *real* super villain looked like.

Master glared at him, but looked between him and Batman who was still at his back. Hood casually threw his arm around Masters' shoulders making the man jump.

"Ger the fuck out. Family and approved associates only." There was an open threat in those words, one which Masters took and left, glaring the whole while.

Finally, finally, Danny's shoulders untensed when Masters was gone.

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

Okay but how is Eddie going to approach guardianship whilst being a rogue?

Is he going to quit being the Riddler?

Is he going to continue Riddler-ing and try to keep his identity hidden from Danny (and Jazz if she is okay)?

Is he going to sit him down and just tell him like "this is the bathroom, and this is where you'll be sleeping, oh and by the way..."

Or, and this is my personal favorite, does he decide to forgo the conversation all together but not try to hide it AT ALL, and instead of figuring out oh shit Uncle Eddie is the Riddler Danny is just so oblivious and/or used to Fenton insanity that he just... never figures it out on his own. This kid is completely unaware that his guardian is a rogue.

Does he have a tendency to hyperfixate on riddles?

Well yeah, but neurodivergency runs in the Fenton family. Danny has his thing with space, Jazz likes psychology, and his parents were obsessed with ghosts.

Does he leave weird suits covered in question marks laying over the back of the couch?

Yup! But Danny is pretty sure he is a game show host. He's always trying to "practice his material" with him. It totally makes sense!

Was some guy dressed as a scarecrow and a girl covered in green paint and flowers standing in the living room when Danny came home last night?

Definitely, but it was Halloween and they were gone within an hour. Danny thinks they were taking Uncle Eddie to a costume party. He's a little miffed that he wasn't invited but grown ups need to be grown ups without kids around sometimes.

[mikami1992]

Can you imagine Danny finding out that his Uncle Eddy is having trouble finding a job (the last kidnappings were won by other scoundrels), so he sets up an escape room for him in an abandoned building...

..."Look Uncle Eddy, we just finished the details together and I bet you it'll be a huge success… and even more so if we use the propaganda that serves to train you if you end up trapped by the Riddler… by the way, what kind of person traps people to take them to a deadly escape room, don't you see that there are people who pay for it?".

[void-of-unparalleled-chaos]

For the first time in his life, Edward Nygma blue screens.

Why??? Did he not??? Think of that???

___

Two months later, the bats are worried because Nygma has been awfully quiet. They were giving him a grace period because... well... he obviously had some stuff to sort out. But STILL. Two months of Nygma loose in Gotham and nothing? Not even rumors? Unheard of!

So it's a bit concerning, you see.

They decide it's time to do some investigating, and besides, they should probably check in and make sure Danny is okay. Nygma has been obviously protective in the hospital, but he was still a rogue. A wellness check seems reasonable.

Batman, Red Robin, and Nightwing track down the Riddler to an abandoned building fully expecting him to be building some death trap with hostages in tow. They argue about the moral dilema of throwing the Riddler back into Arkham now that Danny is under his care because who is going to look after the kid? Can Danny handle switching guardians again so soon? What if that weird Masters guy uses it as an opportunity to get Danny put under his guardianship?

Instead of an overcomplicated game, they find Danny and Nygma scrounging through supplies to build an escape room of all things.

[savanir]

Edward was well aware that there are a lot of stupid people in the world. In his own humble opinion he would say that compared to him basically everyone in the world is stupid. 

Starting this Escape Room thing though is only proving him right.

“is he… proposing?” Danny tilts his head to make sense of the camera feed he’s watching. Keeping an eye on things.

“she’s tied up and blindfolded” Edward shakes his head, “very romantic”

“he planned this”

“this never happens during an actual hostage situation, and I am glad for that because this is painful to watch”

“You've been in a hostage situation before uncle Eddie?”

“Well this is Gotham little bird, every Gothamite has been in a hostage situation at least once” he’s just omitting the fact that it’s usually him causing the hostage situation.

So it turns out a lot of weird things can happen in escape rooms.

People keep forgetting that there are cameras in the room, even when there is actively someone overseeing things and giving people hints when they get stuck for too long.

“please do not make out in the escape room, there are children watching”

On the other hand they also get a nice taste of people thinking outside of the box.

“oh Eddie, we might need to put something over the screws of the doors, those guys have used the key from the fifth puzzle to unscrew it and they are currently removing it from its hinges”

or,

“I’m not even mad, that’s a great use of a prosthetic leg”

Edward insists on the final riddle though. It's always the same.

“But it’s so ominous uncle”

“I like it, riddle me this, though we meet but once, you know me forever thereafter. What am I?”

“The end”

[kizzer55555]

Danny accidentally rehabilitating grey area rogues by helping them find an outlet for their obsessions without even knowing they are rouges. He’s better than the psychiatrists in Arkham. Maybe Danny meets mister freeze in the hospital when he’s visiting his sister.

[robinasnyder]

Tim holds a record on solving the escape room, both as Red Robin and as Tim Drake. Eddie's so happy when he shows up. Yes, he's yet to keep Tim in to time's up, but Tim definitely gives them so many fun ideas. They end up building a couple of different rooms to escape from.

And Tim? He fucking loves it. It's so fun to play riddles where death isn't on the line.

I also imagine the Bats seem weirdly protective to the other rogues. None of them understand why the Bats are getting pissy about any of them trying to go cause the Riddler problems. But like, Edward's doing great! They don't want to set his progress back!!

[fandomwandererer]

I feel after a certain point, Riddler the villian becomes very much a special occasions only deal. Special occasions like a certain almost vampire capalitsitic asshole turning up to gotham to try and get his "perfect son" back.

Ed is gonna teach him what it means to be a supervillian

[zack-creeper]

I love the idea that riddler treats vlad like a creep that's stocking his god son like

Riddler: I'm here today because this creep is creeping on my godson/(riddle that alludes to pedophilia) and the answer his he! *pointing at vlad*

Like full on "He's sixteen!" Vibes to keep danny safe and make vlad look bad.

[1nsan3g0dd3ss]