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avirael · 7 months

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FFxivWrite 2023

Day 29 - Contravention

It had cost Rael quite a bit of persuasion and an extraordinary amount of patience to convince A’viloh that Limsa Lominsa was only half as bad as the Miqo’te thought. The other half probably was still shady for various reasons but that the Miqo’te didn’t need to know at the moment, Rael had decided.

They had recruited A’viloh to help them with their tasks for the Arcanists as well as the research they conducted with Alka Zolka and sometimes their missions for the Scions also brought them to Limsa Lominsa. However until now A’viloh had been impossible to convince of staying in town longer than was absolutely necessary.

Funny enough the thing that seemed to do the trick wasn’t some job or any good cause worth fighting for but plain and simple fishing.

Rael had started fishing a long while ago, still traveling around, long before they had arrived in Aldenard. At that time they had spent a while in an area that was rather sparsely populated and fishing had been their best option of getting something to eat.

So when Rael learnt that there was a fisher guild in Limsa Lominsa they had quickly decided to check it out and A’viloh had tagged along out of curiosity. The Miqo’te had claimed that he knew a thing or two about fishing himself because he had often joined his boyfriend and some other kids from the Forgotten Springs on fishing trips.

At that Rael had raised their eyebrows and wondered if the poor boy had gone truly mad. Fishing trips in the desert?, they had asked but A’viloh had just laughed and said: “Oh, you’d be surprised!”

Sisipu and Wawalago had been happy to welcome a new recruit and indeed A’viloh had proven to be more talented than Rael had expected at first. So for a while most of his paranoia seemed to be forgotten and they spent a lot of time fishing here and there in and around Limsa or talking to the other people at Fisherman’s Bottom.

However what Rael did not expect at all was that bringing him there would indirectly help A’viloh to stop seeing the bigger part of Limsa Lominsa’s population as potential threats.

One morning they sat at the docks listening to Wawalago philosophise about the best way to catch a specific fish when a Lalafell and a Miqo’te girl walked by chattering and headed for the other side of the dock. Rael hadn’t missed how A’viloh had eyed the people there warily for the last few days and so the Viera had asked around about them just in case.

“Please, A’vi, don’t look at them as if you expect them to try murdering us all any moment now. All your going to achieve with that sour look on your face is to scare away all the fish.”, Rael said, half pleading half teasing.

“Their suspicious.”, was all the Miqo’te muttered in return, eyes still angrily fixed on the people chattering at the other side of the dock.

Rael sighed. “To be honest, I asked around about them and it seems they are actually quite good people.”

At that A’viloh scoffed. “I really don’t want to question your trustworthiness, Rael. But I’m absolutely questioning the trustworthiness of whoever told you that. I mean look at them, they already look like pirates.”

Rael raised an eyebrow. “Well, I heard they’re pretty much the exact opposite of that. Working to help the poor people instead of harming them and so on… You’d probably get along nicely.”

A’viloh laughed a short mean laugh. “Did you ever consider that maybe this is all just some nicely crafted lie to lure people in and than spring the trap when you gained their trust?”

Now it was Rael’s turn to laugh. “Do you even listen to yourself? You’re being paranoid again, A’vi!”

“Am I?”, A’viloh retorted starting to sound a little hysterical.

Rael began to regret saying something at all when Sisipu chimed in. “Rael is right, A’viloh. The Rogues may seem a little suspect at first but they actually are really nice people. V’kebbe, Perimu and Jacke sometimes even help us with the heavy lifting or other task if need be.”

“See?”, Rael said biting their tongue not to say I told you so. “Maybe we should go and say hello…”

“Absolutely not.”, A’viloh protested but Sisipu pretended not to hear it. “That’s a great idea. Could you please deliver some fish to V’kebbe while your at it. I promised to get her some of her favourite’s the last time she helped us out.”

“Of course!”, Rael replied and left with Sisipu to get the fish. Reluctantly A’vi tagged along…

A moment later they stood at the other side of the docks and Rael had put on that nonchalantly friendly face that, knowing their usual attitude, seemed absurdly fake to A’viloh. They greeted the Lalafell and the Miqo’te girl politely and then proceeded to explain that they belonged to the fisher guild and wanted to deliver a gift from Sisipu. The girl looked incredibly happy to hear that and eagerly accepted the package.

With that A’viloh considered the job done and already was about to leave when Rael grabbed his arm and merrily started to chat with the Rogues. “I heard you have a very special way of fighting, is that true? You know, my friend A’vi here is quite a good fighter himself and always eager to improve his skills. Do you think you could offer him some lessons?”

A’viloh stared at the Viera profoundly alarmed but didn’t dare to protest. The girl eyed him skeptically and tilted her head. “The two of ye are adventurers, aye? Hm, we may use some helpin’ hands. But ye’d have to discuss that with Jacke. He has the last say in that.”

While Rael excused themself, the two Rogues lead the way inside. So reluctantly A’viloh followed them into what he considered the nest of evil all on his own. There V’kebbe introduced him to a Hyur with brown hair and a green bandana wrapped around his head. His face looked friendly enough but his clothes seemed rather piratey if you asked A’viloh.

“A’viloh Tia, aye?”, he pondered. “Ye from around here? I haven’t heard about ye’r tribe yet…”

A’viloh shook his head but didn’t dare to speak yet.

Jacke eyed him just as skeptically as the Miqo’te girl had a moment before. “You ain‘t a pirate, are ye?“

„What?“, A’viloh blurted out in surprise. „No! Of course not! Why would you think that??“

„I didn‘t mean to offend ye. Better safe than sorry, ye know? We don’t like people around here who don’t respect the code.“

He went on to explain the basics of what they’re doing and how they are different from regular criminals. A’viloh had difficulties understanding everything due the way he spoke and some vocabulary he never heard in that context before, but he was pretty sure he understood the important bits.

It seemed the Rogues really were trying their best to protect the weak, maintaining order in the dark corners of the city the Maelstrom couldn’t reach, and keep criminals from crossing certain lines. All in all it indeed sounded quite good, so A‘viloh agreed to help them with a mission to see if he got along with them.

Jacke explained the details of some kind of theft of pirate loot, some dangerous Garlean machinery, if A‘viloh understood correctly, that had been stolen from someone who stole it. His task was to sneak in and steal it back to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. So, there was a lot of stealing involved…

Confused he looked at Jacke. „Uhm, correct me if I’m wrong, but this is technically still theft, right? Isn’t this a glaring contravention against some law or something?“

Jacke laughed at him. „Against the laws of the Maelstrom, yes. But the laws and the code aren’t the same thing. They don’t ask why ye do what ye do. But believe me, A‘viloh, unlike the selfish criminals, we‘re stealing from, we do what we do for the greater good.“

A‘viloh wasn’t sure if the Yellowjackets would care for that explanation when they caught him. „Okay…“

„So try not to get caught, will ye?“, Jacke said and winked at him.

A‘viloh felt like it was too late to back out now, so he just hoped that he hadn’t gotten himself into more trouble than he could handle….

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv writing #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #final fantasy 14 #ARR #a'viloh tia #rael hyskaris #I‘m terribly sorry if I got Jacke wrong! 🙈#I‘m having a hard time to understand the way they talk because I‘m not playing in english…#I think A‘vi and the rogues would have a bit of a rocky start for obvious reasons #but once A‘vi sees that they are fighting against everything he hates they would get along perfectly!#Only one day left now!!!#what will the last prompt be?

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puppetmaster13u · 5 months

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Prompt 109

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck-” Tim chanted to himself, looking down at his cup of tea in betrayal. Was he hallucinating, had he been drugged with something? He had slept last night!

Yet there in their own Lazarus Pit, the one in the cave not the giant one somewhere under the rest of Gotham, was a literal baby, looking just as surprised as he was. Of course that didn’t last, and its face scrunched up as it started to cry, which was his first hint that no, this was not in fact a hallucination.

There was a pit baby in the Lazarus pool.

. . .

There was a pit baby in the Lazarus pool.

OH FUCK, there was a pit baby in the freaking Lazarus pool-

#dcxdp #dpxdc #prompts #Tim has reverted to tea to try and not drink as much coffee #Will that last now? who knows #tim is so done #He fishes the lazarus baby out with a cloth and his pole #Danny's accident happened when he was a toddler #he was in the lab with his parents and they left him unsupervised #He's a toddler and big shiny button ooh-#He's very confused and scared but latches onto the first person he sees #The rest of the batfam are also confused when they head down and Tim has?? a baby???#A baby who looks like a reverse Jason with white hair with a black streak #Tim what did you do-

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youhalfwit · 6 days

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When yer captain gets stuck on the mast because he’s scared of heights so you have to coerce him down

@sonicmarinermay Day 4: Promise

#did this so last minute hahahaha #had no idea what to do for this prompt #captain shadow is like a cat that gets stuck in a tree #sonic #sth #digital art #art #sonic the hedgehog #artists on tumblr #sonic fanart #shadow the hedgehog #procreate #sonadow #pirate sonadow #pirate au #au #Sonic au #drawing challenge #MarinerMay2024

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ghost-bxrd · 5 months

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Prompt:

Damian, who has just lost the last member of his family, goes off the deep end and, in a fit of violent rage, goes tumbling through a portal and back in time.

Jason doesn’t know how the scary guy with the gunshot wound became his problem but he’s not heartless enough to leave him to bleed out beside some dumpster in Crime Alley.

#Damian imprinting on Jason like a duckling #but like in reverse #grown up Damian adopting baby Jason #reverse robins in a way #Damian landing several years in the past in league outfit:#Damian’s mental stability is like a house of leaves #during a hurricane #not very stable #Jason as Damian’s emotional support kid #what do you do when there’s a highly trained assassin running around Gotham killing anybody that breathes the wrong way at his kid #right you call the bat #said Bat is very confused #look I know this prompt is similar to the last one but I needed to get this outta my system #just like the goddamn anesthesia #prompts #jason todd #batfamily #batfam #Damian wayne #Damian al ghul #Damian casually starting a new life #slowly but surely gathering his family #because we all saw what happened when he lost them #dick grayson #bruce wayne #robin #tim drake #red hood #fic #time travel

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dr-gaytorius · 8 months

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i took a what character from baldurs gate are you quiz and they said i was minthara. is that bad

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givethispromptatry · 8 months

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"You don't dance?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"... Are you asking because you feel socially obligated to or are you asking because you're genuinely curious?"

"Now because I am genuinely curious."

#writing prompt #story prompt #dialogue prompt #'social traumas and incredible anxiety. the thought of trying in front of this big of a crowd makes me want to throw up.'#'... what about if we go somewhere else without people?'#'... i-... i guess i could then.'#(i need ya'll to understand that person B is blushing up a storm after this last thing ^)

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shywhumpauthor · 9 months

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A Whumper with fire powers branding their Whumpee not just with their name or initials, but their handprints.

Two palms scarred against either side of Whumpee’s neck, fingers wrapping around their throat in a collar that can never be removed. Hands on their sides, just below their broken ribs, a touch that will never relent. Fingers wrapped around their wrists in shackles that won’t be unlocked. A handprint against their face, cupping their cheek that had already suffered so many punches. The small of their back. A single hand just between their shoulder blades. Dragging down their thighs.

Just. Branded handprints.

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shimmershy · 11 months

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Chara Week Day 5: Ghost

Every time I see that machine in the True Lab, I wonder if it could possibly be Chara's soul in there? Probably unlikely, but not impossible... It's interesting to think about what the implications of that would be.

A version with no text and then a version with just the machine, because I think it looks pretty cool and ominous alone as well.....

#chara week #chara week 2023 #undertale #safeutdr #chara dreemurr #my art #chara #undertale chara #chara undertale #true lab #I'm just thinking that. while it's possible that their soul shattered when they and Asriel died. we don't actually KNOW what happened #and human souls persist for a little while after death..... idk I'm bad at coming up with theories but I'm Thinking about it #and I will continue thinking about it even though it's probably not significant at all #ANYWAY it gave me a cool art idea so here you go. and hrm. yes technically I got that line from the Stay Calm fnaf fansong. specifically.#i don't like fnaf but the song is cool........... I'm pretty sure it gave me the idea for this drawing when i sketched it last may #btw yeah that's why i did this drawing specifically for this prompt. i had the sketch lying around and thought it would be fun to finish #ALSO I'm realizing that the dark ominous backgrounds of the True Lab are soooo fun to draw. especially with red glowy effects #AUGH oh no....... my habit of rambling excessively in the tags is returning........ I'll stop now lol

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ghostbsuter · 5 months

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Jazz isn't the biological daughter of Jack.

It was before their marriage. Back in her league days, Maddie was simply the best of the best. She was the demon's daughter second in command, heading her call any moment and her most loyal subject.

That's how it was, to the people.

Behind closed doors she and the demon daughter were more.

But those are old times, after she betrayed the league, fled and created plans to continue living in relative peace.

That was how it was supposed to be.

That was not how it played out.

During her 3rd year with a man called Jack Fenton, did she receive news of a child, a daughter of her own with Talia. One she created in a lab, trained to follow their footsteps and ran from the league at the perfect time and needed to hide.

So maddie took in her daughter, trained her, and showed the ropes of a civilian life.

Jack loved her as if she were his own. It led them to finally marry and later on have Danny.

Jazz knew of the pits, of the meaning they had, and how much knowledge the leader of the league possessed.

Now she is 17, recently orphaned with her 15 year old brother and on the run because Danny is currently the only living person in this world who knows more of the pits than the current user.

And Ra's really wants that knowledge.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #fic prompt #writing prompt #dc x dp prompt #jazz is a trained assassin that ran away #just like her mother maddie #talia ia jazz other mom #the assassins killed maddie and jack for betrayal and knowledge #now Ra's wants danny because he is the only one who knows of his parents study #the fentons studied.the ghost zone which is connected to the pits #jazz doesnt know.much she rather stayed out of it #all of the papers and drives are destroyed #danny is the last living human with the knowledge #now jazz has to go back to fleeing with her little bro #she might go to gotham cuz dami is her half brother #danny has no idea whats going on

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xxrat--punkxx · 8 months

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Repair day

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moodyseal · 1 year

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TOApril Day 28 - Definition of Family

Petition to get Rick Riordan to bring back Camp Halfblood beads

#i genuinely had no idea what to do for today's prompt so have this instead 💀#anyway this will be my last toapril prompt #this was exhausting but really fun lol #i haven't drawn this much in a month in like. four years. wild #toapril #toapril 2023 #trials of apollo #toa #lester papadopoulos #apollo #camp halfblood #pjo #percy jackson #rick riordan #my art #lonely thoughts

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laundrybiscuits · 1 year

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Eddie’s doing some dumb trick with a couple of wooden spoons, clever hands making them move through the air in improbable ways, and Steve’s about to bite his whisk in half.

He’d thought for sure that Eddie would be going home the first week; Edward Munson, 29, bartender/musician from Brighton with mismatched tattoos and wild hair, seemed like exactly the kind of pretentious asshole who would flame out early with some ill-advised hipster experimentation. If Steve (28, social worker from Indiana, USA) had been a complete asshole, he’d have said that Eddie didn’t have the fundamentals. That he was all sizzle, no steak.

It’s a good thing Steve’s not a complete asshole, because Eddie’s been blowing the technicals out of the water so consistently it’s actually pretty fucking embarrassing. His signatures and showstoppers are making a very respectable showing too, except for the time he tried to incorporate some fresh pandan extract and fucked up the liquid ratio, leaving him with a dripping mess that Mary’d declined to even try.

Afterwards, Steve had seen him leaning against a tree and struggling to light a cigarette. Steve went over for no particular reason, flicking on his lighter and holding it out like a peace offering. Eddie looked at him warily, but bent over the offered flame.

“Can’t believe I made it through this one,” Eddie said after a moment, white smoke curling out of his mouth.

“Yeah, I feel like that every week.” Steve leaned against the tree next to Eddie. It was a big tree, the kind that’s probably been growing in this field since before England was even England.

“Nah, but—c’mon, you know what I mean.”

“You had some bad luck with your showstopper. Happens to the best of us, man. Your signature hand pies looked sick as hell.” Steve’s own hand pies had turned out pretty well, so he was feeling generous. It had only been the third week; plenty of time for Steve to snag Star Baker, though even by that point, Steve had been getting the creeping feeling that he was being a little too American about the whole thing. Everyone else seemed to think competitiveness was some kind of deadly sin. It was—actually kind of nice, to get the same kind of nerves he’d always gotten before high school basketball games, but know that he wasn’t really fighting against anyone except himself in the tent.

Anyway, the very next week, Eddie had done some kind of kickass gothic castle with a shiny chocolate dragon and gotten Star Baker for the second time. Steve had clapped him on the back, appropriately manly. Eddie had pulled Steve into a real hug, arms tight around Steve’s shoulders and his whole lean body pressed up close and warm. It had only lasted a moment, and then Eddie had bounded over to Mel and Sue, both of whom he’s been thoroughly charming since the get-go.

Steve thinks that when this season—or, uh, series—airs, no matter where Eddie places, the entire country is going to be just as charmed. Eddie’s going to get whatever kind of cookbook deal or streaming show he wants. Sponsors will take one look at that handsome face and charismatic grin, and a whole world of possibilities is going to open up for Eddie.

Steve’s not in it for any of that, of course. He’s here kind of by accident, because Robin pushed him to apply, and it’s a goddamn miracle he’s been holding his own. Hell, it’s a miracle he’s in this country at all. When Robin had started looking at the Cambridge MPhil program in linguistics, she’d said wouldn’t it be great if and he’d snorted, yeah right, like I could ever get whatever job I’d need to move to another freaking country, but then—well. Things had happened the way they’d happened, and now Robin’s almost finished with her degree and Steve is taking time off from the London charity he works at in order to be on Bake Off.

He’s told all this to the cameras, plus the stuff about how baking started as a way for him to connect with the kids he used to babysit in Indiana, blah blah blah. He thinks it’s probably too boring for them to air, but he gets that they have to try to get a story anyway.

Eddie Munson, on the other hand, is probably going to be featured in all the series promos. Steve is rabidly curious about what Eddie’s story is, but he hasn’t worked up the nerve to just ask. It should be the easiest thing in the world. They’ve got kind of a camaraderie going, the two of them; a bit of a bromance, as Mel’s put it more than once.

It’s true they get along pretty well, and the cameras have been picking up on it: on the way Eddie’ll wander over to Steve’s bench like a stray cat whenever they get some downtime, how they wind up horsing around sometimes, working off leftover adrenaline from the frantic rush of caramelization or whatever. There’s the time Eddie had hopped up on a stool to deliver some kind of speech from Macbeth, of all things, and overbalanced right onto Steve, who had barely managed to keep them both from careening into a stand mixer. Sue had patted Eddie on the shoulder and said, “Well, boys, that’ll be going in the episode for sure.”

They both get along with the other contestants just fine, of course, but they’re two guys of about the same age with no wife and kids waiting at home. It’s only natural that they’re gravitating together, becoming something like friends, Steve figures. It’s pretty great that he’s getting at least one real friend out of this whole thing.

It would be even greater if Steve could stop thinking about Eddie’s hands in decidedly non-friendly ways. With all the paperwork he’s signed, he can’t even complain to Robin about how Eddie looks with his sleeves pushed up to show off the tattoos on his forearms, kneading dough and grunting a little under his breath with effort. Steve had almost forgotten to pre-heat his oven that day.

Two benches away, Eddie fumbles the spoons he’s been juggling with a clatter, and he bursts out laughing, glancing over at Steve like Steve’s in on the joke. Steve grins back, heart twanging painfully in his chest, and thinks: well, fuck. Guess this is happening.

#this is a TRULY bonkers AU like wtf even is the venn diagram of steddie fans and people who exclusively like the BBC GBBO #I know nothing about the process of creating reality tv so I most likely will not be continuing this #(plus ST is just so intrinsically American to me)#but I saw the GBBO musical last week and that's what prompted this little abomination #steddie #GBBO AU #ETA: ftr I rated the GBBO musical 2.5/5. I have a colour-coded spreadsheet.#decent songwriting & solid performances but the emotional beats/pacing were all over the place and it did some weird revisionist callbacks #plus the level of assumed thirst for not!Paul Hollywood was wildly off-putting to me #a person who finds neither his personality nor his appearance in any way attractive #anyway I paid £15 for my ticket and that felt right to me. I will see literally any show for £15.

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puppetmaster13u · 4 months

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Prompt 168

So. Apparently halfas are like phoenixes or something, which Danny would’ve really liked to know.

See, usually with ghosts if they’re forced to retreat to their cores they reform as was, but apparently, since they’re still partially living, schrodinger's people and all that, halfas have to regrow their body from scratch. At least that’s what he’s understanding from Frostbite.

But how come he has to deal with it? It’s Dan’s fault for trying to pull such a stunt! Oh, it’s either him or Vlad? Well fuck, he might have calmed down and is going to therapy in both the living realm and the Zone, but he’s waaay not equipped to raise a child except for like, monetarily wise.

Well dammit, how long will this core incubation thing last, he has his new job in… let him check which offer he accepted again… He has his new job in Coast City that he needs to finish packing for and then all the rest of the stuff to do.

What do you mean it’ll take months?! He doesn’t have months?! Urgh, fine. At least being a mortician isn’t that exciting, nor dangerous. Just hand him Dan’s core and he’ll figure things out for the living side of things. He’s sure Tucker and Sam wouldn’t be against helping, if only to try and claim favorite aunt or uncle spots.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #prompts #Coast City is where Hal Jordan lives hilarious enough #I just chose a random city but honestly a green lantern city is hilariously on brand for where Danny would choose to move #He’s just a cheerful space core dude who is glaring down several ghosts & helping others move on while he’s working #He’s also slightly uncanny valley to people outside of Amity & doesn’t realize it #He runs into a reporter Wes at some point & okay the fact he looks like the lady doing math meme when seeing Dan?#Utterly hilarious #Danny holding a newborn with matching slightly pointy ears and claws :)#Wes who is *pretty sure* Danny is cis but is second guessing everything now:#Danny is going to do his best to avoid any hero BS #He’s trying to do his JOB #Who cares if he brings his baby to work he needs to eat and he isn’t going to hire a babysitter #Bby Jordan tried to set the house on fire during his last tantrum do you THINK anyone else can deal with him? That’s what he thought now ou #Ellie visits as well & straight up melts out of the wall sometimes like a horror movie #She has weaponized her goo powers and is also excited to show her dad her new gravity ones #Space Core Danny + Fire Core Vlad = Sun Core Dan #Ellie has a Moon core (something something phases of the moon & travelling across the night sky)#Danny is encountering so many rogues and heroes and just doesn’t acknowledge it because he has a literal BABY who can destroy the entire JL #He’s very tired and would like a nap now

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gilbirda · 1 year

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DPxDC Prompt: Wrong Number Jazz edition

Based on this amazing post I saw

"Danny, it's been a week. Sam said you took the phone with this number. Everything alright?"

"Please. It's been a month now. I just want to know if you are alive."

"I won't look for you. I know I promised. But you promised to check in."

"The funeral was today. They didn't attend, forgot what day it was."

"I miss you."

Jason came back from a Outlaw out-of-the-grid mission finding messages from an Unknown number. A quick check gave him a name and address, and also news about a missing little brother. The more he searched the fishier it all looked.

Good thing he didn't unpack his things yet.

#dpxdc #dpxdc prompt #the approach here is that he gets so invested on finding this brother that is missing and there are so many red flags #the boy ran away and the sister is clearly lying about the events up to it and the last time she saw him #anger management or not up to the customer #i thought this would be a much angstier approach since danny is missing #what happened to him? dealers choice #gil's prompts

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luxaofhesperides · 3 months

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Post-Apocalypse + Soulmate AU ; requested by @burr-burr!

When Danny was a kid, he used to imagine how the world would end. It was never a zombie apocalypse or the fallout of a nuclear war, but the death of the sun, the expansion of their star in death that would swallow their planet whole, leaving no survivors.

It would have been nicer than the post-apocalyptic world he stands in now, knowing that it’s his fault the world has ended.

He’s still struggling to wrap his head around it. To understand that all of this is his fault because he cheated on one test, desperate to pass after being unable to study for it with how exhausting and time consuming fighting ghosts is. Everywhere he looks, there’s more destruction. His own home is rubble, with only the partially untouched Ops Center remaining to let him know that this is where he once lived.

The rest of Amity Park is in worse shape. Buildings are hollowed out, the skeletons of their foundations visible, if they still remain standing. Most homes have been burned to the ground, leaving blackened corners of walls and nothing else. The roads are cracked and difficult to walk through, as if an earthquake tore through the city. Cars are scattered along the road, overturned or left abandoned, doors still open.

Danny has yet to find any bodies. He doesn’t know if that’s a good sign or not.

He’s only caught a few glimpses of his future self, the cause of all this, and can’t bring himself to chase after that monster. He feels sick to his stomach knowing what he’ll become.

That monster has to be stopped. The world has already ended, but that doesn’t mean his future self can be allowed to go on like this. If there are any survivors, they need protection. They need to know they’ll be safe to try to start rebuilding, and that can only happen if his future self is dead.

Danny knows what he has to do; he has a responsibility to protect what little remains of Amity Park, and to do that, he needs to kill himself.

But his head it spinning from the horror of the situation and his throat is tightening up the way it only does when he’s about to have a panic attack.

He needs to stop his future self, but he also can’t stay another second in the ruins of Amity Park without destroying himself.

The guilt sits heavy in his chest as he goes ghost and takes to the sky, flying blindly towards the setting sun. Danny doesn’t know where he’s going, and he doesn’t really care. He just needs to get away for a bit, until he can calm down and put together a plan of attack so he can take out his future self in one go.

He just…

He never thought he’d be a monster. But here they are.

Flying away from Amity Park reveals the truly harrowing extent to which this world has suffered under his future self’s hands. There are no intact cities or towns. Roads are broken beyond repair, highways littered with empty cars, most bridges crumbling into the rivers below them, and everything is covered in overgrowth. All signs of humanity’s careful cultivation of the world has been erased. The earth takes back what humans took from it, covering everything in green.

There is no movement. No people. Barely any birds flying beneath him.

What remains of the world is silence.

Danny is terrified that there’s no one left. That his future self has so thoroughly destroyed the earth that no human survivors remain.

That gives his guidance, some idea of where to go: a big city. Any big city, really.

He flies lower, searching for some sort of landmark, or a sign that will tell him where he’s going. A rusted over green sign farther down the road tells him that he’s 50 miles from Gotham.

Oh, Danny thinks, Maybe Batman can help me.

If anyone could survive the end of the world, it would be the superheroes, right? If anyone stands a chance at defeating his future self, it would be a superhero. Superman might have been a better choice, but Metropolis is the opposite direction and multiple states away; Danny’s not sure he can make it before his future self catches wind of him and hunts him down.

Danny has no doubt about what would happen to him if he’s caught; there’s a reason he hasn’t seen any ghosts around, after all.

Gotham is a city of secrets and rumors. What little he’s heard of it is baffling and, frankly, insane. There’s no city in the country like it and Gothamites prefer it that way, stubbornly loving the home that will kill them. For all the manmade horrors they survive on the daily, they would be more prepared for the end of the world than anyone else.

Gotham may be another casualty of his future self’s destruction, but it also offers him hope.

Danny follows the broken road towards Gotham, pushing himself to fly faster than he ever has before. What should have been a half hour flight is completed in fifteen minutes.

As soon as the towering buildings of Gotham, dark and semi destroyed, come into view, Danny drops from the sky and returns to human form. The strain from pushing himself has exhausted him and he feels it like an ache in his chest, his heart twisting and trying to burst from how hard it’s beating.

He collapses to his hands and knees and gasps for breath on the outskirts of Gotham.

It takes a good few minutes to calm down and breathe normally, then another to gather his strength to stand up and begin walking.

The world is eerily quiet as he enters the city, feeling the chill fall upon him as he is consumed by the shadows of tall buildings. It’s much more intact that Amity Park, but there’s no denying the destruction that still surrounds him. Buildings are empty and worn down, decaying and slowly being consumed by new growth. Burnt out husks of overturned cars fill the street, leaving Danny to carefully pick his way around them, unable to walk in a straight line.

He feels like the only person in the world. He feels like he’s being watched by a hungry eyes.

Danny shivers and walks faster.

The deeper he goes into the city, the more he starts to hope that he’s not alone in this world. There’s small signs of life: the smell of smoke, recently burned, certain streets cleaned up, makeshift walls constructed from rubble to block access to certain areas of each block.

He swears he can see people move above his head, but anytime he looks up, the windows of every building are empty.

“Batman,” he whispers to himself, “I just need to find Batman.”

He turns a corner and continues walking. Apartment buildings give way to stores and businesses, all with their windows broken and nothing on the shelves. Then the buildings end abruptly and he’s left staring at an overgrown park that resembles a jungle more than it does a part of the city.

The scent of something sweet lingers in the air. Fruit, perhaps, or flowers.

If he was left in the aftermath of an apocalypse, he would go to where he could find growing food. If there’s anyone left in Gotham, he’s willing to bet they’re in here, surviving off of what food can be grown in the confines of the park.

Danny crosses the road and takes three steps onto the grass before someone appears beside him and points an electrified baton at him.

“Who are you?” they demand, eyes hidden behind a cracked helmet, but the bottom half of their face is visible, revealing scars crossing on dark skin.

Danny takes a step back, eyeing the electric baton warily, and lifts his hands to show he means no harm. “Danny. I came from out of town. I was hoping to find people here.”

“You don’t look like you’ve been traveling.”

His clothes are clean and intact and he has none of the world-weariness that weighs down this Gothamite. Danny winces, and says, “My situation is kinda complicated. But I did just get here. I’m looking for help, actually. Do you know where I could find Batman?”

There’s a long moment of tense silence, then he hears a quiet sigh and the helmet comes off. An exhausted looking man looks at him with one blind eye, turned a milky white, and his voice is low and stricken as he says, “Batman’s dead. But maybe I can help you.”

“Batman’s dead?!” Danny repeats, shocked.

“Yeah. Sacrificed himself in one of the last times Phantom attacked Gotham. Got me and Nightwing out of that encounter alive. We’re really the only heroes left in Gotham, not that there’s much need anymore with everyone trying to survive.”

Phantom killed Batman. His future self killed Batman.

Danny feels sick to his stomach.

“Oh,” he manages to say.

The man’s expression softens. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you as much as we can. Why don’t you come on in? Ivy can get you some food if you’re hungry.”

Danny nods numbly as he follows the man deeper into the park. He walks with ease, taking paths that only become visible when he walks them, leaving Danny to follow close behind. It takes some time before he realizes that the plants are moving out of their way just enough that they don’t trip, and when he looks back, the path is covered again, hidden from sight.

He’s taken to the heart of the forest, where the trees shift to the side to reveal a large encampment of survivors all living together. Beds are strung up as hammocks between trees and rope ladders dangle from branches to help people move up and down. The ground is full of small fire pits, a few in use to make make food, and sections in the back full of vegetable and herb patches, separated by berry bushes.

The people here all look tired and worn down, but they still smile and speak in light voices, adjusted to a new life after surviving so much horror and destruction. He even spots a few people using powers, or just looking different, including one large man who looks like a crocodile.

“Pick up another stray?” a raspy voice asks, humor lighting the tone. They both turn to see a woman with long red hair and a green tint to her skin be lowered to the ground by a vine. She’s also heavily scarred and her right arm is completely gone, replaced by a wooden limb covered in moss that moves as if it’s always been a part of her body.

“Hey Ivy,” the man greets, “I don’t think this one is staying. He came to Gotham looking for Batman.”

The words make Ivy’s gaze sharpen, and Danny feels a trickle of dread go down his spine. She’s dangerous and standing before her feels as if he’s in the mouth of a hungry beast.

“Is that so,” she says, voice flat. “How interesting. I’ll let you two talk somewhere more private.” Her gaze flicks to the side, and when Danny turns to look, he can see some of the people in the encampment observing them warily, bodies tense and poised to either flee or attack.

Ivy turns and the plants part for her. Danny waits for the man to begin walking before he follows, trying not to feel trapped as the plants close the path behind him. She takes them to a small pond full of water lilies, gives the man a careful look, then leaves, swallowed up by the plants.

“Is everything okay?” Danny asks hesitantly. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“Nah, you’re good,” the man replies, “It’s just that people don’t trust me much.”

“Why? You’ve been really nice.”

The man shrugs. “My soulmate is Phantom. He’s the one responsible for doing all this and killing almost everyone we love. I didn’t know until the first time I fought him, but they hate anything to do with Phantom, including me.”

Danny’s heart stutters in his chest. This is his soulmate.

Most people don’t subscribe to the belief that they’re meant to be with their soulmate. Meeting your soulmate is rare enough that most people don’t try, and plenty of people have spoken of how important it is to have a variety of relationships, to not close yourself off for the slightest chance of meeting your soulmate.

Danny never looked for his; he didn’t want to subject them to his parents, and then he became a halfa and gave up on all dreams of having a normal life or any relationship with someone who didn’t know he was Phantom.

And now he’s here, in a ruined future, standing before his soulmate who understandably hates him for destroying the world.

“You’re Phantom’s soulmate,” Danny breathes. His hands are shaking. He wants to cry.

The man sighs. “Yeah. I am. Not that it’s stopped him from trying to kill me. Don’t worry, kid, I’m not working with him. I swear.”

“He’s your soulmate and he hurt you.”

“He hurt everyone,” he says, then gestures at his blind eye. “This is barely a thing compared to what he did to other heroes.”

Danny can’t find the words to expression his horror at seeing the damage he did to his own soulmate. His future self is heartless and cruel and bloodthirsty. He has to be stopped.

He doesn’t want to kill his soulmate.

“I came here for Batman,” Danny says, “Because I thought he could help me stop Phantom.”

“That’s rough, kid. Batman couldn’t beat Phantom. I don’t think anyone can. We’ve tried, but most heroes are dead and we can’t just go out there and risk the lives of everyone here. We gotta focus on survival, not revenge.”

“I have to stop Phantom.”

“Sorry kid, but that’s a terrible idea. Don’t go out there trying to be a hero. You can stay here, alright? Ivy will get you set up and the others will help you settle in.”

Danny takes a step back and shakes his head. “No. I have to stop him. It has to be me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m Phantom,” Danny whispers.

The man immediately reaches for his electric batons again, taking a step back. “Not funny, kid,” he says with a tense voice.

“I’m not joking. I am Phantom, just from the past. I’m not supposed to be here.”

“You’re Phantom?” the man repeats. “You. You’re just a kid, and you’re going to destroy the world one day?”

“I don’t want this to happen! That’s why I need to go back, so I can stop the event that will set me down this path. And to go back, I need to defeat the Phantom that exists here.”

“He’ll kill you, kid.”

“That still solves the problem, doesn’t it? If I die here, then he’ll never live long enough to destroy the world. He’ll die too.”

The man stares at him with cold eyes, then turns away, dropping his hands away from the batons. “Don’t turn this into a suicide mission, kid,” he says. “The Phantom who’s here isn’t you. You don’t have to pay for his crimes. Just… stay here and I’ll go fight Phantom.”

“He already hurt you,” Danny says.

“What’s a little more hurt? I can handle it.”

“No,” Danny says firmly. He shoves away the fear and hurt in his heart and finds his strength in determination. No more running away. No more hiding.

The timeline should not exist. He can’t hesitate at the thought of erasing this version of his soulmate from existence; he’s tired and injured and an outcast in the only community that still exists in Gotham. He deserves better. Everyone here does.

And to give them a better life, Danny needs to stop this one from ever happening.

“This is my future. It’s my responsibility. I’ll stop it and make sure this never happens. And… I’m sorry for everything I did.”

“It’s not your fault, Danny. You’re not this version of Phantom.”

That’s not at all true, since Danny’s actions lead to the end of the world, but he’s not going to argue when he’s preparing to fight a stronger, more ruthless version of himself. He takes a deep breath, then goes ghost and floats into the air.

“Before I go,” he begins, hesitantly, “What’s your name? Since you’re apparently my soulmate.”

The man smiles sadly and answers, “Duke. If we ever meet in your time, tell that version of me to look for my mom’s favorite book.”

It’s an odd request, but if it’s important enough to be asked for, then Danny will do it. “Your mom’s favorite book,” he repeats, “Got it.”

“Take care, Danny. Good luck out there.”

Danny nods and takes one last look at his soulmate, older and worn down, stubbornly getting through each long day, and swears to make things better.

Then he flies off, ready to fight his future self and make things right again.

. . .

He thinks of his soulmate for years after he’s back in the present. The timeline where his future self exists is gone and the world is safe, but he still remembers the pain he caused Duke.

When the time comes to apply to universities, Danny sets his sights on Gotham. His parents take him on a trip during spring break to tour the campus, and it’s after the tour, as he wanders around on his own, that he bumps into a student walking out of a building.

“Sorry,” they both say at the same time, reaching for each other to help each other keep their balance.

As soon as their hands meet, it’s as if lightning runs through him. From the look on the other guy’s face, he felt it to.

This is his soulmate.

“Duke,” Danny says, amazed and disbelieving all at once. And the request crosses his mind, something he wondered about almost every night since he returned to his time. “Look for your mom’s favorite book.”

“How—?”

“I met you in the future. You asked me to take back a message for the you that’s here. So: look for your mom’s favorite book. What does that mean, by the way? I never asked.”

Duke blinks, then slowly retracts his hands from Danny’s. “My mom’s favorite book was a hand bound journal from my dad. They were soulmates and he wrote about their first year in a relationship together. It’s full of pictures, and she loved it more than anything. That message is to remind me to have faith in soulmates, to believe that something good can happen to me.”

“Oh! That’s… wow, sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into something so personal.”

Duke shrugs. “It’s fine. I needed the reminder. I would have already run away by now if you didn’t say that. You already know my name, but I think now’s a good time to introduce ourselves.”

“Right!” Danny says, flustered. He sticks his hand out, which Duke shakes with an amused smile. “I’m Danny. Fenton. I’m coming here next semester.”

“Duke Thomas. I’m a freshman here and I’d really love to get your number.”

He’s not hitting on Danny, not really, but it still makes him blush. The way Duke looks at him is full of light and laughter, so different from the exhausted and wary way he looked in the future now rewritten.

This is what the future version of himself tried to kill. He doesn’t understand how anyone could ever hurt Duke when he’s so full of life.

But he’s safe now. Everyone is; Danny changed the future and what lies ahead is wholly unknown to him.

The world is safe and full of promise.

No matter what comes, Danny is sure he and Duke are going to be just fine.

#ghostlights #dc x dp #dp x dc #dcxdp #dpxdc #prompt fill #my writing #the horror of knowing what kind of monster you are capable of becoming paired with the knowledge that your soulmate has suffered bc of you #and reasonably wants you dead/taken out of the picture not just for revenge but for the sake of everyone's safety #but also from duke's pov he's found a teenager wandering into gotham's last refuge. he looks strangely untouched by the end of the world.#hes looking for batman who duke watched die. and then it turns out that hes a younger version of the monster that ruined your life #(and everyone elses life) and realizes that this is who his soulmate once was #and then knowing that he either has to kill this innocent version of his soulmate or let his existence be unwritten #there is no happy ending for post-apoc duke's story #but he and danny get a second chance in a new timeline where things are better #doesnt mean the nightmares ever leave danny lol #thanks for the prompt!!

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