#ask fill

[audreycritter]

(for the paragraph prompts) Eugenides vs the One Ring of Power?

There had been a half dozen times Eugenides had been tempted, but none of them had come close to this mind-numbing panic flooding his limbs right now. He felt like his tendons had been sliced, every appendage cold and useless, and it wasn't just the shoulder wound. It was the Attolian voices coming closer and closer-- she would not be so kind a second time, not after he insulted her and humiliated her.

The gift, by contrast to his frigid blood, was heavy and blazing hot. He'd put a hand to his braid just a moment before, expecting to find his hair singed and smoking, but it wasn't the mortal kind of fire. There was something of Hephestia's molten core still deep in the metal. Eddis had told him-- no, warned him-- that it was not to be trifled with and at no cost could he let it fall into Sounis or Attolia's hands. It would undo them all, she had promised, and Eugenides most of all, if he succumbed to its promises.

He didn't care about power for himself as much as he felt a primal dread at being the reason Attolia was destroyed. He didn't like her, exactly, but he knew in his bones that the loss of her would be something akin to the breaking of the world itself. Maybe, though, he could bear wearing it for a moment, the span of ten breaths to get across the ravine into the safety of Eddis. It would mean leaving the Magus and Sophos behind, but perhaps it would be worth it, and then perhaps he could convince Helen to let him use it once more to--

He stopped his hand, which had been drifting toward his braid again while he stumbled forward over the rocky ground. With a furtive glance at the Magus, he rubbed his neck instead, as if bitten by a pesky boulder fly. The man didn't even notice. He was too busy looking over his shoulder where the Attolians would appear any moment, and ahead to where Gen had promised them hidden branches to cross.

The Magus and Sophos had risked themselves going slowly for him and he couldn't abandon them now. Eddis was waiting for him, waiting to finally destroy the Gift that had haunted their mountains for so long. The ring, the one ring and only surviving artifact of the Dark Lord Lyopidus, crafted with all his malice and hatred of his half-brother the Thief, needed to be melted in the flames of Hephestia's Sacred Mountain. It had bound them too long to bloodshed and selfish ambition, even hidden from the Thieves for so many generations, and Helen was right. It would be his ruin to slip it on and disappear, even for a single beat of his heart, and he would then ruin everything he had ever loved or hoped to love.

Eugenides did not fully understand what it meant to offend the gods, but he knew enough to stay his hand. He scrambled over the crude bridge and kicked the logs into the ravine, and fled the Attolians without its enticing aid.

[augment-techs]

👀wanna try?? Billy/Skull??

Wow this looks ugly, I am sorry. But for the sake of clarity:

Skull:

Alternates between being the big spoon and little spoon, but is slightly bigger, so it works out better if he's the big one.

Oddly, of the two of them, he's slightly more responsible with his clothes and therefore always has extra on hand for Billy to borrow when Billy... gets "oil" on his shirts or tears his jeans "working on an engine" by the week.

Being that he is a quiet little king of music, he has a way with words and calls Billy all manner of cute things. Things like, "Rain Dance" or "Sugar Star" or "Ocean Heart" or, his favorite "Bones"~

Amongst people he knows and trusts he is exceptionally extroverted. If he is not used to a group of people, he tends to fade back until he's sure he can be tolerated.

Acts of Service is his main love language, but he speaks all love languages, so if Billy needs more than one or the other, Skull can supply.

There is exactly a one in fifty chance he would ever confess first. But, the multiverse exists; there's gotta be one somewhere that didn't chicken out.

He could break a window screaming over seeing a cockroach skitter by or duck for cover if a moth or grasshopper or wasp gets into the house. Yet, oddly, he won't let anyone kill them, preferring to carefully relocate them, even while freaking out under his breath.

He has a license, he can go from point A to point B. He is not allowed to drive cross country due to the nausea that comes from prolonged coasting.

He basically started cooking for himself when he could reach the stove with a stool. When he is lacking in funds, he can still make a good meal. When he gets older, this is how he truly shows devotion.

Grab him, kiss him, hold his hand, carry him bridal style out in the open. He cannot be embarrassed by affection.

In a relationship, he is very much aware that Billy can handle himself, can watch his own back and is not a fragile flower. So he is generally chill with Billy doing what he will, Skull just requests that he send texts if he knows he might be late or needs something. Unless there's some homophobic douchebag bothering Billy. Then WATCH OUT.

His having more relationship experience is kind of a sad, horrible kind of joke amongst their friends. Sure, he's got a body count higher than two, but holy fucking shit, they all were a horror show. When he wasn't being used for convenience, he was being used to prevent loneliness and lied to the entire time. Not to mention when a mind control or love potion is added to the mix. So...yeah.

Billy:

He tries to be the big spoon at least three times a week, but he is fully aware that he has more muscle and softness than Skull, so he might usually be the little spoon, but that's mostly because he's basically a lovey for his boney-ass boyfriend.

Half of his closet and drawers are filled with clothes he's snatched from Skull; which is very amusing to Kim and Trini when they visit and want to go out and often end up dressing him in his boyfriend's wardrobe. He once wore stirrup leggings with Cinderella flats and a black linen blouse that hung off his shoulders with only the top two buttons latched so he could show off a deep blue sequined crop top that complimented the elk skull and Death Head moth necklaces around his neck--all from Skull; the entire ensemble making him look like a model. (And Skull is fully aware that he's never getting those clothes back.)

Doesn't use nearly as many pet names as Skull, but he does call him easy things like sweetspark, honey heart, marigold, darling, etc.

He's not as shy and background oriented as he was in middle school, but he's not as out there as literally all of his friends. Which is fine and hasn't given him a complex at all.

Service, touch, gift giving, making things--these are his ways of showing affection. He will use words when needed, but he's so often in his own head that sometimes the words just...stay there.

He would have to be the one to say he loves and wants to love and wants a relationship when it becomes very obvious that all the signs for romance are there...but history kind of prevents Skull from acting on things. And he gets it. Of the two of them, Billy has people in his back corner to provide support, Eugene just has Bulk (and maybe his brother when he's...around).

He will not kill pollinators or spiders, but he will tear apart a work area just to get a mosquito.

Billy literally remodeled a car from the early '90s into a flying future miracle. He has risen above the "gays can't drive" thing, thank you.

He can make pasta and microwave dinners and popcorn. He can sort of bake cookies. One should not ask him to do more than that, because he will forget something and go work on an experiment and blow up the house.

So-so when it comes to PDA. Largely because he feels like he's somehow being impolite to other people, but if Skull is feeling low, Billy will actively make sure their hands are attached and that his boyfriend's face is flushed from Billy kissing him all along his face and shoulders.

There is a one in three chance that Bulk and Skull will be in the area of a monster fight at any given time. Rita and Zedd and their minions know them BY NAME. Of COURSE Billy gets protective of Skull to the point of ridiculous a lot of the time.

He's basically always known he's gay. He's had a lot of crushes on his guy friends and allies, but never actually tried to ask for a date. He has had sex with other boys, but not a real relationship--most of the time it was coming off of a stressful battle because of Power overload. So...not much experience. Thankfully, Skull is much more patient than others would believe.

[jmrothwell]

Get to know you asks: 9, 17, 18, 19

Hey there! Thanks for the ask!! ❤️

9. do you have a skincare routine (and how many steps is it)?

I have tried to have a skincare routine. But it never lasts. The most steps it ever had was like 4, wash, lotion, eye cream, chapstick

17. an anxious compulsion you do everyday?

Hoo boy, soooo my latest anxious compulsion is checking AO3 way way too often. I do not do well with things that give me analytics. It should wear off in a week or so.

Otherwise it's social media doom scrolling.

18. your boba/tea order?

I have tried so so hard to like tea. So when I go to Boba with friends/family I tend to order (if available) something fruity.

19. the veggie you dislike the most?

Celery

Ask me things?

[samgiddings]

@staff @support @engineering @music @books

Have you ever considered this is a really stupid layout to have when there’s no way to easily get your account back if you accidentally hit the wrong button???

[tafeekafee]

hey tafeee, what’s your mbti??

Hi anon^^

I have to admit I never took the test until I just saw your ask;)

But apparently I am ENFP-T though I never really expected myself to end up as extroverted but I guess I am very much in the middle XD

I do enjoy my time alone as much as I glow up in lovely company 😇✌🏼

Lots of love

🧚🏻‍♀️

[uncanny-tranny]

Amatonormativity has destroyed so many people's understanding and acceptance of themselves, and it's heartbreaking.

Yes, it is normal to be in your 20s, 30s, or older and not have lost your virginity, had a first kiss, or a partner. It is normal to say that you aren't ready for those things, too! It is normal if your life doesn't follow the "college graduate -> engagement -> buying a home -> 2.5 kids and a dog" trajectory that so many people have idealized.

So many people associate maturity with losing your virginity, or having a first kiss, or a serious relationship, and I think that's a dangerous association. Maturity isn't gained through those things, and you don't have to have those experiences to be considered "mature" or "grown." It is not a bad thing to go at your pace. Nobody else can live your life but you. If you end up having those experiences, that's great! But it should be done because you want to experience them, not because you feel "broken" and "immature" without them.

[val-writes-imagines]

Sylvain Jose Gautier x Silas Elian (OC) - Home

A short but sweet little snippet for @newtnewtthenoot featuring his Fire Emblem OC, Silas! Hope you enjoy; thank you for your patience 😊

This was the first time Silas had seen where Sylvain was born. The lands of Gautier were cold and unforgiving, and the border with Sreng still held the same threat that it did before the war, even now that the continent of Fódlan clung to tentative peace.

It contrasted greatly to the young man that now carried the territory’s future on his broad shoulders. Where the northern Faerghus lands were colourless, Sylvain burned bright with life, deep red hair and flushed cheeks bitten pink by the chill as they sat by the fire together. He reached into the basket between them and handed Silas an apple pastry - just like the ones they had once shared at Garreg Mach - still warm from the oven.

“It’s clear tonight,” he remarked, gesturing to the stars overhead. The moon was crescent, a glowing mark of silver in the inky black of the night. Sylvain could not help but admire how it reflected in Silas’ familiar green eyes.

Silas hummed absently. His head rested on Sylvain’s shoulder, and nothing more really needed to be said. Sylvain turned his head, pressing a gentle kiss into Silas’ hair, and found that the usually biting cold of the Faerghan night was much easier to bear when side by side with a loved one.

[rileyclaw]

what if we kissed in the clouds , or whatever ahaha.

HAPPY BIPAN HUNTLOW CONFIRMATION DAY

[chloesimaginationthings]

IS THAT JEREMY!?

I’M GLAD YALL NOTICED THIS DETAIL! To answer your question,,, oh yknow

[ruporas]

endless love!

[ID Two drawing collage pages of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun Maximum. In the first collage, top corner, Wolfwood looks upwards disgruntled with a flushed expression, lying against a pillow, as his hair is being pet by Vash's hand. Next shows Vash and Wolfwood from behind, Wolfwood with his top bare and hickies covers around his nape area. Vash lifts hair away from his nape and asks, "More?" Wolfwood nervously says, "No." Next is a side profile of Vash, his arms around Wolfwood from behind while Wolfwood rests his hands against Vash's arms. Next to this are two smaller drawings; Vash turns to Wolfwood and says repetitively, "Wolfwood, Wolfwood..." Wolfwood, not looking at him, says "What?" He finally turns his head and looks shocked as he exclaims, "So close!" Vash says plainly, "You just noticed?" Below these is a drawing of Vash and Wolfwood sitting together as Vash kisses and hugs him from behind with his right arm around Wolfwood's neck and his left hand around his side. He also has his right leg propped against Wolfwood's knee. Bottom of the page has a comic. Wolfwood looks annoyed, speaking to himself, "Where is that idiot?! Need to get out of town before--" A chat bubble exclaims, "Wolfwood!" The next panel shows Vash running from the townspeople, small text saying "Get him! Vash the stampede!". Wolfwood, mad and about to pull the Punisher off his shoulder, says, "Argh, you fucking dumbass!" Vash exclaims, "Ah, don't!" before pulling Wolfwood into a quick kiss. He then tugs on Wolfwood's collar and says, "There's no need to shoot, just run!" Wolfwood stammers, "R-right..." with a flushed, dumbstruck expression.

Second collage; Top left, Wolfwood spoons Vash in bed, his arms around his chest and the other beneath Vash's head. Vash has his hand on top of Wolfwood's as he sleeps while Wolfwood lies awake. Behind this drawing is faint sketches of Vash's face. In a small panel, Wolfwood hides in Vash's neck as he mumbles to himself "Stop. Stop thinking embarrassing things, Wolfwood..." Beneath this drawing is another of them in bed, Vash now turned to Wolfwood and a hand on his cheek as he kisses him good morning. In a simpler style, Vash wraps an arm tightly around wolfwood with the text "snork mimimi" next to him while Wolfwood says, "We need to get up. Spikey! HEY!" In this corner, there are faint sketches of Vash and Wolfwood; one of them looking at each other; Vash kissing Wolfwood's forehead; Wolfwood saying, "Hand" with an outstretch hand and Vash says "ok" behind a drawing of them holding hands, both turned away from each other shyly. Next is a 4 panel comic. First shows Wolfwood's face getting squished by Vash's hands with the text "squish" around his face. Next, his cheeks are stretched with the text "Chee--" Wolfwood then hits Vash's face with his palm, exclaimining "That hurts!" The last shows Vash on Wolfwood's lap, smiling to himself as he continues to have Wolfwood's face in his hands. Next to this is another comic; A close up of their hands, Vash holding Wolfwood's with both of his. He then kisses the palm of Wolfwood's palm and says, "They're soft!" Wolfwood looks at him with flushed cheeks, "There's no way that's true..." END ID]

[gallusrostromegalus]

Kenpachi Realizes Nobody Else Actually Read The Employee Handbook And Decides To Get Inventive, A Story In A Ranking Chart

Yamamoto Thought He Was Punishing Everyone Including Zaraki By Making Him Actually Fill Out That Report, Was Not Ready For Zaraki To Deliver A Twelve Hundred Slide Powerpoint Category Seven Autism Infodump About It A Week Later, A Sequel

[augment-techs]

Mike and Tanya. Actually kinda cute

[frm9pm]

[luxaofhesperides]

Can I please have meet cute/weird with mistaken villain! Danny (but really just a engineer and or chem student) and the one being put on investigation cause Danny is a day villain(not really)! Duke

Technically, Danny Fenton is innocent. Technically. 

Duke wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since he’s having so much trouble finding solid evidence that Danny is stealing from a wide variety of people, but he’s been burned before by trying to see people as better than they were. It doesn’t change the fact that Oracle’s cameras keep spotting Danny right before a building on the street is broken into and something stolen. He’s always just walking down the sidewalk; no one has spotted him entering or exiting a building, but he’s around far too often to be unconnected to these burglaries. 

It doesn’t help that strange, petty crimes have been on the rise since Danny first arrived in Gotham. 

So.

Danny Fenton is technically innocent.

Duke is trying to prove that he’s not. 

Maybe I’m looking too closely, he thinks, going over Danny’s sparse file in the Hatch. Maybe Danny’s only one person in a bigger operation.

He could just be the lookout, the runner, the information gatherer who marks which buildings to hit. He may even be the scapegoat, the sacrificial lamb; Danny has no support in Gotham, no family, no job. There would be no one to help him if he got arrested or injured in a fight. He’s a freshman college student from Illinois who should be unprepared for life in Gotham but is somehow managing to survive like a native. 

There’s a lot about Danny that doesn’t add up. 

Duke has seen plenty of different people since he first went out as the Signal. He’s tried to be kind and give people the benefit of the doubt, but it leads to his loved ones being put in danger. Some people are truly evil, some working on a malicious agenda, some are misguided in their beliefs, and some are desperate people who see no other way to move forward.

He’s not sure yet which on Danny is, but he’s hoping Danny is just desperate and needs a little help to get out of a life of crime.

Which leads to the next problem: Duke has no idea what Danny is steal, or why. He hits both rich and poor folks, civilians and members of the mob, and once, notably, stole something right out of Cobblepot’s office. Allegedly, at least, since no one saw him enter or exit the office, not even the security cameras. 

But added to the whispers going around about a new group in Gotham snatching people up from the streets, and some strange green substances found in warehouses often raided by police for the frequent drug labs that pop up in them… 

It doesn’t look good for Danny. Especially when a few of the items he stole were found where people either vanished or where that green substance has been found.

A week of analysis in the Batcave and they still don’t know what it is. 

Both Damian and Jason suspected Lazarus water, but the composition was completely different. By the look of the molecular structure, it shouldn’t have been in a liquid form at all. 

All these findings lead back to one person who may have answers: Danny Fenton.

According to Tim, who’s already broken into Danny’s dorm room and checked over all the labs he has classes in, Danny has some concerning items in his possession. Various inventions and little metal knick-knacks put together by a practiced hand. He was also the one to find all the information that went into Danny’s file when it was first being made: social media posts, school report cards, news articles about his parents… everything. 

And then he had an emergency mission to take with the Titans that swept him out of Gotham leaving Duke to tackle this investigation on his own. 

He doesn’t have Tim’s natural skill in stalking and invading privacy. He hates breaking into people’s spaces and following them around, but needs must and he has to force himself to work through the discomfort. 

It’s a good thing he did, too. Danny’s leaving his dorm after his last afternoon class, hood up to hide his face and something held in the front pocket of his hoodie. He ducks around people on the sidewalk easily, almost as if he’s gliding through the crowd instead of walking. 

Duke follows from above, bending the light around him to hide him from sight. 

He walks for some time, weaving through alleys and streets as if he’s been in Gotham his whole life, leaving behind the university campus to head towards Otisberg. There’s something strange about the way Danny walks, as if he’s moving around people who aren’t there, guided by something Duke can’t hear. Even using his meta abilities doesn’t do much beyond show him where Danny’s going to be in the next few seconds. 

He continues to follow Danny on the rooftops, walking along the edge to keep him in sight. 

Then Danny stops behind an apartment building and tilts his head back to look up at it. He tilts his head to the side, then nods and looks around the empty alley. Duke crouches down, keeping his eyes on Danny in the hopes of catching him in the act—

Danny disappears.

Duke curses under his breath and jumps down from the roof, putting more strength into his abilities as soon as his feet touch the ground. 

The space where Danny was has a faint outline, oddly enough. He’s never seen that before. From it is a semi-transparent trail, smoke-like and a pale green leading into the building. It goes straight into a wall, as if Danny walked through it.

He can’t go in and search the entire apartment, but he can grapple up and take a look into the hallways to see where Danny’s heading. If he was looking up, then that’s where he should be heading. 

It doesn’t take any effort to scale the building. There are ledges and windowsills and plenty of handholds for him to propel himself off of, and paired with his powers, Duke is able to find the correct floor in just under two minutes. 

The green smoke slowly dances through the air of the ninth floor, on the east side of the building. If he’s been counting the rooms correctly, then the target of tonight’s burglary has to be apartment 924. 

The curtains are drawn on the window he makes his way over to, and his abilities don’t show him anything helpful for the immediate future. He hates going in blind, especially to a civilian’s home, but capturing Danny takes priority. Duke picks the lock and slides the window up slowly, making sure it stays quiet, then slips into an empty bedroom. 

He makes his way out into the hallway on silent feet, keeping a wary eye on the thin smoke strands of green, curling along the walls. The rest of the apartment is empty as well, pale sunlight slanting across the floor through the blinds. 

Everything is still and silent. Danny’s nowhere to be found. 

Did he miss Danny leaving, somehow? Was this a misdirect to get him out of the way while Danny stole from another location? Did he know Duke was following him?

But no, his ears pick up on the faint sound of clothes rustling. 

Cautiously, Duke turns towards the front door, where the door to the coat closet is open. He focuses on what’s going to happen in the next twenty seconds and sees Danny panic, then disappear from sight again, but a transparent outline of his body is visible just enough to show him where he runs to. Best not to spook him; Duke pulls at the light around him and bends it to hide him from sight.

Then he moves along the wall, getting around the open door without bumping into anyone or anything. 

A figure in front of the coats, shoving them to the side roughly, flickers in and out of view, almost like a reflection in water, distorted by ripples on the surface. 

Danny pops back into visibility suddenly, scowling at the coats. “Are you sure it’s in here?” he asks the empty air. 

There is no answer, but Danny acts like there is. He rolls his eyes and says, “It’s a favor. That I’m doing for you. I can literally stop right now and you wouldn’t be able to stop me.” He shoves aside another heavy winter coat, then sighs. “Why don’t you look for it, and then tell me where it is.”

He steps back and bumps into Duke.

Danny whirls around, eyes wide, and blast of green light has Duke crashing back into the wall, trying to blink spots out of his eyes. 

“Wait!” he yells, grabbing for Danny before he can run off. “I just wanna talk!”

“Standing right behind me like a serial killer does not make you look like someone who wants to talk!” Danny yells back, slipping through his hands like mist. 

“I just have a few questions!”

“Well, I have a question: why?!”

“Will you hold still, we’re being too loud!”

Danny escapes to the other side of the apartment, next to a window looking fully prepared to fling himself out of it. But he does stop yelling, so Duke is counting it as a success.

“Why is the Signal coming after me?” Danny asks, glaring at him suspiciously.

“Dude,” Duke says, “You’ve been seen outside of every single building that’s had a burglary since you first arrived in Gotham. All the Bats are after you, they just sent me because I’m the only one active during the day.”

“All the Bats?” Danny repeats, losing what little color he had in his face.

He looks legitimately scared, pale enough to be concerning, and Duke drops his guard and tries to relax the tension in the apartment. “I’m not gonna turn you into the cops or anything. I just had questions and you seem like the most likely person to have answers. That’s it.”

Danny still looks wary, ready to run at a moment’s notice, but he doesn’t leave when Duke approached casually, leaning his weight against the couch. 

“So,” he begins, “What’s the deal with all the thievery? It’s rarely something super rare or expensive.”

There’s a long few minutes where Danny doesn’t answer, looking anywhere but at Duke. Then he twitches a bit and glares off to the side, and says, “I taking items that are contaminated with ectoplasm to help ghosts move through the veil and leave Gotham.”

That tells him nothing! That just gives Duke more questions! But at least it’s an answer, the first one any of them have got.

“I think you’re gonna have to explain a little more.”

“Ghosts are real, alright?”

“Yes.”

Danny stops. Squints at him. “What do you mean, ‘yes’?”

“Ghosts are real,” Duke repeats, “There are a few who help heroes or are heroes themselves, but that’s more on the magic side of things so I’m not super familiar with it.”

“Magic,” Danny says slowly. “Sure, alright. Um. Yes, ghosts are real. And there are a ton in Gotham who need help moving on, but they’re too weak to get past the veil. Something about Gotham has made the veil super strong, so they need a little boost to get through. Additional ectoplasm bonded helps with that.”

“And that’s why you’re stealing random things?”

“The ghosts I help can kind of sense ectoplasm-infused things, but they need me to grab them since they can’t hold anything without a physical body.”

Duke nods slowly. “Okay, that’s starting to answer some things. We have found those objects in the last places missing people were seen. Any idea what’s going on with that?”

“Yeah, those people were already dead.”

The way Danny says the most concerning answers as if they’re nothing is really throwing Duke off his game. He was expecting to be calm and serious to keep Danny from freaking out too much and look like a legitimate hero. But as soon as Danny started talking, all his nerves fell away and Duke is left grasping for composure. 

“They were…”

“They were ghosts, yeah. And they needed to get through the veil. But they were also able to possess their own bodies and didn’t realize they were dead until I had to break the news to them, which is why it looks like living people just up and disappeared.”

“Okay… What about the green stuff we’ve been finding?”

“Ectoplasm.” Danny holds up a hand and a neon green light surrounds it. Except it looks more solid than light, as if it can be touched, and it moves on its own like fire around Danny’s fingers. “It’s what ghosts are made of.”

Oh. If Danny has ectoplasm, does that mean…

“Are you dead?” Duke asks, heart dropping. 

Instead of looking upset about the question, or even disturbed by it, Danny just shrugs and waves his hand back and forth. “A little.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Duke says, trying to resist the urge to rub his temples. It’s a habit he didn’t mean to pick up from Batman, and it would just look silly with his helmet in the way. “You’re just doing all this to help ghosts?”

“Yeah. Basically. They asked for help man, of course I was going to help them.”

Danny’s a good person. He’s just a good person to ghosts. But this is good news either way, and he can let the others know that Danny isn’t the next Catwoman and is entirely unconnected from any drug production. Everything that made him look like a criminal is just the fault of ghosts. 

“Speaking of,” Danny continues, “Looks like they found what they need, so I’m going to grab that real quick.” He pushes off of the wall and heads for the closet again, moving past Duke without any fear. Duke follows, keeping a few feet of distance between them so Danny doesn’t feel trapped, and watches as he shoves aside the coats again and pulls a shoebox out of the depths of the closet. From it, he takes a single intricate lace headband and holds it up.

It looks normal, if a little old, but when Danny sends ectoplasm through it, the lace lights up and holds the glow. 

He pulls some strange contraption out of his pocket and holds it up to the headband. It makes a few beeps, then Danny mutters, “7.4 millisieverts. That’s enough to get you through the veil.”

Another concern Duke can let go of: Danny’s not creating weapons like his parents have, he’s just measuring ectoplasm through his own inventions. 

Maybe he could talk to Bruce or Tim about getting Danny an internship at the R&D lab in Wayne Enterprises? That way they could keep a closer eye on him while seeing what he can create in some of the best laboratories in the country.

Well, it might take having them meet Danny before they trust him enough for that, but Duke is sure he can make it happen. 

“I better go see this through, then,” Danny says, shoving the contraption back into his hoodie pocket. He gives Duke a small awkward wave, then pops out of visibility. “I’ll see you around, I guess?” he disembodied voice hedges, and Duke smiles.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find you again.”

“Cool. I gonna go now!” 

He doesn’t see any sign that Danny’s left, but he gets a feeling that he’s alone now, the apartment suddenly emptier than it was before. 

As strange and concerning as Danny and all his bizarre actions were, Duke is glad he was able to finally talk to him and get some answers. Knowing how Gotham pulls people him in, it’s only a matter of time before the other Bats are exposed to Danny’s kind of strange. He’s already looking forward to it. 

For now, though, he has a file to update in the Hatch; POTENTIAL THREAT will be removed and replaced with GHOST HELPER. 

If anyone goes snooping into his files and gets confused, then that’s their problem. Duke’s explained enough. And Danny can take care of the rest, once they go through the effort of tracking him down. Duke's done his part, he's ready for the rest of them to step up to his level.

He can’t wait to see what other kind of trouble Danny can get it into.

[a2zillustration]

Gale and I had the exact same reaction when we opened that door.

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[skywarpie]

Remembering Megatron got a redemption arc in IDW and then in Earthspark and meanwhile starscream is always left like this :]