#this got so long im so sorry

[visenyaism]

seven blessings, sister! i wanted to say i find your maegor meta v entertaining as a thought exercise. how would you envision jaehaerys and alysanne's marriage in this scenario where alysanne is maegor's daughter? and which one of his wives would have been more suited to be her mother?

jaehalyssane gets too much of a good rep as a loving, harmonious marriage, when "good king" jaehaerys' rampant misogyny really did a number on them

I have a lot of problems with fire and blood and how it just fully leans into all of asoiaf's worst patterns of pregnancy, child brides, and gendered violence and death. I know it's a history book told from an unreliable and misogynistic narrator, but it really does just read as a "bad things happen to women" compilation. It doesn't have a lot to say ABOUT misogyny, it's just something that happens in Westeros because it does.

The reason I think Alysanne being Maegor's wouldve been interesting is that what "good king jaehaerys" does to alysanne is not too dissimilar from what Maegor did to any of his wives. Except for Tyanna, all of Maegor's wives are coerced or straight-up kidnapped and forced to marry him. Alysanne is taken from her home at age 14 and married to her older brother. Maegor takes seven wives in his desperation to have a son. Jaehaerys made Alysanne keep having (13!!!!) kids that she did not want, so she was constantly pregnant from age 16 through 44. That's 28 years. The narrative does not really give her anything to do but this.

So to me, a lot of their marriage would be the same if alysanne was Maegor's, it would just make a lot of what fire and blood kind of says (but doesn't really successfully follow through with) about gender more overt. I think Aly being Maegors daughter would at least make it clear that this violence is a pattern within this family and their monarchy as opposed to something that just happens. Maegor marries Rhaena to make sure she has no claim, Rhaena's younger brother Jaehaerys marries Maegor's daughter Alysanne to do the same. Instead of just eloping because Jaehaerys wanted to, it's more of a Jaehaerys rescues Alysanne out of an unwanted marriage/horrible evil household, but then her "reward" for this is to get pregnant and put in a tower (which happens anyway, but I think it would help to undo the "yeah this is fine he loved her" part of fire and blood. It also connects how Jaehaerys treats his daughters/granddaughters to how Maegor would've.

So I think giving Alysanne a stronger personality or literally anything to do other than getting pregnant would be a good step towards fixing fire and blood, but if they HAVE to go towards the "targaryen history is a horrible and dehumanizing time for all women, I think making that pattern more explicit by connecting Aly to Maegor and the claim would have been more interesting than what we got.

[trollamulet]

the alarm clock rouses jim from his sleep. the sun streams in to his early start of six am. blue eyes blink as he sits up. it's not the usual energetic start fifteen-year old jim would be - determined to make a delightful meal for his mother to wake up from her late night with, as well as her meal for her shift, as well as making sure toby had something halfway decent to eat. jim moves to his laptop to look at the time and the recipe he'd had open the night before. he stares at the date stamp on the lower right hand bar of the screen.

september 17, 2016. the day that kanjigar dies. in another time, in another life - this is the day that jim would assume the role of trollhunter by retrieving the amulet from the rubble of his body. but this life is a new chance.

the akaridion amulet did come back with him, and it glows innocently beside him on the desk. jim cannot reject this one. after all, he is the trollhunter, will always be the trollhunter. though, this time he intends on one of his friends assuming the role, hopefully the amulet calls out for them instead of jim. maybe it'll sense he has no need for merlin's silver and onyx and sword and service - because he's already fighting for the good of all.

the trouble is the sword, but he could make do. excalibur remained in that ruined timeline, all he needs is to sneak into trollmarket, and he can find something there to use. his body isn't as coordinated as it was - given the fact he wouldn't be training the same way, but he reckoned a spear would serve in place of sword. or maybe he'd luck out and there would be some funky sword that conjured from it - but then again, when krel and the rest of the team worked on the design, jim had opted for the ability to use gemstones. he did still know how to cleave like a troll - he could just experiment with gemstones until something worked.

he lets himself think - wonder - as he cooks, finishing up breakfast for himself quickly and making his mom's breakfast while the meatloaf for his meatloaf sandwiches cooks. (he leaves out the cardamom that toby complained about before.) he needs to make sure everyone doesn't know what's going on, what he knows.

and when he and toby bike through the canal - he glances down to the pile of kanjigar's remains - knowing draal will be out there after sundown to gather his father's corpse to reassemble in the hero's forge... he doesn't see the amulet.

jim swallows, and continues to school - trying not to let it get to him. maybe claire was through there? compelled by some fateful predestiny, but he doubts it. and he doubts their shadowed enemies could have gotten to it first.

[belovdly]

i've always wondered about this,,, but now, in the wake of noah confirming will's sexuality and romantic feelings for mike (!!!!!) the idea that joyce has had knowledge of her son's feelings (or at the very least, a sense that something was special about mike) is not a totally unreasonable assumption,,, and it makes me ahhh so soft.

maybe she notices some subtle changes in will's demeanor before he leaves for mike's house on campaign days. he looks increasingly more flushed each time he slings on his jacket, fingers tightened anxiously around a sheaf of new drawings to show the Party (to mike). she's amused when, one day, he ducks into the bathroom to fix his hair before hopping on his bike. or perhaps, when she's bringing popcorn refills during movie night, she peeks into the living room and finds mike fast asleep on will's arm; from behind the safety of the corner she watches her son, shoulders hunched in quiet tension, looking down at his friend. there's a look on his face that she's see before, the one she identifies as being reserved for mike. but it's.. it's softer, somehow. almost tender. his cheeks are dusted pink. his hands tremble a bit as he pulls the blanket they're sharing further across mike's chest, tucking it around mike's elbow. joyce covers her smile with the back of her hand and decides that the popcorn can wait.

now this is a bit more speculative, but im so in love with the idea that mike has always felt something more for will, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or realize it himself. especially if he doesn't realize it! (he just believes his behavior is normal. it's will! so maybe his voice pitches a little softer when he talks to will, or he finds himself wrapped up in will's space more often than not. it's will.)

but his mom, karen, is always keeping tabs on her children - so she begins to notice, too, that her son treats this particular friend with a little more intimacy than the rest of the Party.

she notices that mike always seems to drift towards will when the whole party is together, brushing pinkies or hooking ankles under the breakfast table - just to let will know he's there. mike's gaze always seem to linger on will, eyes especially bright and pleased if he can get a laught out of will. once, when she had asked about the drawings on the wall of the basement, mike had gone from spaced out to bright-eyed in a split second, explaining that will had given these to him for their new d&d campain and wasn't he the greatest artist in the whole world?!

he cares for all of his friends dearly, karen knows. but it's always been different with will.

im crying this post really got away from me,, but i've been having so much fun entertaining the idea of karen and joyce just. sharing knowing glances when their boys are off in their little world. they have a deadpan expression they've dubbed the "Mike and Will Anomaly", for when the boys get really immersed in each other's space. they joke about it, but there's always been an unspoken understanding that neither of them would ever say or do anything to make their boys feel invalid, or unloved, if their fond gazes or heated cheeks really did mean something. they just want their boys to be happy :)

[p.s. i know there's not a ton of evidence for this in the show but. i remember how i acted as a child, and in my pre-teen years. i thought i was subtle, but in reality i feel that kids are generally not great at concealing their true feelings or motivations behind their actions, especially if they're doing or feeling these things unconsciously. and both joyce and karen know and love their children so much - i just think it would be neat if they were attuned to the singular and affectionate nature of mike and will's relationship.]

[uriekukistan]

1, 23, and 24 for jjk for the ask game :p

suddenly i'm scared to have opinions but i do wanna get a lot of these things off my chest so

1 - the character everyone gets wrong :

i wanna say the character people get the most wrong is gojo actually. so many people just portray him as a cocky, silly guy, and miss the deep loneliness and insecurity that comes from being the strongest. its kinda sad because i think his inability to form a true and vulnerable connection is not only heartbreaking, but fundamental to the way he acts and how the story has played out thus far.

that being said, the most frustrating thing for me, and this is not an everyone thing, but i would say the overall...horniness of the jjk fandom contributes to a lot of mischaracterizations. im not saying there's anything wrong with writing or reading smut fics, but i think for a few characters their smut fic personalities have led to a more shallow understanding of their character. gojo is one, as i just mentioned, but also choso and sukuna. (im a bit scared to put this opinion out there, but it's been on my mind for a bit, ever since the gojo figure incident)

23 - ship you've unwillingly come around to :

i guess choso and yuki is one? i didn't really see it at first, but i guess it's kinda sweet, if a little bit one sided. i just don't see choso as the type to be seeking anything out like that, his priority is very clearly protecting his family.

there's more ships i wouldn't touch with a 10 foot poll that i don't see myself ever coming around to, such as MEGUMI AND SUKUNA???? aside from the fact that megumi is 15/16 and sukuna is 1000+, it's still an absolute no from me.

24 - topic that brings up the most rancid discourse :

i try not to get involved in jjk fandom discourse (except this post maybe?), and i wouldn't say this is "rancid" more-so irritating, but i mentioned today how i think specifically the tiktok jjk fandom lacks basic reading comprehension and analysis skills. people are understandably bored with the kind of cyclical writing gege has been putting out there recently, but also some of the ways in which they are criticizing jjk just show a lack of understanding of what's actually happening and the story that's trying to be told. spoilers here i'm sorry you thought the biggest supervillain of the series was going to be taken down easily? i'm sorry you weren't expecting lots of battles in jujutsu kaisen, which literally means sorcery battle? i think it was pretty obvious that this wasn't going to be a normal power of friendship manga from the junpei incident. the whole point of the hidden inventory arc was to show that the point was always to raise a new generation of sorcerers who would be able to work together and be the strongest together. gojo was never going to singlehandedly take down sukuna, and neither will any other character. the individual battles themselves could have more variety, but the direction the story was going was clear from pretty early on. no more spoilers

yeah anyway that's not really "discourse" im just sick of seeing the lists of reasons people think jjk is "mid" now, and all it is is them saying they dont understand plot points that were clearly established and explained.

[malka-lisitsa]

Caroline wasn't foolish. She knew she'd have to check the balances of what Katherine had added in and add in some of the things she needed for herself. "waiting on me, oh" Online shopping for groceries had become the new normal for her. Caroline didn't like going to those big stores, knowing that human food wouldn't satisfy her hunger.

Caroline took the laptop back, clicking back a few pages in front of Katherine's view, adding in things like meat, and pasta, sauces and other things and then scrolled through the list. Noticing some of the more pricier items Katherine had added in for herself.

but instead of scolding her, or deleting out of the basket and asking her to choose something cheaper, the blonde added some other things for Katherine. Like a tooth brush, her own set of towels and proceeded to the payment screen and privately input her details.

"it's arriving tonight" she smiled. Even if all of this kindness came back to bite her in the ass one day, Caroline wouldn't punish Katherine for needing the basic human necessities.. even if some were on the luxurious side. She'd heard the stories, ones from Katherine herself.. about having to just keep running. Caroline didn't know how long this set up would last, but she at least wanted Katherine to feel like it was something near a home. A place where she could have her own things, and have them respected, and while Caroline did expect the same treatment of her own things to given in return, that was something Katherine needed to learn. She wasn't expected to just know.

"try and make some of the things last okay?"

She didn't yell at her. Didn't even take it out of the cart. In fact she watched her put more things in there...

One of the hardest parts of being human for Katherine is being vulnerable. Not just physically. Yes shes fragile now, and thats a real problem for her... but she's also vulnerable because Katherine is alone.

For five hundred years Katherine was an apex predator. She hunted her food, slept wherever she wanted to sleep, got whatever she wanted- Katherine didn't have to really rely on anyone she was self sufficient. Independent.

Now that shes a human things have drastically flipped for her. She's powerless. Five hundred years of being a predator, and now she was the prey again. Honestly it's that feeling she hates the most. Feeling like she did way back when. At the mercy of others.

Yes she is a survivor, and her skills are not limited to brute force- Katherine ALSO has five hundred years of scheming and manipulating under her belt. She's not completely helpless but...

The truth is, she cant manipulate and scheme well in this circle shes stuck in. The mystic falls vampire ring. If you ask her, she'll tell you shes stuck because they wont let her leave- but thats posturing.

Katherine has stuck around this ring of people because she knows them. She feels safer with them than she would out there on her own. For all her hate for Elena she knows that self righteous bitch wouldn't let her die on principle. She can tell by the way Damon looks at her that he still wouldn't let her die. She knows Stefan loves her (even if he denies it) and wouldn't let anything happen to her. Even that little gremlin Jeremy protected her, wrapped her in a blanket when she was cold...

And Caroline? Caroline is the best of them. She has always thought that. (obviously Stefan doesn't count.) The poetry of Caroline is watching her climb from a victimized girl to a force of nature. She reminds Katherine a lot of herself.

"yea... ok." She nodded. No thank you, that would be vulnerability in Katherine's book and she can't afford that right now... but... next time, she'd make sure her trash actually got IN the trash can...

"I assume if I even think about putting the groceries away you'll have an OCD panic attack- so... I'll leave that to you." Posturing, yes, as always... but it was her way of trying to respect Caroline's need for things to be a certain way.

Katherine speaks a language few people understand.

[itsjaywalkers]

UMMMM NOTHING HAPPENS???

Dude. This, you’ve done something with this.

Like the first part REGGIES ADORABLE, and they’re obvs already soulmates, and it’s setting the Sirius dynamic. Like especially with James and Sirius, I think it’s a fun way to explore their friendship, and James’ inability to say no.

THEN THE NEXT PART! JAMES MY LOVE YOU.ARE.JELOUS!!!!!! Like my guy. The “baby”, James please have a conscious thought. The beef between Pandora and Sirius is so real <3. But it’s interesting to see like another sibling haver perspective on Sirius and Reg cause James is just James. Like it’s speaks a lot about everyone’s dynamic I think how everyone interacts with the twins (Love them but the way, your Evan is <333)

THEN THE LAST PART. HOLY SHIT. Like i thought they were about to have a cute moment (which i guess they did) but then BAM “what about your girlfriend?”. It was like a record scratch in my brain. I’m very excited to get Regs’ side of the story, and James is my bbg i’ll always defend him even if he sucks, if James said it was a platonic make out session, it was a platonic make out session. (I’m kidding he’s being a dick) BUT THE “You’re my best friend” while they were literally sucking face. Babe. Please. AND WHEN HE CALLED OUT WOLFSTAR, you have literally no room to talk. Like at all. But like, him being like “Em. Babe. ur overreacting” While reg was literally cuddled up in him. LIKE WHAT JAMES? THATS INSANE!

But like based of what you’ve posted IDK, but it’s different than what I expected?? (in a good way). Like the characterization is so compelling in this! I’m very excited for this and am very patiently waiting for the next part, in the meantime i’ll be re reading and finding even more insane bits i missed i’m sure.

(sorry for rambling, but thank you lots for writing <3)

NEVER APOLOGISE FOR RAMBLING and this ask made my day, i couldn't answer until now bc i've been shopping all morning/afternoon but !!! i read it as soon as i woke up and it made me <3 so very happy <333

ELEVEN YEAR-OLD REGGIE IS SOOOO CUTE i need to put him in my mouth and . chew . he's so very dear to me i swear <333 i also love his dynamic with sirius and all the banter between james and sirius was so fun to write. their friendship sort of . deteriorates . in a way . bc of regulus and both sirius and james' inability to share, so i'm glad i got to write them like this before that, like proper best friends!!!

HE'S SO FUCKING JEALOUS IT'S ACTUALLY CONCERNING the 'baby' was playing soooo dirty and so manipulative of him. and i'm so glad u enjoy sirius and pandora's rivalry bc it's one of my fav things in nothing happens hehe. and yessss james has a very . close-minded view of siblings, in a way, since he's an only child and he's never gonna understand what goes down in those kinds of bonds. so getting to see the twins and how they behave and interact with others helps with james' lacking perspective imo!! also nothing happens evan is my baby, i'm so happy u like him <333

THE LAST PART IS THE WOMAN OF THE HOUR I THINK so intense so hot so dramatic <3 the mention of james' gf IS supposed to hit, bc despite the fic being from his pov, he never thinks about her until reg mentions her, which is . wild . if u stop to think about it . idk if we'll ever get reg's side of the story bc nothing happens works better bc it's james-centric but !! who knows !! i'd love to write his pov of some moments for sure (and share more content of the twins too). also i'm so surprised to see how much ppl are loving nh james??? he's gonna get worse, so idk how long this will last but i'm quite pleased so far bc i adoreeee him. HE'S SUCH A PIECE OF SHIT DURING THAT WHOLE CONVO telling his literal gf she's overreacting when he has reg seated on his lap, telling reg he's his best friend after having his tongue down his throat . he's insane . especially bc he believes every single word coming out of his mouth

oh i'm so glad ur liking it despite the story not being what u expected (so relieved it's in a good way tho). the characterizations in nothing happens are what make the fic super compelling to me too so <3 taking this as a huge compliment <3 i'm gonna go back to writing oby + a pandalily pwp now so idk when the next part will be ready but !! since nothing happens is what i always write on the side bc it comes quite easy to me, it could be done sooner than it seems. we'll see!!

thank you so much for reading and for sending such a lovely ask, it means the whole world MWAH <333

[stil-lindigo]

scorched earth.

a comic about a princess who died in a fire.

(this is a sequel to bite of winter, a comic about Snow and what became of her after her death.)

--

creative notes:

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all my other comics

store

[da3drat]

How about questions 3 and 5 for any couple you like?

AAA tysm for asking! :))) (sorry this took so long???? i didn't expect it to get this wordy sdjfklsj)

gonna do martin/celeste since I feel like I've been neglecting them in favor of [redacted] hahaha

3. By contrast, what was the moment that first made their ~heart~ Soft for the other person? Not necessarily a conscious realization of “I love this person,” but a moment that had them like “Oh…I adore them…”

Celeste is pretty soft hearted by to begin with lol, so it happens for her very quickly. There's so much build up to meeting him between the long walk to Kvatch where her mind has time to wonder what he might be like, and then the hours of adrenaline and panic of getting through that first oblivion gate only able to hope and pray that he's even alive. So when she finally meets him and all that buildup of energy releases, the relief has her vulnerable. And she tries to get him to go to the camp at the base of the bluff to wait for her where its safe, but he insists on staying to help despite everything he's been through since the initial attack the night before and she's just like. oh. i am going to protect this man if it kills me.

--

For Martin it takes longer, but it still happens before they reach weynon priory.

After they leave kvatch he is understandably very quiet. He has a lot on his mind (understatement), he's overwhelmed, and he just went through an incredible amount of trauma and watched people he's known and probably counseled as a priest for years get brutally killed by daedra. So after a few days of silent walking Celeste starts babbling. It's not nervous babbling- it's relaxed and clearly meant to be comforting. And he doesn't expect it to work but it does, it gives him something to focus on, and he learns a lot about her very quickly. She talks about her family, the ranch she grew up on, about restoration magic and swordplay and holiday traditions, and the more she talks the more he finds himself interested and wanting to know more.

And after a day or so of this it opens him up a little and that night by the fire, as if she can tell he's ready to talk (she can) she looks at him and says "You look like you're freaking out." And he can't help but laugh because yeah obviously what the fuck. But it breaks the tension and it gives him an avenue to talk without it feeling quite so heavy. And she listens to him. Really listens, in a way nobody has listened to him in a while, like he's the only thing in the world worth paying attention to in that moment. And by the time they turn in for the night he finds himself feeling lighter, and really grateful for her. Not her as "the person who showed up to save my life" but her. As just Celeste. As a friend.

5. How do they consciously realize that they like the other character? Does it take them a while?

For Martin it happens right away. Suddenly becoming the emperor comes with a particular kind of solitude and loneliness he isn't used to. And that solitude hits him hard when Celeste leaves for the imperial city. We see in the game that the blades don't know how to treat him as anything other than the Emperor, and even if it gets better over time I think he needs a friend the most towards the beginning of the game where the pain is still fresh and the anxiety is at its worst. And Celeste is routinely the one who gives that to him. She laughs at him and with him, she's warm to him, she treats him like a peer. And when she leaves he really feels her absence and it makes him realize how much she means to him.

--

It takes Celeste longer. She is a paladin of Mara and she does her damnedest to embody what she believes that means- she is overflowing with love. So it takes her a while to realize that Martin is special to her, that the affection and care she feels for him is different than it is with anyone else. She figures it out when she returns to the temple with the mysterium xarxes and Martin goes "thats dangerous, give me that!" and she feels like her heart is just exploding with warmth. People don't worry about her. She very intentionally doesn't give them reason to. She never returns with injuries, she never implies any of the insane tasks they ask of her is more than she can handle. But Martin worries. Martin sees through her mask. And that is everything.

questions here!

[octoling-wearing-gauges]

look who's back

[dykealloy]

[ruporas]

feast (ID in alt)

[francy-sketches]

sorry I got posessed by the wattpad demon I'm normal now (lying)

+alt version that didnt fit the #aesthetic but it better represents my #vision of them ^_^ hashtag couplegoals

[wispscribbles]

why are you and your drawings so cool 😭🙏

afdsasdfasg thank you !! irl ppl would laugh at me being called cool lol - Have a ghoap as thanks <33

[ithinkdogshouldvote]

Sleep deprivation is one hell of a drug

[skrs-cats]

rut was really good im such a sucker for anything that just wants to be uplifting and genuine. so, here is them :3

[starry-bi-sky]

i need to get this out of my head before i continue clone^2 but danny being the first batkid. Like, standard procedure stuff: his parents and sister die, danny ends up with Vlad Masters. He drags him along to stereotypical galas and stuff; Danny is not having a good time.

He ends up going to one of the Wayne Galas being hosted ever since elusive Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham. Vlad is crowing about having this opportunity as he's been wanting to sink his claws into the company for a long while now. Danny is too busy grieving to care what he wants.

And like most Galas, once Vlad is done showing him off to the other socialites and the like, he disappears. Off to a dark corner, or to one of the many balconies; doesn't matter. There he runs into said star of the show, Bruce who is still young, has been Batman for at least a year at this point, but still getting used to all these damn people and socializing. He's stepped off to hide for a few minutes before stepping back into the shark tank.

And he runs into a kid with circles under his eyes and a dull gleam in them. Familiar, like looking into a mirror.

Danny tries to excuse himself, he hasn't stopped crying since his parents died and it's been months. He rubs his eyes and stands up, and stumbles over a half-hearted apology to Mister Wayne. Some of Vlad's etiquette lessons kicking in.

Bruce is awkward, but he softens. "That's alright, lad," he says, pulling up some of that Brucie Wayne confidence, "I was just coming out here to get some fresh air."

There's a little pressing; Bruce asks who he's here with, Danny says, voice quiet and grief-stricken, that he's with his godfather Vlad Masters. Bruce asks him if he knows where he is, and Danny tells him he does. Bruce offers to leave, Danny tells him to do whatever he wants.

It ends with Bruce staying, standing off to the side with Danny in silence. Neither of them say a word, and Danny eventually leaves first in that same silence.

Bruce looks into Vlad Masters after everything is over, his interest piqued. He finds news about him taking in Danny Fenton: he looks into Danny Fenton. He finds news articles about his parents' deaths, their occupations, everything he can get his hands on.

At the next gala, he sees Danny again. And he looks the same as ever: quiet like a ghost, just as pale, and full of grief. Bruce sits in silence with him again for nearly ten minutes before he strikes a conversation.

"Do you like to do anything?"

Nothing. Just silence.

Bruce isn't quite sure what to do: comfort is not his forte, and Danny doesn't know him. He's smart enough to know that. So he starts talking about other things; anything he can think of that Brucie Wayne might say, that also wasn't inappropriate for a kid to hear.

Danny says nothing the entire time, and is again the first to leave.

Bruce watches from a distance as he intercts with Vlad Masters; how Vlad Masters interacts with him. He doesn't like what he sees: Vlad Masters keeps a hand on Danny's shoulder like one would hold onto the collar of a dog. He parades him around like a trophy he won.

And there are moments, when someone gets too close or when someone tries to shake Danny's hand, of deep possessiveness that flints over Vlad Masters' eyes. Like a dragon guarding a horde.

He plays the act of doting godfather well: but Bruce knows a liar when he sees one. Like recognizes like.

Danny is dull-eyed and blank faced the entire time; he looks miserable.

So Bruce tries to host more parties; if only so that he can talk to Danny alone. Vlad seems all too happy to attend, toting Danny along like a ribbon, and on the dot every hour, Danny slips away to somewhere to hide. Bruce appears twenty minutes later.

"I was looking into your godfather's company," he says one night, trying to think of more things to say. Some nights all they do is sit in silence. "Some of my shareholders were thinking of partnering up--"

"Don't."

He stops. Danny hardly says a word to him, he doesn't even look at him -- he's sitting on the ground, his head in his knees. Like he's trying to hide from the world. But he's looking, blue eyes piercing up at Bruce.

Bruce tilts his head, practiced puppy-like. "Pardon?"

"Don't." Danny says, strongly. "Don't make any deals with Vlad."

It's the most words Danny's spoken to him, and there's a look in his eyes like a candle finding its spark. Something hard. Bruce presses further, "And why is that?"

The spark flutters, and flushes out. Danny blinks like he's coming out of a trance, and slumps back into himself. "Just don't."

Bruce stares at him, thoughtful, before looking away. "Alright. I won't."

And they fall back into silence.

Danny, when he leaves, turns to look at Bruce, "I mean it." He says; soft like he's telling a secret, "Don't make any deals with him. Don't be alone with him. Don't work with him."

He's scampered away before Bruce can question him further.

(He never planned on working with Vlad Masters and his company; he's done his research. He's seen the misfortune. But nothing ever leads back to him. There's no evidence of anything. But Danny knows something.)

At their next meeting, Danny starts the conversation. It's new, and it's welcomed. He says, cutting through their five minute quiet, that he likes stars. And he doesn't like that he can't see them in Gotham.

Bruce hums in interest, and Danny continues talking. It's as if floodgates had been opened, and as Bruce takes a sip of his wine, it tastes like victory.

("Tucker told me once--") ("Tucker?") ("Oh-- uh, one of my best friends. He's a tech geek. We haven't talked in a while.")

(Danny shut down in his grief -- his friends are worried, but can't reach him. When he goes back to the manor with Vlad, he fishes out his phone and sends them a message.)

(They are ecstatic to hear from him.)

It all culminates until one day, when Danny is leaving to go back inside, that Bruce speaks up. "You know," He says, leaning against the railing. "The manor has many rooms; plenty of space for a guest."

The implication there, hidden between the lines. And Danny is smart, he looks at Bruce with a sharp glean in his eyes, and he nods. "Good to know."

The next time they see each other, Danny has something in his hands. "Can you hold onto something for me?" He asks.

When Bruce agrees, Danny places a pearl into his palm. or, at least, it's something that looks like a pearl. Because it's cold to the touch; sinking into Bruce's white silk gloves with ease and shimmering like an opal. It moves a little as it settles into his hand, and the moves like its full of liquid.

Bruce has never seen anything like it before, but he does know this; it's not human. "What is it?" He asks, and Danny looks uncomfortable.

"I can't tell you that." He says, shifting on his foot like he's scared of someone seeing it. "But please be careful with it. Treat it like it's extremely fragile."

When Bruce gets home, he puts it in an empty ring box and hides the box in the cave. He tries researching into what it is. he can't find anything concrete.

Everything comes to a head one day when Danny appears at the manor's doorstep one evening, soaking wet in the rain, and bleeding from the side.