I really love both BabyGhost!Danny and GhostKing!Danny. Especially together. Especially if it is a crossover. Just. Outsiders, who don't know the situation, are told that The King of The Infinity is an infant. Like;
Random Ghost/Gossiper: Oh, yeah. Pariah Dark. Nah. We got a new king. King Phantom, the Infant King.
Random Crossover Gossiper: Infant King...?
Random Ghost/Gossiper: Yeah, He's a baby.
Random Crossover Gossiper: I thought the king only changed through trial by combat. And that Pariah Dark Was so powerful that even with a coup, they could only seal him in an eternal slumber?
Random Ghost/Gossiper: Oh, Yeah. It does. Some idiot woke Pariah Dark up, and King Phantom won.
Random Crossover Gossiper: But he's a baby?
Random Ghost/Gossiper: The Babbiest
Random Crossover Gossiper: ????
Robin found something in the BatCave
DPxDC prompt #15
Demon Twins Fic
But!
Okay, so something I've seen floated a time or 2 from DC is that when using the Lazarus Pits to revive, a person emerges completely healed of all previous injuries or illnesses. Including scars.
Now obviously fandom often plays fast and loose with this rule, given how we like to give Jason an autopsy scar and some folks also like to make him keep the J from the Joker. But let's lean into it a bit here and make it play nice with the DP side of things.
Let's say that it's the ectoplasm, even the rancid stuff in the pits, that heals all scars except Death Scars.
So if Danny was, say, revived in the Pits by Talia before she disappeared him away to an orphanage in Illinois? The Danny that shows up in Amity Park wouldn't be covered in scars from his time in the League. He'd only have the one, the Death Scar.
Similarly, the Danny that stumbles out of the portal wouldn't have any scars from his time in Amity Park. He'd only have 2, the original Death Scar and the new Lichtenberg Death Scars.
Now I've seen it done many times where the Bats/Damian realize that Danny isn't a clone because you can't clone scars. So if Danny doesn't have those scars, and if his DNA is too messed up from the ectoplasm in him to check for any "regular cloning markers"...
Danny, fresh from an autopsy table, runs to Gotham to hide. And because of his inability to walk away from someone in danger, gets found by the Bats. Whether or not they know about Damian's twin beforehand, they are quite confident that Danny is a clone. An exceptionally good clone with nearly perfect implanted memories, but a clone nonetheless. Damian is particularly enraged about this
And poor Danny, already all sorts of fucked up from growing up Damian's lesser, then Dash's punching bag, then an experiment; in the face of Bat certainty and lacking any tangible evidence to the contrary; Danny starts to believe them.
I have no bones, just brain worms
Y’know those fics where Danny was the older, better brother who ran to protect Damian? What if Damian was the older, better brother, who, to protect his brother, sent Danny away?
I mean, what Talia are we using here? The one that watched her son whisk his brother away, or the one who’s so consumed by her father’s wants and preemptive grief that she missed it entirely?
Does Damian feel the safest place for Danny is as far away from him as possible? Does it ever get back to the rest of the bats? Have Damian and Talia had this conversation by candlelight, over who can know about Danny? No one, right? The tighter the circle, the safer he is.
But what about when Ra’s is dead? Is it considered too big a risk, to chance that Ra’s won’t somehow resurrect? Did Damian go to see Danny, and bring him home, and instead find a beaming pre-teen, with solid friends, a great sister, and loving parents? Did he leave Amity without even saying hi? Does he know Danny is Phantom? Has he decided that anyone even tangentially knowing of Danny is too much of a risk? Is Damian apart of the media blackout?
What would happen if he caught wind that someone found Danny? That they were planning an attack? What lengths would he go to, to protect his little brother?
dude im LISTENING! i love this subversion of popular fandom tropes
Part III
With this chapter we close the first volume of Double Hearted ! There's still more of the story to come so thanks for all the patience and support. Once again shout out to maru not only for being an amazing friend but also being the best co-worker to do this project with.
See you soon!
PREV // MASTERPOST // NEXT
DC had made many questionable choices regarding the Bats but also a lot of the time said choices are very funny. Christian priest Father Todd and vampire Nightwing who crushed Tim’s head like an overripe apple I do think of you often
Theatre kid in every universe
There can only be one brother extras 5 - 25 + bonus parts
(Gotham City. Night. The Bat-Signal shines as the Bats gather on a rooftop. Suddenly—*music swells.)
(The Batfamily spots Danny for the first time. Suspicion! Drama! Jazz hands!)
DICK: (dramatic spin) "Who’s that guy who caught Damian mid-air? Who’s that guy with the white-streaked hair? He’s too calm, it’s not fair— WHAT’S HIS DEAL, DOES HE CARE?!"
BATFAMILY (harmonizing): "WHO’S. THAT. GUYYYYY?!"
(Danny, oblivious, eats a sandwich in the background.)
(A furious, Broadway-worthy lament about his failed assassinations.)
DAMIAN: "Tt, tt, tt— I stabbed him twice and he called it ‘cute’! Tt, tt, tt— Now I’m perched here like some kind of brute! Grayson weeps, Father broods— BUT HE JUST RUFFLED MY HAIR AND I DIDN’T SHOOT!"
(Ellie appears out of nowhere to join the chorus.)
ELLIE: "WELCOME TO THE CLUB, KID, IT’S FUN BEING HIS!"
(Joker and Riddler mourn their ruined chaos.)
JOKER: "I set a trap! It was brilliant! Then shadows moved and now I’m silent! WHO LET THE DEAD KID NEAR MY VIOLENCE?!"
RIDDLER: (sobbing) "He answered my riddle… WITH ANOTHER RIDDLE!"
(Harley Quinn tap-dances through the background, entirely unbothered.)
(Alfred serves tea to Danny, who is half-merged with the manor’s walls.)
ALFRED: "Earl Grey or ectoplasm, dear boy? The poltergeists prefer the chamomile blend…
DANNY: (floating upside down) "You’re amazing— Can I keep you? (Legally, I mean. Ghost laws are weird.)"
(Ellie and Damian lead a full choreographed fight on the rooftops, complete with backflips and glowing swords.)
ELLIE & DAMIAN: "THERE CAN ONLY ONE! (But also two!) THERE CAN ONLY ONE! (But sibling bonds count too!)"*
(Danny watches from below, eating popcorn.)
DANNY: (yelling) "USE YOUR WORDS, GUYS!"*
ELLE & DAMIAN: (in unison, mid-sword clash) "NO!"
(The entire cast joins in—Bats, Rogues, even Clockwork pops in for a verse.)
BATFAMILY: "Gotham’s dark, the nights are long— But with a ghost, it’s kind of fun!"
ROGUES: (grudgingly) "Fine, we’ll stop the crime… (…Until he leaves town.)"
DANNY: (grinning, arms wide) "FACE IT, GUYS— YOU’RE STUCK WITH ME! I’M DEAD, I’M WEIRD, AND FAMILY’S FREE!"
(The Bat Signal shines. Confetti falls. Somewhere, Bruce sighs—but he’s smiling.)
CURTAIN CALL.
ENCORE: (Because you demanded it.)
(Featuring actual sleigh chases and elf backup dancers.)
SANTA: "YOU’RE ON THE NAUGHTY LIST— YOUR GIFTS ARE MIST!"
DANNY: (dodging candy cane shurikens) "YOU STOLE MY COOKIES, OLD MAN— TIME TO SETTLE THIS!"
(Ellie and Damian ride a ghost reindeer through the chorus.)
Ranch 2 has infected my brain and I blame u lol
LMAO WELCOME TO THE CLUB, it really does just do that. Someone needs to get this boy some ectoplasm I am so serious rn.
prompt | pt 1 | pt 2 | (inspo)
You inspired me to keep going for a bit, so here's a direct continuation from what I posted in pt 2!
“Did you see that?” Tim asks. “Uh, yeah,” Duke replies, unthinking. Tim is suddenly in his space, eyes wild. He grabs Duke by the shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Duke. Duke, you have to tell me what I just ate.” “I dunno, man!” Duke is at a loss for how to deal with this. He has the training to handle freaking out civilians, but it's somehow different when it's Tim. Tim's the one with the plan, the one who's supposed to know what's going on. But he doesn't, and Duke is embarrassed to realize that it's leaving him floundering. “They're just- I mean- there's these little pockets of energy, I see them floating around Gotham sometimes, I don't really know what they are! How did you grab it? How did you eat it?” Tim goes still and serious, and grips Duke's shoulders harder. “I don't know either,” he admits, “but that was it.” “That was what?” Duke asks, still feeling unbalanced by the manic gleam in Tim's eye. “That was ranch 2.” Duke gapes. “You're messing with me.” Tim shakes his head. “That was it,” he says emphatically. “It had the spark, the zing feeling I was looking for. Whatever sort of energy that is, my soulmate needs it.” Duke gulps, then nods. “Okay. Okay,” he says, trying to calm the both of them. “Then we'll get it for them.” Some of the tension falls out of Tim in what looks life relief.
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Danny is panicking.
Not to say that he isn’t usually in this state of mind but it has became very clear that he had fucked up as he looked down at the two unconscious vigilantes in his living room.
He had just moved to Gotham for a scholarship.
He can’t go to jail!
Glancing around Danny threw the creep stick behind the sofa.
‘Think Danny think! Fuck who to call?Should I even call?? I can’t loose my scholarship, I’ll have to move back to amity!
“Uuhhh-“
Dragging two unconscious men into his bedroom was not how is Thursday morning would go.
But here he is!
He gently plopped the two on their sides and closed the door.
“Fuck.. fuck.. ah fuck.”
Grabbing his phone he scrolled through his contacts and pressed call.
“Pick up pick up come on don’t be the first time you sleep in-“
“Yo man what’s up?”
“Hey- Tim! This Danny from film class!”
“Kinda figured man, caller ID and all. Why are you awake anyways you said we would continue our call tomorrow?”
“Yeah.. about that uh this going to sound a bit odd but I’m a transfer so I don’t really know much about Gotham rules and stuff so there might be a code for this or something but-“
“Danny, you’re rambling. Just spit it out and-“
“IMAYHAVETWOOFTHEVIGNETTESONMYBEDPLEASEHELP!”
.
.
“Come again?”
Danny took in another deep breath,
“I was getting a glass of water, and someone broke into my apartment so I knocked them out. Turns out it was a vigilante. And he was not alone. So now I have two vigilantes in my bed. Please help.”
There was another pause and Danny heard what he thought was a snort through the speaker before Tim cleared his throat.
“Ok, don’t panic, I know a guy. He’ll come over and take them out of you hands. Just need an address.”
~~~~~~~~
There was a tap at his fire escape half an hour later.
Danny unlatched the window to let in Batman and Red Robin.
“Birdy retrieval system; you bag em’ we drag em’. How may we help you?”
Danny scuffed his slippers against his rug with a weary chuckle,
“I am so sorry I-“
Batman gently rested his palm on Danny’s shoulder,
“The two of them were supposed to do surveillance in the area and had the wrong complex. You did nothing wrong, this entire situation is on their fault and they will be properly dealt with for their actions.”
Before swiftly walking into Danny’s bedroom and slinging Red hood onto his back.
Red Robin for his part was holding back laughter as he shouldered the larger nightwing like nothing.
“Yeah man, it’s not everyday someone gets the jump on one of us let alone two.”
And before he could even begin to comprehend how weird his life was, the four left Danny to his own.
With a shake of his head, Danny grabbed to creep stick and leaned it against his radiator before locking his window once more and headed to bed.
“It’s too early for this..”
~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile in the batcave:
DP x DC prompt:
A youtube channel called Spooky Gotham, secretly run by Danny as a fun little hobby.
The channel heavily features cutesy sheet ghosts and cartoon bats in the thumbnails, but the videos themselves display how fucking unnerving a city like Gotham is.
The most viewed video is recorded on a smartphone, and is about eighteen minutes long. It shows an utterly abandoned downtown city street, completely silent except for the distant sound of sirens, a slight wind buffeting the phone's mic, and an automated voice repeating that the city is under total lockdown due to an Arkham breakout.
It's unclear if the video takes place at night, or if it's just that dark downtown due to the abundance of skyscrapers and smog. Most of the street lamps are out, but some illuminate empty cars with their doors still open, shopping bags full of crushed purchases left behind by their owners, and the occasional abandoned shoe.
There are bullet casings in the gutters, and the person recording the video pauses long enough to focus on a batarang partially embedded in a brick wall, suggesting a violent conflict ended not too long before the start of the video. Despite this, there is very little actual damage to the street or store fronts.
Despite the low level of other sounds in the video, and that the person recording is walking through a street full of clutter, there are no footsteps heard the entire time. It ends with a muffled "Oh shit," and the camera focusing on the distant shape of a figure in black and red emerging from the mouth of an alleyway.
Other videos are shorter.
Two minutes of footage in a dark alley, the focus a pair of featureless white eyes peering down at the camera, as though from atop a wall.
Five minutes of indistinct shapes moving through a glowing green mist, overlaid with the sound of a gas mask hissing.
Nine minutes of the person holding the camera surrounded by a crush of people, everyone moving hurriedly but wordlessly in the same direction, and an automated voice blaring directions in the background. It is interrupted by the occasional dull thund of distant exposions.
Four minutes of what looks to be the back of a green woman with red hair screaming wordlessly at someone off camera, roots and vines lashing at the surrounding buildings, and then suddenly dropping to the ground.
Twenty two seconds of the camera panning over the city from high above, fires silently raging in the streets, with a text overlay reading "Audio removed due to sensitive content."
Behind the scenes, Danny is rather proud of catching these moments on film! He has a lot more of the local vigilantes confronting him for entering dangerous areas, goons shooting at him, and shocked supervillains, but most of those aren't really "spooky," more "humiliating for getting spotted again." His biggest viewers are his friends and family back in Amity, and he really doesn't need to give them the idea that he's getting into trouble with the locals.
The rest of his viewers are other "horror" youtubers looking for inspiration, urbex enthusiasts, and what he suspects are the private accounts of the Bats.
He knows at least one of his viewers is Jonathan "The Scarecrow" Crane. The guy isn't subtle, and swings wildly between berating Danny for his silly aesthetic choices (the aforementioned sheet ghosts and cartoon bats), and praising him for the cognitive dissonance it causes. Talk about mixed messages...