Man I get a break from responsibilities for a moment and the first thing I do is finish reading this horror story, what was I thinking (I was thinking that I love your writing, I'm a simp for a good author what can I say). Starry did you know I used to get nightmares from Plants vs Zombies. Starry did you know I used to get nightmares from point and click adventure games. Starry did you-
Anyways, this was so good<333 I'm gonna drop some of the lines I really really loved in here, in mostly but not always chronological order, and then I'll go bug you in dm's lmao. Incredibly well written and very terrifying one shot, I do not envy Danny's situation one bit3
"He’s got a collection of bullet shells he’s been collecting every time he stumbles across them while out and about." that's gooood, little hobby that simultaniously hows how awful the crime is in gotham lol. I just love little deatils like that<33 Another fun detail I liked but didn't save a specific line for, Hazel Lou's nicknames!! I love Danny calling her Lou-Lou and Louie, both names are so cute.
"Gotham gives you a lot of options when you’re poor: what kind of criminal are you? There’s a whole litter to choose from." good god I love the 'if you're not rich you're poor, and if you're poor you're a criminal' look at gotham, and the categories,,,, Danny calling himself and his friends thieves and liars, but not murderers. It's an important distinction.
Twin lines that go together I need them together!!! "He has half a mind to shove her off him, if only out of pure habit – or perhaps newborn instinct – alone— he doesn’t like the weight against him— doesn't like being touched" and "His hands, having found Hazel Lou’s thin wrists – small, his fingers touch when he wraps around them, it makes it very easy to peel her off him – slacken. His discomfort falls to the wayside; the tension drains out." First of all I'm unreasonably endeared by characters that don't like touch??? Could never be me, I need fifty hugs a day to keep going, but I just adore it a bit in fiction (maybe because of a certain character I wrote about when I was fourteen lmao). But eughgh, the way Danny's dislike of touch is framed here,,,, even if he doesn't touch on why he doesn't like it, calls it habit and newborn instinct, but I think it's pretty clear it comes from Vlad, in one way or another. Man doesn't really care about boundaries, and while the second line may have Danny loosening to Hazel Lou's touch due to her clear fear and sobbing, I think it's telling that he relaxed after getting his hands on her wrists, making it easy to get her off - he's first comfortable with touch once he has some control over it. A means to escape.
Rapid fire lines I love a totally reasonable amount and won't print out to read so I can absorb your writing power from them:
"Danny’s chest bleeds rapidly cold, like someone’s popped a glowstick in his sternum and it was starting to brighten without being shaken." incredible description, I'm snatching it. Scurrying away like an animal with something I know I'm not supposed to eat in my mouth. Scuttle scuttle scuttle it's mine now I love the glowstick
"he can’t ever keep track of the names. They bubble up and fizzle out like tea candles" bubble up and fizzle outttt, that's so good, and i did not know those candles were called that until this fic lmao
"Something meant to keep him there; keep him contained; keep him kept." still obsessed over this, I think you showed it to me before and eugghhh, it's such a good line. as is the follow up of "Fucking—possessive, jigsaw motherfucker— " it's so funny
"Tight like every analogous thing he can think of at the moment – which isn’t a lot." love the inner monologue here, calling out that we're in Danny's mind and - ugh, I just really like the little reference to it being his thoughts, him coming up with the analogues!!!
"he’s sure there will be crescent-shaped indents in the meat of the skin. It’s fine; it’s fine; he’s good at hurting." MY BOY NOOOO, gosh Danny deeming himself good at hurting,,,, free my boy let him out of the torment nexus.
And then theres the ghost stuff. If I remembered how to italicize in ao3 comments I'd do it for this because ooooo boy, I am the biggest sucker for ghost stuff, it's a lot of why I'm in this fandom, and just!!! All the small and big ghost details!!! Danny never once transforms or uses his powers but they, and his identity as a half ghost, is so present in this fic. "The Bat is not a ghost, but Danny is." is an amazing line, especially following "He can feel pressure behind his irises as if he’s holding his eyelids open too wide, green stars like sunspots begin to fuzz his vision. Not glowing. Not yet." because yes yes yes Danny is a ghost and it is taking a lot of willpower to hold back from using that half of him when he's this scared!! "There’s a buzzing in his ears, and beyond the rubble-smoke trapped in his lungs, he tastes electricity. " oohohohoh *electricity*. Biting you I love every hint of electricity in ghost Danny.
The whole buildup to the not quite wail is so so good, instincts Danny has never felt before rearing their head, he doesn't even know where its coming from!!! And I need to beat you up for his self perception, I knew Danny would have some unhealthy justification behind not telling the other kids that he's part ghost, but calling himself a monster???? Thinking he'll have to beg for forgiveness, apologize for tricking them into "harboring a monster"???? Get this kid some fucking self esteem!!!! I'm guessing that part of it is him being scared of Vlad, knowing its a liablity to stay with him when Vlad's after him - but that might be hopeful thinking. Danny might legitimately thinks himself a monster, and with you going with the other ghosts having been violent and him never 'sinking to that level'? He might have a much worse perception of ghosts here.
I need to wrap this up okay. Ending it with silly stuff, I've never heard the expression "jack-knife grin" before but it sounds cool, “Their ass is mine.” is so silly im sorry sorry this just sounds so stupid he's such a teen<333 And ending it with “after tonight? I fucking deserve that nicotine addiction.” SILLY /lovethisidiot<33
Comment on quoth the raven "holy shit"
KaroKatten Sun 08 Jun 2025 03:04PM UTC
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