Nobby Leach

Bothersome Bonds (DP x DC)

For @ghostbsuter for the BatPham secret santa exchange, with an illustration also by me. (Posting here on tumblr late since it was supposed to be anonymous for a little while)

You can also read it on AO3

[No applicable warnings]

Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time Jason had woken up on a cold, concrete floor with no idea how he'd gotten there. He didn't exactly keep count of specific bullshit like that, but if he were to hazard a guess, he'd say it was probably the fourth or fifth time at least. And it was always concerning.

His joints groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He'd slept in worse places, but a concrete floor made for a less than ideal bed, to put it lightly, and his back was killing him. The soreness in his body was the first thing he noticed as he started to take stock of the situation.

The second thing Jason noticed was a heavy cuff around his left wrist—one half of a pair of strange-looking handcuffs that didn't appear to have any sort of lock or even hinge to open them. The other half of the handcuffs was attached to... he didn't really know.

Well, no. He knew that it was a young man—probably about the same age as Jason himself, close to six feet tall, if not a few inches taller, but built like a beanpole, with messy black hair—still unconscious. What Jason didn't know was who exactly this random-ass dude was, or why they were handcuffed together. 

Or where they were. 

Or... how they'd ended up there.

Come to think of it, the last thing Jason remembered was stepping out of his apartment to do his rounds of Crime Alley around 9pm. He wasn't wearing his Red Hood uniform now, though, and when he felt around his body, he discovered that all his weapons were gone, even the little ones he kept hidden in his civvies. 

His wristwatch showed 1:55, and it was still ticking, which meant it had been at least five hours since then, unless someone had messed with it for some reason. He had a strong sense that it had been a lot longer, but no memory of any of the time that had passed.

No matter how much he concentrated, or tried to dig up the memories of what series of events had led him to this situation, he kept coming up blank. Heat started to build in his chest as frustration rose, but for some reason it felt... different, compared to the kind of anger he was used to, quieter, almost muted, and less overwhelming. 

He shrugged it off and tried to examine the room he was currently in.

It was basically a big cement box. The walls and floors were covered in water stains and scrape marks. The way the floor sloped suggested this place was at least partially underground, but there were windows along one wall near the ten foot ceiling, so it wasn't completely subterranean.

Jason guessed this place was probably some kind of cell, maybe even an interrogation room... maybe even a torture room. But there were no chains hanging from the ceiling, or rack of weapons, or anything. It was empty except for himself and the unconscious stranger next to him. For now.

The one thing Jason didn't see, though he twisted around and craned his neck looking for one, was a door.

The guy he was handcuffed to stirred, and Jason waited for him to wake up, but instead, he just rolled over, tugging on the handcuffs and pulling Jason closer to him in the process, and kept on sleeping. 

Great. Real helpful.

Jason rolled his eyes and fished around in his pocket for any kind of tool that might help him get out of these cuffs. He didn't find anything.

Even if he had, there was no lock to pick. No keypad to try and guess a combination. Not even a chain to try and break with brute strength. The cuffs were held together with a glowing green cord that didn't even strain in the slightest when Jason tried as hard as he could to break it. Since he didn't know what it was made of, he didn't know what signs of strain would even look like.

He looked down at the softly snoring guy beside him. He was actually pretty nice-looking. His skin was smooth, if pale, his jawline sharp, his nose strong, his ears slightly pointed, a bit like an elf. Looking closely, though, the guy had some serious eye-bags. Jason wouldn't be surprised if this was the most sleep he'd gotten in weeks. Too bad he was the only one Jason could ask about this situation.

"Hey!" Jason shouted, roughly shaking him by the shoulders. "Wake up sleeping beauty!"

"Aww, you think I'm beautiful?" mumbled the guy, still clearly half-asleep, even as he wriggled up into a sitting position with a wide yawn that revealed sharper-than-normal canines. 

"Are you familiar with a little thing called sarcasm?" Jason said, despite the fact that he had literally just been thinking about how attractive this guy was. He didn't need to know that, whoever he was.

"Too familiar, if you ask my sister." Ice-blue eyes blinked open and fixed Jason with a blank look. "Who're you?" Those eyes widened and looked around, taking in their surroundings for the first time with shock. "Where is this?"

"I dunno," Jason said. "I was hoping you would."

"That I would know what?" the other asked. "Who you are or where this is? Do you not remember your name? I remember mine. It's Danny."

"I'm Jason," he said. "Obviously, I meant the second thing." 

God, Jason took back everything he thought about his looks, this dude was already annoying enough to cancel them out.

"So does that mean you don't know where we are either? Do you know how we got here? Did we get kidnapped or something? The last thing I remember is leaving work and after that... I got nothing."

"God, shut up," Jason growled. "I regret waking you up already."

"These are kinda like Skulker's," the stranger said, ignoring Jason and examining the shackles that tied the two of them together. He laughed. "Man, I'm kinda gettin' déjà vu. You wouldn't happen to secretly be a heavily armed vigilante with a red costume hellbent on destroying me, would you?"

Jason froze. "What?" he demanded.

The response was a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it—private joke."

Jason dragged a hand down his face with a groan. "Why couldn't I have woken up handcuffed to fuckin', I don't know, Roy or something instead of an obnoxious total stranger."

"Again, Danny. We've met already."

"When?"

"Like two minutes ago," Danny said, brows furrowing in frustration. "Nice to know you were paying attention, Jason. See, I remember your name."

"Whatever," Jason said gruffly, rising to his feet, and ignoring the way Danny winced as he got dragged up after him. "We need to find a way out of here."

"Worked that out all by yourself, Sherlock?" Danny scoffed, twisting the shackle around his right wrist to give them both a little more space. 

Now that they were both standing, Jason could see that Danny was a good three inches taller than him, and his irritation towards him grew. 

"I don't think we're gonna get outta these cuffs without a key-card or a saw," Danny said.

"Key card?"

"I mean, I assume." He shrugged. "No keyhole, no number pad, no fancy lock, just a flat metal surface and an EPC cord."

"What's an EPC cord?"

"Don't worry about it," Danny said again, and Jason sneered.

"Fine," he said. "Let's start with getting out of this room. I don't see any doors, do you?"

"No, but there could be secret passages or something." Danny looked around again, remarkably unconcerned by this whole situation, for a civilian. "I see windows. They're kinda high up, but if we can get to them somehow, maybe they're big enough for us to get through."

"At the very least, if we can see out, we might get a better idea of where we are."

With minimal tugging on the shackles that bound them together, the two of them walked over to the wall. The windows were much too high for either of them to reach alone.

"Get on my shoulders," Jason commanded.

"Uh... are you sure about that?"

"Well I'm sure as hell not getting on your narrow shoulders, Jack Sprat," he scoffed. "I'm pretty sturdy, I'm sure I can handle you."

"No, I mean... our cuffs are on opposite hands," Danny pointed out.

"So what?"

"So, if I get on your shoulders, we're gonna have to face... different directions. Our arms won't be able to reach that far across while I'm getting up," he said, then hastily added, "on your shoulders," as if Jason might think he was talking about something else.

"Whatever, man, we need to know what's outside, so climb the fuck on and stop wasting my time." Jason stood with his back toward the wall and squatted to give Danny easier access to his shoulders.

Danny hesitated for a few seconds until Jason used his uncuffed hand to pat his shoulder impatiently.

"Okay... if you're sure about this."

Carefully, he slid one leg between Jason's head and their manacled hands, and then hefted the other over until his knees were hooked over Jason's shoulders. 

And Jason, now with a face-full of Danny's crotch, finally caught on to the reason for Danny's hesitance. He turned his face into the slightly less objectionable position of being buried in Danny's thigh and leaned his head away as much as he could, trying not to blush and failing miserably. Both hands reached up to hold onto Danny's thighs for stability as he carefully stood up.

Even sitting on Jason's shoulders, Danny had to use his free hand to pull himself up a little further to see through the window.

"Do you see anything?"

"It's definitely outdoors," Danny responded. "It's dark so it must be night right now. I don't see any people, either, but I don't have a great angle. Looks almost like a military base." He looked down at Jason questioningly. "Did we get kidnapped by the military?"

"How should I know? Last thing I remember is leaving my apartment to go... uh... grocery shopping," he covered quickly.

Come to think of it, Jason really did need to go grocery shopping. He was getting low on a lot of things and it wasn't smart to have a safe-house less than fully stocked. Plus, some of his canned goods were getting close to the expiration date, so he should really donate them before then, even if expiration dates were mostly bogus, he felt better when food got eaten before them. Safer. He really didn't want to get E. coli again, like that time when he was a kid. Once was more than enough.

On the bright side, though, thinking about foodborne illnesses was helping Jason fight off his blush. Silver-linings.

"Can you climb out through the window?" he asked.

Three loud bonks echoed in the concrete room.

"Outlook not so good," Danny replied. "Shatterproof, and a solid inch thick, and I'm at a terrible angle to try and break it, even if I could. Judging by the water stains, it leaks around the edges, but it's not loose enough to just pry it out without tools. Looks like the windows aren't an option, unless you have a crowbar on you."

Jason grimaced. "No."

"I guess we gotta look for another way out of here," Danny said. "Let me down."

Jason slowly knelt down so he could carefully extricate himself from his perch.

"The two of us got in here somehow, so there must be some way to get out," Danny continued, dragging Jason by the handcuff to another wall and feeling around for... secret passages or something? Jason didn't know.

"Unless this is a Cask of Amontillado kind of situation."

"What's that?" Danny asked. "Some kinda booze?"

"No, it's..." Jason paused, considering. "Well... actually, yes, but I was referring to the short story by Edgar Allan Poe."

"Oh, the raven guy! Yeah, my goth friend loves him. Personally I'm not much of a reader. Too busy, y'know." 

Jason pulled a face. "Poor excuse," he said. "Anyway, what I meant is that they might have walled us in while we were unconscious."

"You think?" Danny asked, taking his hand off the wall. "Isn't that too convoluted? I mean if they had us in this room, unconscious, why not just shoot us, or stab us, or even strangle us? There are so many much simpler and easier ways to kill someone. Why go through the trouble of walling us in?"

"You have a point," Jason admitted. "Plus, if there was no way to escape, why bother handcuffing us together? If we're dealing with the kind of people who can knock us out and erase our memories, then there has to be some reason for them keeping us alive."

"What if this is a test?" Danny asked. "Like an escape room or something?"

"Somehow, I don't think that's likely," Jason disagreed. "If they wanted us to escape, they'd have left a note or something, or some kind of tool. I don't see anything written on the walls, so at least we know it's not the Riddler's doing. My guess is, whoever put us in here is just saving us for later."

"You think so?"

Danny went back to feeling around the flat wall resolutely.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a secret door!" he said. "If they plan to come get us later then there has to be an exit somewhere." 

"It could be a door that only opens from the other side," Jason pointed out. "Plus, we don't know if they cuffed us before or after putting us in here. It's possible the exit is too small for two people cuffed together."

"Why are you being such a downer?" Danny complained.

"I'm just trying to cover all our bases."

"If that were the case, you'd be pointing out bases we can actually cover!" barked Danny, taking a step back from the wall to turn and glare at Jason. "If it's a one way door, or a passage two small for the both of us, there's nothing we can actually do about that. We should be focusing on the possibilities we can do something about."

Jason clenched his teeth and scowled. Normally this would be about where he started to lose his temper, but remarkably, he was still under control. As much as this guy was getting under his skin, Jason somehow managed to keep his cool. He wasn't going to tell Danny he was right... but he was right. And, if only in his own mind, Jason could acknowledge that without blowing up at someone.

"If there's a secret door, you should be looking for it where there are seams in the concrete," Jason said instead. "They'd make it easier to hide."

Instantly, Danny's eyes darted across the walls before landing on the nearest seam. At least he actually listened.

"Hey!" Jason yelped as Danny dragged him to it. What a hyperactive guy. "Ugh. You'll also want to look for scrape marks that could indicate a door swinging or sliding open, although those could be on the opposite side. And there's also a chance—if there's a secret door at all—that it could be on the floor or ceiling, like a trapdoor, or a hidden elevator."

"Got it."

"And if they weren't planning for us to slowly suffocate and die down here, then there's probably an air vent, too, although I doubt they'd make it big enough to crawl through."

Danny scoffed. "Especially for you, Mr. broad-shouldered muscle guy," he said. 

There was an awkward pause before he added, "That was supposed to be an insult. You're big and probably heavy, was what I was going for. It's not my fault you're obviously buff."

"I'm big?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Look who's talking, stretch."

"Hey, I'm not that tall!" replied Danny, indignantly. "My sister is taller. And my dad is like seven feet, so compared to that, six-three is basically average."

"Jesus Christ, how tall's your sister? What, is she an Amazon or something?"

"She's six foot five, and no, she's not an Amazon, she's a brain surgeon—well, going to be. She's still in medical school, but she graduates this year."

"What did your parents feed you two?"

For some reason, that particular question seemed to strike a nerve, and Danny shifted, visibly uncomfortable.

"Can we just focus on finding a way out? Please?" 

"Fine, sure," Jason relented. "Somebody's sensitive." 

Danny ignored him and kept dragging him along to the next seam in the wall. 

"Look," Jason pointed to the floor. There was a tiny white scrape mark at the bottom of the seam.

"Scrape mark!" Danny noted. "This could be it."

"If it is, it'll open outward. But there's no guarantee we can force it open from this side, and we have no idea what's on the other side."

"If there are guards or something, we'll have to be ready for a fight," Danny agreed.

"Our only shot at opening it—if it actually is a secret door and not a coincidence—is gonna be slamming our full body weight into it," Jason said. "We need to concentrate as much of the force as we can right on the edge. Think you can handle it?"

"Sure I can," Danny agreed, positioning himself to body-slam the wall.

For a bare moment, Jason considered just standing still and watching Danny slam himself full-force into a concrete wall. It would definitely be good for a laugh. But them being tied together meant that Jason would probably just fall on his face. And on the off-chance it was a secret door, he would rather die again that have to hear this particular pain-in-the-ass say 'I told you so'.

"Ready?" Danny asked.

Reluctantly, Jason positioned himself and nodded.

"On three. One. Two. Three!"

the two of them took a running start and slammed into the wall as hard as they could. Even with the meaty parts of his body absorbing most of the impact, Jason still grunted in pain. Surprisingly, Danny didn't even seem to flinch.

More surprisingly, the concrete shifted. Putting their whole weight into it, the pair of them pushed as hard as they could. There was a quiet scraping sound as it dragged across the floor. Soon enough, though, the hidden door was open, and they were standing on the other side.

"I can't believe there was actually a hidden door," Jason remarked as it slowly fell closed behind them. "Honestly, I was just humoring you."

"Hey!" Danny sounded surprised and a little upset.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Now we have to get out of this room," Jason put his free hand on his hip and looked unimpressed.

The room they were in now was much smaller than the room they had been in before. Thankfully, there were no guards inside. The ceiling was the same height as the room they'd just left—even if the room itself was smaller—with a single florescent light and an air vent that looked like it might be big enough for them. There was also a door and a window with blinds opposite the secret door they'd come through. 

On this side of the secret door was a keypad and retinal scanner.

Now that he was seeing this side, Jason felt sure that the two of them should not have been able to force the door open from the other side with brute strength. Either he was a lot stronger than he thought he was... or Danny was a lot stronger than he gave him credit for. He side-eyed the taller man suspiciously.

"At least this room has a door," Danny said. Jason easily followed as he stepped over to look through the window. He spread the blinds with his fingers, and almost instantly let them fall shut again.

"What is it?"

"White suit," Danny said. He looked as if he was holding his breath, muscles stiff and jaw clenched.

"What does that mean?" Jason asked.

Danny looked at him for a long moment before shaking his head and visibly forcing himself to relax. "Nothing," he said finally. "Just a weird fashion choice."

Jason narrowed his eyes, wondering why Danny would lie when his reaction had obviously been about more than just his fashion choices. Danny kept talking before Jason could press, though, so Jason decided to let it slide for the time being.

"Anyway, I was wondering how long it would take before we ran into a guard," Danny said. "It's just the one, though, and he has headphones on playing music so loud I can hear it through the window. That's probably why he didn't hear us up to now. I'm sure we can take him."

"I'd rather not tip them off to our escape if we can avoid it," Jason disagreed. He jerked his head upward, indicating the air vent. "I'm pretty sure that vent will hold us. You think we can get up there?"

Danny examined it with a thoughtful look. It was definitely too high for him to reach just by sitting on Jason's shoulders like before, but it was worth a shot if it meant getting out of here without anyone realizing they were gone.

"How much do you weigh?" Danny asked.

"About 225," Jason answered.

"Damn, okay," Danny said. "Yeah, I can get up there, but we'd better hope that vent is really strong."

"You can?"

"Yeah." Danny grabbed Jason by the shoulders and carefully positioned him right under the vent. "Stand here, and hold as still as you can."

With that, Danny tightened his grip, jumped off the floor, and kicked off the wall behind him, so he was doing a hand-stand on Jason's shoulders, his knees bent. He quickly straitened his knees, kicking the vent cover out.

Jason reached out his uncuffed hand to catch it as it fell to the ground. Even with headphones on, the guard would have heard it clatter. Although... he should have heard the crash, too. Damn, he must have had his volume maxed out. He was likely to ruin his hearing that way.

Danny wriggled is way up into the vent, and then reached down to pull Jason up after him. It was awkward, and took both of their combined strength, but they managed to get Jason up there.

"Wow, you really are sturdy," Danny remarked at a whisper. "You didn't even sway or anything."

"You're really not that heavy," Jason said. "That was... kind of impressive, though, I'll admit. You're stronger than I expected." 

"Ha, thanks."

The two of them were on their stomachs, their faces just inches away from each other in a dark, dusty vent. Jason cleared his throat.

"We should get moving," he said. "You go backward. The vent probably gets smaller toward the room we were trapped in."

"Got it." 

Danny began awkwardly shimmying backward through the vent with Jason following closely. Thanks to their shackles, they couldn't put much breathing room between them. A few times, they nearly knocked their foreheads together. 

Jason was grateful for the darkness. There was no way Danny could see how red his face was. 

God, when was this uncomfortable foray through the vents going to be over? The quarters were way too close. Jason could smell Danny's lemony-fresh lip balm. And he was very deliberately having no thoughts about that.

Suddenly, Danny stopped, and Jason once more narrowly avoided slamming their faces together by accident. There was a soft tapping sound coming from behind Danny.

"This is either a dead end behind me, or another grate," he said.

"Well, which one is it?" 

"Shhh!"

Jason scowled, but was silent, letting Danny listen for whatever he needed to hear to decide what the answer was. 

"I'm pretty sure I hear crickets," he said finally. "So it's a grate... probably. I'm gonna try and kick it out and see what happens."

Danny squirmed a little farther back, lining himself up, giving his feet as much room as possible so he could kick the grate with maximum force.

Then there was a loud clang and a quiet thud of metal on dirt. 

"Yup, grate," Danny said, working his way back out of the opening.

Finally, they were outside, and what a relief it was to be more than three inches away from Danny's face.

"What was that?" they heard someone say from around the corner.

"Shit," Jason whispered. 

He grabbed the vent cover in one hand and Danny's hand in the other and hurried as quietly as he could. Hopefully, if there wasn't a dented vent cover laying there, they would think nothing was amiss. The dirt was dry and shifty, so it probably wouldn't leave clear footprints, especially if they were running. At least... he hoped it wouldn't.

When he was pretty sure no one had followed them, he stopped in a narrow path between the back of a building and a chain-link fence and chucked the vent cover over to the other side.

"You know, we're handcuffed together," Danny pointed out. "You don't have to hold my hand."

Jason immediately dropped Danny's hand like it had burned him. "I didn't mean to. I was trying to act fast."

"Sure you were."

"Shut up," Jason hissed. "Listen, I don't think we're in Gotham anymore."

"You're right," Danny agreed. "If there was a base like this in Gotham city limits, I would know about it. So where do you think we are?"

"I don't know, but the more pressing question is: how do we get out of here when we don't know where we are or which way we're going?"

Danny gestured for Jason to follow and led the way to the edge of the building, very carefully peering around the corner. "There, you see that big warehouse looking building with the curved roof?" he asked, pointing it out.

Jason looked around the corner and easily spotted it. "Yeah. That's an aircraft hangar, right?"

"Bingo," Danny said.

Jason grinned. He didn't know planes very well, but if there was a helicopter in there, he could fly them home. It would be loud, though, so once he got the engine going, he'd have to act fast.

"We should skirt around the edges, less risk of running into someone," Jason said. 

Danny nodded in agreement.

Quickly and quietly, the two of them made their way along the chain-link fence, sprinting across the gaps between buildings, until they reached the back door of the aircraft hangar.

"Locked," Jason sneered. "Help me find a big rock."

"Or..." Danny said, pulling Jason closer by the handcuff. He wrapped the cord around the door handle in a weird and very particular way, then pulled as hard as he could. 

The handle came out completely. They could hear the clatter on the other side of the door as the opposite side fell to the floor. Then Danny reached in to pull out the latch. He held it up with a victorious smirk.

Jason blinked in shock as the door swung open all on its own. "Yeah, whatever," he grumbled, pushing past Danny. He refused to be impressed by something as simple as opening a door... even if it was kind of impressive.

They couldn't risk turning any lights on, meaning they had to check each aircraft one-by one, but none of these shadowy silhouettes looked like a helicopter. And upon closer inspection, none of them looked like regular planes either.

"What are these? Experimental crafts?" Jason asked. "I can't fly any of these."

Danny snorted. "You thought you were gonna fly them?" he asked.

Jason could feel his frustration growing again. He finally realized why it felt different though. No matter how much Danny got on his nerves, it was only regular frustration and anger. The Lazarus Pit inside him stayed still and silent. It had been silent the whole time. Was it this place? Or was it something weird about Danny himself.

"Oh, and you think you're gonna fly a fuckin' experimental stealth bomber or hyper-sonic jet?" Jason scoffed.

"Uh... yeah," Danny said obviously. "I mean, I'm a test pilot for Wayne Enterprises' aeronautics and space division. It's kinda what I do."

"... oh."

"We should go with a stealth jet," Danny said, pulling Jason over to a plane they'd passed earlier, one which was painted pitch black. "That way they'll have a harder time tracking us once they realize we're gone."

"I agree, but as soon as that hangar door opens, we're gonna have guards on our asses," Jason pointed out.

"Right. I'll see if one of these jets has vertical takeoff capabilities so we don't have to get to a runway."

After examining all the stealth planes in the hangar, the best they could find was one with near-vertical takeoff capabilities. It would have to be enough. Danny deactivated the tracker so their captors wouldn't be able to follow, and then prepared for them to take off. The engine was nearly silent as he taxied the small jet in front of the hangar door. 

The next problem was that, to open the hangar door, someone would have to stand there and hold down the door button.

"We could tape it down," Danny suggested.

"With what fucking tape?" Jason shot back.

"How are you at knot tying?"

"We don't have rope or string either, genius."

"I can tear a strip of fabric off my shirt," Danny said, frowning in irritation. "Why are you always shooting down my ideas?"

Jason wanted to argue—mostly because Danny just generally made him want to argue, but he wanted to get out of here more. "Fine, yes, I'm good at knot tying. That'll probably—possibly, potentially work. Maybe."

"Why can't you admit that I had a good idea?"

"Because you're a pain in the ass."

"Oh, and you're not?" Danny shot back, rolling his eyes.

He lifted up the bottom of his shirt to tear the hem off with his teeth, and Jason was surprised to see lean muscle and toned abs—though perhaps he shouldn't have been, considering how strong Danny had already proven to be, despite how skinny he looked. Even more surprising, and definitely more noteworthy, however, was the large, Y shaped scar spanning Danny's entire torso. 

Jason bit back a gasp as his hand slowly reached up to his own chest, his fingers landing on the intersection of a scar just like that.

Danny was like him.

Danny had died and come back, like Jason had. Was that why the pit was so quiet around him? Was that why Jason felt so inexplicably antagonistic?

"Here." Danny held out a strip of white fabric for Jason to take, apparently not noticing that he was still staring.

Jason took it, but didn't start tying yet. He couldn't stop thinking about it. About Danny.

"How did you get that scar?" Jason asked. He couldn't help himself.

Danny's eyes widened. "What scar?"

"The fucking Y-incision scar across your torso! What the hell do you mean 'what scar'?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Danny said, though the way he shifted his weight and averted his eyes suggested that he knew exactly what Jason was talking about. "Can you just tie down the button so we can get out of here?"

"Fine," Jason relented through gritted teeth. They'd have plenty of time to talk on the plane.

He tightly wrapped the fabric until the button pushed down and tied it securely. Once that was done, and the door was steadily rising, the two of them sprinted toward the jet in lockstep. 

By the time the got to the jet and took their seats in the cockpit, the door was only halfway open. 

An alarm was sounding outside, and guards had already arrived. There were dozens of them, men in white suits forming a solid line across the entire entryway. They took aim with futuristic-looking laser weapons, but unfortunately for them, it seemed their jet was laser-proof. 

As one, Danny and Jason turned to each other.

"How cool are you with just running these guys over?" they asked one another in unison.

Danny laughed and started flipping switches. "Guess that answers that question," he said cheerfully. "If they value their lives they'll move."

Maybe Danny wasn't so bad after all. 

Jason watched in awe. He could barely recognize any of the controls. They looked like nothing he'd seen before, and he couldn't even guess the purpose of half of them, but Danny took to them with practiced ease. Jason just let his arm be pulled across the cockpit by their manacles without resistance.

In no time the jet was moving, and those white-suited guards held steady until the last possible second before diving out of the way. Jason had no idea how Danny timed it so perfectly, but as soon as they cleared the hangar, they started lifting off into the sky.

"Jason, see that switch there?" Danny pointed to a blue switch on Jason's side of that dashboard. "That should be the landing gear. Flip it!"

Jason did so quickly, and they felt a slight shift as the landing gear collapsed into the underside of the plane just in time to avoid clipping the building across. Danny sighed with relief.

"Oh thank the Ancients," he said. "I was only about sixty percent sure that was the landing gear."

"Wait, have you been guessing at all the controls?"

"Most of 'em," Danny admitted with a shrug. "I'm a test pilot for experimental planes and rockets and stuff. I've flown countless different crafts, all with slightly different controls, but they're all variations on the same standard. Like, see these blue buttons next to the screen. One is global positioning, one is radar, one is proximity cameras. Do I know which is which? Of course not. I've never flown this model before. But I know they're all there."

Jason pressed each of the three buttons. The top was radar, the center was proximity cameras, and the bottom was GPS, just like Danny had guessed.

"Looks like we're over the Midwest, flying east," Jason observed.

Danny looked down at the screen and adjusted his heading to a slightly more southerly direction.

"Where are we gonna land exactly?" Jason asked. 

"I was thinking the airport," Danny said. "They have air traffic control there, so we can minimize the risk of crashing. We should have plenty of fuel. I just hope the weather's not against us. It was supposed to snow, last I checked. Hopefully it won't be too bad." 

For a short while, silence fell over them. Judging by their speed, the flight was going to be about an hour and a half, as long as the weather was fair. As much as two hours if they got caught in the snow. Without an approved route from the FAA, they had to fly at a lower altitude to avoid other crafts.

"So, when did you die?" Jason asked, hoping the shock of the sudden question might trick Danny into answering.

Danny just sighed. "How'd you know?"

"Well, the autopsy scar was kinda of a dead giveaway," Jason said.

Danny cracked a smile. "Right, autopsy."

"Plus... I don't know how to describe it, but I can kind of just... sense death on you. Did you get brought back in a Lazarus Pit too?"

"What's a Lazarus Pit?" Danny asked. "And what do you mean 'too'? Have you died before?"

"You didn't pick up on it? I thought it would be mutual."

"Well, you never set off my ghost sense or anything, so how would I know that? Now what's a Lazarus Pit."

"Some magic water or some shit that can heal wounds and bring the dead back to life," Jason said. "You never actually answered my original question though. When did you die? And how did you come back, if it wasn't a Lazarus Pit?"

"Oh, when I was fourteen," Danny said. "There was... it's complicated. Basically I died and was brought back to life at the same time? Something like that." 

"Sounds intense."

"You have no idea," Danny shook his head. "What about you?"

"I was fifteen," Jason replied. "Joker." Danny winced. "I don't actually know how I came back either. I wasn't really lucid for a long time. It wasn't until I got thrown in a Lazarus Pit that I could remembered who I was."

"Yikes."

"That about sums it up, yeah."

Jason couldn't exactly pin-point when, but at some point between waking up in that cold, empty room, and flying in a stolen jet toward home, Danny had gone from a pure, unadulterated annoyance, to... a fond annoyance? Maybe even, almost, a friend? He had a nice laugh. Pretty eyes. And he was smarter than Jason had wanted to give him credit for, a quick-thinker.

Oh.

Oh no.

"Motherfucker," Jason cursed under his breath. He wasn't seriously becoming attracted to this idiot. No way.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Don't worry about it," Jason said. "So uh... how'd you start working for Wayne Enterprises?" Jason hoped that the reminder that this guy worked for Bruce would be enough of a turn-off to quash this thing before it really got rolling.

"I always wanted to be an astronaut, so after I got my pilot certification, I applied to every aeronautics and space facility in the country, and of the places that accepted my application, Wayne Enterprises paid the best."

"Shame about having to work for Bruce Wayne, though," Jason said. "That guy's an idiot."

"I've never actually met him," Danny said. "Any time he comes in to check up on everything, I make myself scarce. I don't exactly have the best track record with billionaires."

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"My godfather is a Billionaire," he started to explain. "He was friends with my parents in college. Shady as fuck, obsessed with my mom, tried to kill my dad several times so he could marry her and adopt me. Never mentioned my older sister for some reason. All-in-all, he was a major fruit loop, so I'm not pressing my luck with another billionaire who already has a substantial track record of adoptions. Nuh-uh. No way."

Jason snorted. Damn, that didn't work. He only liked Danny more now.

"What about you?" Danny asked. "What do you do for a living?"

"Uhh..." Jason tried to think of a suitable lie, since he couldn't exactly say he was a crime lord. "I... work... in Crime Alley."

"Are you a criminal?"

"What?"

"Well, you did say you work some place called Crime Alley," Danny pointed out reasonably. "And you're being very vague about the actual nature of that work. So I can only assume that you're a criminal. That or Crime Alley is the name of a sex shop or something. I could see that."

"No, Crime Alley is a neighborhood in Gotham," Jason said. "You haven't heard of it?"

"Maybe... in passing." Danny shrugged. "I've only lived in Gotham for about a year and a half. Anyway, if you are a criminal, I don't want to know. Plausible deniability is the name of the game, and I will not be responsible for saving your soul or whatever. I don't do that shit anymore."

Didn't seem to care if Jason was a criminal, or have any interest in 'fixing' him. Somehow, Danny was checking all the boxes.

"Anymore?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You know, you're kind of a weirdo," Jason said, and damn if that didn't make him even more attractive.

"I'm aware."

The conversation lulled once more, and Jason became more aware of his left hand hanging between them by the handcuffs while Danny kept both hands on the steering. It was starting to get pretty uncomfortable.

"Isn't there autopilot or something?" he asked. "My arm is getting tired."

"Is there autopilot at two-thirds cruising altitude, with no flight plan, and no approval from the FAA to be in the sky at all?" Danny said. "Hmm, let me think. Yeah, no."

"Right... well, I know a guy who can get these things off us. I'm calling him as soon as we get back to Gotham."

"And Ancients it can't be soon enough," Danny said. "Also, not gonna ask why you know a guy who can remove handcuffs."

"I know a lot of guys who can remove handcuffs." Jason shrugged. "Hell, if there was an actual lock on these, I could've removed 'em myself. Even without a lock, Dick could've slipped 'em by dislocating his thumb. It looks freaky as hell when he does it, though."

"Dick?" Danny turned to him momentarily to raise an eyebrow. "Is that his name or do you just hate the guy?"

"Both."

"Who willingly goes by Dick these days? And why?"

"Fuck if I know."

As the flight went on, the conversation waxed and waned. With what ended up being nearly two hours to fill, the two talked about many things: their homes, their hobbies. Danny talked about his sister the brain surgeon for a bit, but neither was particularly eager to talk about their families.

Conversation turned to banter, which turned to blatant flirting, and by the time they reached Gotham airspace, Jason was pretty sure he had the cute, undead test pilot in the bag.

"Air traffic control tower this is... uh... I don't know," Danny said. "We're an undesignated experimental craft, requesting permission to land preferably sooner rather than later, because we're low on fuel."

"This is air traffic control to undesignated aircraft, about how much longer can you stay airborne?"

"I estimate fifteen minutes at the most," Danny replied. "This thing burns through fuel a lot faster than I was expecting."

"Standby."

Soon enough they were on the ground. Then they had to try to explain to the airport employees why they were handcuffed together and flying an unregistered aircraft. It took a while, but Danny and Jason both, as it turned out, were quite proficient liars, and managed to get away without too much trouble, somehow.

They took a cab to the Bowery where Jason's locksmith sawed them out of the cuffs, and from there, they were able to go their separate ways. But Jason didn't want to part ways without knowing if he'd ever see Danny again.

"So uh..." he started to say while they hesitated on the sidewalk. "Can... can I walk you home?"

"I live all the way down in Tricorner," Danny said. "It's a bit far to walk."

"Okay, then how about you walk me home and I'll give you a ride in the morning?"

"Alright, smooth-talker." Danny smiled and held out his hand, and Jason took it with a smile of his own. "I'm in."

AppleRadio hires IMP to get gifts for Charlie

Charlie's knowledge of Earth began and ended in Eden. After living in Hell her whole life, she couldn't even comprehend a world where humans did not kill and maim each other out in the open.

Sinners often discarded their morality, because if you were in Hell -you'd already hit rock-bottom. She wants to remind sinners of their humanity and give them a bit of Earth in Hell.

But she wouldn't even know where to begin, what to bring to Hell, how to avoid being burned at the stake- (did humans still do that??)

Luckily her dad and hotelier separately overheard her frustrations and discovered IMP.

Lucifer comes up with a quick ew sinner disguise and heads on down to hire them to bring back Earth stuff. Everything goes well, but the trouble arrives when he goes to pick up the stuff IMP had brought back.

Alastor had stopped by and requested the same thing, so Blitzo decided to kill 2 sinners with 1 trip and have them come pick up their shit at the same time.

--

Lucifer strolls into IMP's office with his very bad sinner disguise in place like he hadn't spent the last 3 days in his workshop with no sleep. And then stops in his tracks once he actually sees him. Fucking Alastor.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why it seems we both had the very same idea for our darling daughter!"

"First off, MY daughter! Second of all-"

IMP watches this thinking they're a divorced couple with a daughter who really hate each other.

They eventually leave get kicked out with their merchandise and present their spoils to Charlie.

She loves it. And maybe could they pretty please find this one other thing a resident missed on Earth-Oh! Actually, Baxter wanted to test Earth materials against Hells could they maybe-?

They each leave for IMP with 2 very long lists.

tbh one of my fav things in the knifes out series is that we have stereotypical 'genius' detective but that doesn't mean he has to be shut off and emotionally distant. he gets mad at injustice and tells ppl to shut the fuck up!!! sherlock bbc has poisoned the water supply for long enough nature is finally healing

*proceeds to drink the whole bottle*

Yeah Alastor you're gonna be loved and appreciated wether you want it or not :)

Trans Fem Alastor AU

"So are ALL of your friends woman?"

Alastor looks up from his book and tilted his head at Angel, briefly dislodging Nifty who was crafting him a new King Roach 2.0 crown.

"Whatever do you mean my good fellow? Husker's right behind you!"

Husk scowled and pointedly flipped him off while drinking straight from a bottle of vodka.

Angel patted his paw and took the bottle away with his other hand. "I mean a guy you don't have on your pay role."

Alastor hummed, "Woman are much better conversation partners. Witty, charming, and full of pizazz! Men just can't compare."

Vaggie poked her head into the room, and hearing this, grunted in agreement, "For once, can't say I disagree with you."

Angel exaggeratedly placed his hand over his heart and gasped like he'd been betrayed.

Lucifer was a bit suspicious, "You know, that sounds like something you'd say to describe yourself."

Nifty finished the crown and bestowed it upon Alastor with a flourish and a bow. He gave Lucifer a mocking smile, "I'm flattered you think so, I'd only be so fortunate."

Angel stopped antagonizing Vaggie and jokingly said, "to be a woman?"

Alastor laughed, this time like Angel had said something absurdly obvious, "Well yes, wouldn't everyone?"

Writing Prompt #14

"You foolish, stupid child," Vlad hisses, pinning Danny to the wall. Danny's eyes turn green as he wraps both his fists around the one Vlad has clenched in his collar, his feet dangling in the air. Vlad leans in, his own eyes burning red.

"When, exactly, did you plan on telling me your biological father was Bruce Wayne?" he says furiously.

Danny's hands drop in surprise. "W-What?" he gasps.

Vlad drops him unceremoniously and he lands on the floor in a heap. Vlad claws at the air in frustration.

"Don't lie to me, boy." Vlad says, omitting his often used possessive "my" in front of "boy".

"How do you know that?" Danny asks warily, propping himself up. He watches Vlad push a shaking hand through his hair. The man looks down at him before dropping in an ungainly squat beside him.

"Of all the sperm donors, Bruce Wayne, Daniel? Really?" The man asks, despairingly.

"I didn't exactly choose him, Vlad."

"No, I suppose you didn't."

"Seriously," Danny says, watching the man rock back on his heels as a growing pit forms in his stomach. "How did you know about him?"

Vlad's mouth twists bitterly. "Because he now knows about you."

"What do you—"

"Vladdy! Danno! What are the two of you doing on the floor?" Jack flops down beside them, a tray of freshly prepared fudge in his hands. "We having a heart-to-heart boys? Let me in on this!"

"Jack," Vlad says. "If you truly want to have a heart-to-heart with your son, I suggest you tell him the real reason I've come over today."

Jack's face falls.

"Vlad," Maddie says from behind him. "Thank you for coming. We're grateful for all you've done, but I think we can handle it from here."

"Madeline," Vlad says, rushing to his feet. "I must insist—"

"And I must insist you see yourself out," Maddie smiles tightly. "You know where the door is, don't you?"

"Mads," Jack says gently, looking between the two.

"I can show him out," Danny says, getting up as well.

"That's alright, Danny," Maddie says. "Why don't you go get your sister? We need to have a talk...as a family."

Danny glances at Vlad.

"Now, Danny," Maddie says. Danny heads for the stairs, pit growing ever larger.

--

The next time they meet it is Danny who has Vlad pinned, the gaudy chandelier above him shaking with the force of his rage.

"You should've told me," Danny growls.

"I thought your parents had you informed," Vlad says, utterly unbothered by the teen cracking what is thankfully not a load-bearing wall of his mansion. "Honestly Daniel, we could throw around allegations of deception on both sides, particularly mine as I assume you've known for quite some time now, if not the entire time, about your father hmm?"

Danny's eyes flick away in an obvious tell.

"Yes, I thought as much. But rather than whinging about being blindsided, I suggest we focus our energy on the solution."

Danny drops Vlad, barely biting back a snarl when the man lands gracefully on both feet.

"Which is?" Danny asks.

"First of all, your well-meaning but frankly moronic parents seem to believe that they can make a case for your custody without the assistance of my legal team. It is in both of our best interests to dissuade them of this."

"They don't like feeling indebted, Mom in particular."

"Well, to be crude for a moment Daniel, tough shit. Yes," Vlad says in response to Danny's widening eyes, "I said it. Bruce Wayne has the best of the best on his payroll and your parent's rinky-dink attorney from the local practice won't stand a chance against Friedman & Sons. Especially once he establishes paternity."

"He can do that?" Danny asks. "I mean I'm almost eighteen, can't I just refuse?"

"The keyword here, Daniel, is almost. As in, you are not. The judge can take your wishes into consideration, but I suspect Wayne will make a case for an unsafe living environment alongside his paternity to win his petition for full custody."

"Un-unsafe living environment?" Danny sputters. Vlad eyes the boy dryly before gesturing to all of him, currently clad in silver and black hazmat. Danny drops the transformation with a wince.

"In fact, I suspect that's the main reason the man filed in the first place," Vlad continues. "Lord knows he doesn't need anymore heirs to fight over his fortune once he passes—"

"Jesus, Vlad,"

"—so I believe he did some digging and found your home to be, well, wanting. On paper, Daniel, your parents sound eccentric at best, dangerous at worst. Pull the right strings, and hospital records just fall into laps. He probably thinks he's rescuing you." Vlad sneers. "If only he knew how quick you are to spit in the face of one offering you a comfortable and wealthy home."

"Fuck off," Danny says. "Is that what this is about? If you can't have me, no one can?"

Vlad rolls his eyes. "Come now, Daniel. Are you really intending to keep up this pretense?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We agreed a long time ago that no matter the nature of our quarrel, we would leave the Justice League out of it," Vlad says, taking a menacing step forward. "You think I, running in the circles I do, would have no knowledge of Bruce Wayne's alter-ego?" He takes another step, voice rising. "I have avoided drawing The Batman's attention for years, no matter how often our paths crossed. I stayed under his radar for decades, and now, BECAUSE OF YOU, I AM ABOUT TO BE RUINED."

With a creak and a groan, the chandelier drops, landing between them with a crash. Danny coughs from the dust as Vlad takes a heaving, calming breath.

"Then why get involved at all?" Danny asks, staring at the ground.

Vlad sighs, clapping his hands twice. Several ghosts dressed in service uniforms fly out the woodwork, gathering up bits of chandelier as others begin to mop.

"Because, little badger," Vlad says, walking away from the mess. "If we lose this, he'll have you in the palm of his hands. Which is infinitely worse."

Entering the kitchen, he pulls an open bottle of white out of the kitchen fridge and pours himself a glass, throwing a Fiji water to Danny who takes it for the peace offering it is.

"He won't."

"Won't what, Daniel? Please speak in full sentences."

"Won't have me," Danny says, letting a thin coat of frost spread over the bottle. He tips the freezing cold water into his mouth and wipes his face with his sleeve, mostly to see Vlad grimace.

"Why, because you'll run away if he wins? Until you turn eighteen? I won't have you fail to complete your education because of a cockamamie scheme, Daniel—"

"Because I have a solution, Vlad, one that doesn't involve the courts or running away."

"And what is that, exactly, Daniel?"

--

"You're going to leave my family alone."

"Danny," Mr. Wayne says, blinking in surprise at the boy on his doorstep and miles away from Illinois.

"I mean it," Danny says firmly. "You're going to drop your petition and whatever smear campaign you were planning on and leave the Fentons alone."

"Danny...why don't you come inside?"

Danny takes a step back from the manor's large doors. "You want a relationship with me? Brute force isn't the answer."

Bruce takes in the teenager, lanky but almost to his eye level. His eyes are clear and sharp, his demeanor forcibly calm.

"I debated whether going through the court was the right thing to do," Bruce says slowly, matching calm with calm. "But I wanted to be above board."

"Because my adoption wasn't?" Danny says, arms crossed. "Yeah, I'm aware. Kinda hard to adopt a kid that doesn't legally exist. And I know what you're going to say, the Fentons should've reported me to the system, but they didn't do it because I begged them not to. Because I didn't want my biological parents to find me."

"Danny..."

"You can swing your dick around and get your way, exactly the way I thought you would do things," Danny says, "Or you can have a relationship with me on my terms. A relationship where I don't despise you because you took me away from the people who've loved me no matter their faults."

"You're asking me to choose your happiness over your safety." Bruce says carefully.

"That's bullshit," Danny says. "I had a lab accident when I was fourteen and went directly against my parents' instructions. They trusted me, and I made a mistake."

"It's not a matter of trust. You were a child, Danny, and you almost died." Bruce says, not bothering to feign ignorance. Footsteps echo behind him.

"Bruce?" A voice calls. "Is that..?"

"Your son did die," Danny says. "He took a flight with your credit card to Ethiopia and got blown up. I bet you trusted him too."

Bruce reels back as a hand lands on his shoulder, the other on the door.

"Whoa, whoa, uh, Danny, right? I'm Tim, I'm—"

"I know who you are," Danny says, clenching his fists. Powering through the hurt he is causing. "I didn't come here to point out what a total hypocrite you are. I just want you to back off. And if you give me your number, we can text and I'll come to Gotham for Thanksgiving or the ski chalet in Vermont or your villa in where-the-fuck-ever and you can be Uncle Bruce that I maybe even tolerate being around once in a while. Just leave my family alone."

"Bruce, what is he talking about?" Tim asks. "Back off of what?"

"Your Dad is suing my parents for full custody," Danny says when it becomes clear Bruce isn't answering.

"What?" Tim hisses, turning to Bruce. "That isn't what we talked about!"

"Danny. I..."

"Here," Danny says, thrusting an index card forward that he's scrawled his phone number and email onto. On the other side is the past participle conjugation for 'venir'. "I won't answer until you drop the custody petition. Which I expect you to do by tomorrow morning."

"Done," Tim says, stepping past Bruce and taking the card. "Give me about noon to get it all squared away with the lawyers. Do you have a hotel? A way home? I'd be happy to reimburse your flight and accommodation."

"Overstepping already."

"Fair enough," Tim says coolly, raising his hands. "Our lawyers will reach out when it's settled."

"Great. Bye." Danny says, turning to leave. He waits until he hears the manor door close behind him before pulling out his cell phone.

Ring!

Ring!

"Hello?"

"It's done."

"What's done? Again, little badger, full sentences, I beg of you."

Subtitle: Everything I’ve learned so far.

*more added on bottom of list*

made for a friend but I figure I’ll post it if it’ll help anyone ^-^

Probably will add to this every now and then if anything new comes up.

All links marked as “❤”

Most link to written tutorials but some are videos. Scroll over links to see if it’s a video in case there’s a reason why you can’t watch them.

Also posted on Deviantart 

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❧ Super helpful tutorials made by other people:

The shrimp method (How to draw anything) ❤ 

Colour turtle ❤ 

Background composition ❤ 

Colour theory ❤ 

Perspective trix for the needy & lazy ❤ 

Step by step digital painting ❤ 

Action line ❤ 

Perspective tutorial ❤ 

All of these video tutorials ❤ 

All of these resources ❤ 

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❧ Human anatomy basics:

Hair ❤ 

Hair types ❤ 

Head ❤ 

Face ❤ 

Eye and eyebrow ❤ 

Ear ❤ 

Nose ❤ 

Mouth ❤ 

Chin ❤ 

Neck ❤ 

Shoulder ❤ 

Forearm ❤ 

Arm ❤ 

Hand ❤ 

Finger ❤ 

Back ❤ 

Breasts ❤ 

Chest ❤ 

Hips ❤ 

Butt ❤ 

Vagina ❤ 

Penis ❤ 

Legs ❤ 

Knees ❤ 

Feet ❤ 

Skeleton ❤ 

Body type ❤ 

Weight gain + loss ❤ 

Age ❤ 

Skin ❤ 

Average female face ❤ 

Average male face ❤ 

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❧ Quotes:

– 

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. -Michelangelo

“If you don’t know what colour to use, use black” -Pablo Picasso

–

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” -Aristotle

–

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” -Pablo Picasso

–

“Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art.”  -Neil Gaiman

–

“No one’s better than me. I’m not better than anyone. ” -Carlos Santana

–

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” -Pablo Picasso

–

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” -Vincent Van Gogh

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❧ Advice:

Loose grip = better for your hand & better precision while drawing.

If your hand hurts after a short amount of time drawing your grip is too tight.

–

Colour is a very personal thing. It has a lot to do with the way you see colours and the way you feel about those colours. So as much as things like colour theory are important, you’re the one choosing the colours,  you’re in control.

–

People who say things like “a poor workman blames his tools” really need to stop. Your tools make a big difference, there is no denying that. Anyone who’s ever tried Roseart crayons knows using them it’s like hammering in a nail with your bare hands, there are easier ways of doing things.

Of course this doesn’t mean you’ll draw better with more expensive tools but it does mean that if you don’t like using a particular pen/brush/software/etc there’s no use continuing to use it. It’s distracting, makes you feel worse about your art and you’ll be more likely to just not draw anything at all.

–

Experiment that’s all. Just keep experimenting with things until you find out what you like. (guess that can also be life advice)

–

You can always improve. This doesn’t mean you’ll never be good, it only means you can get better even if you’re an expert.

–

Okay let me use this quote as a start off point “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” -Orson Welles. This might sound counter-intuitive but it’s very true. Your brain can only handle a few things at once, if you’re told to draw anything you want you’ll most likely draw something like a cat or dog or a house, things that are very normal to you, things that you’ve probably drawn a hundred times before because when you’re faced with too many options you’ll most likely pick the simplest and most familiar things to you.

Give yourself limitations when you’re drawing. Before you draw start with a theme or palette (etc) to let your mind relax and boost your creativity. (of course you don’t have to do this every time you draw, just when you want to draw but have no ideas.)

–

Write down/sketch your ideas as soon as you get them because chances are you won’t remember them. Not that you can’t change your mind about it later, it’s just good to know they’re there and you haven’t forgotten anything.

–

If you feel like there’s something not quite right about your drawing, take a break. Come back to it the next day even. If you focus on something too long it messes with your judgement.

–

You don’t have to show anyone what you’ve drawn. It’s your business what you draw so draw anything you want. 

–

Chances are you’ll come across people who have no idea about anything to do with art but still tell you how to do it/ what you’re doing wrong. These people aren’t worth listening too. Ignore their advice.

–

There’s no problem with learning from tutorials, absolutely none. It’s just one of the ways people learn. It’s the same with art classes or anything similar. If you learn from it then keep doing it, but if you’re not then don’t.

The best tip I can offer about tutorials is if you don’t like the art style of the person who made the tutorial there’s no reason to learn their techniques. Study artists who have art styles you like and figure out what it is you like about them. (their use of colours, emotion conveyed, etc)

And honestly if you’re a good artist and you’ve never used tutorials or been to art classes, good for you, but it’s nothing to be smug about and no one is a lesser artist for using them. 

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❧ Referencing:

I made a mini tutorial on how to reference here ❤ 

Here’s one on how to use them another way ❤ 

Also see 'Tracing vs referencing' ❤ 

also these are a couple great sites for references

Humans ❤ 

Animals ❤ 

Plants ❤ 

Objects + architecture ❤ 

Everything all together ❤  

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❧ Things that are really good to focus on and practice in your drawing:

-Light & shade ❤ 

-Wind ❤ 

-Reflection ❤ 

-Perspective ❤ 

-Movement ❤ 

-Composition ❤ 

-Emotion ❤ 

-Mood ❤

-Values ❤ 

-Texture ❤  

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❧ Warm ups and practice

If you don’t know about gesture drawing here’s a tutorial ❤ 

If you do, this site is good for it ❤  

Draw shapes, draw lines, draw random squiggles, whatever helps you warm up.

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❧ Possible reasons for artblock and remedies: 

-Stress. Sometimes there are certain times when stress is for whatever reason unavoidable. It’s a difficult thing to deal with and there can be a lot of different reasons why you’re stressed. Take breaks, try yoga or something that’s more of a workout like boxing if it helps, meditation, anything that helps you feel better is a good start. Try writing down everything that’s making you stressed so you can get more of a perspective on why you’re stressed and deal with the smaller problems first. Things like cleaning your room/house or fixing something that’s been bothering you can help a lot. There’s also this helpful list if you wants some more ideas ❤ 

-Depression. *groans* don’t get me started. Depression is a big deal and I have no idea what the best way to help it is. Maybe time. Maybe feeling useful. Maybe leaving your current life situation. Depression makes the simplest things difficult so the main thing to remember is to put your health before your art. Art will wait for you and be there when you’re ready, it always does.

There’s also this masterpost on depression if you’d like to have a look ❤ 

-Feeling inadequate. This might sound like a strange thing to say… It’s kind of a good thing. You are wanting to improve and that’s great. It’s safe to say everyone experiences this multiple times in their life at some point but what you need to keep reminding yourself is, if you know you love doing something then you’re on the right track so stick to it. 

-Feeling Un-motivated. Make an inspiration folder and go on a picture finding search to fill it with anything that makes you want to draw. Learning something new always helps for this as well so read/watch tutorials or someone drawing/painting. 

-Not having ideas. Surprisingly easy fix most of the time. Use a random generator like this ❤ or start some kind of art challenge to get you started.

-Boredom. (or being bored with the way you draw) Try using a different medium like sculpting or pixel art, anything you don’t normally do. Surprisingly changing your image can help as well so getting a new hairstyle/colour, anything like that can work.

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❧ Selling art:

Don’t under charge for your work. It doesn’t matter how much you love to draw, you shouldn’t have to under charge for your work. You’re not only charging for the piece its self but for your skills as an artist and for the time and effort you put into it. 

“So how much do i charge?” This question is one of the more difficult ones to answer. It can depend on the demand and the time it takes for you to make, etc. So this is just a basic list of things to ask yourself before you decide how much you should be charging.

-'How much time do I spend making it?’

-'How much am I willing to work for?’

-'How much do other artists charge?’ (not always relevant but something to consider)

-'What kind of customers will i get?' 

-'What is the customer going to use my art for?’ (if it’s for a personal thing it’s no problem but if it’s commercial and they’re going to use it on multiple occasions profiting from it, either charge more or work something out where they have to pay you each time it’s used)

Don’t worry if you realise you’ve been undercharging for your work because it’s part of the process of finding out what’s right for you.

If someone challenges you on your prices or says you’re charging too much remember this

“If you like what I do, this is what I charge. If you don’t want to pay it, you don’t have to buy it.”

Visual examples work better than descriptions. Show what you’re willing to draw and what kinds of commissions you offer with the prices listed. It can be laid out however you like. Here’s an example ❤ 

Additional payments. Something to consider is are you going to charge more per added character or for a detailed background anything else that requires more work than your set price.

Make a check-list for commissioners to fill out. Not always necessary but can be a good thing to have. Things like “character:  background:  outfit:  ” anything that you would usually ask them.

Some people might ask you to copy or trace something. I have absolutely no idea why people want something that’s traced but don’t do it. I promise you won’t like working with the client and you won’t be proud of your work at all.

Explain when you expect to receive payment. Either before you start, after you show them sketches or when the whole project is completed. In this case just do whatever feels right to you. But keep tabs on who hasn’t played because there are some people that think they can get away with not paying. (just something to be aware of)

There will be people who try to get things for free. Ignore people who say things like “I wish could have something like this but i don’t have money :( ” please, please, please don’t respond to these people with anything other than something along the lines of “Thank you, maybe next time :)” because the only reason they’re saying that is because they want it cheep or free. These people aren’t your customers, don’t worry about supplying to them.

Also along those lines, if someone asks you to do work for them for free and “maybe they’ll hire/pay you” if they like your work is bullshit. They’re conning you. What they do once they get your designs is tell you they’ve decided not to hire/pay you when they’ve actually stolen your design and get their designers to finish/alter it. DON’T TRUST THESE PEOPLE.

Have a paypal or something similar set up. This is completely necessary unless you’re working with someone face to face.

You can decide whether or not to work with someone. If whoever is commissioning you is making you feel uncomfortable or asking too much or is trying to make you do anything you don’t want to, you don’t have to work with them. It’s entirely your choice. 

Little bit more commission advice by someone else ❤

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❧ More stuff added by others: added by fruitncreme - What is talent? ❤ 

- Anatomy, Manga to realistic and perspective ❤ 

- Poses ❤ 

- Anatomy and proportions ❤ 

- Folds and wrinkles ❤ 

- Tips and tricks ❤ 

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❀ Hope this helped ❀

Feel free to add to this list if you have any other advice or tutorials you think would be helpful

The amount of time that the Ancient Egyptian civilisation lasted is just so mind boggling. It lasted over 3000 years. That's such an insane amount of time. It ended around 30BC meaning that it will only be extinct for as long as it existed in around 950 years. Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of bitcoin than the building of the pyramids of Giza. They were already ancient to her. What the fuck

2004 Batman + Rogues Kids Universe

Joker: Look Batsy we have a Robin too!

Harley: We're a happy family, Batman!

Duela: Hiya!

Batman: Are you alright kiddo?

Duela: Sure. Yesterday I had no family. Now I have parents. *picks a malet* AND WE HAVE FUN! *hits Batman* HAHAHAHA

Batman: I hope this does not become a trend.

-/-

Batman: Penguin, let the hostage go! What's going on with you? Kidnnaping kids isn't really your style.

Penguin: I didn't kidnnaped no one. I was just thinking what is the point of restoring the Cooblepot name if I'm the last Cooblepot? We need to have someone behind, legacy and all. But them it hit me. Did ya know, Batman, that is not uncommon for Penguins to adopt lost chicks.

Batman: You didn't adopt. How could you with your criminal record? You kidnapped him, the boy must be terrifield.

Martin: *writing in his little notebook-necklace* I'm not scared.

Penguin: Wack wack see the lad isn't scared.

Martin: *writing in his notebook* I'm happy. : ) they said I woudn't be adoped but we showed them, right dad?

Penguin: Right on point, little bird.

Batman: I understand you want a family, kid, but someone can't just go to an orphanage and take you.

Martin: *writing* why not? it works

Batman: I'm sorry, kid. But I have to rescue you.

Oswald: You're not taking Martin alway Batman. I'm his dad! *opens his umbrella and flys alway with Martin hugging him*

Martin: *throws a notebook page on Batman's* it says "wack wack".

Batman: That doesn't mean is a trend. It may be a coincidence.

-/-

Riddler: Riddle me this, Batman-

Batman: Not you too.

Riddler: What?

Batman: *points to the kid dressed in question marks who is fighting Dick*

Riddler: What's the problem with Enigma?

Batman: How did you even got that kid? Street kid? Kidnapped from an orphanage because they solved one of your riddles? Their parents weren't good?

Riddler: I'm the one who does the questions here, Batman. But just so you know. None of the above.

Enigma: *they pretend to lose so Dick went to surprise attack Riddler and was surprise attacked, he is now tied to a broken heavy robot he destroyed sulking* I saw that the rogues were getting kids so when I saw Riddler grocery shopping I followed him home and kept asking him to adopt me until he said yes.

Riddler: They were very insistent.

Robin: Wow that's real Arkham behavior of you.

Enigma: Thanks.

Robin: You're welcome. You are really loony.

Batman: I shouldn't try but why?

Enigma: I like riddles and his hair is great.

Riddler: Thank you, your hair is also amazing, sweetie.

Batman: Is someone looking for you?

Enigma: Don't think so.

Batman: Sure. That's my life now.

-/-

Batman: Oh great. Another evil kid and this one is five.

Cluemaster: You see Batman, I couldn't avoid following the trend.

Batman: So you kidnapped a child?

Cluemaster: No. She is my biological kid.

Robin: YOU procreated? How?

Cluemaster: That's suppose to be Batman's job, but since you asked when a man and a woman like each other very much...

Batman: Stop. Let's just go with it.

Cluemaster: Okay. Steph go fight the Boy Wonder, will ya?

Robin: I'm not gonna punch a baby!

Spoiler: *at the same time* Don't wanna.

Cluemaster: Steph we went over it.

Spoiler: Nu-uh.

Cluemaster: Okay, let's start again. Steph tell Batman what you want to be when you grow up.

Spoiler: *smilling* I wanna be a hero like batgirl.

Cluemaster: NOOO.

Batman: *super happy this is actually not another evil kid* I'm sure Batgirl will be really happy that she inspired such a cool hero.

Spoiler: She will?

Batman: Uh-hu.

Cluemaster: Don't encorage her. We are EVIL, Steph. E-V-I-L! Because that's what smart people are and you are smart.

Spoiler: But smart people win and mean guys lose.

Cluemaster: You are grounded!

Spoiler: *cries* 'm not. Batman his stupid puzzle is red. Press the button and instead of going boom everyone goes yay.

Robin: *presses the red button* *the hostages are free* God one, kiddo.

Cluemaster: NOOO. *pulls Steph by the hair* I'm taking you to your room. You are grounded forever.

Batman: Hell no. Robin.

Robin: Yes, Batman?

Batman: Maybe the other rogues were right.

Robin: Gotcha. *they kidnap-adopt Steph*