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rweoutofthewoods · 2 months

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fanfic/fandom ettiquite guide

Okay, I've seen some things recently that make me think there is some need to make a master post of some general fandom and fic ettiquite just because some people may not know and I think there's a huge wave of fanfic becoming more mainstream especially on apps like tiktok.

If you don't like it, don't engage with it!! I think this above all, is the golden rule of fandom. The internet is made for you to be able to mute, hide, and censor things you don't like. DO THAT! don't make a career off of hating things. This goes along with the three laws of fandom, which u should check out FIRST OF ALL.

DON'T GATEKEEP!! If you're posting about a fic, art, ANYTHING link it, credit it! Don't post a tiktok about a fic and then refuse to give the name. Not only are you failing to credit the creators of this content, but you're taking away from the fact that fandom is a COMMUNITY where content is meant for everyone.

Ao3 is an archive. You're going to see things you might not like or even find offensive or uncomfortable. But fanfic is not meant to be censored. Ao3 is made to be unfiltered, people can post anything and everything. Posting fics on other sites simply to shame their content not only brings MORE attention to it, but it's pointless. If you want a website that is censored go to wattpad. And of course, if you don't like it DON'T READ. You can filter your tags and warnings on ao3 so it won't show you that content.

Along those lines LEARN HOW TO USE AO3. There is no algorithm, it is not tiktok. You don't need to censor words in your tags. Your fics are not magically getting pushed out to people. Make sure you're using "person 1/person 2" for romantic relationships and "person 1 & person 2" for non-romantic relationships. Make sure things like non-con and underage are tagged under the warnings. AND AS A READER, know how to filter ships and tags to find the content you want. You can filter by kudos, certain tags, exclude certain relationships or characters etc. USE IT.

Do not create placeholder fics or other "non fics" on ao3. This is against their terms of service. You can (and probably will) be reported, this annoys people endlessly. We don't want to find a fic and open it to see "I haven't written this yet, sorry!" JUST SAVE A DRAFT OR DO IT IN A DOCUMENT? this seems like way to rack up hits, and it comes across as disingenuous, I don't see a real valid reason to make placeholders.

HOW TO WRITE AN ACCEPTABLE COMMENT: long is not important. A simple "loved this!" will make an author happy. DO NOT say any variation of "update pls?" regardless of how nice you think it is. Authors update when they can.I'm not the only author I've seen unhappy with this. JUST WAIT, either it will be updated or it won't, and either way you will live. If you have nothing nice to say about a fic?? MOVE ON. Don't leave a hate comment.

Do not rate or publicly shit on fanfic! A lot of authors know many people, and the chances of that author seeing whatever you're saying about their work is very high. If you don't like it, click off and read something else. If it's still living rent-free in your mind, that sounds like fan behavior to me. And there is no standard fics are supposed to meet, don't rate them.

Don't cross-post fics. Don't put fics on other sites, don't put translation on other sites. DON'T DO ANYTHING with a fic without checking with the author first. On that note, also don't post fics on GoodReads etc. unless an author explicitly says it's okay.

IF YOU DO NOT MARK YOUR BOOKMARKS AS PRIVATE AUTHORS CAN SEE THEM!! If you're going to say anything that isn't positive, you better mark that as private or better yet, move on. Don't say anything on a public bookmark you wouldn't want the author to read.

YOU CANNOT PROFIT OFF OF FANFIC, don't sell bound fics! Don't bind fics if the intention is to sell them. You're potentially creating a lawsuit for the authors of these fics and putting the existence of fanfic in danger. I've seen multiple authors debating taking fics down because of binding issues, just don't do it. AND IF YOU'RE BUYING BOUND FICS YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM. it's selfish and I wish bad karma upon you.

You wouldn't think I'd have to say this but don't plagiarize or use AI to create fics/art etc. firstly making ai write something IS a form of plagiarism. bUT ALSO just write your own content. If you can't, then writing fics etc. is just not for you. No shame about it!

DON'T ASK AUTHORS TO BETA FOR YOU!! You wouldn't believe how many people have asked me to beta their fics for them, I AM NOT A BETA. I HAVE a beta because my proofreading skills are shit. If someone wants to beta they will offer, or go find a blog or somewhere where people are looking to beta. Like @needabeta You can even make a post asking around for a beta, but don't go bug your favorite authors to proofread your fics.

Really just don't harass authors. Of course, don't be afraid to send nice dms, asks, or comments if their inbox is open, but don't spam them especially if they don't reply. Respect boundaries! Don't send nasty anons, everyone knows this is a sign of jealousy and obsession. You're only succeeding in making yourself look bad. Ask yourself why is this author living rent-free in your mind, hm??

If you don't like a ship, stay away from the content geared towards that ship. There's no reason for you to be in people's inbox harassing them over a ship. It's never that deep. If you truly hate it so much, go consume the content for ships you DO like.

Stay grounded. This goes to both fic authors and readers alike. Hits and popularity are not the mark of a good fic. Getting a lot of hits doesn't mean it's good and NOT getting many doesn't mean it's bad. I'm tired of seeing tiktoks asking "so what's the next big fic?" WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A "BIG FIC"? go look through the ao3 tag and find something you like to read, it doesn't have to be what everyone else is reading.

Headcanons are not law. People can think whatever they want about the characters. If you disagree with someone's hc, just move on... and just because a headcanon is popular, doesn't mean everyone has to abide by it. Be creative!

Don't treat artists and authors like celebs! We're all in this together! We're all losers who like the same characters and ships. Of course, compliment and be kind to all creators because we put a lot of time and effort into creating fan content for you all, but don't worship anyone. Don't treat them weirdly or make a post like "omg x followed me!" that's a bit weird. If you want to be excited, dm your friends and giggle together, but acting like authors and artists etc. are celebs only creates the room for people to stop seeing them as normal people and start acting rude or entitled. And many people are uncomfortable with it!!

TLDR; stop creating so much negativity in fandom spaces. At least in MY fandom it's just constantly shitting on ships, fics, art. It's hate anons, antis, and constant fighting about every headcanon. I'M TIRED OF IT! Learn to filter out content you don't want to see, and move on with your life instead of spreading more negativity.

If you have anything you think I should add shoot me a comment or an ask and I will add it! I'm sure I didn't get everything :) this mostly applies to my own experience being in the hp/marauders fandom for a good 10+ years, and I'm sure it varies slightly from fandom to fandom.

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farenmaddox · 1 year

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real, genuine question

When you, a reader, leave comments on a fic, do you expect the author to reply? If “expect” is perhaps the wrong word... do you enjoy it when they do? Am I going overboard by replying to everybody who comments on my stuff and making them all uncomfortable?

I have been out of fandom for a minute and don’t know the current etiquette.

... surely it’s not just that I’m overthinking this. Surely not. I have never in my life.

#answer is most likely:#nobody cares faren #fanfic etiquette #faren's comment section series

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ao3-shenanigans · 2 months

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Ao3 PSA

Unless you click “Private” when making a bookmark, your bookmarks are automatically available for the authors (and other users) to see

The “Private” button can be found as shown below:

#ao3 #fanfiction #archive of our own #fanfic #fandom #ao3 shenanigans #ao3 bookmarks #ao3 etiquette

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angelofsmalldeath-codeine · 2 months

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Good Saturday, y’all.

Topic of today’s rant: PEOPLE PRINTING AND SELLING FANFIC & GENERAL FANDOM ETIQUETTE

Profiting from fanfic will ruin it for everyone.

I want all of you who gift us your stories to be safe from lawsuits and beware that your content might be stolen.

Not to be on a soapbox and preaching to the choir but here are.

There are many authors pulling their work off AO3 because people acting on bad faith are printing and binding fics to sell on etsy thus infringing copyright laws. Fanfic has always been a grey area and we are allowed to exist in this grey area because we are not profiting from it. The minute money is exchanged, every party involved is breaking the law.

Why am I complaining about this yet again? Because we might be deprived from enjoying fanfic with the freedom we currently have because the fanfic authors will fear getting sued. If third parties are stealing our work and selling it, publishers and studios won’t care to know who sold it. It is your handle (thus IP address) on the sold fanfic. Because, get this, they are doing downloads straight from ao3 with your usernames.

Manacled is being pulled from ao3 because the author will publish it as a book. People are putting the book at risk by selling printed versions of it on Etsy.

I believe many of us who fall on the 20 years of reading fanfic side rather than on the 20 year olds reading fanfic will remember the Anne Rice days. These are not fully over because her son is carrying on the legacy of suing everyone who writes fanfic of her work. And if I may say, she didn’t invent vampires and should’ve taken many seats. I digress.

I am not sure of the levels of awareness within this community and to what extent it can affect all of us. TikTok is a massive contributor to this problem (as it is to many other problems. Again, I digress) since booktok and the binding folks discovered ao3.

You might think, I only post on tumblr so my content is safe. Well, they are finding their way here too. They cringe because tumblr is for old people but they still make their way here with their bad manners and pillaging behaviour.

I want all of you who gift your stories to be safe, lawsuit free, not lose your content and not be afraid of sharing.

I wish I had a definitive solution to this problem but I can only think of small actions:

report the etsy accounts selling fanfic/fanfic commissions,

report the TikTok accounts selling binding for fanfic work,

go back to the days of putting disclaimers on your notes that you don’t own the characters and you are not profiting from the story.

Tagging some authors* here for visibility so you can cascade to more people. Absolutely no pressure tag.

@theywhowriteandknowthings @tightjeansjavi @diversemediums @goodwithcheese @nerdieforpedro @fhatbhabie @undercoverpena @thelightsandtheroses @ezrasbirdie @notjustjavierpena @javierpena-inatacvest @freshlyrage @5oh5 @wardenparker @endlessthxxghts @creedslove @sp00kymulderr @secretelephanttattoo @gnpwdrnwhiskey @whatsnewalycat @pedrostylez @thetriumphantpanda @toointojoelmiller @dancingtotuyo @agentjackdaniels @ladamedusoif @lotrefcp @wildemaven @musings-of-a-rose @justagalwhowrites @morallyinept @pedropascalsx @criticallyacclaimedstranger @pennyserenade @kteague @astoryisaloveaffair @moralesispunk @linzels-blog @metalnecklace

*I can remove the tag if you are not comfortable with being associated with this post.

#fanfic authors #fanfic writers deserve everything in the world #support fanfic writers #fanfic writers #dont steal fanfic #tiktok ruins everything #this is for you new fandom babies btw #fandom #fandom etiquette #stolen work #stolen fanfic #stop profiting from fanfic because it will ruin it for everyone

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sofiadragon · 11 months

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Hey fanfiction loving friend!

AO3 has the ability to turn off comments, moderate comments, restrict comments to logged in users only, or let anyone comment on your story. Most other fanfiction hosting websites do not allow comments to be turned off and in the case of some (wattpad) highly encourage comments even on individual paragraphs.

Over on reddit, someone said it is an unwritten rule of fanfiction that you should never leave a negative or critical comment on a story. This was countered most strongly by many arguments. Despite many people asserting that their stance was the one truth and that there was no debate on the topic - there was a lot of debate about what criticism even is and where the line should be for if giving concrit is alright.

So give this some thought:

If you have tea to spill, examples or an argument you want to make, please do. I have some that go both ways, but I'm going to wait for a few responses so I don't pre-empt the results. I'm not going to vote myself for a while, either, so I won't know which way the poll is leaning when I do pour my tea. I tried to cover all the flavors of debate I've seen in the many "definitive" posts I have read here and on reddit. Please reblog for a wider sample!

#fanfiction discourse #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan work #fan etiquette #commentary #fanfiction.net #ao3 author #ao3 reader #ao3feed #ao3 #wattpad comments #comments on fanfic #looking for constructive criticism #constructive criticism #concrit welcome #concrit not welcome #concrit

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realmermaid333 · 9 months

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A Guide to Using the "Inspired By" Function on AO3

The "inspired by" function allows writers to display fanfics that inspired their own fanfic neatly in the "notes" section via a link. It is used to credit inspiration, for archival purposes, and also for translations, remixes, and podfics.

It is a very fun function because it encourages community, and even gives your readers something else to read while they wait for your own fic to update. It can help people who really like a certain trope or writing idea easily find another fic just like it. And, if you use the function, the writer you are inspired by can choose to link it back to their own fic. So, at the end of their fic it will say, "works inspired by this one," and list yours.

"How can I tell if I should use the "inspired by" function or not?"

You should use the inspired by function if you are directly inspired by another fic. I have done this twice, and it is splendid. One of my besties and I have fics that are attached by this function. It's like they're holding hands via "inspired by" links :' )

If you read a fic, and at the end you're like, "Wow, this was totally radical, and now my gears are turning with an idea just like this one, but I'm gonna add my own spin to it." That would be a moment that calls for the "inspired by" function.

A situation that doesn't call for the inspired by function is two fics that are similar in trope, but the second one was not inspired by the first. For example; let's say person A writes a coffee shop AU fic, which is a very common trope, and person B also writes one, but without having ever read person A's fic, or without directly getting the idea directly from person A. Person B was not inspired by person A.

Let's say person B did read the fic, then also eventually decided to write a coffee shop AU that was completely different, and had very little in common with A's fic. That would not be a moment where the "inspired by" function would be necessary. B could use their own judgement to gauge how inspired they were by A's fic.

But, let's say person B really, really loved person A's fic, and wanted to show everyone another coffee shop AU. Person B very well could still use the "inspired by" function just to have the link. Or, they could just link the fic in their "Notes" section, but i personally think the inspired by function is a little easier than creating a "notes" link on ao3 LOL.

However, I have seen some people just list a fic they are inspired by in the notes section without any issues, but I encourage people to use the inspired by function. If you're unsure, maybe ask the author that you're inspired by if they care. If you ever don't use the "inspired by" function, and step on another writer's toes, just simply talk it out and credit.

"But, Mermaid, if I use the "inspired by" function, won't it look like my fic belongs to the original person?"

No?? I am including this because I've seen a surprising amount of people say this and it bugs me. If you use the "inspired by" function, it links the fic you were inspired by in the "notes" section in first chapter. That's it. It doesn't say, "this fic belongs to this other writer," lol. It says, "Inspired by (insert fic) by (insert author)," one single time. After that, it will not be listed in future chapters. Your name will always be on it, and it will only be listed on your account like usual.

To conclude, you should use the "inspired by" function if you are directly inspired by another person's fic. if you're not, then don't use it. Easy peasy. I encourage its use because it's very fun, it is part of fandom etiquette to use it when needed, it allows people to recommend fics similar to theirs, credit another person's idea they used, etc.

#inspired by #inspired by function #ao3 #using ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 stuff #ao3 etiquette #archive of our own #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writer #fanfiction writer

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zenzenzence · 1 year

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HEY! FELLOW AO3 AUTHORS! STOP DOING THIS!

idk how else to illustrate this than making a fake, unpublished example fanfic —

STOP DOING THIS! PLEASE!

POST YOUR ONE SHOTS SEPARATELY! ESPECIALLY IF THEYRE FOR DIFFERENT FANDOMS/SHIPS!

***Tags selected randomly for making a quick example***

Stop posting random one-shots into one work. Stop making Chapter 1 a Table of Contents. Stop tagging multiple pairings/fandoms/additional tags etc when you haven’t even POSTED the chapters they would apply to!

This spams tags and 9 times out of 10 I avoid these fics on sight and don’t even bother digging through the fic to see if the oneshot is something I won’t even want to read.

These fics should be reportable for spam if they aren’t already.

I’ve started completely muting authors on sight for this now because I’ve personally had enough.

#archive of our own #ao3 tags #ao3 #fanfiction #tagging etiquette #otw #organization for transformative works #fanfic #one shot #oneshot collection #stop it #zence.txt #i am at my limit #!!!#don’t bite my head off over the specific tags I used in the example #it’s supposed to be obnoxiously random and all over the place because that’s the point

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mothwithpronouns · 1 month

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Fun ghoul tattoos! Ignore what’s going on at the bottom

#Danger days #Funpoison #fun ghoul #Party poison #danger days fanfic #mcr art #my chemical romance #fabulous killjoys #Suggestive #I don’t know proper tumblr etiquette for art like this so feel free to let me know if I fucked up #mcr

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papasbaseball · 2 months

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If I ever catch anyone fic binding Ghost B.C. works and selling them on Etsy I will be immediately deleting my fics from ao3 and here.

It's bad enough that you make our writers get on their knees begging for the bare minimum of commenting and reblogging, and harass writers who you don't like their work, but to put them at legal risk and profit off of them would be a new all time low.

Do not follow the trend of other fandoms.

#the band ghost fanfiction #fanfic etiquette #ao3 piracy

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flamingpudding · 10 months

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Part 8 of Ghost Kid in Gotham

>>Masterpost

<<1 Previous Next

Ghost Cult Guides and Light Silhouettes

Duke had avoided the family drama that was brewing in the manor all day. In the morning he had been too tired to deal with the families usual drama when he had walked in on Dick having gotten bitten by a child that Damian appeared to take care and shined way to bright for him who had just gotten out of a sleepy daze, while Tim and Jason were laughing at the eldest expense.

Lunch he had the excuse by being in the library studying but now that it was dinner time he knew he couldn't avoid it any longer. It was time to see and face whatever craziness this family has gotten themselves into. He knew Bruce was home already but according to the group chat message from Dick the man had locked himself into his office and was brooding again.

The eldest made sure to tell them not to worry and that the reason would be explained by the family dinner Alfred was organizing and had invited everyone too. A must attend event and probably the reason why Dick was going to stay longer in Gotham than he had originally planned.

Well, that was going to be a whole other dinner to go through once everyone was available. For now, he was hopeful in for a nice and calm dinner.

Sitting down at the table he was sort of surprised to find that he was the only one there yet.

"Alfred?" He asked carefully as the butler placed down plates for the others. "Where are the others?"

"Master Jason is attempting to avoid Master Tim, who is very insistent in finding out Master Jason's connection to an occult. Master Damian is currently showing Master Danyal the barn, and Master Richard is still talking to Master Bruce."

Duke nodded. Okay, that's fine. Wait Danyal? Was that the kid he had gotten a bright glimpse of this morning? "Who is Danyal?"

Alfred only smiled softly and Duke couldn't help but wonder, not realizing that Alfred didn't answer his question at all as Jason made his entrance and unceremoniously plopped down in a chair by the end of the table looking like a mix between annoyed and tired.

"Jason! You did not just walk out on me like that! I need to know why you can read these occult sigils!"

Tim stormed in right after aggressively pointing at an open page in the book he was holding. So that was the occult thing Alfred mentioned. Looked like Tim had been pestering Jason all day about that considering how obsessed the other could become with cases.

"For the last time I have never been in a ghost cult!" For a second Duke wondered how many times 'last time' had been said considering the tired and frustrated look Jason was giving Tim. It was strange anyway to see Jason still in the manor if he was this frustrated with the other and Bruce was home too.

Their arguing was sort of amusing so Duke kept quiet and listened to them arguing, wondering how long it would take for them to notice him. Considering, Tim even took the seat right next to him. At least this way he could get a sneak peak of the book Tim was referencing here.

[...Ruler of the realm connecting the universes together supported by the ghosts of ancient time. The sigils covering the artifacts are what keeps their presence in our dimension. A circle created from chalk with the sigils spelling in our known language 'Oh Ruler of the other side, Soul of the old, Ancient of War, King of the Realms. I plead to you to hear my calling' will have a summoning success of 40% and sacrifices no longer… ]

Duke side eyed Tim and decided Steph was never to find out about that book. It was bad enough that whatever the other was working on had him reading a book like that. Duke didn't need Steph to read it and to decide that they all try one of the summoning the book apparently listed. Worst case Tim would go fully along with this in support of whatever he was working on. What did get him this obsessed with…. Duke eyed the book title… 'Ghost Cult 101 How to properly communicate with the other side'.

Yea, he did not want to get involved with that but knowing his luck he would anyway. Just as Duke looked away ready to focus his attention on something else, since the two arguing still hadn't noticed his presence, he had to cover his eyes as a freaking brightness entered his vision of the dining room that had him groaning.

"I need sunglasses." He muttered apparently loud enough for everyone to notice as he covered his eyes with his hands and desperately blinked at the darkness they provided.

"Dude you okay?"

"No."

"Danyal, wait!"

He heard someone chirp and for a second he wondered if the others were pulling a prank on him or making fun of him until he felt a small hand pulling on him. Carefully he peaked through his fingers and blinked.

The brightness was reduced and not as strong as it had been earlier. He looked at where a small hand was pulling on him and came face to face with a mini version of Damian with glowing green eyes and also noting the dimmed glow around the kid. Before he could even ask who that kid was, he noticed the light forming a silhouette behind the kid.

"What?" Unconsciously he patted the kids head as he stared at the light silhouette that definitely looked like the Damian he knew. The Silhouette sort of looked sheepish and seemed apologetic to him.

"Thomas?" / "Duke?" He ignored Tim and Damian too focused on the figure. Not even noticing how Damian was next to him looking every bit ready to pull the kid away, he was still patting uncousciously, eyeing him carefully. While Tim was closely observing them.

"How the hell is that kid not hissy with him? Or even attempting to bite him?!" Jason on the other hand complained loudly standing and leaning with his hands on the table.

"Duke, what do you see?"

Before he could even answer, the silhouette made a shushing sign and grinned before disappearing. The light it formed returned to the kid that blinked at him now with blue eyes and Duke blinked back at the kid stunned.

"Um, who is that kid?" He asked in return very confused by what he just saw turning to look at the others for answers. Ignoring that he did not answer Tim's question earlier. Whatever that was, it wanted him to stay quiet about it by the looks of it.

Duke would wait for an explanation of who that Damian look-a-like child was, before deciding if he should tell the others or not.

Suddenly he felt a sting on his fingers and he yelped attention returning to the boy he had been patting and finding the kid nibbling on his finger with sharp teeth giving him an annoyed look.

"Danyal! No, what did I tell you about biting others?" Damian was instantly by the kids' side taking them away from him and seating the boy on the other side of the table.

"What the fuck?! That wasn't even a full bite? Where is the hissing and biteyness?!"

"What?" Rubbing the finger that got nibbled at he stared at the others. "He bites?"

"Normally yes. Maybe he just finds Jason to be the tastier chewtow. We should test it out if he will bite you again." Tim seemed interested and amused at the same time as he studied the kid that now sat quietly on the opposite of Duke. The kids sole focus was now on Jason with a strange clint again, was the boy even blinking?

"Drake, stop wanting Danyal to bite others or suggest them as bait for my brother."

"Wait Brother?"

All three turned to him and Damian opened his mouth to say something as Dick entered the room looking exhausted but smiled when he saw them. Wasn't he supposed to just have a talk with Bruce? Did that art out into one of their famous fights?

"Oh hey Duke. Looks like you meet our youngest brother teethling Danny already!" The eldest walked over to them and reached out a hand to pat the kid sitting next to Damian. Duke watched with a sweat drop how the boy's head instantly turned to Dick hissing and bearing his teeth and snapping them in his direction and causing the oldest to pout.

"I guess I have." He slowly offered as an answer, still very much confused, knowing that he needed a little bit more of an explanation from them. He heard a sigh next to him and turned to Tim.

"You were asleep by then. But Jason got attacked by a child-"

"I did not."

"-last night and that child turned out to be Damian's brother."

"So Bruce has another blood child." Well that also explained why the kid looked so much like Damian and most likely also why Bruce wasn't here but, according to Dick, was brooding in his office.

"So is the kid a meta?" He tried to ask carefully but that was not very easy and considering the light show he had gotten earlier it was either that or the boy harbored some other big secret.

"Why do you ask?"

His eyes went to the boy that was still hissing at Dick sitting at the edge of his chair closest to Damian not paying any of them any attention at all it seemed.

"The kid glows or it had a pretty bright glow earlier now it's more dimmed. Easier on my eyes too." That was probably the safest to say, he still wasn't sure if he should tell them about the Damian look-a-like light silhouette.

"Well…" Tim started carefully, clearly looking for the right words.

"Danyal died when he was eight and apparently got revived and severely contaminated by Lazarus Water." Damian stared at him and Duke couldn't help but straighten under the stare and gulped. "Thomas, what did you see earlier?"

There was really no hiding anything from this family, well he didn't put that much effort into it either. He mentally apologized to the light silhouette as he glanced at the still hissing child before turning his attention to the others.

Not noticing the small flicker of green as Danny's eyes looked at him just as quickly before turning back to Dick and his offending hand that still tried to pat him.

"There was a light figure right behind the little guy. It looked exactly like Damian, though thinking about it now its hair had a different cut and they looked like they were wearing a hazmat suit with a logo on the front."

"Just to clarify. The spirit looked the same age as Damian?" Tim further questioned and Duke nodded.

"Do you think that could be a manifestation of Danny's actual age?" Dick asked withdrawing his hand from the boy who in turn finally stopped hissing turning his attention to the food that Alfred placed down before the child.

"His actual age?"

"As I said before, Thomas. Danyal died at the age of eight. That was eight years ago. If he had lived he would be the same age as me right now." The formerly youngest explained, his attention split between watching the child next to him and their discussion.

Duke gapped, ready to ask more but then Alfred placed a plate before him and smiled at them all, the kind of smile that had all of them stiffening.

"I believe further discussion in regards to Master Danyal's situation can wait until after dinner, yes?"

They all agreed and focused on the meal that had been prepared for them. Well Duke guessed any further questions he had, could wait until after dinner espacially with the way Alfred was making sure they ate.

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