#Danny somehow ends up in Paris

[unlocked-doors-verse]

Origins: Character Headcanons + Lore Thoughts

Good timezone!

So, here's some added development to the AU! Of course, Mystery Kids is still happening but again, I have a lot of prompts to get through

For starters, the readers are not immediately introduced to all of the characters at once; this will be split in about 4-5 one-shots (certain characters will meet the others beforehand and then do a big meet toward the end- that is all i'm going to say for now). Part 1 is actively being worked on - ft. a cross between Danny Phantom and Miraculous Ladybug, but for now- I plan on focusing with character headcanons and some additional lore elements everyone can be privy too!

On one hand, we have Danny Phantom and Miraculous Ladybug where we have Danny Fenton, Adrien Agreste, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng - and their initial first meeting during Secret Origins

Danny Phantom / Miraculous Ladybug Headcanons

~ Out of the trio, Danny is the oldest; Adrien and Marinette are the youngest (there's a year of difference between them and Danny) [author's cut: I based this on when the respective shows came out. Danny Phantom aired in the early 2000's with Miraculous Ladybug getting released sometime in 2014/2015]

~ This isn't spoilers per se, but there's going to be a case of mistaken identity when Danny meets Adrien and Mari for the first time. The rest is spoilers, and I will leave you to try and figure it out! The only thing I'm going to say is that ghosts aren't a common thing in Paris-

~ This is set in an ambiguous timeline- the only thing I will say for certain is that Phantom Planet has yet to happen. A lot of the current canon for Miraculous Ladybug has been completely disregarded- partially because I never got past... I'd say season five? (and what I've heard about the newer seasons sounds like entering the Twilight Zone-)

~ Danny is auDHD because it just makes sense- (he has dual special interests on space and inventions; not to mention his ghostly obsession)

~ Adrien and Mari are definitely some breed of neurodivergent (autistic! Adrien, at least and I thought Mari is ADHD or something- this is canon now you can't tell me I'm wrong /lh)

~ Danny and his family end up in Paris, France during the summer due to reasons

~ so far, no identity reveals beyond the obvious have happened. For Danny, it only applies to Sam and Tucker; in Miraculous Ladybug, Mari isn't willing to share her identity with Adrien (this is done on purpose as this is still early into the character introductions)

~ this is no way a spoiler, but Adrien and Danny are so going to bond over puns and jokes- (and other reasons but shhh)

~ unresolved traumas? oh, absolutely- like on one hand, you have Danny who has definitely been going through the burner with protecting his own identity not from his enemies but his parents; Mari definitely has a savior complex and is so set on saving everyone, she barely puts herself first- and Adrien, my sweet summer child- how do I explain what this kid is going through when it comes to Gabriel fucking Agreste? (author's cut: Gabriel is not a good parent lol- I'm not doing a full meta-analysis on him but he doesn't really have Adrien's best interests at heart)

~ Adrien does try to see the best in everyone, but he is wearing down from certain things- i am not going to sugarcoat things, because this is going to a different level of mature and Adrien does try and cover how he feels

Lore Thoughts + Elements

~ As mentioned before, ghosts are not a common thing within Paris. Danny would be an outlier in the equation because this isn't something the citizens have seen before, and it might take some time for them to adjust further into the first arc of the SQ AU

~ If this somehow isn't obvious, Akuma attacks do not occur inside Amity Park (as for one thing, Hawk Moth has never once stepped foot inside the city and for another- ghosts and Kwamis do not mix, it's just not possible)

~ however, citizens from Amity Park can be Akumatized should they leave or if, say, somehow- they were brought into the city but for now, do what you will with this information. Good luck

~ (implied plot elements) "In the purple smoke lies what you hold most dear; to undo what has been done, break the cycle and rewind the masked's design". (author's cut: i'm sure you can figure this one out, but honestly there is so much more coming, so keep an eye out!)

~ Secret Origins Lore / Teen Heroes AU (the name is still subject to change): as mentioned before, there will be about 4-5 one-shots before the main story releases- this may have a little bit of major plot arcs so read at your own discretion - due to the overlapping themes within the four fandoms, there are multiple sectors throughout the world that are specifically for the current growing number of teen superheroes (author's cut: the Dragon Council, for instance- among others, take with this what you will. of course there's more to come)

~ since this is only the first in the Secret Origins background- character introductions are fairly limited; and honestly, I was going to use one of the specials to push forth the lore but ultimately, I scrapped that version (but I could rewrite the version of events that could have happened: especially since I had tied it back to the New York special-) though the alternate version aside, going back to the introductions- the point is for the sectors to slowly become part of... well, let's just say that certain alliances within this piece are going to be only one part of what's to come-

(Author's Cut: As of right now, this project continues to remain a Work in Progress and of course, I'm trying to limit myself with the spoilers- currently the early stages of the Miraculous Ladybug x Danny Phantom fanfic are being worked on, and I am considering writing a small snippet of it! Without spoilers, of course!

You’re going to see a lot more for this and the Unlocked Doors AU soon. These poor kids are definitely going to through it.)

~ Mod Danny

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Shot Through the Heart; and You're to Blame

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/03BTrcs by Animefangirl1221 Jazz somehow finds herself on the way to the Paris Olympics. How the hell did she get here? Also, why is that black-haired, blue-eyed man flirting with her? Also also, the ecto in Paris is a little Funky. Words: 5801, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 18 of DPxDC Fics :3, Part 4 of Bits and Baubles Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Jazz Fenton, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Original Female Character(s), Original Characters, Mentioned Danny Fenton - Character Relationships: Jazz Fenton & Original Female Character(s), Jazz Fenton & Dick Grayson, Jazz Fenton/Dick Grayson Additional Tags: Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Sharpshooter Jazz Fenton, Gymnast Dick Grayson, they only actually get together for a little bit, Jazz is not impressed with the Olympics, Dick's just been handed something and he's not sure how to deal with it?, Ambiguous/Open Ending, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm so sorry for this, it's not my best work :T, Mildly Dubious Consent, I liked the idea but not the execution, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/03BTrcs

[zeglythers]

did dannie go to bulgaria with tom? she had gone with him while filming pwmov and i presume they started seeing eachother while he filmed wasteman in london, the festival pics were in august but then he went to bulgaria and finished filming watch dogs in September? or maybe they were serious enough for her to visit him and the festival was their first proper outing together

I'm not sure, but I don't think so. He said in an interview that he went straight from Paris to Bulgaria, and I think if they had been together at that time, we would’ve seen her at the Loewe show somehow. Also, someone mentioned that she was still with her ex in June and T was allegedly active on Raya during filming. To be honest, I never really got how the Watch Dogs schedule worked. He showed up at the Festival when we thought he was still shooting, and the end of production wasn’t confirmed until a month later. I don’t even remember if we ever got any confirmation that he went back to wrap it up, but I don’t think she was with him through any of it.

[elithemiar-blog]

FF.NET ACCOUNT CLOSE OUT! (SHUGO CHARA & XOVERS)

Shugo Chara:

My Secret Unlocked! (MSU!)- Amu’s secret comes crashing back as another company (Mathia) wants the Embryo. She began hiding her past that she is secretly a world renowned violist, Musical Kisses, since the age of seven. Mathia’s workers start to research the celebrity’s past; through comparing pictures of the city’s children to Musical Kisses’s photos they discover her identity: Hinamori Amu. Finding her address, the director himself makes a trip to her home and makes a deal with her parents they can’t refuse. Reluctantly, they agree and Amu is forced to work for Mathia to search for the Embryo.

w/Danny Phantom:

The Phantom Guardian- Easter’s director has connections with Vlad; because of this Hoshina wants a new singer through Vlad. Being the fruit loop he is; Vlad decides that Ember would make the deal. For a few days her signature songs are just rumors. Team Phantom notices that Ember hasn’t attacked at all for a whole week, not even an appearance. Even worse is that the news stated that the mayor (A/N: Vlad at the time) has taken a vacation and won’t state where. Jazz and Sam take this as something bad; Danny and Tucker take it as a vacation time. It’s been a few weeks with no ghost attacks and Team Phantom are getting paranoid. With the Shugo Chara gang the new ‘singer’ makes appearances but is unable to stop her because their attacks go right through her. She keeps attacking the Guardians to keep Amu from purifying the eggs.

w/Miraculous Ladybug:

1) Older shugo guardians (sry, it's been too long), have heard about Paris's situation with the Akuma's, believing that it's a possible situation with x-eggs and another embryo situation, they somehow all reunite in Paris to try and find a way to help Ladybug and Chat Noir. Amu and Ikuto reunion?

2) Bunnix appears before Ladybug and Char Noir with a mission to help a situation in Japan. In a different timeline, Hawkmoth had visited Japan for a short time and akumatized the wrong person (Utau), and they must help with purification. As the Guardians there don't understand akumas. (A thought of what would happen if an x-chara transformation got akumatized?)

3) Adrien's fame reaches to Japan and grabs the attention of Easter, Gabriel makes a deal with them, promote each other's business. Gabriel can sense the darkness that resides within Easter and is curious on how he can use it. Plagg and Yoru would absolutely end up meeting at some point, more or less outing each of their owners, then keeping quiet about it. (In my mind, Marinette isn't so secretive and more trusting of Guardian duties to Chat Noir. The only thing they don't know are each other's identities.)

(Due to the closing of my FF.net account, these prompts "Up For Adoption" will be lost to the void forever.)

[miraculous-magicalconnections]

MMC: Arc 1, Chapter 3: Stormy Weather

Alix wasn't entirely sure how or why they were currently sat amongst the photography team as they took photos of Adrien, but they'd be a liar if they said it wasn't at least somewhat entertaining. Granted it was mostly boring since they were just sitting there, not doing much of anything, but they also liked watching Adrien pose, it made Alix laugh watching him try to get the exact post the overzealous photographer wanted him in. Plus, Alix took a few photos of Adrien themself while they were in-between shots, smiling a bit at the sight of his true self, unlike the faux-Adrien that most of the public saw.

It's only been a couple of days since they met and Alix already had a soft spot for the guy, sue her.

Regardless Alix smiled as Adrien walked up to them, the photographer giving him a break, "Hope this isn't too boring."

Alix rolled their eyes, "I wouldn't have come if I found this that boring."

Adrien smiled a bit more sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well yeah, but I know it's not fun to just sit there on your phone."

"Eh," They shrugged, "It's not that bad, besides I got a few photos of you that I think you'll like more then any the photographers got."

Adrien stares at their phone, blinking, "Wow you... actually captured my real smile."

"No idea what you were laughing about, but it was nice to see you actually smile." Alix explains.

"Just a joke a friend told me last night," Adrien answers, "You two would get along."

"I'll hold you to that." She says, "Which reminds me, I gotta introduce you to my friends at some point; Marc and Nate will love you and I think you'd have fun with Kim and Max."

-----

Tears filled her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she slumped into the elevator. Her breathing was ragged, mind racing as she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. She couldn't believe it, she lost. How did this happen?! She's been the most popular since the contest began, there were constant comments about how she'd win if she made it to the end regardless of who she'd go up against and... and she lost!

"Poor, sweet, girl,” The voice stung in her ears, it was so loud in her head, so strong, so commanding, and yet somehow so calming, "You lost because the contest was rigged from the start!"

"What?" Aurore breathes out, looking up into nothing, "No... how..."

"It makes sense doesn't it?" The voice suggests, “You should have won today, and yet you didn't! That pathetic boy rigged the competition in his favor!"

"He... no, but..." Aurore's tears fell harder as the realization dawned on her, "He... he cheated! That bitch!"

"Stormy Weather, I am Monarque. I'm granting you the powers to ruin this reporter live on air but in return, I ask you retrieve the magical jewelry from Paris' heroes; the earrings and the ring."

"I'll do whatever it takes to ruin him!" Aurore states, the black and blue smoke covering her body.

-----

"Damn," Marinette mumbles, seeing that Aurore had lost the competition. She wouldn't really call them friends, as they've only talked a couple of times, but she still felt bad. Honestly, the loss was surprising, if she remembered correctly, everyone favored Aurore, so the popularity contest should've been in her favor.

"Boo!" Manon exclaims, "I wanted Aurore to win!"

"I did too Manon, but we can't be upset at Danny." Marinette says, setting a hand on Manon's head, "Why don't you go upstairs and play while I start on lunch."

"Yay!" She cheers before rushing to the stairs.

As Marinette heads to the fridge, her phone buzzes and she answers it as she opened it, "Hey Als, what's up?"

"There's a supervillain!" Alya exclaimed.

Marinette blinked, "A what now?"

"Aurore's a supervillain now!" Alya elaborates, "It seems like she was really upset at losing."

"Alya don't you dare go after her." Marinette snaps, shutting the fridge and hanging up, "This is bad, she'll probably go after Danny."

"Just say the words." Tikki says, flying from her hiding place.

"Tikki, transformez-moi!"

-----

As Adrien poses again, a sudden chill surrounds the park and he looks up in time to see a figure flying past the park, a kid his age hanging desperately onto them. His eyes follow the figure before Ladybug swung past, chasing after them. Before any of the team could stop him, he rushed off, immediately calling for Plagg once he was hidden.

Chat Noir leapt to the rooftop, landing a few meters behind Ladybug; he could easily make out that whoever was holding onto the Akuma was definitely not on a joyride. He moved faster, taking his baton and shrinking it down as he prepared an attack. The Akuma's parasol seemed to be a good place for the Akuma to reside within, or at the very least where the Akuma's powers came from.

As soon as the Akuma dodged another of Ladybug's attempts to grab her, he threw his baton, knocking into her and causing her to lose focus on Ladybug long enough for Ladybug to grab her ankle with another toss of her yo-yo. Chat Noir leapt over to Ladybug, grabbing onto the yo-yo and yanking the Akuma towards them.

"You have no idea what you're doing!" The Akuma snapped, holding up their parasol, "And if you won't let me get my revenge, I'll blast you two back to the ice age!"

"C'mon Ice Queen, play with us!" Chat Noir taunts, mentally relishing in their frustrated look.

"I am Stormy Weather!" She snaps, dropping their hostage which Chat Noir rushed to catch. Unfortunately, without the extra strength, Ladybug lost her grip and the Akuma flew into the air.

"Are you alright?" Chat Noir asks, checking over the civilian.

"Fine now, thank you." They say, looking rightfully frazzled by the experience.

"Monarque wants your jewels," The Akuma says, snapping their attention up to them, "I don't know why or really care for it, but if he gets them, I get to punish Wolfe for rigging the competition!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?!" Ladybug yells as the Akuma readies their parasol again, "Do you really think Danny rigged the competition so you'd lose?!"

The Akuma faltered, just for a moment, but both heroes caught it, "You don't know what you're talking about!"

A large chunk of ice flew from her parasol towards the three and Chat Noir quickly grabbed Danny as he leapt to the street below, "Quick, get somewhere safe, preferably inside."

The civilian ran off with another thank you before Chat Noir was suddenly flung backwards with a large gust of wind. He landed harshly against a building, the brick cracking and nearly forming an indent of himself. Wincing, he pushed himself off the side and looked at the two fighting.

"Shit," He grumbles, looking around. There was no civilian in sight, something he was thankful for, but since the road was empty it seemed Stormy Weather wouldn't let up on attacks.

They needed to regroup and actually get a plan in motion but right now, that wasn't possible with the constant barrage of attacks. He swore under his breath before rushing back towards the fight, baton in hand as he readied an attack to hopefully distract Stormy Weather long enough for Ladybug to summon her Lucky Charm.

Chat Noir extended his baton, slamming it into Stormy Weather's stomach and making the Akuma flinch. Eyes now focused on him, Stormy Weather blasted him with even more ice. He was starting to wonder if his Ice Queen comment earlier was more accurate then he thought with how much she seemed to love the attack.

"Lucky Charm!"

The mask appeared over Stormy Weather's face and quickly turned to Ladybug. Chat Noir used the opportunity to slam his baton into the Akuma again, sending them flying into the building. He turned to Ladybug who was looking around, with a portable heater in her hands.

"Hey Ice Queen!" Chat Noir yells, the Akuma growling as they pull themself from the building.

"My name is Stormy Weather you alley cat!" The Akuma snaps, pointing the parasol at him and sending a wave of ice at him.

Chat Noir blocked most of it with his baton, though a few stray pieces of ice hit him. None of it was enough to knock him back, and now that Stormy Weather was purely focused on him, they paid no mind to Ladybug as she snuck up behind the Akuma.

"Danny Wolfe rigged the competition in his favor!" Stormy Weather exclaims, "I want to get what's mine!"

"By hurting him?!" Chat Noir yells, "What if he didn't?"

"I wouldn't have lost otherwise!"

"Hey Stormy!" Ladybug calls out and the Akuma whirls around, sending ice towards her only for it to melt before it reached her.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir calls, rushing up to the Akuma. Stormy Weather barely had time to react as he grabbed the parasol and destroyed it.

He turned to Ladybug who smiled, "Pound it."

-----

That night, Ladybug and Chat Noir were sat on top of the Eiffel Tower, watching the sun slowly set. She liked the view she had, it was special, it was for her and Chat Noir and no one else. The day itself had been rather... uneventful. Besides the Akuma, nothing had really happened.

"Monarque..." Ladybug trails off and Chat Noir looks at her, "Do you think he could've actually rigged the competition?"

Chat Noir is silent for a moment before sighing, "I... don't know. It's a good lead though, we can start looking into people with connections at TVi Studios."

They two go completely silent after that, but after a few minutes, Chat Noir stands, stretching.

"I need to head home," He voices, "But... it's my birthday tomorrow. Figured I should let you know."

"Really?" She asks and he nods, "What flavor do you like?"

"H-Huh?" He stutters, looking down at her, "Where's that coming from?"

"Just answer, you'll find out tomorrow." She says as she stands.

"Passion fruit." He answers, "But why do you-"

"Happy early birthday Chaton." She says, pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you." He says, almost too quiet for her to hear.

She just hugged him tighter.

-----

"Marinette?" Sabine asks softly, walking into the kitchen. It was late, far too late for Marinette to still be up and active.

"Hi Maman," She greets, not stopping her movements as she actively tried to accomplish a few things all at once.

"Honey, I know your insomnia is bad but-"

"Maman, I promise I'm fine." Marinette tells her, "Besides it's my friends birthday tomorrow and I want to make sure I can give him something special."

Sabine is quiet for a moment as she glanced to the clock. It was nearing two in the morning and she and Tom would need to be awake in a few hours to get started on morning preparations for the bakery. After a moment of mental deliberation, Sabine walked over to the coffee pot.

"Maman?" Marinette questions, "What are you doing?"

"Your friend is lucky to have you, Fēngmì." Sabine tells her daughter, "And I need to be up soon anyway, what's a few extra hours to spend with my sweet girl?"

Even in the darkness, the only illumination from the oven, Sabine could see Marinette's cheek flush, "Maman!" She whined.

Sabine chuckled, "Come on Táo, what are we making?"

Marinette hesitates for a moment before walking over to a bowl and picked it up, "I'm making a passion fruit cake for Chad and I want to head to the store before school to grab him something."

"Chad?" Sabine repeats, "You'll have to introduce me, I've never heard of this friend before."

"He's a new friend," Marinette explains, "You'd like him, he's a good guy, but he's not around too much so we only talk every once in a while since he doesn't live in Paris."

"When he visits, make sure to introduce us." Sabine says with a smile.

"I promise you'll meet him eventually." Marinette says, matching her smile.

Next Chapter: The Bubbler

Previous Chapter: Statuesque (Origins - Part 1)

Chapter Index

[piedpiperart]

You think if little baby man Danny Phantom found his way to Paris somehow that Marinette would think he’s a Kwami

[arzuera]

Danny thought his most bizarre experience is being summoned by cultists as the Ghost King. Turns out his current predicament beats it by flying colors as he is currently bound as sacrifice for his own summoning circle.

He knew that his luck was bad but he didn’t think that it would be THIS bad. Dozens of cultists circled the raised ritual table and he was beginning to wonder if there would be an opportunity to free himself or not. Was it possible to die in his own summoning circle? Or would it just create some sort of endless paradox of life and death as he arose in his ghost form only to be sacrificed in his human one? This was something that had never been encountered before. There was no one to ask. Clockwork might know the outcome but unless it horrendously affected the time stream, odds are the ancient wasn’t going to interfere. So that left Danny with only one option. He had to get out of this himself.

But how was he going to do that without outing his alternate identity?

Just as he was pondering on using some of his ghostliness to freeze everyone in place, there was a loud explosion that shook the entire room. Several of the cultists scattered but the core ones remained in their spots so that the ritual wasn’t broken. The circle had begun to glow an ominous green as the ritual began to enter its beginning stages. Shouts and flashing lights followed as the newcomers stormed their way up the stairs toward the summoning. Danny sighed to himself in relief.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to do anything after all.

“Alright, you bloody show ponies. Step away from the circle and no one gets… Oh, bloody hell.” A familiar blonde man in a trench coat knocked anyone who tried to stop him out of his way. Only to stop when he saw the circle and the sacrifice who rested upon it. “Don’t you think this is a bit much? If you wanted to get my attention you have my fucking cellphone number for Christ's sake.”

Danny gave the man a wicked grin. His eyes lit up at the newest arrival. “But you know I have a flair for the dramatics, Constantine. Someone has to shake things up once in a while.” This was too good. The halfa flopped his head back against the table and wiggled in his restraints. “Please, save me! I am just a poor innocent young lad about to have his life cut short too soon to bring upon the end of the world.”

Constantine rolled his eyes at the theatrics. “Only one of those things is true and here I was calling these guys the show ponies. Hang on, your majesty. I’ll get you out in a minute.”

“Your majesty?” One of the cultists in the circle looked at the magician as he spoke. Only to be blasted off the circle by a fireball.

“Yep. I was told someone was trying to do something stupid and when I get here I find that they are trying to sacrifice someone stupid.” The magician sent several more of the cultists sprawling out of their positions with the lights of the summoning circle began to dim. “How did this even happen?!”

Danny hummed to himself as lights of magic flashed around him with the screams of cultists following soon after. “Well, it’s kind of a funny story actually. You see I was on a field trip to one of those ancient catacombs… you know… the ones where they have the bodies in the mass graves under the city?”

Another cultist was knocked out of place and the circle’s power diminished further. “Yeah, the Catacombs de Paris? Didn’t know that they did field trips to places like that.” Constantine walked up to Danny and waved his hand over the restraints. The ropes loosened and the teen sat up rubbing the spots where the skin was rubbed raw.

“Yeah, that place! And what did you expect from a school trip for Amity Park students? Our town is literally a portal to hell at this point. Why not see what other creepy places have to offer? We gotta broaden our horizons somehow.” Danny said and wiggled his toes. He ducked his head when a cultist went to grab him and Constantine sent another fireball sending them flying.

“Okay, and how does that lead you to become a sacrifice for your own circle?” Constantine asked once the last cultist was no longer within earshot. He grabbed the kid and started chanting a teleportation spell to get them to a nearby safe haven.

Danny allowed himself to rag doll in the adult's grip with a chuckle. “Oh! Well, apparently I give off a massive death aura when I come into contact with sites that contain a lot of death and tragedy. Some of the culty guys here were able to pick up on that and long story short… I’m posing pretty for you on a cool Gothic table.”

With a brilliant flash of light, the two were transported to the roof of a nearby hotel. Constantine released the boy, who fell to the ground with an ‘uff’, to pull out a cigarette and take a long drag from it. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if they had succeeded?”

“Honestly? No. In all of the Infinite Realm's history, there has never been a halfa as king. So there has never been an instance of mistaken identity like this before. However, thanks for the save. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of that without revealing who I was and it’s not like I could kill them.” Danny gave a small smile as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. That was a lie. He could kill them easily. But that was a line that he wouldn’t cross if he couldn’t help it.

Constantine remained quiet for a moment. Just allowing himself to finish his cigarette before speaking again. “So do you need me to bring you back to your class or…?”

“Oh no! No no! I don’t think the teachers even noticed I’m gone. So I’ll just pop back into my hotel room.” Twin rings of light washed over Danny as he spoke and he gave the magician a bright smile. “And don’t worry, now that I know this can happen, I’ll have a plan to escape for next time. C’ya later, Constantine!” Turning invisible, Phantom flew off using the GPS in his phone to take him back to his hotel.

Sam and Tuck were going to be so mad about this.

[camels-pen]

A Half-dead Mockingbird in Paris

DannyMay Day 26 - Luck

Summary: Ever wonder how ghost powers would work with a miraculous? Or how the Fentons would ever be let through border control at any major airport? Do you lay awake at night thinking about how Hawkmoth would go about akumatizing Danny?

Me too!

Unfortunately, this fic will answer none of these questions and likely only bring up more to plague your inconsistent sleep schedule.

(Danny Phantom x Miraculous Ladybug crossover)

(thanks to @thesoulspulse and @princessfanonanona for helping me come up with Danny's hero name!)

Ao3 Link

~

“Soooo he’s from the future?” Chat nodded his head to the left where a boy in a white, grey and red costume was running around on the ground in front of the Eiffel tower. He had on a white and grey suit with red on his chest and mask, and holding up a white bow in his hand as he ran around. His grey feathered cloak rustled as he tried to line up a shot at the top of the tower, but ducked at the last moment to evade his pursuers.

“No, he’s not. I know what it looks like, but he doesn’t even know Bunnyx.”

“Did you ask?” Ladybug shook her head.

“No, but I’ve met his family. They’re a little weird, but they are supposed to be in our time.”

They scaled the side of the tower, ducking behind beams as a group of snickering white ghosts flew by. They watched as the ghosts ascended up to the top of the tower where a large green and silver doorway floated with dozens of ghosts pouring out of it every second. A teenage girl in an oversized blue pantsuit and orange hair pulled back into the shape of a loudspeaker stood on top of the doorway. The akumatized teen, aptly named ‘Loudspeaker’, let out short screeches at the boy.

“What’s with the temper tantrum, Jasmine? Did you lose your favorite stuffy? Or did your parents embarrass your whole family on live TV again?” the boy shouted in english. Loudspeaker shrieked louder and her shockwaves of sound made a massive crater in the ground, nearly hitting the boy. He started blowing raspberries as he dodged out of the way of a literal tornado of ghosts coming towards him.

As Nightingale flipped over a ghost trying to get him from behind, he unfolded his bow and quickly shot a single arrow into the ghost tornado as it turned towards him again. The arrow changed them into a pile of teddy bears in Albert Einstein costumes.

“Hey look Jazz! If you give up the crazy guy’s butterfly, I’ll give you all these clean new Bearberts~” Nightingale singsonged, holding up one of the bears. Loudspeaker yelled in frustration, causing another shockwave of sound to blow away large chunks of debris and anything else not nailed down.

“You’re not listening to me! You’re just like Danny; he never listens to me and neither do my parents! No one LISTENS!” Loudspeaker took a deep breath and a poor imitation of Phantom’s ghostly wail assaulted their ears. The tower vibrated heavily and Chat and Ladybug held on tight while Nightingale clapped his hands over his ears, somehow not moving an inch despite being directly in its path.

He stayed that way for a while until finally the attack subsided. Nightingale wobbled as he withdrew his ears and steadied himself, picking up his bow from where he dropped it.

“nO oNe LiStEnS!” he shouted back, mocking her. “Like you’re one to talk! I- uh, Danny tried to tell you that going somewhere with television crews would end in disaster! It’s a given with our- ugh, your family!”

“Is he sure he wants to stick with ‘Nightingale’?” Chat asked, holding back snickers. “‘Mockingbird’ seems to fit him a lot better.”

Another swarm of ghosts dived towards Nightingale. He chucked his bow high into the air and clapped his hands together. He slowly pulled them apart and a glowing white arrow was created between them. White gloved hands quickly grabbed it out of the air, then grabbed his bow and pulled it back on the string.

“Blank Slate!” He released the arrow and it hit the lead ghost. Every ghost in the swarm turned into tiny ducks and flapped their wings frantically as they slowly descended.

“That makes 8 times, M’Lady.” Chat turned to face her and raised his eyebrows beneath his mask.

Ladybug groaned. “He’s not a time traveler.”

---

Chat whistled as Nightingale jumped into the air to dodge a group of ghosts. “Didn’t know the robin miraculous lets you fly.”

“Maybe it’s a bird thing?” Ladybug mused as they continued to climb.

“Mayura couldn’t fly.” Chat whispered as they hid behind another pillar.

“Peacocks don’t fly.” They hopped to a higher beam as a group flew right by where they were crouching before. “Do they?” Chat shrugged.

They continued to climb in silence for a while, before Chat spoke up again. “Phantom can fly. Do you think he’s part bird? My cat senses were telling me to chase after him.”

“Phantom’s a ghost. And he isn’t a miraculous holder.” Ladybug surveyed the area. “Hey come to think of it, where is he?”

“He went to ‘save a cat stuck in a tree’ and took off not long after you left,” Chat said with air quotes. “I’m a little offended I wasn’t the top cat on his list.”

Ladybug looked at him, bewildered. “What? Why would he leave when I said I was going to get help?”

“He was purr-obably too nervous to be alone with me. You know the saying: ghosts want me, fish fear me. I was just too pretty for him to handle.” He smirked. She rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Well come on pretty kitty, we don’t have much time. Nightingale looks like he can’t make any more arrows.”

---

The duo pulled off a successful sneak attack and Ladybug purified the akuma and amuk. As the gate and the ghosts disappeared, Loudspeaker turned back into Jazz and Ladybug threw up the red and black spotted Fenton Keychain, letting the miracle cure do its work across Paris.

Nightingale landed in front of them and the heroes bumped fists. “Pound it!” They said in unison.

Ladybug nodded to Chat as she twirled her yoyo. “Me and Nightingale will head out first, can you—”

“Chirpp, let’s roost.” A sparkling white line travelled up from Nightingale’s boots to the tip of his hair and solidified into a white, grey, and red kwami with small grey wings in place of the front flippers.

Chirpp looked at Danny, Ladybug and Chat Noir, Jazz, and then back to Danny. They slapped their forehead as their master tried to hold back a grin.

“Oh no,” Danny said loudly as he put his hands on his cheeks. “Jazz and Chat know my identity! I guess you’ll have to take the hairpin back and never give me a miraculous ever again.” As Jazz stood and dusted off her pants, she jabbed him in the gut with her elbow and he clutched his stomach with a groan.

“What he means to say is he is sorry for breaking your trust and it will not happen again. Right, Danny?” she said in stilted French. Danny grumbled something under his breath before sighing and holding out a hand.

“Yeah, sorry about that Ladybug.” Danny chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess I’m just not used to having a secret identity.” Jazz pursed her lips and clasped her hands together tightly. Now it was Danny’s turn to jab her in the gut.

He pulled off the hairpin and held it out to Ladybug. “We’ll only be in Paris for a few more weeks, but if you need me, my family’s staying at the hotel across from that one really good bakery.”

Jazz rolled her eyes. “The Dupain-Cheng bakery, Danny.” She smirked and tapped her chin. “Also, Danny does not have anything to do on this trip since his friends are not around...”

---

“Hey there Bugaboo, Boy Wonder.” Nightingale only groaned.

As Chat accepted a croissant from Ladybug, he whispered loudly. “What’s up with the early bird?”

“I’m a night owl,” Nightingale grumbled from his slumped seat at the roof’s edge. “And whoever suggested early morning patrols is a dead hero.” Chat chuckled and sat down beside the other boy, swiping a take-out coffee with a small cat drawing from the tray in his lap.

Ladybug finished her own breakfast and stretched her arms before coming up to Nightingale’s other side. “Oh come on Gale, tell me you don’t feel anything looking at this view.” She gestured at the sunrise in the distance illuminating the early morning mists.

“I don’t feel anything looking at this view.” Nightingale said, then proceeded to chug the other three coffees on the tray in seconds. His hand automatically reached for the cup in Chat’s hands, but the boy quickly held it away. Nightingale narrowed his eyes at the other boy and nearly tackled him in his haste to snatch the drink away.

As the boys wrestled over the last coffee, Ladybug sighed at the three empty cups in the forgotten tray, two of them marked with little ladybug drawings.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Ask Team Phantom: You guys doing anything for Valentine's Day like Team Miraculous over in Paris?

Valerie: "Attempting to have a dinner date but knowing it'll get interrupted by some bullshit."

Danny: "Eh. Probably. Most Ghosts have date plans that don't involve trying to kill me the rest of the way so we might get a little bit of peace."

Tucker: "Trying to get a date because I am still somehow single!"

Sam: "Protesting the commercialized idea of Valentine's Day."

Jazz: "Trying to make sure my parents' Valentine's plans don't end up sending the house to the Cosmic Sauce. Again."

Elle: "Also single because good fucking fuck how would I even explain my life and lack thereof to a potential partner???"

[weareyour4]

The Spectacular Moulin Rouge! The Musical - Jen S

Four years ago, YouTube recommended for me to watch a video of Broadway performer, Aaron Tveit, singing Come What May from Moulin Rouge! I soon realised, however, that this wasn’t from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film, but rather from something I’d been wanting to exist for years ��� Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The video was promoting the new musical’s pre-Broadway world premiere at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre and would then go on to transfer to Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York.

As excited as I was, I knew that it was unlikely that I would get to see the show any time soon and as Covid shut down Broadway and the West End in early 2020, I somehow lost touch with the show. That was, until the gift that is my YouTube recommendations brought it back into my life three months ago, with an impressive clip of Aaron Tveit singing an excerpt of the iconic number, El Tango De Roxanne.

Since then, I’ve been down a Moulin Rouge! The Musical rabbit hole and as usual when this happens, it has led me to find all sorts of interesting content. Ricky Rojas, who originated the role of Santiago in Boston and on Broadway, had been doing regular Instagram Live videos from his dressing room at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre as he warmed his voice up, ready for the show. Guitar in hand, sometimes he’d sing blues, sometimes it was rock. Sometimes they were well-known songs to sing along to and other times, we’d get to hear some great Ricky Rojas originals.

People working on the show who happened to pass by would stop for a chat or a sing, including regulars, Robyn Hurder, Aaron Tveit, Tam Mutu and Danny Burstein. It offered an interesting perspective of what the atmosphere backstage was like, as if you were just hanging out with them and when the show (and Lives) returned upon Broadway’s reopening, it was nice to see that the company was so excited and grateful to be back working on the show and with each other again.

The Lives were a great way for fans to connect with the cast whilst Covid restrictions stopped them from interacting at the stage door. They meant that people from all around the world could feel that they were a part of the show, even if they weren’t able to see it financially or geographically and sometimes fans were even accepted onto the Instagram Lives to video chat with the cast. The Lives were an opportunity for fans to see an unedited, real-time account of how the cast prepare for the start of the show and there were countless questions answered for those asking, who were either interested in performing themselves, or just simply interested in the show.

Those cast members mentioned have now all left the show, but Ricky’s Lives can still be found on his Instagram and his podcast with fellow cast member, Tam Mutu, Bants with Boo, can be found on PodBean and Spotify. It offers more behind-the-scenes tales from Moulin Rouge! The Musical, their experience of finding work in-between creative jobs and their thoughts on more general topics such as the effect of social media. Or, if you’re an aspiring performer yourself and are feeling inspired, Ricky and Tam are both offering ongoing lessons online in acting through song!

So, here we are in 2022, I have finally seen Moulin Rouge! The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End and it is everything. As soon as you walk in, the set becomes a character in itself, with huge elephant and windmill set pieces, a dramatic red colour-scheme and a pre-show appearance from the ensemble, to set the scene. Unlike any other show I’ve seen, the whole auditorium had been transformed so that, no matter where you sit, the wallpaper and draped curtains and lights surround you, to help create the illusion that you are in Paris’ Moulin Rouge, 1899. The show felt like an experience, rather than simply something to watch and I can see how it has gathered such a passionate fanbase who return again and again.

It’s funny, emotional, wild, bright, loud, quiet and obviously spectacular. The work that has gone into this show from everyone involved from the beginning, to make it what it has become, is unreal and I think they should be very proud. It’s the most exciting show I’ve ever seen and I can’t wait to return to the Moulin Rouge!

Have a great day!

[anotherbeingsworld]

Fly High

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Casey Valentine) 

Characters: Bryce Lahela, Casey Valentine and Teresa Martinez. 

Summary: The small moments with Mr.s Martinez were playing in their mind a year after the inevitable happens. 

TW: death. 

A/N: hi! I am sorta-back in the writing game? This idea has been living in my mind as OPH is coming. Its somewhat a tribute to Mrs. Martinez, and with a small touch of backstory between Bryce and Casey. I’m so sorry for not writing as much as I did before, uni is almost coming to an end for the 2nd semester which i am quite excited for. But, this story is dear to my heart. Idk why I love to write death, as i somewhat resonates it with life, but...this really is something I am very proud of. I like to dedicate this to those who wants to catch their dreams but, they couldn’t. Mrs. Martinez really gave us good advice, and...I’d like for it to stay in our minds. Also, I’m dedicating this to those who have leave a mark in my life. Its something that still blows me away everyday. Thank you, and enjoy! <3 

MY MASTERLIST

"I would take a 99% chance of dying over spending the next ten years in this hospital. To have even a 1% chance of exploring the world... of finally standing on the steps of Sacre-Coeur... I would give everything."—Mrs. Martinez.

---------

365 days ago. 

“Teresa Martinez were found dead at her hotel room in Buenos Aires.” was the topic in the hospital that day. The news of Mr.s Martinez leave the hospital devastated, as the world seems to stop for Casey. 

It doesn’t feel real. It’s not real, she is living her life happily in Paris...visiting the Sacre-Coeur. She can’t be...  

The thoughts were interrupted by the sound of ambulance coming in, a trauma case distracting her thoughts. She quickly joined in the other interns in the scene, but her mind falls onto Mr.s Martinez; the advice she left. A wisdom, as her passing is similar to a shooting star finally burns out. A light that has to be left behind. The days went by quicker, a trial, law-suit occurs in a blink of an eye. 

---------

PRESENT DAY 

It was a day of remembrance today, as Bryce and Casey make their way to the hospital in a slow pace. It was an emotional day for all of them, as all their memories were playing. All the laughter and joy, it was one of her favorite things about her. Her cheery persona was the heart of Edenbrook, and without her; a light has been burn, but a star has obtain someone special to keep on shining them from a far. 

Bryce was awfully quiet as well, as they walked down the road after spending their night together. Words were unspoken the night before, as the comfort was worth more than a sentence, a word and even a rhyme. 

Casey found herself to a stop, at the entrance. A distance away, trying to calmed herself down. He broke the silence by placing his hand on her cheek, caressing it with a small smile on his face.

‘You cam do this okay, we are all here for you.’ He said before pulling her into a kiss, as they melt into an embrace before going their separate ways. He stops in the mid of the hallway, his eyes fall onto her as they were met with a pair of emeralds that is already looking at him. 

They both resume their day, as the memories followed them throughout the hour. A reminder that she had left a mark to everyone in Edenbrook including one Casey Valentine and Bryce Lahela. 

----------

C A S E Y

The voices around her fades, as she sat on the empty bench, letting out a sigh as she was dismissed by Dr. Mirani upon her mistake today in the patient room. She remembers the embarrassment as the other interns let out a chuckle upon her mistake, moments before she was chewed. It was her second week as an intern, and she has made mistakes; what happened to her? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone occupying a seat the opposite of her. It was Mrs Martinez letting out a breath with her I.V stand on her side, looking at her with concern. She smiled upon her arrival as she remembers the events on their first meet which involves herself being lost in the hospital during her first day with Elijah. 

Weeks later, she became close to her as she learns upon her love towards travelling, visiting new places around the world; from the Bright Lights of Paris to the city of Madrid. And, the thought of the postcards hanging in her room bring joy to her, as a reminder of her own dream to be a doctor. 

“Casey dear, what’s with the long face?” She spoke, as Casey lets out a sigh.

“I just, I messed up again. It’s been a month, and I tend to get distracted with everything; friendships, the competition, dreading patients, and everything feels too overwhelming.” She burried her face in her hands, trying to hide her expression from the woman in front of her.

After a few moments of silence, she opened her eyes once more to be met with a concerned looking Mr.s Martinez. 

“Dear, you are not human if you never messed up. If I ever got a dollar for every time I took a wrong turn in life, I believe I can afford a mansion in the city of Stars.” 

Casey lets out a chuckle upon the mention of it, as the smile slowly appear on her face. 

“I think I’d be able to pay up my student loans that way.” 

There was a ripple of laughter between them, lighten up the mood releasing a knot on her shoulders that has been there for the day. 

“Indeed, but I saw you work that day; and I believe you are going places dear. You are unique, and the world is not ready to see the light in you dim. For the last decades of living, I made a huge mistake of not pursuing my dreams; and I don’t want to see you give up this dream Casey.” Her voice is demanding yet calm giving her a sense of hope. 

They were interrupted by Danny who is in the midst of a scavenger hunt for one Mr.s Martinez who apparently has left her room once again.

“There you are Mr.s Martinez, its time for your medicine once again.” Danny said as he smiles upon their interaction.

“I guess my time is up. I had fun chatting with you dear, I’ll see you soon.” Mr.s Martinez left with Danny leaving her alone with the wild thoughts once again. 

But, this moment; she received a sense of hope. Maybe it will be okay after all. 

----------

B R Y C E

The first day as a surgical intern at Edenbrook. He was finally a surgeon, all those years of bartending was worth it. His confidence somewhat pushed people away, as he shrugs the feeling off. He came here to be the best, and not to find friends. 

“Welcome interns. Today is the start of your careers as a surgical intern, and I am ecstatic for what all of you could bring to the table.” the Dr. Harper Emery exclaims happily, as she eyed the crowd of surgeons.

There was a round of applause, as the energy in the room was accumulated. 

“I will introduce you to Dr. Tanaka who is one of your surgical residents. He will be guiding you through this journey. Some of you will fall, quit, but some of you will rise and it will be worth it in the end.” 

After the introduction was done, the crowd was dismissed as the first rounds of the day begun for the surgical interns. 

His heart was filled with excitement, a new beginning. A new slate, and a new chance to not become known. That is the whole reason from the beginning. He is Bryce Lahela, a surgeon. Nothing else more. 

As the days go by, he has been able to witness the procedures that were taught during his years at medical school. His gaze was equivalent to one who looks at their favorite food which is filled with awed and joy. As someone who would fixed up the problems at home, surgery made him feel fulfill once again. It is giving him a purpose even after everything that has happened. 

“Dr Lahela, earth to Dr. Lahela.” A voice called for him brought him back from his subconscious. 

“Yes, I’m here.” He replied as the other interns were found laughing silently at the back.

“What is the first step to perform a  Laparoscopic appendectomy?’ Dr. Tanaka questioned him with Dr. Emery on his side observing. All of the eyes fall on him.

It was his moment to show that he is worth it today, and everyday for the rest of his life.

We will access the appendix through a few small incisions in the abdomen as a cannula which is a small, narrow tube  will then be inserted. It is used to inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas which allows us to see the appendix more clearly...” He paused, as he took a deep breath before resuming his explanation. 

“Once the abdomen is inflated,  a laparoscope will be inserted through the incision. It is a long, thin tube with a high-intensity light and a high-resolution camera at the front which will display the images on a screen, allowing us to see inside of the abdomen and guide the instruments. When the appendix is found, it will be tied off with stiches and removed. The small incisions are then cleaned, closed, and dressed.” His final words fall as somehow equivalent to a mic-drop earning both smiles from the two doctors, as they resumed with rounds for the day. 

He took a minute to be proud of himself, as it is a reminder that he is here to stay. 

After rounds was over, he is officially a surgeon. He was assigned under Dr. Tanaka as he was his resident along with a few other interns. It was really happening, the suprised dream he had that was meant to be an escape; has came true today.

“Dr. Lahela, I would like you to scrub in with me to perform your very first appendectomy in the O.R” Dr. Tanaka said, as his smile was wide filled with joy which was taken away by the growling voices of the other interns behind him. 

He ignored them, as he started to scrub in. The looked that was dedicated to him was somewhat a deja vu moment, a moment where he was known as the son of a criminal. The hatred eyes that is coming to him, attacking him slowly as it was disguised by the confident exterior. 

He shake the thoughts away, getting himself prep in the O.R for his first surgery, but some demons never left as he tried his best. 

After they were dismissed, he took a turn to the cafeteria as a distraction. It wasn’t the best, maybe he hoped it would be like the movies; he would be the protagonist, the hero. Instead, it was the joker. 

He decides upon a snicker bar from one of the vending machines, as the line piled up. He took a seat at the edge of the room, with his pager present on the table. A breath was taken, calming the rage and expectations in him. 

The occupied thoughts were interrupter by a woman, looking at her once again with concern. 

“You should try this, it’s the cafeteria signature.” The voice was soft, comforting as she passed a pudding cup his way. Chocolate to be specific. 

“It’s just a pudding cup, mr.s” He chuckled upon the small cup, as Mr.s Martinez joined him on the empty seats. 

“It’s more than a pudding cup, it’s the cure of sadness actually.” She gestures upon him, as realization hits him.

“I didn’t hide it hard enough didn’t I?” 

She just shake his head, as he held the pudding cup in his hands. 

“You must be one of the new interns aren’t you, the outfit reminds me of a young Harper Emery during her own residency.” She gestures towards his green scrubs. 

“She was the legend, and you have seen her work here before??” His eyes shine upon the name.

“Son, I have been in this hospital for the last decade. I have known all the residents for some times now, there was a lot a person can go through for the last 10 years.” She stated as Bryce was filled with awe. 

“So, tell me what’s with the long face; I thought it was supposed to be an exciting start.”  

“I woke up today feeling on top of the world, but coming here feels like the past haunting me once again. The eyes, the look, and...it reminds me of something I always wanted to forget.” He lets out a small sigh upon the statement, it wasn’t the whole truth, but it feels go to have someone to listen. 

“The past, its always going to be there to haunt us. Sometimes, history repeats itself to prove how strong you are. You have been through a lot and you survived, you are a doctor today dear. This chance is bigger than any doubt, any pain, any memory that you have been through. I have seen the doctors here grow, some had left to pursue something easier, some even crack under the pressure, but some also thrive in excellence. Those people have fought to survive, and that’s what life is about dear. Fighting to survive, I am fighting too. It felt like a long journey for the past 10 years, but some adventures are worth to take to get to the final destination.” She ends the speech with a smile, as she left him with his thoughts once again. 

It feels like a fever-dream, but it is true. Maybe, he will make it after all with a pack of chocolate pudding by his side. 

Suddenly, his pager starts to beep. A new chance to start again, a new hope was in-stored. He took a final bite before leaving the room, feeling okay for the first time that day. 

----------

PRESENT DAY 

The day passes by quickly, as the reminders and memories kept on replaying in their minds. A sign from her, a message possibly, a lingering gift from the beyond. 

Casey met up with Bryce at the entrance, they have plans that evening. Both of them are already dressed in black which replaces the scrubs from the day; Luis invited them that day to pay their respects for Mrs. Martinez. The whole gang followed, as it is better to face the inevitable together- making it less scarier. 

The evening was peaceful, it was beautiful even. The leaves started to fall, its a start of a new season; some would say a new chapter. They met with Luis to pay their respects to the woman who had changed all of their lives, as they changed hers even for a moment. 

They paid their respects together, as Casey lets out of her silent wishes for Mrs. Martinez. It took a few moments before she was met with his comforting gaze once more, as she nods in completion.  Their reunion with Luis was a pleasant one, as he thanked them once more; despite everything. It echo’s in her mind, word-by-word. 

‘You give my mom her happiness, the one thing I couldn’t. I will never thank you enough for the little miracle that had happened. I was pissed when I found out, but...you manage to give her the signature Martinez’s smile once more. Thank you.’

Luis excused himself from the group, as they were pulled into a group hug. Mrs. Martinez gave each and everyone of them a purpose. Something that she couldn’t see before. 

After they bid their farewell,  Bryce and Casey walked hand-in-hand making their way back home as they talked about life, memories, and even happiness. It was a beautiful ending for their day, as the sunset was their backdrop, it was what life is all about. 

She finally started to live life, as he continues to pursue his dream. Maybe even found himself a new dream as well. 

----------

‘Life to one Teresa Martinez ; it was an unforgettable journey. She believed in the impossible, she took a risk that wasn’t mean to be taken by any other. She trusted me, and that was everything. But, the news - it was a tragedy. Death is a tragedy, as life was taken away from us. But, Teresa Martinez’s death reminds us of the dreams that we wanted to catch. The dreams that were left behind, the dreams that were abandoned in the dust. It was a dream that is worth following for, even if it ends upon your death bed. She believed in me during my dark times, and the reminder of one Teresa Martinez, is something we can’t turn back from. But, the advices and love she has left behind is a reminder that those who are gone...will always be with us, we can’t see them, but there are always there guiding us, cheering us on even after they have left us behind. Teresa Martinez lived a good life, and she will never be forgotten as she is flying high at somewhere better.’  

THE END. 

Tags:  @bitchloveskcbaseball , @storyofmychoices , @mvalentine , @princess-geek , @lahellacute ,   @annekebbphotography , @mrsbhandari , @dcbbw , @choicessa , @fantasyoverreality98 , @baltersome , @ofpixelsandscribbles , @thundergom  @starrystarrytrouble,  @kelseaaa  , @choicesficwriterscreations  , @lalizah , @drethanramslay , @eleanorbloom , @openheartfanfics , @brycesgirl  ,  @freckles-spangledvampire , @agentnolastname , @robintora​ , @adriansbiss​  (comment if you want to be tagged or removed 💜💜)

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Shot Through the Heart; and You're to Blame

by Animefangirl1221 Jazz somehow finds herself on the way to the Paris Olympics. How the hell did she get here? Also, why is that black-haired, blue-eyed man flirting with her? Also also, the ecto in Paris is a little Funky. Words: 5801, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 18 of DPxDC Fics :3, Part 4 of Bits and Baubles Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Jazz Fenton, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Original Female Character(s), Original Characters, Mentioned Danny Fenton - Character Relationships: Jazz Fenton & Original Female Character(s), Jazz Fenton & Dick Grayson, Jazz Fenton/Dick Grayson Additional Tags: Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Sharpshooter Jazz Fenton, Gymnast Dick Grayson, they only actually get together for a little bit, Jazz is not impressed with the Olympics, Dick's just been handed something and he's not sure how to deal with it?, Ambiguous/Open Ending, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm so sorry for this, it's not my best work :T, Mildly Dubious Consent, I liked the idea but not the execution, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt via https://ift.tt/03BTrcs

[ladylynse]

Chapter 13 [FF | AO3] of Whirlwind (SQ fic): Jake should be used to ominous predictions by now. Randy should know better than to blindly follow McFist. Adrien should think twice before sneaking away. And Danny should’ve expected something like this when he got that phone call.

Previous | Timeline post

-|-

7:50 PM

Jake couldn’t see Danny as he winged around to the building where Hawk Moth stood with Susan, but he had a feeling he knew Danny’s plan: namely, get Nino out of danger. Specifically, do that by phasing him out of Susan’s claws. Randy—who was clinging to the edge of the roof and barely showing more than his eyes and fingertips—looked ready to jump into action the moment that happened, and Jake knew he should be, too, but….

This situation wasn’t just his fault.

It was the fault of the World Dragons in general.

If they’d ever found a replacement for the French Dragon or at least done a better job of checking up on France, this might not have happened.

Which meant it was Jake’s responsibility not just to diffuse this particular situation and deal with the fallout but also to, well, see what he could do about Hawk Moth so that he didn’t keep doing this in Paris.

Jake hovered in the air for a moment, knowing he’d been spotted, but despite the telling flick of her eyes, his mother didn’t call any attention to him. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was good or bad; she still recognized him, right? Was she ignoring him on purpose? She had to know he couldn’t let this slide. Between her letting everyone in the city—and, let’s face it, beyond—know that dragons exist and this Hawk Moth guy misusing magical artefacts, there was no way he couldn’t get involved.

Jake took a deep breath, folded his wings, and let fire burn away his scales. He landed on the roof with very human feet, rolling with the impact and rising from a crouch as Hawk Moth turned. Jake gave him a wide berth, ignoring Hawk Moth in favour of his mom. He edged around to keep her in sight, though he knew better than to turn his back on an enemy. “Mom,” he whispered, “don’t do this. Please.”

He saw Hawk Moth’s triumphant smile out of the corner of his eye. “So. This is your son, one of the city’s great protectors.”

Susan said nothing, though she held Jake’s gaze.

“You’re better than this,” Jake said when he noticed Hawk Moth open his mouth again. “You know what I’m fighting for. You know why I fight for it. You have to know this is wrong. Just step back and think about it for a moment, like you always taught me to do. This isn’t you. Please.”

“Dracona,” Hawk Moth said sharply. “Tell me what else I should know about your son.”

What else he should know.

That meant he already knew something.

That she’d already told him something.

How much?

“What? What did you tell him? Why did you tell him anything?”

For a few heartbeats, Jake was sure his mom wasn’t going to answer—him or Hawk Moth. He hoped she was ignoring his questions because they were ridiculous and she’d never tell someone like him anything important, whatever he demanded. He hoped he’d managed to get through to her when it came to Hawk Moth, too. She was still looking at him, and he was familiar enough with reading dragon expressions to see determination settle on her face. It gave him hope—until she opened her mouth and said, “I made a deal. I’ve realized that I have to fulfill it.”

“You don’t!”

“Fighting doesn’t work.” She sounded more resigned than she looked, which was weird, but whatever. “I’ve tried. I can’t.”

Jake wanted to wipe the smug expression off Hawk Moth’s face, but Danny was right. If Randy’s book did mean that he could talk his mom down, he had to try—and if he could do that without giving Hawk Moth any more information about the magical world, dragons included, then all the better. “You can, I swear,” Jake insisted. “You just said you’ve fought it before. You can do it again. And you know what it’s like to try to fight off mind control; G would’ve trained you, I know he would’ve. You can’t give up now, yo. You have to keep trying. You can do this!” She turned back to Hawk Moth, and he called again, “Please! I’m sorry about earlier! I’m sorry about everything. Just don’t do this. You know it’s not right!”

Susan ignored him, instead answering Hawk Moth’s question as if they hadn’t let him have his say at all. “My son is foolish, and he is brave.”

“Mom, just stop, okay?”

“He is young, and he is skilled.”

“Don’t tell him everything. You can’t.” If he didn’t think he’d lose against her in a straight up attack, he’d do it. Nino’s magic suit looked more durable than Randy’s and seemed to protect him from a lot; it should protect him from being crushed underfoot or impaled by a stray claw. Trouble was, Susan was still the bigger dragon, and even if she didn’t have as much practice as Jake when it came to being a dragon and moving around, that inexperience hadn’t shown up so far. Besides, she knew way more theory than he did, and if she didn’t have any trouble applying it….

Attacking her now would just make him more vulnerable.

And attacking Hawk Moth was likely to invite a retaliatory attack from her, and he didn’t particularly want that in either form. Randy was not enough back up for that. So where the heck was Danny?

“He makes mistakes, many of them, but he always tries his best to do what is right.”

Jake shifted on his feet. He hadn’t expected a glowing review, exactly, but he hadn’t thought his mom would put it quite like that. He could guess why Hawk Moth might ask—if he’d identified Jake as a protector of the NYC, if not the magical world, then he knew Jake was here to fight him—but he still didn’t know why Susan had answered.

For that matter, he didn’t know why neither of them had just attacked; he was a lot more vulnerable in this form, and Hawk Moth at least had no idea how quickly he could change…unless his mom had already passed on that bit of information.

A subtle movement caught Jake’s eye, and he tracked it in time to see the tips of Nino’s ears slide downwards and disappear through the roof.

Strangely, Susan said nothing about it, even though Jake knew she must have noticed. He turned to get a better view of Hawk Moth, but he didn’t seem to notice, either. He was still staring at Jake. Maybe this hadn’t been a bad plan, after all, even if Nino had gotten who was a suitable distraction completely wrong.

“He also possesses a greater magic than yours,” Susan said quietly, “because the magic you use is borrowed and not your own.”

Hawk Moth scowled and looked back at her. “My magic will be greater than either of you can imagine once I have the Miraculous I seek. Give me Chat Noir’s.”

“Gonna have a hard time with that,” Randy called, drawing everyone’s attention. He was sitting on the edge of the roof now; Jake hadn’t even noticed him climb up. Maybe he’d still been underestimating Randy’s Ninja skills, despite having ample evidence of exactly how good Randy could be. “I mean, you kinda gotta have something to give it in the first place.”

“What?” roared Hawk Moth. He spun back to Dracona, and Jake had to look twice at the cane in his hand to confirm that, yes, it had hidden a sword, and now Hawk Moth had discarded its sheath. “You let him escape?”

“I brought you his ring, as you asked. It’s hardly my fault you didn’t take it when you had the chance.” She tilted her head towards Jake and added, “I’ve also told you about our local hero. Consider our contract fulfilled.”

“The Miraculous is not in my hands!”

“But I did bring it to you,” she repeated, “and—”

Hawk Moth lunged.

Despite how focused he’d been on Susan, he came at Jake. Jake scrambled back and somehow tripped over his own feet. He handed hard on his bottom and breathed a spout of fire in Hawk Moth’s direction to encourage him to keep his distance, but Jake realized a split second later that that hadn’t been necessary. Jake had a brief glimpse of Randy’s scarf wrapping around Hawk Moth’s torso and forcing him to a stop before one of Susan’s wings spread out between them as protection.

“Get his Miraculous!”

Jake turned as he climbed to his feet and saw Nino already back on the roof, racing towards Hawk Moth. Susan dropped her wing, looking like she was preparing to breath her own fire instead, and Jake saw Hawk Moth snarl and twist back towards Randy. He raised his sword and severed the scarf in one quick swipe.

Randy let out a cry as the fabric fell, and Hawk Moth froze even as he turned his blade on Nino.

That’s where Danny was, then.

“It’s his brooch,” Nino explained as he started unravelling the layers of scarf that covered Hawk Moth’s chest. He had to duck around the sword but didn’t seem overly bothered by the inconvenience; Hawk Moth’s arm had frozen mid-swing, partially blocking his chest, and his sword was still held in a tight grip, judging by how it didn’t even tremble. “If we can get it, then we can stop everything right now, and—” He broke off.

Jake didn’t need to walk closer to see what the problem was—even he was sure the Miraculous wasn’t supposed to be glowing that bright green colour—but he reached Nino only a few steps ahead of Randy. On closer inspection, the situation looked worse, with cracks of bright purple spiderwebbing across the entire brooch that grew wider as Jake watched.

“Um. You probably don’t wanna touch that,” Randy said. “It looks like it’s about to explode. Can those things explode?”

“I didn’t think so,” Nino said, but he sounded as confident as he looked—which, when he was chewing on his lip and staring at the brooch instead of reaching for it, told Jake all he needed to know.

Jake felt a hand on his arm, and he turned back to see the familiar face of his mother. “I don’t know if I’m free of him,” she said quietly. “You need to end this now, before—”

Purple light exploded.

Jake stumbled forward, hearing multiple grunts behind him and more than one body hitting the rooftop.

As he hadn’t been looking directly at the Miraculous, he wasn’t blinded like the others undoubtedly were. Still, he was too stunned to react as Hawk Moth’s sword flashed towards Susan, slicing away her necklace—and into her flesh. He heard her scream. He heard himself scream as he scrambled forward to try to catch her.

There was so much blood.

There shouldn’t be this much blood.

Red smoke clouded his vision, but at that point, it didn’t matter; Jake couldn’t see through his tears anyway.

7:53 PM

McFist thought he had a plan. Rotwood claimed that it was more his plan than McFist’s. Haley just had a budding headache and a growing, panicked worry in her chest that wouldn’t go away without more information.

The plan, as it was, wasn’t very good. It required a lot of luck, which in Haley’s experience tended to go sour; a healthy dose of lies, which sounded terribly unbelievable to her ears; and the remaining supply of Ninja Cold Balls, which McFist had picked out with unnerving accuracy. “How long would a pop-up skating rink even last?” Haley asked, interrupting whatever Rotwood and McFist were arguing about.

“Ninja ice lasts longer than regular ice,” McFist said. “Magic. Figured you knew.”

“Right.”

“So we’ll expand on the patch you started. It’ll still be there. We’ll call it a teaser if anyone asks. People like sneak peeks.”

There was absolutely no way this would work.

“Little bit of fashion, little bit of skating. It’ll sell. People eat this stuff up all the time.”

Rotwood sniffed. “And when people call your bluff, I will tell them the real reason for all of this—don’t look at me like that; I respect the deals I make, so of course I do not mean the real real reason. I will insist it is the work of magical creatures and use the fight of the Ninja and the dragon as my proof.”

“At which point I remind people that the best advertising is the viral kind, and people believe me instead of him. Everyone loves a good show.”

There was no nice way to tell them this wouldn’t work, was there? “I’m not sure—”

“You can even come out and pretend to be a ninja if you like. Really sell it. You any good at skating?”

She was better at the violin. “I don’t even have skates.”

McFist shrugged. “No one else will, either. You ever wear an expensive pair of shoes meant for indoors? Those things have no grip. It’ll be fine.”

It wouldn’t be. Not on its own. Maybe she’d get lucky and think of what else they could do to supplement it once they got going, though. Haley glanced at Rotwood. “You’re really okay with your name being dragged through the mud again for making false claims?”

“I will hardly be the only one reporting on this magical creature sighting. Besides, I can always try to prove the existence of the magical world again later. A visit the Magus Bazaar—or whatever you will do for me instead of that—is worth more than an attempt to get people to see the truth when I know you are already working against me.” Rotwood spread his hands. “Think of it as me hedging my bets. I have more chance of success in the future, when you and your brother are not aware of my actions.”

Haley had no idea how Jake put up with Rotwood in school every day. She sincerely hoped Rotwood would find another job by the time she went to Millard Fillmore, at least if he didn’t change his tune. It was hard to admire his perseverance when she knew how much his success would cost the magical world.

Maybe Jake should just try to sit him down and strike a long-term bargain with him. Rotwood might not be so set on exposing the magical world if he finally understood what that exposure would mean. She doubted he’d be happy to consistently work to protect the magical world, but he might agree to keep silent about it—and keep his personal rivals away from it—in exchange for more information. From what Jake had told her, he was working off a lot more fiction than fact.

Heck, if Randy could come up with something better to offer McFist, he might think twice about working with the Sorcerer, too. She was less certain on that front, of course, but McFist seemed to be in it only for his reward. Dealing with a rogue sorcerer technically fell under the purview of the dragons, too, so Randy would be perfectly within his rights to ask for help. It just seemed to her like there might be a better way to do this, since McFist and Rotwood were acting more reasonable than she’d expected.

And a lot more helpful, too.

It was different with Nino. He didn’t know Hawk Moth’s identity, and from what she’d seen and heard, Hawk Moth wasn’t someone that could be easily talked down. He had an agenda, and he’d see it through no matter who got hurt in the process. That made him someone they needed to take down, not someone they might be able to negotiate with.

But if Jake didn’t defeat him now, he’d have to play politics himself to get help to Nino. It would be a lot easier if he didn’t have to go through the Dragon Council to get permission for something like that, if he and the others could just make some agreement and do it all under the table. Gramps might not wholly approve, but he wouldn’t disapprove, not if Jake was doing the right thing, and Fu would be more than willing to help. She could cover for him if he ever had business elsewhere, with Trixie and Spud for backup if they were still around, and—

“I’ll keep these throwing balls in case they come in handy later,” McFist said as he started to pocket everything that wasn’t a Ninja Cold Ball. “You start making the rink, and Rotwood and I will seed rumours.”

“What if this doesn’t work?” Haley asked. “What if no one believes us? What if they see through it?”

McFist jerked his thumb towards Rotwood. “So you’re saying people might believe him? I was getting the impression that he was a bit of a Cassandra type myself.”

“That’s not the worst comparison you could have made,” Rotwood muttered.

“No, but…. What’s our backup plan?”

“What was your backup plan?”

She bit her lip. “I trusted that I’d come up with something that would work if it came to that.”

McFist snorted. “Yeah, well, my backup plan is the simple fact that if you act like you know what’s going on and you’re good at selling it, people will believe you, even if it’s outrageous. I mean, my company cleans up the messes our own robots make, and we’re commended for it. It’s all about having good PR. I may not be good at inventing things to get the results I want, but I am good at handling the public. You follow through on your end of the deal, and I’ll make sure they don’t turn on you.”

7:54 PM

“Randy said he can help,” Danny said as he pulled Jake away from Susan. “Let him. He’ll help your mom. You and I need to catch that akuma. Nino’s going after Hawk Moth. He grabbed one of Randy’s smoke bombs and escaped. We’re lucky it wasn’t one of those bee balls.”

Jake didn’t respond.

He might not even be listening.

He wasn’t fighting in Danny’s grip anymore, not even when Randy bent over Susan and held his hands over her to do some Ninja thing. Jake was just dead weight, conscious but not home, which was not what Danny needed right now. It wasn’t what any of them needed, Susan included.

Danny formed a handful of ice cubes and dumped them down the back of Jake’s shirt.

The reaction was thankfully immediate, with Jake jerking away from him. “Yo, that is not cool, man!”

“Actually, it’s ice cold, which is why I did it.”

Jake turned to glare at Danny, but his anger was short-lived; Danny could see new tears forming in his eyes. He started to turn back to his mom, but Danny caught his arm. “Hey. We need to deal with the akuma. You’re the American Dragon. This is part of that.”

“I don’t care about the stupid akuma.”

“You will if it multiplies and you’re dealing with a whole lotta people who can turn into dragons. Let’s go.”

“Mom—”

“Randy is helping her,” Danny repeated. “Let him. Help from your friends, remember?”

“That’s not—”

“We need to go before we lose the akuma entirely,” Danny interrupted. He was two seconds away from leaving Jake behind and just going to look for it on its own, even if he didn’t know what he’d do if he caught it, but Jake had better night vision than he did.

Jake took a shuddering breath and ground out, “Fine,” before transforming without another word.

Danny flew up to join him in the air, deciding Jake didn’t care about the other details right now. With any luck, Nino would catch Hawk Moth. That would make dealing with the akuma easier. Maybe. They needed something to go their way for once.

Danny knew better than to ask if Jake had spotted it yet, so he just hovered and waited as Jake looked and listened. When he picked a direction and started flying, Danny followed. He didn’t see anything that look remotely like a butterfly, but he trusted Jake.

After about a minute of flying with no butterfly in sight, he started to question that. They weren’t flying that slowly. The butterfly shouldn’t have been this far in front of them. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Danny ventured. “I mean, I can always scout behind us if you’re not.”

“The last one we saw was flying in this direction,” Jake said. “I think it was going for higher ground.”

“This is a city of skyscrapers. Isn’t everywhere higher ground?”

“You know what I mean.”

He didn’t, but Danny didn’t bother pressing the point. There was a more important question to ask. “What makes you think this one is going to the same place the last one was?”

“I…don’t, really. But it makes sense.”

Danny tried to figure out what he could say to that that wouldn’t sound completely insensitive when he knew Jake was preoccupied with worry about his mom. The truth of it was, it didn’t make sense, at least not to Danny, and he really wasn’t keen on the idea of them not splitting up to look for this thing if Jake wasn’t sure.

“I think it’s like those zombie ants.”

Danny blinked. “What?” He couldn’t have heard that right.

“You know. Those zombie ants. That get infected with that fungus. It, like, takes over their mind and makes them go to higher ground to die and then it spreads. This might be like that.”

“Okay, one, how have I never heard about this before if it’s real, and two, pretty sure the magical butterflies aren’t infected with a fungus.”

“I didn’t say they were! Just that it would make sense with the higher ground thing.”

Danny groaned. “I don’t suppose you know if Spud found that thermos?”

“I’m not even sure if he’s looking for it. He’s doing something that he thinks will help.”

“With what?”

“I dunno. Everything, maybe. I trust him. He and Trix have my back.”

It would be a little hypocritical to argue against the whole ‘trust your friends and let them help you’ bit now, but it was hard. Jake might be clutching at straws because it was better to do that than to think about what he’d left behind. Danny really had no idea what Randy could do, but he’d sounded confident, so Danny hadn’t asked.

Maybe he should’ve; it would’ve made this conversation easier to navigate.

“Look, this akuma is as important as Hawk Moth right now. Pretty sure it won’t go away when he drops the mask, so we need to figure out how to contain it. Would Spud and Trixie know of anything that would help? Are they following a hunch?”

Jake didn’t answer.

Perfect.

Danny followed him in silence, debating the merits of breaking off to check any other direction and then deciding that if Nino wasn’t successful in catching Hawk Moth, it wouldn’t be in their best interest to leave Jake alone in this mood.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said when the silence started to stretch. “I know this sucks. I know you’re worried about your mom, and what the Dragon Council is going to do when they find out about this, and—”

“Two o’clock, maybe thirty degrees up,” Jake interrupted, altering his course.

Danny blinked, and in his moment of hesitation, Jake let out a plume of fire that lit up and then completely engulfed a butterfly.

It didn’t immediately incinerate, like Danny had expected. It bubbled, roiling magic boiling across wings that fluttered frantically to stay aloft. When the flame died, all Danny could see was the afterimage seared green and white into his eyes.

“You wanna catch it?”

“It’s still alive?” Danny asked, looking around as his vision started to go back to normal. “I don’t—” He broke off. The white butterfly wings stood out more clearly against the sky than the purple ones had, and he caught the butterfly in his hands with surprisingly little effort—or maybe it just felt that way after everything else.

It was hard to believe he’d been in Amity Park for lunch.

Of course, coming from Amity Park and having the experiences that he did, he wasn’t about to assume that the colour change of the butterfly (or, frankly, its survival) was a fluke. Chances were good Nino could explain what had happened, but Danny just hoped it was a good thing. If they’d just released the magic and now didn’t have something concrete to chase after, he didn’t know how they were going to gather it all back up. Well, maybe Pandora could tweak her box if he borrowed it, but—

“I was trying to kill it,” Jake admitted as Danny stopped to hover across from him. The butterfly’s wings beat against Danny’s closed fingers, but he couldn’t lead the way back to Nino and (hopefully) answers. He’d already gotten turned around, and he wasn’t sure where they were. “I just…. I dunno. I wanted this problem gone. I should’ve known it wouldn’t work. The last one survived, too.”

“What? Really?” Danny hadn’t thought much about the first butterfly, but in retrospect, he supposed it must’ve survived if Nino was right about Hawk Moth recalling it. Maybe this was the same butterfly? He glanced down at his hands. Maybe Jake had had the same thought. He didn’t typically go for straight up destroying stuff, but if the butterflies were the only way Hawk Moth could release his magic….

“Just don’t let go of it,” Jake said, as if Danny had had any intentions otherwise. He flew back faster than they’d flown out, likely because he wasn’t trying to track a butterfly this time, but Danny easily kept pace.

He didn’t try to force a conversation, though. It was obvious enough Jake still wasn’t in the mood to talk, and Danny’s dismal attempts earlier made it clear that he didn’t know what to say.

Hopefully, by the time they got back to Randy, they’d get some good news for a change.

(see more fics | next)

[love-of-fandoms]

Cherry Blossoms (Hanzo Shimada + OC) Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of Cherry Blossoms (Master List)

Pairing: Alpha Hanzo + Omega OC

Word Count: 2204 words

It was late August, about a month after Paris, when Danny decided she missed watching movies with Jesse in their motel room. So he had proposed having movie nights every once in a while, and Genji had gotten roped in somehow, which led to alcohol getting involved, which led to Danny, Genji, and Jesse being one big tipsy mess on Genji’s bed.

They had decided to watch the original Star Wars trilogy, and Genji had offered to host. Jesse had no problem hopping up on Genji’s bed and making himself at home, tugging Danny on to snuggle with him. Genji had moved to sit on a beanbag in the corner, but Danny had made a noise of distress.

“Nuuuu,” she whined, already a bit tipsy. Jesse had insisted she down her whole bottle of hard lemonade and grab another, as penance for utterly destroying him in the drinking contest. Genji tilted his head in confusion. Danny just patted the bed in front of her. “C’mere!” Genji had shrugged, sitting on the bed in front of her and pressing play.

He grunted in surprised when Danny grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to lay back with his head in her lap.

“Join the snuggle puddle, stupid,” she muttered, eyes fixed on the screen while she unconsciously began stroking her fingers through his hair, and Genji melted. It had been so long since somebody had played with his hair… He took a sip of his beer, settling further into Danny’s lap, and turned his attention to the holovid in front of him.

As he relaxed further, a green glow began to emit from under some of the metal plates on his chest, and Danny gasped as a green… snake? Came out of his body. As she looked closer, she could see it was a dragon, and Genji sighed, a hand reaching up to pat the dragon on the head.

“This is Senko,” he said, and Danny let out a little ‘awe’ as the small cat sized dragon nuzzled into Genji’s hand. “She wants to meet you,” Danny held out the hand that wasn’t stroking through Genji’s hair, and Senko sniffed at her for a moment, her whiskers tickling Danny’s hand, before she shot up Danny’s arm and snuggled into her neck. Danny let out a short giggle at the sensation, and Genji smiled. “She likes you,”

They were at the end of A New Hope when somebody knocked on Genji’s door. They were all tipsy at this point, and Genji didn’t bother moving his head from Danny’s lap. She was still gently stroking her fingers through his hair, her nails occasionally scratching at his scalp in the most wonderful way.

“Enter!” he called, and the door opened to reveal Hanzo. The poor man froze when he saw the other two in Genji’s room, his eyes scanning the situation. The poor man looked as though he had short circuited at the sight of the cuddle puddle. Genji still hadn’t turned his head, but Senko lifted her own head from where it had been rested on Danny’s shoulder to open an eye and look at Hanzo. She snorted, uninterested, and closed her eyes once more, returning to resting around Danny’s shoulders. Danny turned to see who had opened the door, and she smiled brightly at Hanzo when she saw him.

“Hanzoooo!” she cheered, a hand reaching out to him, her cheeks flushed bright pink from inebriation. The archer startled a bit, eyeing her carefully. “Join us!” at this point, Genji turned his head to look at his brother.

“We were going to start the next movie,” he said, and Hanzo said nothing, continuing to look between the three. Jesse chuckled.

“I think he’s broken,” Hanzo snorted at this, his eyes narrowing to glare at the cowboy, and he crossed his arms as he sunk into the beanbag in the corner of the room, closing the door behind him.

“You’re not gonna…?” Danny started, but cut herself off, and Hanzo raised his brows to look at her expectantly. She blushed brighter, looking pointedly at the space next to her. He heaved out a sigh, standing and looking at Genji, as if asking permission. When his brother nodded, Hanzo climbed up onto the bed, awkwardly shifting over Danny so he could lean against the wall. Danny shifted as well, so that while she was sitting in Jesse’s lap, she was leaning against Hanzo. Senko grunted slightly in displeasure at the movement, and Danny cooed softly at her.

“Sorry,” she murmured, beginning to run her fingers through Genji’s hair again, and raised her free hand to pat Senko on her flank. The dragon let out a ‘hmph’ and settled once more.

Hanzo was rigid beneath Danny, and she looked up at him with a lazy smile and droopy eyelids.

“Relax,” she murmured to him, placing a hand on his bare shoulder where his tattoo was visible and nudging Genji to hit play. Danny took in a deep breath, happily sighing as the scent of green tea, flowers, and apple pie mixed in the air, along with Genji’s very faint scent of citrus. Hanzo mirrored her, taking a deep breath of his own and Danny felt his body sag in relaxation as he did so. A blue glow began to emit from his tattoo, and Danny grinned when two more dragons peeked out of his arm. “Hello,” she cooed to them, taking her hand off of Hanzo’s chest to gently extend it to them. Senko lifted her head, squeaking in glee at the sight of her sisters. She quickly unwound herself from Danny’s shoulders and nuzzled the two. The dragons both greeted her back, before curiously sniffing at Danny, their whiskers tickling her hand in the same way Senko’s had.

To her surprise, not only did they immediately snuggle into her like Senko had, but they both emitted loud purrs as they did so, their glows brightening a bit before returning to normal. Danny was beaming as she looked up at Hanzo, who’s eyes were wide.

“What’re their names?” she asked, and he pointed to them in turn.

“Sanda, and Akarui,” he said softly, and Danny echoed the names.

“Sanda and Akarui?” she phrased it like a question, hoping she got the pronunciation right, and Hanzo nodded. Jesse chuckled slightly as they snuggled into her and Senko returned to her perch around Danny’s shoulders.

“Noodle magnet,” he murmured, and Genji looked up at him.

“What did you call them?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in faux anger. Jesse smirked.

“Noodles,” he repeated, his arm reaching out to boop Danny on the nose before lowering and booping Genji’s as well. His hand moved to boop Hanzo’s, but Jesse quickly retreated at the sight of the intense glare on the man’s face. Danny giggled, relaxing further against Hanzo and turned her attention to the snowy landscape on the screen. Hanzo chuckled softly, soft enough that only Danny was privy to the heavenly sound, and she sighed happily. 

Meanwhile Hanzo had trouble keeping his attention on the screen, constantly looking back at Danny, with a softly glowing green blur around her neck and two blue blurs snuggled into her chest and stomach. For a moment he was slightly jealous of his spirit dragons, wishing he could trade places, but then Danny sagged further against his chest, her hand stilling where it was stroking through Genji’s hair. She had a soft, sleepy smile on her face, and her cheek was pressed up against the part of his chest uncovered by his robe. Hanzo had to suppress a shudder as her breath brushed against his shoulder, and he too felt his eyes begin to droop a bit. He decided he wouldn’t trade places with anyone in the world at this very moment.

After that night, the dragons were out much more often. Whenever Danny was in the room with Genji or Hanzo, or both, the dragons would immediately come out and say hello to her.

“Morning,” Danny greeted Genji and Hanzo as they came in, passing them each a hot cup of tea. Their dragons immediately emerged, giving her affectionate nuzzles on her cheeks 

“Good morning,” Genji returned the greeting, taking the cup with a soft ‘thanks’ and moving over to the table where Jesse was almost asleep in his coffee. Senko let out a soft trill as she rubbed cheeks with Danny before following her master and retreating back into his body with a green glow. Hanzo eyed her hand where it was extended, looking between her face and the cup of tea. Danny giggled a bit when Sanda and Akarui slithered down her arm to sniff at the cup of tea. The both gave happy purrs, Sanda wrapping around her arm while Akarui slid up to rest around her neck. Hanzo gave a soft smile at the adorable sight, before he quickly schooled his face and took the cup of tea.

“Thank you,” he muttered, going to sit with Genji. Sanda and Akarui both grumbled for a moment before reluctantly retreating from where they were snuggled with Danny and back into the tattoo on their master’s arm. Danny followed him, sitting next to Jesse, and flipping his hat up.

“Wake up sleepyhead!” she said loudly into his ear, causing him to jump up.

“Wha-” he rolled his eyes when he saw Danny’s grin, settling back down and taking a large gulp of his coffee. Meanwhile, Hanzo eyed his cup of tea doubtfully, raising it to his nose for a sniff. Danny watched nervously out of the corner of her eye, since it was the first time she had made his tea, and bit her lip lightly as he went to take a sip, not smelling anything out of the ordinary.

When he finally did take a sip, he let out a surprised hum, and Danny tensed, thinking for a moment she had done something wrong, but he looked up at her, eyeing where she had been biting her lip for a moment before softly smiling.

“Thank you,” he murmured again, raising the cup to his lips once more. Danny grinned, happy she had gotten it right.

“How did you even reach our teas?” Genji asked skeptically. Even though he and his brother were not terribly tall men, they were each at least half a foot above Danny’s own height, and the boxes that housed their teas were placed on one of the top shelves. Danny shrugged.

“Soldier grabbed them for me,” she answered, and all three men at the table gawked at her for a moment. “What?” Jesse was the first to snap out of the stupor that sentence had put him in.

“He just… doesn’t like people,” he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Danny’s brow furrowed.

“That’s because most people treat him like he’s about to take their head off,” she answered bluntly. “He’s a soldier, he prefers people to be straight about things, but everyone’s always stepping on eggshells around him,” 

“Are my ears ringing?” Everyone jumped at the low rasp of a voice that sounded behind them, turning to see the Soldier with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Danny grinned, rising from her seat and giving him a quick hug.

“All good things,” she reassured him, propping her chin on his chest and looking up at him with a cute smile, getting a whiff of his pleasant scent of sandalwood and oil. The alpha stared at her for a tense moment (for everyone else, the two embracing were perfectly comfortable) before finally cracking a smile, one corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

“Whatever, kid,” he grunted, pulling away and ruffling her hair. He began walking out of the common area.

“Good luck today!” Danny called after him, he just waved his hand over his head at her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hanzo’s tattoo start to glow as Sanda and Akarui emerged once more.

“Huh?” Jesse eloquently asked as Danny sat back down. She shrugged.

“He has a solo mission today,” she answered. She kept track of all the missions the team went on, so she could make sure everyone was taking care of themselves leading up to and after their missions.

“Did that just happen?” Genji asked, looking between Jesse and his brother. Jesse just shrugged, while Hanzo’s face was set in a scowl, and he was glaring at the door where the Soldier had just exited through. Genji kicked him under the table, causing his brother’s head to whip around to direct his glare at him. The cyborg just shrugged, taking a sip of his tea, and Hanzo rolled his eyes, sipping his own. While he appeared outwardly unaffected, his dragons reflected the irrational surge of jealousy he had felt, wrapping around Danny’s shoulders and nuzzling into her neck. Sanda growled at Jesse when he went to nudge Danny’s shoulder, and he backed off, shooting a glare at Hanzo.

“Control yer noodles,” he grumbled, and Danny giggled. Sanda gave him a nip for that, and he let out a ‘manly’ yelp of surprise. Hanzo just shook his head, a slight smirk on his face.

Chapter 7

[thecomicsnexus]

Iran Scam!

BLUE BEETLE #20 JANUARY 1988 BY LEN WEIN, ROSS ANDRU, DANNY BULANADI, LIZ BERUBE, CHRIS WOZNIAK AND DICK GIORDANO

Ted Kord meets his manhunter, but has to travel to Iran quickly to rescue one of the ten.

SCORE: 7

Every now and then, DC publishes something that has the potential to offend people. This issue may offend you, especially if you are Muslim or Iranian. But technically... despite some inaccuracies, what happens in this issue actually happens (and still does), so feel offended if you want, but have in mind what the actual message here is.

This is an essential Millennium tie-in, that takes a long departure from the plots that were in development in this ongoing, yet manages to advance at least one plot that has been in the back burner for almost half a year now.

Ross Andru took over as main artist apparently, which is a mistake to me, as his style doesn’t feel remotely similar to Paris Cullins’.

Spoilers after the break...

Now, you may already know I am an atheist, so to me any deaths like these are completely preventable. Which adds to the tragedy. 

You are free to believe in whatever you feel. But to me any belief system has to be separated from the State, to avoid things to end up like in this story. Also as a gay person I wouldn’t have a future in places like that. 

Of course, sometimes you don’t need to live in a church/state to have a fate like this one (I am looking at you Russia).

But let’s examine what went wrong here, because the religious state was already a part of the background of this story. Salima should have known better than to run to the streets and start her own gospel without knowing what the message was in the first place. That makes no sense. I cannot blame her for believing America was the land of satan (although they wouldn’t call it satan), because of propaganda and indoctrination... I have seen very intelligent people fall into those traps before, and it was certainly not her fault that people felt the need to stone her to death.

So who is to blame here? The Guardian and the Zamaron? Well, I would think so. They knew her situation wasn’t normal and that she would need help to leave the country (technically, this was promised to her). And also, that she would be tempted to talk to someone. It was irresponsible from them. Then again, it is not their fault that things ended up like this.

At the same time, I am starting to believe that they are picking people at random (I mean, that South African Jerk shouldn’t even be in the list). 

I don’t know. It would feel like it’s nobody’s fault, but people still die because of religion these days. And those are preventable deaths.

A nice ending would have been that her death somehow inspired someone in that country to, I don’t know, fight for women’s rights or something. Some kind of hope (which this story does not provide).

Then again, I have never been in Iran. So I am not sure what is accurate and what is not (other than knowing that they do not speak Arabic, as Ted says). Maybe this is a total exaggeration, or maybe it wasn’t in 1988.

What are your thoughts?

[stevenkodalys]

A list of (I think) all the changes that Moulin Rouge has undergone since Boston to previews to opening. If I missed anything or got anything wrong then please add on and/or correct me bc my memory is terrible.

Also let me preface this by saying the Boston show I saw was during the first week of previews so there are things that probably changed after I saw it there. I also saw the first two Broadway previews and then two shows after it opened. 

Act 1

- Boston and first previews: Zidler says “I adore each and every poverty-stricken one of you.” Now: Zidler says “I want to make desperate love to each and every one of you.”

- There’s a longer pause between Lady Marmalade and Because We Can.

- Zidler did not introduce the Duke by name until after previews in Boston. He originally said “come to me, plutocrats!” before it transitioned into the Duke’s money medley. Now the Duke is introduced as the Duke de Monroth.

- Bohemian medley in Boston started with Rhythm of the Night. First/second previews had them singing “Some things sure can sweep me off my feet. Burning down the house.” Now they sing “Watch you you might get what you’re after. *Rouge, baby! strange but not a stranger. I’m an ordinary guy. Burning down the house.” According to the Playbill, Rhythm of the Night is still in the show. Idk where though. There’s a bigger dance break, plus Baby Doll gets their own sequence.

*EDIT: I couldn’t tell what they said from my audios so I had googled the lyrics to Burning Down the House and assumed it was “Booms, baby!” but they actually say “Rouge, baby!” Thanks to @rhythmstarfruitcitrus and @promisesyoumadetome for confirming that for me lol.

- When Christian first starts telling his story about going to Paris he said Satine died in his arms in the Boston version. This was taken out for Broadway.

- Karen’s dress for her entrance has changed. It was red in Boston, it is now black and silver and a tad shorter.

- “Brick House” has been added to the Diamonds medley. It’s sung by the male ensemble.

- When Satine loses her breath, Nini now helps her up. The choreography during this scene has also changed since Boston.

- In Shut Up and Dance, Satine saying “I’ve heard that about your kind…’never carrying any money me’” has been removed.

- “Your Song” is sung differently from Boston. Emphasis on some notes has changed.

- Right before The Pitch when Satine tries to escort Christian to the balcony, only Ricky comes in through the window now. Sahr goes off stage and walks on stage from the side.

- Elephant Love Medley has gone through a lot of changes. After the Duke says he’s basically buying the Moulin Rouge, it transitions to Karen singing a reprise of “Diamonds are Forever.” One of my favorite additions is the pause between Christian singing “One Night. Just me just one night.” and Satine saying “There’s no way ‘cause you can’t pay” and Christian’s just standing there stunned lol. Boston version had Christian and Satine standing together with their backs facing the stage while Duke makes an offer to Zidler. This has been taken out and instead Aaron and Karen sing “We can be lovers.” “We can’t do that.” “We can be lovers and that’s a fact.” Come What May has been taken out and is now substituted with Karen singing “how wonderful life is” and Aaron singing “we can be heroes” simultaneously. Boston version had Max coming in off stage and tossing the pink umbrella to Aaron, now Reed slides (literally) from offstage and just hands it to him. Scene ends with Aaron and Karen in the sparkly blue coat and dress with Kyle and Bahiyah doing acrobatics.

Act 2

- Bad Romance has been taken up about 800 notches.

- Dialogue introducing Come What May has changed a bit.

- Boulevardiers just graced the stage in Boston. They now sing reprises of “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ride Wit Me.”

- “Shake it Out” has been removed. Instead it’s just dialogue between Zidler, Satine, and the Lady Ms.

- Aaron’s dialogue in Boston before Chandelier about “going mad” has been removed. Instead, Zidler tells Satine he’ll deal with Christian which then transitions to Toulouse’s loft. Sahr sang the first part of Chandelier in Boston but now Danny sings it. Karen still makes her entrance as the green fairy but instead of being on stage for a split second like in Boston, she’s actually on stage more. Christian tries to chase her around but keeps getting held back. The dancing from Boston was removed and now just has the ensemble on stage drinking absinthe. Aaron singing “gotta get out now here comes the shame. here comes the shame” was taken out. Instead the ensemble sings out the last note in Chandelier and it transitions into Roxanne, which also has a much cleaner intro.

- First/second preview added some verses from Chandelier into Roxanne towards the end. A chunk of that was removed and he now sings “put on the red light” a few times but they did keep him saying “help me out, i’m holding on for dear life.”

- The scene when Satine has to break Christian’s heart is somehow even more upsetting than Boston. He tries to convince her to leave with him by singing “Come What May” and she interrupts him and tells him he means nothing to her.

- Crazy / Rolling in the Deep has a different ending. Boston/Broadway previews had Aaron on the way left and Karen on the way right. Now they’re both in the middle right next to each other, Karen on the left and Aaron on the right. Ends with Karen holding up her bloody rag and Aaron holding up the gun.

- Satine basically tells off the Duke and he just leaves. I thought they would fix this but apparently not lol.

- I probably don’t even need to add this bc it was so short-lived but In Boston (at least during the first week of previews), right before the start of the Finale, Christian came in from the back of the house, slamming the doors open yelling “SATINE!” as he went up to the stage. I think this was taken out a week later and when I asked Kevyn about it he said that part would never be coming back lol.

- Finale scenery has changed. Broadway version has a more vibrant background that’s a drawing of Satine’s view from her dressing room. Boston version was red/green and kinda dull. Satine’s dress has changed from the all black one to black with hints of blue and red. When Christian turns the gun on himself, Satine now sings “Come What May” to him before singing “Your Song.” The ensemble sings “Your Song” from the stage and audience while Christian and Satine sing “Heroes” and “Your Song” which I’m just now realizing is basically a reprise of the end of the Elephant Love Medley and now I’m FUCKING SAD.

- Boston didn’t mention the Duke having left Paris and never returning, but they added it for Broadway previews, but took it out again.