#Danny took care of them both after they were orphaned

[s-darling-art]

Thinking about Danny and Jason Todd this fine evening

[artemismoorea03]

DP x DC: Original Serial Adopter

When Bruce adopted Dick Grayson the Media was in a frenzy. The billionaire and playboy adopting an orphan after some kind of freak circus accident? Nobody expected it to last more than a month. The media called this action an "Act of Charity".

Then a few years later he adopted Jason Todd. Jason was much more scrappy and after a while some media started calling him the "Wayne Stray".

When he took in Tim after Jason's "accident" they called Tim a rebound. But instead of a relationship Tim was just being used to fill the void that Jason left. The media eventually called him "Jason Todd's replacement."

The media got much more suspicious when Bruce adopted Cassandra and crossed lines with their speculations that resulted in a lot of lawsuits. Though nobody in Wayne's circles believed the rumors for a second, so rumors were wiped out pretty quickly. The least offensive of these things called Bruce a "Bleeding Heart" when the media saw the scars Cassandra had.

Stephanie was never officially adopted - at least legally - but anybody who saw her with the family knew that Bruce had adopted her as a daughter. Like Cassandra she got some negative comments but they learned after the first time. "Another Wayne Joins The Manor".

When Damian came into the picture the media exploded. Comments along the lines of "The Bastard Child" which made Bruce's blood boil but kept quiet. Damian had only known violence and aggression growing up, and while his mother loved him she had exposed him to a life he didn't need to see. Bruce wasn't about to make everything worse by loosing it on the media for being jackasses.

When he fostered Duke the media exploded again. Showing the ugly side of human ignorance but Bruce and Duke were both able to ignore it (while Tim and Oracle found ways to rip every person apart who dared make a comment against them).

Bruce didn't care what they said, because at the end of the day he had children who he loved with all of his heart and was learning to do the best for. Sure, he made plenty of mistakes but he tried to learn from his mistakes.

Though the rumor about Bruce being a "Serial Adopter" was one that would be one that would never leave him.

But he had to learn it from somewhere.

A fact that was ignored until Alfred showed up back to the manor after a shopping trip with a scrawny child walking hesitantly behind him, carrying some of the groceries'. He was prime "adoption bait". Underweight, messy black hair, blue eyes that were just a bit too blue, and bruises that were in view despite the kids best attempt to cover them with his hoodie.

A large hand print bruise around his neck, scraped knuckles, and a bruise peeking out from under his hairline might as well have been ink in the pen that Bruce was going to use to sign that kids adoption papers and sign the receipt for the shovel he would buy to bury the bastards responsible.

After the groceries were put away Alfred properly introduced the kid. His name was Danny and after a series of unfortunate events while Alfred was shopping Danny had been forced to jump in and help him. Bruce thought that maybe Alfred had been in danger and never called them but when it became clear that luck just wasn't on his side and that he was never in danger for anything despite being late it made Bruce even more concerned about the teen that currently was eating his third apple as though he had never eaten anything in his life.

He stayed small, stayed silent, looking around the room anxiously. He clearly kept tabs on every window. Every door. Every exit but hardly paid any attention to the valuables. He was scared but not a thief.

Finally they have to ask about Danny's injuries. Was he safe at home? Did he have a place to stay? Why was he so thin? Did he need them to call somebody.

Danny was quiet for a long time.

"I don't have a home to go to. The bruises are fine, I'm just clumsy. I don't need a place to stay. Thanks for the food and the hospitality but... I don't feel like being kidnapped and tortured by another millionaire so if Alfred doesn't need anything else I should go."

Danny tried to get up and move, the pain obvious but before anybody could say anything else Alfred simply said.

"Sit."

Danny hesitated, then sighed and sat down again.

"You promised you would allow me to treat you before you left. I am a man of my word so as soon as you finish your apple I will bandage your wounds and you will be free to leave if you wish."

Classic Alfred trap.

One that worked flawlessly.

Fresh bandages, a full stomach, warm clean clothes and a cup of hot chocolate on the comfortable couch in the living room was all it took to lull the injured teen to sleep.

Alfred continued this trend for three more days managing to trick Danny into helping him with minor tasks around the manor, offering him another meal because he 'made too much and didn't want to waste it' and countless other things.

It wasn't until day four when Danny seemed to accept his fate and allowed them to help him. Which prompted Cass to point at Alfred.

"Original Serial Adopter."

Making the entire table laugh while Danny just looked increasingly confused.

[ekat-fandom-blog]

It was known that whenever your soulmate got a scar or a bruise you'd get a flower in the same place. The flowers coincide with how they were feeling when they got the scars/bruises. As the scars/bruises faded, so did the flowers.

Sam and Valerie had figured out they were soulmates because they got the same flowers in the same area every time their soulmate (or soulmates. They weren't sure how many they had.) got hurt. Some of the flowers never faded, showing that their soulmates scar never did either.

As time went on Sam got more and more interested in how the soulmate marks work. Found as many resources as she could, and when she ran out of them, she started experimenting. The experiments didn't last very long. Everyone was very upset with her. It didn't matter, she had proof that the flower meaning guide she found was accurate.

Cass had always been careful to hide her soulmate marks when she'd been with the League. They were a sign of weakness. They were also a sign of a potential traitor. Her father told her to never look at them.

When she left, she found them interesting to look at she didn't understand why they were there or why they appeared or disappeared. They just did. They were pretty. She saw them on other people sometimes too. While she hid them when she was in public as she only wore her Orphan costume and then kept to long sleeves and pants, she took joy in admiring the pretty flowers.

She learned what they meant and what they were after she was adopted by Bruce. She wasn't good at reading words, so the "Flower meanings list" wasn't very helpful, but Steph and Tim helped her figure out their meanings.

Steph didn't mean to hide her soulmate marks, but it was easier sometimes to hide them along with the bruises and scratches and other injuries than it was to avoid covering them up. She started to suspect that Cass was her soulmate when she saw flowers pop up when she got hurt. She thinks Cass noticed flowers appearing on her whenever the other got hurt, too.

After they confirmed their status as soulmates, they started to suspect that they had at least one more. There were a few thyme (courage, strength) sprigs and tansy (hostile thoughts, declaring war) littering them both showed that whoever their other soulmate was, was probably a spitfire. Their soulmate's flowers eventually stopped appearing so frequently.

Valerie left Amity, promising Sam to call as often as possible. The new city, Gotham, was dark and gothic. Valerie knew Sam would love the place. The fact that her soulmate could so easily fit in with the villains made her hope they never decided to settle down here.

It wasn't easy to adjust to the place, given how dreary and loud and crowded it was. She had to deal with too many idiots trying to pickpocket her. It was enough to make her wish she'd gone to a city closer to her hometown. Like Faucett City.

It really didn't help that there were vigilantes that had decided to take an interest in her. Dumb vigilantes that had decided to name themselves after animals. It's almost as bad as Danny's pun. Or "Superman".

[mutable-manifestation]

The thing is, the batfam have no plans to return the baby to someone they're convinced was experimenting on her.

Human experimentation is Not Cool With Them. They are now coming up with more theories - such as "was he trying to forcibly awaken the meta-gene of a BABY!??"

Because Vlad Masters doesn't have any children, they checked his records the night before (what a pity for them any news person will find records of Dani being Vlad's daughter just fine, her paper delayed to the tragic story behind her birth and journey to her father's care).

Instead, they take her to the cave, entrust her into Alfred's care and Spoiler and Red Robin's watchful eyes, and Batman, Robin, Orphan, and the usually daytime-only Signal roll back out to wait somewhere visible.

It is the middle of summer, and the temperature earlier than day had reached high into the 80s, but exactly 15 minutes after the broadcast and about 20 seconds after the away-team of bats' took up perches on the roof of the police building - whose signal was already on - while Gordan - and Red Hood, who had melted out the nearby shadows the moment they arrived - started asking for answers, Gotham is struck by a sudden blizzard.

The flakes themselves are cold as ice where they brush against faces and build up - already forming a solid layer not 5 seconds in - on the ground.

Despite this, the air itself remains at a steady 78.

Despite this, none of the snow melts - not even where it lands on even warmer skin.

Even through the near white-out conditions, they can see the overwhelming glow of green-green-green that seeps out from some point in the direction of Masters' hotel, accompanied by an overwhelmingly loud, mournful, haunting cry.

The blizzard lightens above them just long enough to see Gotham ever-present clouds all but explode away from the city, chased out but a ring of green and letting all of Gotham see the moon in full detail for about 5 seconds before the blizzard - even with no clouds to make it - picks up with a fury.

The term "GIW" and a full visual had made it easy for Oracle to work her magic, and after only about three dozen times more layers of security than normal they had managed to get some basic information.

"Phantom" was a ghost that resided in Amity Park - which they had just learned had been cut off from most of the world by the government for reasons Oracle hadn't yet had time to look into.

That was it. "A ghost" was a decent amount of information given that they'd all worked with one at some point.

"Make Blizzard" was not a usual part of the skillset.

The entire group had just made it into the building and out of the whiteness by sheer memory when another screaming wail rang through the night, and the power went out.

A moment later the backup generator kicked in, just in time for the blizzard outside to stop, the last of the snowflakes falling to the ground to reveal a Lazarus-green sky, patterned with swirls and dotted with purple.

~~~

For once, Danny was grateful for all of Vlad's experience with scheming.

A few Vlad duplicates at the cities exit roads and one with eyes on the sky would reveal if the bats' tried to make a run for it instead of returning Dani. And if they thought going slow would help them avoid notice, the blizzard would throw a wrench in their escape anyway.

The power outage would hopefully prevent - or at least complicate - any refuels or attempts to communicate with allies.

Neither Vlad nor Danny knew where the Justice League stood on the AEA, but this was not a situation in which they cared to find out.

And in the midst of his anger and distress, when Danny felt a new power coming on, he welcomed whatever chaos it would bring with open arms.

He hadn't expected to suck the entire city into the Ghost Zone, but given it meant Dani could no longer be stolen away (farther than she had been, at least) Danny and Vlad were both counting it as a win.

And turning it to their advantage.

Tucker had hacked the city from Amity Park, so he hadn't come over with them, but Technus' lair was not a 2-minute fly away and the ghost himself easily bribed - 'Thank you, Vlad, for being a nerd,' Danny thought.

5 minutes after the city had been sucked into the zone, every piece of technology once again crackled to life - with or without electricity - and a new voice was broadcast.

"ATTENTION, CITIZENS OF GOTHAM! I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY COME TO YOU WITH A MESSAGE. WELCOME TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD! UNTIL DANIELLE MASTERS IS RETURNED TO HER FATHER, HERE YOU SHALL REMAIN!

ANYONE WHO BRINGS A LIVING BAT TO VLAD MASTERS OR RETURNS DANIELLE MASTERS TO VLAD MASTERS SAFE AND UNHARMED WILL BE GREATLY REWARDED!

THIS CONCLUDES THE MESSAGE THAT I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY HAVE BROUGHT TO YOU!"

Of course, they aren't going to just wait around for the citizens to do the heavy lifting.

No, ultimatum delivered, Phantom, Princess Dorathea, and the Knights of Mattingly descend on the city lead by Skulker.

Invisible Vlad duplicates take Skulkers tips to heart and begin combing the city from the opposite side, while the original Vlad paces in his hotel, cursing himself for never taking a sample of Dani's ectosignature and vowing to do so the moment he gets her back - and he will get her back if they have to reduce the entire city to a smoking crater - so that he can never truly lose her again

# Dcu x Dp 193

Batman and Robin had broken into Vlad Masters Hotel because they found something that was extremely similar to Lazarus water as Damian looks around he ends up in the bed room where he finds a crib that has a sleeping baby in it underneath the crib he finds injections filled with Lazarus water and comes to the conclusion that he is experimenting on this baby. Damian decides that he needs to take her when he leave.

After creating Dani Vlads decided not to age her up and raise her himself. Vlad is using ecto injection keep her stable until he find a permanent solution.

[aramiheartilly]

Without Losing Heart Head Cannons - S (Steven, formerly Alex)

(Is it a London Spy cross over if you’ve only seen the trailer and read the synopsis enough to decide a fix it is needed?)

Alex excelled in school and university both. He has no family to speak of, having been orphaned young. Grew up in boarding schools and the like, often staying for summers when he was permitted to.

Is a mathematical genius, an excellent cryptographer, and coding prodigy. As such, MI5 snatched him up by offering him a lucrative position straight out of uni.

He doesn’t know this but they took him on once they became aware MI6 had hired a brilliant new quartermaster (who would later become Q).

Alex is one of the six people in the world who can code Q’s safeguards etc.

He keeps his head down and works hard, mostly decrypting messages, systems, and whatever else he’s assigned. He also works on his own projects, always with the approval of his superiors.

From time to time he’ll work with an agent but mostly he works alone.

He meets Danny - a little younger, energetic and free in a way that Alex has never known how to be. His life has always had some sort of order, some path to follow but Danny shows him a world that’s more than just the numbers he usually lives in.

A relationship isn’t against the terms of his employment - he checked - and Danny doesn’t really care what Alex does for a living, anyway.

He eventually and very accidentally uncovers part of Max Denbigh’s plotting, although he won’t know he was behind it for years. He’s so used to solving puzzles that it falls together in his mind one night and scares him shitless. He tells Danny that it’s only a work thing that’s bothering him but asks him to be careful all the same.

He doesn’t do anything in particular to let on that he knows what’s being done, aside from report it to a superior he thought he could trust.

The next thing he knows he’s being broken out of a box in a church in the middle of a raging gun fight and everything hurts. 007 and 004 rescue him after putting together their own clues. Although they only found them in the first place, he learns later, because Six was trailing Danny because he looks like Q.

He spends weeks in Six’s medical, Danny at his side almost the entire time. M (Mallory) offers the two of them full sanctuary and protection if he tells them what he knows. His agreement hinges on Danny being given clearance and full protection at all times.

Mallory agrees, the superior he reported to is ‘dealt with’ but Six report Alex was found dead and give him both a new identity and job, as S.

He finds his place within Q Branch quickly enough. He can tell Q and Danny apart easily but admits he wouldn’t have been surprised if they were brothers. Overall he is grateful they took an interest in Danny because it saved their lives.

S doesn’t really stand for anything, although they joke it’s short for Stand by Quartermaster, or perhaps Software and Security, as that’s part of what he does. He’s wary of others in branch but gets to know R (Laura) as she does his induction and works with him on a few things. She’s also the only person Danny trusted at first, having been essentially abducted during a shooting in broad daylight two days after they rescued Alex.

He thanks both Bond and Isobel for saving his life, getting to know the former as he retires from active duty and works in the mechanics division of Q Branch. He’s not at all surprised to learn that he and Q are together and it’s something of a relief to know that relationships are supported at Six, instead of frowned upon.

Slowly, he gets to know the others in branch and realises that, compared to Five, people talk to each other here, and work together rather than keeping everything to themselves. He also wonders if maybe they were kept separate there on purpose but he’s not sure.

When it comes to the investigation into Five and C, he passes over any information he had and will, further on into the investigation, realises it was C’s plan he uncovered and his superior was the fall person. 

He and Danny both find a home and family in Q Branch, and Six in general and although he’ll always be cautious after what happened to him, he’s happy and content with what his life has beco

[undercoverwizardfanfiction]

Fathers and Sons Part 1: A ROTTMNT Fantasy Fanfiction

Summary: When a old friend shows up, Leonard is forced to face a difficult past all while keeping Donnie safe. But will it be enough to escape unharmed?

Takes Place a bit after “The Thief and the Orphan”

Word Count:2478

Pairing: Ok if you ship ANYTHING in this I’m going to seriously have to reccomend you seek therapy. Or do a soul searching montage. Which ever your insurance will cover

Rating: PG for Mild Violence

“Ok hear me out-“

Len ,without looking away from the cabbage he was inspecting, says, “Danny I swear if I turn around and your’e holding a bag of onions bigger then Donnie I’m going to use your suits for my new quilt.”

Danny let out a small scoff (followed by the undeniable sound of someone setting down a giant bag of surplus). A small shoulder bumped his hip, drawing his attention down to the twelve year old soft shell at his side, giving him a sour look with puffed up cheeks, “Uh oh, I know that look. What did I do?” Len asks

“I am not a official unit of measurement Dad.”Donnie says in a way that supposed to indicate he was offended. But judging by the way he was pressing his mouth into a fine line he was trying hard not to smile. Len doesn’t share his attempt to hide a smile as he rubs Donnie’s scalp as though to ruffle his imaginary hair, “He tries to catch any sign that Donnie was upset ,he had a bad habit fo not always sharing his feelings, but the child seemed alright. Len, picks up a frost apple and turns it over to check for rotten spots. Danny snatches the apple out of his hand, Len looks to him and sees Danny giving him a questioning look before glancing at the child holding his fathers hand, leaning against him with a half bored expression on his face but also probably to give his braced leg a break, “Think we can afford a quick lesson?” Danny asks

A wave of uneasiness came over Len as he quickly glanced around the market. Thankfully the guards were too busy off getting bribes or drunk and the vendor is too busy having a staring contest with a spider on their stand. After a moment to think it over he nods to Danny though he unconsciously grips Don’s hand tighter in his. Danny’s crouches down to Don’s level, “What do you think kid? Ready for a lightning round?”

Don’s eyes widen for a moment before looking to Len. Despite the overprotective knot in his stomach he gives a nod. Don looks back to Danny with a look of determination. Danny gives a grin, pulling out the apple out from behind him and tosses it up into the air before snatching it and hiding it behind his back, barely keeping it in sight for more then a few seconds. “Alright, notice anything wrong with the apple?”

Don’s brow furrows in a way Len knew he was thinking about the brief time he had been allowed to see the apple. To a passerby it may have looked like a simply game a uncle was playing with his nephew but it was a good observation test to see how many defections Donnie could notice with as brief as window as possible. Which would prove useful if Donnie was ever staking out a score in the future. “It wasn’t fully blue yet, “ he says after a moment, “Which means it has plenty of time to ripe. And it didn’t have any bruising.”

“Almost right.” Danny drew the apple out again, angling the fruit so Donnie could see the top of it “The stem is twisted and withered a little which means the farmer who grew it took care to make sure it was stored properly.”

Don immediately frowns, “shoot.” He says tapping his foot against the ground angrily. Physically reprimanding himself for his mistake

“Hey now,” Danny rubs his scalp “you’re getting better. you’re catching on a lot faster then you Dad did.” Len made sure to cast the rat a sour look (mostly for the added insult in his direction)

Len can still feel Don’s disappointment as he leans against his Dad’s leg. Len didn’t always approve of doing tests like these in public. But he didn’t want Donnie to feel dishearten. HE hands the bag of groceries to Danny (who takes it with a soft grumble) and kneels down, a arm wrapped Dons shoulders, “Alright kiddo.” He says drawing Dons sad gaze to him, “Let’s say you wanted to ‘befriend someone here. Do you see someone who ‘d make a good ‘friend?’”

Eager at a chance to redeem himself, Donnie’s eyes dart around at a speed that Len knows means he’s focusing too hard, “Take a deep breath,”he reminds squeezing his shoulders gently, “there’s no time limit. ‘Friends’ will come around again.” Without looking at him, Don nods before closing his eyes and doing as he was told. This time when he looks around its at a slower more manageable pace, ‘I’d befriend the man in a brown cloak.”

Len looks at where Don’s looking at sees who he’s talking about, whose standing net in the shadow of another giant bull yokai, “Are you sure?” he asks, “Why not the two over there?” he says nodding towards the two squirrel yokai in bright clothes, “They look like they’d be good friends too.”

Donnie nods, “He’s a merchant pretending to be poorer then he is ,you can tell by his dragon scale gloves and glasses. And the guy with him is a body guard but the body guard looks tired like the merchant has been harassing him all night so even if I did.” Don pauses, “‘befriend him, the body guard probably wouldn’t try as hard to befriend me back.” Don’s eyes look to him for a moment as though to check his work, but Len just nods towards the squirrels, telling him to continue ,”They’re not actually rich, they look lost. The clothes are probably family heirlooms that they couldn’t bring themselves to sell, but they’re hands are really dirty which means they’re probably laborers. What ever they do have on them is probably a prized family possession. But it wouldn’t be right to befriend from them.” This time when Donnie looks at him Len gives him a smile and a nod, “good job baby boy, you got everything right.” He says gently pressing the corner of his mouth to Don’s forehead as he hugged him tightly around the shoulders. Even though Lens’ never been too sure about conducting these sort of tests in public, it’s worth it to see Don’s face blossom into a smile. Len rises back to a standing position. Mickey is already giving him a smile of approval as his flippers flutter happily, “Great job cookie!” he tells Donnie, squishing his cheek on Donnie’s scalp. Len takes the back of produce from Danny and returns to looking at the produce.

He had thought it was too soon to try and teach Don the skills he would need as a thief, and far too risky to do out in public, but luckily Danny always knew how to code the self titled “Thief Games” to make a observer think that , rather then teaching a child who to pick pocket and how to deduce a item worth stealing at a moments notice, that they were just teaching him how to make friends and playing games.

IT was inevitable, but that didn’t’ mean it didn’t make him anxious.

He was inspecting a group of half grown carrots when Donnie pulls on his arm to get his attention and immediately saw what had gotten Don so excited, a used book stand that had Don beaming up at him, “can I?” He asked , “Please? I have money.”

Uh oh. Len could feel his ‘overprotective dad’ instincts overwhelm his ‘dear moon Len the booth is literally a few feet away’ reasoning. He took a breath before he smiles, rubbing Dons’ scalp,” Ok take Mickey with you and do as he says. And here,” he reaches into his coin bag (thank the Mystic Moon for that extra good score they had hit before the snow had set in), he mentally counts up how much he’ll need for groceries before pulling out a few spare coins, “consider it a reward for doing so well,” Normally he didn’t like Donnie leaving his side in public, but it was worth it to see Don smile at him and take the coins, “Thanks Dad!” He says before hurrying over to the book vendor with Mickey trailing after him.

“Looks like you two are getting along again.” Danny says stepping by him. Picking through the produce,“I know things were hard there for a moment.”

“Yeah, we were training yesterday and he said,” Len pauses trying not to think about how the conversation had went, “some things that I know he felt bad about saying.” Len turns his attention to a giant bag of potato’s, when was the last time he had made fries? “Hes a great kid he just gets frustrated.”

“Hes at that age” Danny turns and leans at the stall, Len can tell he’s watching Donnie at the book stand. For someone who always claimed Len too overprotective, Danny was certainly a contender, “I can’t believe it was seven years ago you said you were going out to buy hair gel and you came back with a freaking kid.”

Len laughed, “Yeah,” it was weird how seven years could both feel like a lifetime and a blink of a eye. He could still remember when Donnie was too scared to leave his little corner of the house. He was so entrapped in those early memories that he almost jumped when Danny suddenly dumped his groceries into his arms causing Len to stumble for a moment, trying to keep from falling over, “Danny-“

“Mickeys started to look bored, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t start licking books-Mickey no! They’re covered in germs!” Danny said already hurrying over to where Donnie was desperately trying to pull a book away from Mickeys open mouth . It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t only left alone, but with bags of produce that even he was having a hard time balancing. He had thought is as overkill to bring the entire family along to of grocery shopping but the winter had been especially long. He didn’t blame any of them for running after him when he had went to get his cloak. He had actually been relieved to have help carrying the supplies back home but he should of known that was too good think their attention spans would hold out. With half humored grumbling he turns to the vendor,” Hey, can I leave this stuff behind with you until we leave?” Grateful when he nodded (before returning to his staring contest with the spider), Len somehow managed to shuffle behind the stand and drop off the bags food and the payment. He counted out his change again, they had ended up under budget (for once). Maybe he could go visit the sacred east booth, if they had rice flour he could make-“

“Hey babe”

Len drops the apple he had been looking at and grabbed at his knife when a another hand caught his and a arm wrapped around his chest, pinning his back against a chest. He wastes no time twisting to free himself before he feels the hand gripping his redirecting his knife holding hand so the sharp point was digging through the back of his shirt and over his kidneys under his coat so no one could see it. From a outside perspective someone might of thought that someone had jumped over to surprise a old friend. The person rests their cheek on his shoulder looking to him with a smirk “I can’t believe you actually let me do that Babe, how many times did you lecture Lief and Mickey for letting their guard down? oh how the mighty have fallen.”

Len grinds his teeth together, berating himself for a a few moments before forcing himself to calm down. The vendor hadn’t noticed what had happened, “What do you want Vito? I told you if i ever saw you again i’d skin you alive-“

“Ah you did didn’t you?” the silver yokai with a white mohawk and green markings around his eyes said as though just realizing he forgot his watch, or something trivial, “ But i just missed you so much i had to visit, babe. I must say, i’m digging the ponytail look you have going.” Vito used his hand to twirl his hair around for a moment ,”it really suits you.”

He’s too busy thinking of all the ways he wants to break Vitos army that he has to remind himself to stay calm. Despite how “attached” he claimed to be to Len, the Thief knew he had no problem shoving that knife between his ribs and leaving g him to bleed out “ I told you i hate it when you call me that Toe-“

“Ah but i think it’s cute, doesn’t it make you feel it make you feel special?” Vito presses his forehead uncomfortably close to Lens temple. Even after all the time Vito still smells like expensive cologne and candy, a sickly combination that makes his stomach twist,”How’s your boy doing? It’s been so long since i saw him-“

Len jerks around again “if you touch him-“

“I won’t i won’t. I happen to know he’s over book shopping with Danny and Mickey,” Vito let’s out a sigh “as much as i’d love to catch up with the boys, there’s someone who’s been dying to see you,” The hand on Lens chest rises up and plays with Lens bangs that slowly grow claws” and if you come quietly, you might live long enough to see your baby boy again,”

Len imagines catching his ankle around the back of Vitos ankle and getting them upper hand. But he looks to where the Mud Dogs are looking at books across the market. He watches Donnie look in his direction and his smile fade to terror. Of course he would understand what was going on, and in a way it makes Len hate Vito even more to make Donnie look so concerned for him. Donnie has already grabbed Danny’s hand but Danny is already looking like he’s about to charge across the market and kill Vito where he stands while Mickey grabs Donnies shoulders to keep him from running to him. But Len shakes his head at them as settle as he can. The pain swelling when Don’s eyes fill with tears. His natural instinct wants nothing more then to go to his child and comfort him. But HE knows he can’t do that if he makes the wrong move and ends up with a knife in his kidneys.

“Let’s just get this over with.” he growls at Vito as quietly as he can

“Aw that’s why i love you babe. You’re just so smart,” Vito twists the arm he has a grip on like someone would direct a horse and forces Len to walk ahead of them. The two of them disappearing into the crowd

Len didn’t care what happened to him

he just needs his son to be safe

[voltron-next-gen-au]

Daniel (VLD Reboot)

Daniel is the newest member of my next-gen AU.^^ So to be clear, he is not a fan character. He does not belong to me. He is an actual canon character in the previous Voltron incarnation 'Voltron Force'. If you have never heard of Voltron Force before then I don't blame you. I don't know when it exactly came out but I know it was somewhere in the early to mid-2000s based on how the animation looked.XD I only got to like the third episode before I quit it because it was pretty boring. I'm probably biased because I love VLD (which is the newest Voltron series) and that was the first one I saw but still. I do admit though that I still love Lance from what I've seen in this series. No matter what he will always be my son. Also, there's a part in like the 2nd episode (I think it was the second episode) when Keith returns and Lance just looks at him with the most shit-eating grin and just immediately makes fun of Keith's mullet even when Lance in the scene before was almost killed. And when that scene happened my klance loving heart just went to the moon for a second. Until I remembered that Keith is married to Allura in that version... Oh well, a shipper can dream. Anyways, the reason that I decided to make a VLD version of Daniel was that I had watched a couple of Batman films where they introduced Batman's son, Damian Wayne, which then lead me to some Batfam comics with the Robins and I just got the urge to give Shiro and Keith their own little shit of younger brother that they have to look after and make sure doesn't do anything stupid. Just like how Dick has to handle Damian in the movies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Daniel Akagane Nickname(s): Danny Age: 15-16 (In this ref sheet and when he was taken in.) 36 (Present time of the AU) Species: Human-Galra Hybrid Gender: Male Nationality: Unknown Parents: Unknown, Krolia (Adoptive Mother) Siblings: Takashi Shirogane (Adoptive Brother), Keith Kogane (Adoptive Brother)      Backstory -  Daniel was abandoned by his parents when he was just a baby. Due to this happening he never had any idea of who they were or what they looked like, all they left him with was his first name and that was about it. He hadn't even known that he was a hybrid yet, he just thought he looked odd. He grew up in an orphanage for the first few years of his life where he was physically and verbally abused by both the caretakers and the other children. The reason why he was targeted for this harassment was due to him being a hybrid and not a full-blooded Galra, making him seem weaker and a waste of space. By the time he was 9, he decided he had enough and ran away from the orphanage leaving him all on his own. He spent the next few years stealing food from little shops and hiding from law enforcement. Even when the Blade took control over the Empire after the war ended his life wasn't that much different from when he first became homeless. That is until he turned 15 years old. He was going around his normal day, stealing supplies and food he needed for the week, only this time was completely different from his usual outings. Daniel has gotten a few close calls the few times he had to run away from an angry shopkeeper or a sentry but in all those years he was never caught. This time however the shopkeeper was able to outsmart Danny by not only cornering him in an alley but by also destablizing him with a quick claw to the leg so he couldn't get away. But before Danny could recieve his punishment for stealing he was saved by one of the Blade leaders, Krolia, by knocking the shopkeeper out. Krolia gasped in shock when she realized the boy she had just saved was a hybrid. A human-galra hybrid no less (just like her son). She told the other Blade members that had been acompanying her on the patrol to take the uncosious guy into questioning while she went to go talk to the boy. But to her suprise when she looked back Danny was gone. After questioning the infuriated shopkeeper Krolia had learned that the boy had a reputation for stealing food and other items from almost everyone in that area. Which confirmed her susspision that not only was he an orphan but that he was most likely homeless as well. Now being completely worried for the boy she decided to search for him and to keep a close eye on him. Finally finding him a few days later trying to do his usual routine of pickpocketing and getting his hands on any food he could. He was obviously trying to be more careful due to the injury he had gotten in their last encounter. She just lingers around in the background for a while. After the first week of Krolia doing Danny got fed up with and finally confronted her about it. She told him that she saw a lot of potential in him and said that a boy his age shouldn't be living the way he is. She finally gives the offer to him of staying instead with the Blades and training under her. After considering the pros of this Daniel accepts her offer and becomes apart of the Blade. After a month of training under her, Krolia grows quite fond of him. Danny has also gains some respect of the older Blade. After a while Krolia decides to official adopt Daniel as her own son and to also introduce him to her other son and step-son. Their introduction to each other was odd to say the least. When Krolia learns that Danny has never been to Earth before she thought it would be a great idea for him to stay there with Shiro and Keith to live more normal and quiet life for a while. Keith becomes the main caretaker of Daniel on Earth with Shiro checking in because in Shiro's words it's Keith's turn to look after an emotionaly unstable, emo teenager now. Extras - Skills/Weapons - Due to him having to steal everything he needs to survive and evading sentries he gained a lot of agility skills over time. During his time at the orphanage, the caretakers provided many lessons in combat and weaponry so they can make more soldiers for the Galra empire. So he was even able to use and to progress those skills while running away after stealing from other Galra for resources and being able to defend himself if need be. During one of his escapades, he found a pair of mounted claws, realizing they could be of use to him he took them as well and they are now his main weapon of use. Relationships - He has a strong bond with Krolia. Being that she was the woman who took him he has a lot of respect for her. He mostly calls her by her first name but there have been some that he called her mom by accident. She's basically the first person to become a mother to him. His relationship with Keith is rocky at first. You put two people together who have similar stubborn, hotheaded personalites they are definitely gonna clash with each other. With Keith trying to keep Daniel under control and thinking he's a brat and Daniel thinking Keith is too overbearing and not taking him seriously. But after a while the two start get closer and realize that they do have a lot in common and how to deal with each other's flaws. They bicker and make fun of the other but it's from a better place now. Daniel's relationship with Shiro is very different from his relationship with Keith. From the start Danny was kind of awkward with Shiro. He just didn't really know how to act around. I mean Shiro looked like a tired, kind old man who had been through some shit. He didn't really want to make that worse. Shiro would him some spacedad talks when he was frustrated with something or got angry. Danny gets less and less uncomfortable with him as time goes on and starts seeing him as someone he can depend on. As his relationships with his nephews and niece... he will literally murder anyone who even thinks about harming a hair on their head. Like a good uncle should. Fun fact - Shiro was actually the one to give Daniel his last name. He wanted all three of them to keep the theme of -gane in their last names so he suggested Akagane. Daniel couldn't really say no so he just went along with it. (Get it? Cause their names mean Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Well... Akagane technically means copper but... same thing right? I think.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's pretty much all I have on him for now. Hope you guys enjoy this 3rd edition to the broganes.^^

[worldbecomefantasy]

Because this will probs get long, the details on who their kids are and for what ships, that’ll all be below the cut. Some will be super detailed, others are kinda just  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they have kids I’m sure but I’ve never plotted that out. I just wanted to take some time and talk about my muses kids and spouses cause I love family man.

Muses with kiddos (in any verse)

Nyx

Cyrus

Khal

Levi

Drautos

Pine

Kanan

To be more specific to their canon verses though:

Cyrus

Levi

Kanan

Canon kiddos

Cyrus Zerrin has three kids, Cillian, Emi and Eli. Cillian is his by blood, after a few hookups with Ocean, another local to Galahd. He didn’t know about Cillian for several years though. Ocean kept him a secret, feeling like Cyrus wasn’t in a good place to be a father. After a few months of their relationship though, Cyrus ended it as he wanted to be a better person. He’d always been the bright-eyed, happy boy in town, and she missed seeing him like that. But the attack on Galahd took his happiness away. It wasn’t until her health was declining that she let Cyrus back into her life, and subsequently Cillian’s as well.

Cyrus of course felt deep regret that Ocean had to raise him for six years on her own, but he understood why she did that. He knew as well as anyone that right after Nyx and Libertus left, and he lost his sister and friends, that he wasn’t okay. He walked a dangerous path and too many times went down the wrong roads. So he doesn’t blame her for keeping Cillian from him, but it doesn’t make him regret his choices any less.

Cillian adjusted well, or as well as any six year old can be expected to. Ocean always spoke well of Cyrus, so Cillian had no problems with him. Their personalities were also more alike than anyone could have imagined. Physically Cillian took almost entirely after his mother, but his personality is a mirror of Cyrus. Always being kind, smiling, the epitome of sunshine. Even when darkness falls, when he’s nine, he maintains his smile.

His second child is a little girl, Emi, that he adopted just after the darkness fell and he went to Lestallum with Libertus. Emi is cute and sweet at first glance. She looks a little shy, but that’s expected from a four year old. What’s not so expected is how much trouble she gets into. Anything that she shouldn’t be getting into, she will find a way to get into. Rooms she shouldn’t be in, things she knows she shouldn’t be touching, whatever the case may be. She will get into trouble. That never changes as she grows up.

The third is Elias. He’s a close friend of Emi’s and when Cy takes in Emi she refuses to be parted from Elias. He’s a year older than her, but he’s the more timid one. He’s very unsure of himself as a young child, but as he grows up he gains more confidence. He’s a bit hotheaded, no doubt from growing up around Libertus, but he’s a good kid. He doesn’t mean to cause trouble- much unlike Emi.

~~~~~

Levi Valter is a husband, and a father of one little girl. Isabel is his eight year old daughter. She takes after her mother, being soft and sweet, but she’s always been a daddy’s girl regardless. She loves having him tell her bedtime stories, either made up, from story books, or real stories of his life. Her imagination runs wild, and he couldn’t be more proud. Levi loves her more than anything in the world, and he wants to treat her to anything she wants. He wants to be the parent to her that he never got.

~~~~~

Kanan has a very loose definition of family. He considers his crew his family, with Hera as his wife and the rest of them his children.

Zeb is older than him, technically speaking, but he still acts like a child. The 40 something year old Lasat goofs around and gets into trouble just as much as the 12 year old human on their crew act just the same.

Sabine is by far the most mature of the kids, but not without her own rebellious streak. That is what makes them stick together though, so Kanan doesn’t fault her for it. Just so long as she’s not painting anything that Hera will get upset about.

Ezra is the most like him, a young boy that’s lost and alone, and a fellow Jedi. Kanan could have let him go, never told him anything. But the Force didn’t allow that.

Finally Chopper even counts as one of the kids. Many people say he’s just a droid, that droids don’t count and are replaceable, but Kanan begs to differ.

Last of all is Jacen. The only of his kids that is by blood his family. Canonically he never knew Jacen, he died just before Hera found out she was pregnant. For the sake of this blog though, we ignore his death. As such, he did get to know Jacen, and he loves his son just as much as he loves the rest of the crew.

~~~~~

Non Canon Kiddos

Nyx Ulric. He’s not a man to have many kids, but across different verses he has many.

In a typical Before the Sunrise/Following the Moon verse he has one son. Elias. Rather than Libertus and Cyrus taking in both Emi and Eli, Nyx takes in Eli. It’s less stress on his best friends, and it keeps the kids close together. This happens after the darkness falls, and Nyx is based in Lestallum with Cyrus and Libertus. In this verse, Eli is the same kid that starts out very timid and grows into his confidence. The change is that rather than being hotheaded, he’s just reckless. Much like Nyx. There is also the variable of Nyx can be a single father, or he can be shipped with anyone still alive in the darkness, though traditionally he’s with @heartsurpluss’ Prompto.

Nyx with Luche. When shipped with Luche (specifically Jess‘ Looch) he has a daughter named Leila. Really the little girl belongs to Luche, she’s his biological daughter, but the mother isn’t in the picture. Nyx falls for Luche first, and meets her and falls just as in love with this tiny infant. He loves her so much. In canon, it’s rather tragic because she ends up an orphan, so we ignore canon. Before the Sunrise/Following the Moon though she gets her parents. Luche is horrifically scarred and has terrible self esteem, not thinking himself worthy of love or a family. Nyx does his best to combat that, not just because he loves Luche, but because he doesn’t want Leila growing up without her father. She needs a parent, and Nyx knows he won’t survive past the darkness, he knows she needs Luche.

Nyx with Prompto. Again, this is specific to Jess‘ portrayal. She has a verse for Prom where he had a daughter with Cindy. That daughter is named Anna. This is usually something that happens in a modern verse. Nyx is a middle school teacher and actually meets Anna before he meets Prom. She’s a little spitfire in his classroom, and he adores this kiddo. Then during a parent-teacher conference he meets Prompto and falls in love with him. Obviously it’s not an instant in love, but seeing this cute lil blonde single father stumble in is entirely too endearing.

~~~~~

Khal is semi canon, but not totally. Her main ship is with Spencer, a fandomless oc played by- you guessed it- Jess. Spencer is an ICU nurse when they meet, but shortly after that transfers to NICU. He spends 8 years there, being best friends with Khal, but never anything more. They’re dating in everything but title. Khal refuses to admit her feelings until one day, he comes home from the NICU with a baby, because the baby’s parents couldn’t keep him and Spencer refused to let go of him. That day Khal just broke and admitted to herself, and to him, how she feels. Because she wanted to be Rory’s mother.

~~~~~

Drautos is not the type one expects to see as a family man, or even a married man. He is business first and he’s always been like this. But a lesser known fact is that he does want a family. He wants the family he missed out on having from his home being destroyed when he was 12. Because of this, I have a lot of verses with Jess about how he becomes a parent. For context, Jess- as you can likely tell by now- is a multimuse. She rps a lot of characters, including: Luche, Pelna, Axis, and Tredd. With each of these is an option for Drautos to be a parent.

Drautos with Luche. Luche has Leila, this is a fact established while discussing Nyx. Drautos is interesting in the image of a perfect family, because he doesn’t know how to actually have a family. He doesn’t know how to be a parent. But slowly he does genuinely fall in love with Luche, and with Leila. He will do anything to protect them, and when Insomnia falls his highest priority is ensuring that Leila is safe.

Drautos with Axis. Shortly after Axis’ youngest is born the mother died. This left Axis alone, and struggling to care for three children. What good commander would just stand by and watch this struggle? Certainly not Drautos. He takes the chance in helping Axis, and in return gets a family.

Drautos with Pelna. Pelna is a tiny baby glaive, and Drautos maybe just likes showing off how powerful he is to the young glaive. The fact that Pelna has a toddler son named Danny only helps. It’s a fun game until he realizes he’s in too deep.

Drautos with Tredd. Tredd has no kids of his own, but he wants them, and he’s something like an uncle to Axis’ kids. So even if he’s not presently capable of providing Drautos with that image of a family that he wants, he could one day. Particularly if by some miracle (known as RP meta because fuck canon) Drautos and Tredd are the only ones that make it out they’re left with Axis’ kids, Luche’s daughter, and Pelna’s son. So suddenly they went from none, to six.

~~~~~

Pine is the one that I was basically just like, she’ll be a shrug emoji. Cause @bygonesin​ and I have discussed that yes, her and Argent will certainly have kids, we’ve never really talked about how many or who they are though. But both of them come from large families so it stands to reason they’d have a large family of their own.

[gokailyger84]

So, here is my Narutoesque Ninja Ship Party AU

Bri/an and Danny are originally from the Sound Village.  The village created by Orochimaru.

When they were still kids, (around 10) their families deserted the Sound village after finding out about the experiments.  Some of which Bri/an and Danny were unknowingly subjected to.  

They came to Konaha as refugees and were welcomed by the Sandaime.  As a show of loyalty to their new home, Bri/an and Danny’s parents enrolled them into the Ninja Academy.  

They both took their Ninja training seriously.  Knowing that their progress reflected the status of their families.  Both excelled at the academy.  But after a couple of months, Danny began to pull ahead.  He had an enormous amount of chakra for his age and he picked up on techniques and battle tactics very easily.  

Because there was a war looming, many young ninjas were graduating early.  Especially those who showed above average potential.  Danny was one of those young ninjas.  

Despite Danny’s constant help, Bri/an couldn’t keep up.  He had the intelligence but not the physical skills.  Danny had no choice but to leave Bri/an behind.  Bri/an could only watch as Danny graduated and joined his Genin team, going out on many missions.

But whenever Danny had free time, he would come back to Bri/an and help him with his ninjutsu, and sharing his adventures on his missions.  Bri/an was grateful that Danny still cared for him and considered him his best friend.  

Bri/an pushed himself even harder to graduate and catch up with Danny, so they could be together again.

But then Danny was promoted to Chuunin and taking on more difficult missions.  He barely had time for Bri/an anymore.  

Once Bri/an finally graduated and became a Genin, he found out that Danny had become a Jounin and all but disappeared.  

Bri/an is distraught. He has no idea where Danny is and no one else seems to know.  Not even his family has seen him around.  It was as if he had vanished in thin air.  Bri/an could do nothing else but continue on and do the best he could as a ninja.

One day, while out on a mission during the Third Shinobi War, he and his team are ambushed.  His teammates are killed.  Bri/an was gravely injured.  His Jounin Sensei, also injured, is able to get them close to the village before dying of his wounds.  

Bri/an tries desperately to crawl to the gates, knowing the enemy ninja are still after him.  The ninja find him but before they reach him, they are killed.  The last thing Bri/an sees before passing out is a white mask with a familiar design on it.

Bri/an wakes up in the hospital.  He’s surprised to see an Anbu in the corner of his room.  He can tell the Anbu is young from his physical appearance.  Probably around Bri/an’s age.  Which isn’t surprising with the accelerated promotions of young ninjas during the war.  There were quite a few prodigies who had reached the elite status of Anbu.  

A status Bri/an knew he would never reach.  After all he had just lost his entire team on a normal C-level delivery mission.  He barely survived himself.  He couldn’t help but feel it was somehow his fault. That if he was stronger, faster. His teammates and sensei wouldn’t have died.  Why he chose to voice his thoughts out loud, Bri/an didn’t know but the Anbu listened quietly.  

Hearing people approaching the room, the Anbu ran his fingers through Bri/an’s hair and told him to never give up.  That he’d find his place in the Shinobi world.  With that the Anbu vanished.  As his family came in to check on him, it finally clicked.

Where he had seen that design before.  The Anbu’s mask was that of a unicorn.  

Danny’s unicorn.

Danny was an Anbu.

No wonder he had vanished. Anbu ran missions non-stop.  Even moreso, during the war.  Bri/an was relieved though.  He was happy to know that Danny was okay, still alive.

He wondered if Danny’s family knew.  An Anbu’s identity was a sworn secret.  Only the Hokage was supposed to know.  The fact that Bri/an now knew could potentially put him in danger, making him a target.  But as long as he didn’t tell anyone and didn’t let Danny know that he knew, it should be fine.

After the Third Shinobi War ended, Bri/an took up an internship as a Teacher’s assistant.  He found out that he was just not suited for the field work of a ninja.  His below average skills were a liability to potential teammates.  He figured it be best to teach future generations of ninjas instead, due to his mastery of the basics.  

He even began dabbling in creating new jutsus.  Creating theories for more practical techniques.  Danny had begun a habit of visiting Bri/an every couple of months in the middle of the night.  He’d wake Bri/an up and Bri/an would share one of the jutsus he had created. Because of Danny’s skills, he could test them out and work out the kinks.  He would transport them to a secluded training area and they would practice Bri/an’s jutsus.  Danny would add them to his arsenal.  He’d always thank Bri/an for the new skills before taking him back home.  Bri/an was just glad that he could help Danny in some way.

Unfortunately, they only enjoyed a year of peace before tragedy strikes.

After the attack of the Nine tails, Bri/an and Danny are orphaned.  Their families killed in the attack.  Danny searches frantically for Bri/an during the attack.  He finds him injured in the wreckage of his home. Danny is able to pull him out and treat his wounds.  Bri/an then reveals he knows who is behind the Anbu mask.  Danny is not that surprised, glad that he can know talk freely with Bri/an.  After all, they only have each other now.  They both make a promise to become strong enough to prevent others from going through such a loss.

Years pass and Bri/an is now a well respected teacher at the Academy.  Danny is retired from the Anbu and is about to become the Jounin Sensei to his first Genin team.  Three students from Bri/an’s class.  

The trouble maker Arin Uzumaki, who Bri/an adopted as his own and is also the container of the Nine Tails.  The brooding vengeance filled Suzy of the massacred Uchiha clan and the quiet but determined Leigh Haruno.

Bri/an and Danny will not only have to deal with raising and teaching these kids but also figure out the changing feelings occurring between themselves.

[hard-satin]

Currents (3.07)

Masterlist

“Jamie, you don’t have to come with me. I’m just going to get food to bring to my mom.” Scott told me as I followed him out to his bike.

“You’re not going anywhere without me.” I told him.

“I’m fine! Besides you can’t follow me around forever.” Scott pointed out.

“I can try.” I told him crossing my arms over my chest.

“This is starting to get annoying.” He told me as he hopped on his bike.

“Well I almost lost my best friend. Can you imagine for one second that Stiles or I was standing in a puddle of gasoline with a lit flare. How would that make you feel?” I asked him as I hopped onto the back of his bike.

“Terrified.” He confessed.

“Then shut up and deal.” I told him slipping the extra helmet onto my head wrapping my hands around his waist as he took off without another word.

-

We had to weave our way through a swarm of people when we reached the hospital. Doctors and nurses we running everywhere. It was a miracle we even found Melissa.

“Oh thank gd. I’m starving.” She smiled at the bag of food Scott held up for her.

“I’m sorry, thank you for bringing me dinner.” Melissa said turning back to us and pulling us both into a hug.

“Is everything okay?” Scott asked her as she pulled away.

“Except for half the accident victims from a ten car pile up being rerouted her from downtown and the ER attending not answering any of his pages? Yeah, I’m okay.” She smiled at us.

“What does not answering pages mean?” Scott asked.

“It means that no one can find him so now we have to wait for the on call to get here.” Melissa explained.

“Miss, excuse me I’m sorry but could I please have something for the pain?” She asked desperately.

“I’m sorry but actually giving you something for the pain may complicate things so we really just need to wait for the doctors.” Melissa told her sitting her back down. Scott went to the woman's side instantly.

“I read somewhere that human contact can actually help with pain.” Scott told her. My eyes went wide when I realised what he was going to do. Before I could stop him from potentially revealing his giant hairy secret he put his hand on hers and took away her pain. The woman looked at him with a grateful smile. I walked over and slumped into the seat next to him.

“You are to good for this world Scott McCall.” I told him. He looked at me with a small smile. Then his eyes drifted past me and his face fell. I turned to look too and Danny was being dragged into the ER by Ethan.

Melissa ran over and helped Ethan lower Danny into a chair. I grabbed Ethan by his collar and slammed him into the wall. Pinning him against it, my claws against his neck.

“What did you do to him?” I growled.

“Nothing. He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing but it just kept getting worse.” Ethan explained. His heart was steady. Beating fast but he was scared. Not lying.

“His larynx has shifted to the side.” Melissa told us as if that meant anything to a bunch of teenagers. Suddenly Danny projectile vomited all over the floor. There were white beads inside it.

“Mistletoe.” Ethan said.

-

We followed closely behind Danny as they wheeled him into a room.

“Can you three please go back to the waiting room?” Melissa begged us half heartedly. We ignored her.

“Where are the nurses and the doctors? Where is everyone?” Ethan asked panicked.

“It’s a full house tonight, they’re tending to other patients.” Melissa told him.

“Okay, mom how can we help?” Scott asked. I flashed my eyes for emphasis.

“Honey you can’t his lung has collapsed his heart is being pushed against his chest cavities.” Melissa explained.

“He’s going to die isn’t he?” I asked the realisation making the blood in my veins feel like ice. I looked to Scott and Ethan, surprised when I saw genuine fear cross the alpha's face.

“No, no he’s not. Scott you grab the tape. Ethan grab the scissors and cut his shirt open.” She instructed. I was impatient and extended my claws shredding his shirt and pulling the scraps away from Danny’s body. Ethan looked at me.

“You’re not the only one who cares about him.” I told him.

Melissa turned back around and went to work. I watched her in silent awe as she saved Danny’s life.

“Thank you.” Danny told her weakly once his breath returned. I looked at Melissa with a newfound respect and admiration.

“What?” She asked us looking at all our shocked faces.

“That was awesome.” Scott summed up, causing Melissa to smile and try to deny it.

-

Scott and I were at his bike about to leave when Ethan caught up with us. His hands were raised as he came over. A gesture of peace or at least temporary peace.

“I know you’re not going to believe me but I didn’t do anything.” He told us. I snorted.

“You’re right. I don’t believe you.” I told him.

“Look all I know is the minute you got here you went right for Danny. And your brother went for Lydia.” Scott told him.

“We’re not going to hurt him.” He promised.

“Oh, are you giving us your word? Because that’s worth jack shit.” I spit at him.

“Why should we believe you?” Scott asked.

“We knew one of them was going to be important to you, and now we know it’s Lydia.” Ethan told us.

“Oh, so Danny’s safe but Lydia’s still basically in mortal peril every time she runs off to the coach's office to fuck your brother. Thanks for the tip. Let’s go Scott.” I said dismissing Ethan out of pure rage.

Scott walked past us both. I turned to see what he was looking at and saw a mini van swerving through the parking lot before finally crashing into a parked car. The three of us ran over but no one was inside. All Scott found was a dead moth.

-

“Two missing.” Scott told Noah.

“Hang on, they were both in the car?” Noah asked confused.

“No dad what he’s trying to tell you that it was two separate kidnappings. Two doctors, both gone.” Stiles explained the one arm that wasn’t wrapped protectively around my shoulders waving in the air for emphasis. Stiles hadn’t moved from my side since he arrived. He wouldn’t even let me hang up the phone when I called him to let him know what happened.

“Whose car is this?” Noah asked.

“Doctor Hilliard. The on call doctor. The ER attending is the one that never made it in.” Melissa explained.

“Let me just focus on getting your story first. Could you three give us a second?” Noah asked. We nodded and moved away.

“These are sacrifices right?” Scott asked once we had moved out of earshot.

“Yeah and they’re one Deaton mentioned. Healers.” Stiles told us.

“What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. It’s not a coincidence.” Scott pointed out.

“Yeah, if he hadn’t been with Ethan he’d be dead.” I pointed out.

“Can you hear that?” Stiles asked suddenly pointing to his dad.

“They found a body.” Scott and I said at once.

-

“Hey my dad said that the ER doctor wasn’t strangled but he did die of asphyxiation, they just don’t know how.” Stiles told Scott as I listened in.

“Do you think the on call doctor might still be alive?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know, but Scott there’s got to be at least twenty other doctors in that hospital. Any one of them could be next.” Stiles said.

“Hey Doc, I’m in class right now can I call you back later?” Scott asked as I listened in on his conversation with Deaton.

“Unfortunately no. Honestly Scott I was hoping I wouldn’t have to burden you like this but I’m afraid you’re my only hope. I’m going to be taken I need you to find me.” Deaton said before the line went dead. Scott looked at me fear evident in his eyes. He didn’t hesitate  to sprint out of the door.

“What’s going on?” Stiles asked me as I stuffed everything into my bag and tossed it to Stiles to look after.

“Deaton’s been taken.” I told him before racing after Scott. I met him out front on his big and jumped on. I wasn’t even fully seated when Scott took off.

We raced into the clinic only to be met with the sight of Noah and a deputy.

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked them.

“Stiles called us as soon as you two left school.” Noah told us. Stiles showed up a few seconds later.

“Deaton’s car is still in the parking lot but there’s no sign of him. I’m sorry Scott.” Noah told him, before going over to converse with his deputy. Scott looked back at Stiles and I before nodding to the door that led to the exam rooms.

“We have to tell him.” Scott told us as soon as we were sure we wouldn’t be overheard.

“You mean like tell him, tell him? Or telling him something else that isn’t telling him what I think you want to tell him?” Stiles asked.

“You know what I mean.” Scott told him.

“You remember how your mom reacted? She didn’t look you in the eye for like a week.” Stiles reminded him.

“And she got over it.” Scott pointed out.

“Yeah, well you’re actually her son. I’m an orphan girl living in his guest room.” i told him fear starting to make me freak out.

“It ended up making us closer.” Scott told me placing a hand on my shoulder to help me calm down. I looked to Stiles to see what he wanted to do about it.

“I don’t know dude. Just look at him, he’s completely overwhelmed as it is.” Stiles tried to find a way out.

“He’s overwhelmed because he has no clue what’s happening. He’s got people dying in his town. The town that he’s supposed to protect and it’s not his fault that he doesn’t know what’s happening. He’s going to find out sooner or later.” Scott told us.

“Yeah but is now really the right time?” Stiles asked.

“What if not telling him now gets someone else killed?” Scott asked.

“What if telling him gets him killed? I get that Deaton has been like a father to you, I get that. But Scott this is my actual father, I can’t lose both of my parents alright. Not both of them.” Stiles said tears welling in his eyes. I wrapped my arms around him keeping him close, trying to comfort him.

“You’re right.” Scott said.

“No I’m not. I’m not right. I’ll tell him.” Stiles relented. I squeezed his middle softly and Smiled up at him.

“I’ll help you.” Scott said.

“We both will.” I agreed.

We left the back room but when we came out we were surprised by what we found. Our guidance counselor was talking with Noah. She was Deaton’s sister. As soon as the cops left the room she marched over to us.

“Listen closely all of you. No sheriff, deputy or detective is going to ba able to find him.” She told us firmly.

“You don’t have to ask us for help.” Scott assured her.

“Actually I’m trying to help you, because if you’re going to find my brother then you’re going to need to use the one person who might actually have an ability to seek out the supernatural.” She told us. We looked at each other as it dawned on us.

“Lydia.” Stiles said it out loud.

“Where is she?” Scott asked.

“There’s only one place to find her at this time of day.” I said looking at the clock on the wall.

“Where?” The boys asked together.

“Coach's office with a certain evil twin. “ I told them. Stiles rolled his eyes.

-

Stiles and I made it back to the school first. We raced to the office heading through the boys locker room. We found Lydia with Cora. Coras hand holding tightly to Lydia's arm.

“Let go.” Lydia commanded her undaunted.

“Don’t make her ask again.” I warned fangs and claws out, eyes glowing. Cora let go slowly.

-

“A ouija board?” Lydia asked unimpressed as Stiles opened the box in front of her.

“It’s worth a shot.” Stiles told her.

“A shot in the dark.” She responded.

“Would you just try it please. Let's not forget who this is for, Scotts boss the guy who had saved our collective asses on more than one occasion.” Stiles reminded her.

“Okay so do we all have to this?” Cora asked.

“I’m not sure why you’re even still here but yes we do.” I told her as we all put our hands on the board.

“Where’s Doctor Deaton?” Stiles asked. We all looked to Lydia waiting for something to happen.

“What?” She asked us noticing the stares.

“Aren't you going to answer it?” Stiles asked her.

“Oh, I don’t know the answer. I thought we were asking some sort of spirit.” Lydia told us.

“Well do you know any spirits?” Cora asked.

“Is she for real?” Lydia asked turning back to us. We collectively sighed in defeat.

“Okay, these are Deaton's keys. We’re going to put them in your hand and you’re going to see if you can feel out for his location. It’s called psychometry.” Stiles told her.

“You’re something! Just put out your hand.” I was sick of all he scepticism. She did what I asked and Stiles dropped the keys into her palm. She jump as they landed.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“They’re cold.” She answered.

“Lydia concentrate please, trying to save lives here for the love of god.” Stiles told her his face contorted with aggravation. Lydia closed her eyes again trying to focus. Her face screwed up with concentration.

“What is it? What do you see?” Stiles asked her.

“Nothing.” She said expression blank. I let my head fall from my hands and bang against the table in frustration.

“Okay, let's try automatic writing.” Stiles said. I handed him a pencil and he held it out to Lydia.

“Automatic writing?” She was a touch sceptical. Stiles nodded at her with conviction. She took the pencil and started sketching.

“Lydia what are you doing? What the hell is that?” Stiles asked.

“A tree.” She told him sketching the branches.

“Lydia you’re supposed to be writing words. Like in sentences. Something like a location. SO we can figure out where he is.” Stiles told her.

“Well maybe you should have said that.” Lydia pointed out.

“Isn’t she supposed to be some sort of genius?” Cora asked. I nodded sadly.

“Genius yes, psychic no.” Lydia told her.

“Honestly I don’t know why you’re even bothering with me anyway. Especially since it’s obvious you should be talking to Danny.” Lydia said going back to her tree drawing.

“What?” I asked confused.

“Why Danny?” Stiles asked her.

“Because last night he was a target but he wasn’t a sacrifice.” Scott said walking in hand covering his bleeding shoulder. Scott filled us in on what happened with him and Deucalion in the music room before Allison ntexted him that she found something that she needed to show him. It was up to me and Strikes to figure out what Danny knew that would make him a target. We headed out to the hospital.

-

“Stiles what are you doing?” I asked him as he crept along the walls of the hospital. Like a spy in a bad action movie.

“I’m in stealth mode.” He told me as he shuffled along the wall. I rolled my eyes at him before pulling him off the wall to walk beside me like a normal person. We made it into Danny’s room without incident miraculously. I stayed by the door to listen for anyone coming while Stiles crept around to Danny’s bag to do some investigating.

“What are you doing?” Danny asked as Stiles dug around in his bag. His voice was groggy, most likely from the drugs and the fact that he had just been sleeping.

“I’m not doing anything Danny. This is just a dream that you’re having.” Stiles insisted as he went back to riffling through Danny's belongings.

“Why are you going through my stuff?” Danny asked.

“Right but only in the dream remember. You’re dreaming.” Stiles whispered.

“Why would I dream about you going through my stuff?” Danny asked confused and still half asleep.

“I don’t know that Danny. It’s your dream, take responsibility for it. Now shut up and go back to sleep.” Stiles told him. Stiles popped up a second later with a thick paper in his hands. A project for physics. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of Danny’s room.

“I think this is it.” He told me excitedly.

“We need to all Scott.” I told him. Stiles pulled out his phone but as he did a couple of nurses came down the hallway. I put my hand on his to stop him from dialing the number quite yet.

“Not here.” I told him nodding to the nurses. Stiles nodded in understanding before he took my hand and lead me back outside to the parking lot. Stiles called Scott when we got outside and filled him in on everything. Scott told us to meet him at the animal clinic to go over Danny's research. We were in the Jeep flying out of the parking lot a second later.

-

“What does this kids homework have to do with finding Deaton?” Cora asked.

“Because it’s not just homework okay. It’s a project on geo magnetic fields. They flow through the earth, they can even be affected by lunar phases. Now look at this, this is a note from Harris on Danny’s proposal.” Stiles said pulling out the right paper. I leaned over his shoulder to read it out loud.

“I strongly advise you to choose another subject. The idea’s here while innovative and thoughtful border on pseudo science. Not suitable for class.” I read, it dawned on me that Harris was very aware of the purposes the currents served.

“Harris wasn’t just a sacrifice. He knew something.” Scott realised.

“Yeah and check this out. Allisons dad wasn’t the only one with a map. Danny had one too.” Stiles said pulling out a map and laying it across the table.

“Danny marked all the telluric currents.” I said tracing my fingers over the marker paths Danny left behind.

“Yeah, and the weird thing about Beacon hills is that it actually is a beacon. You wouldn’t believe how much energy in this earth is flowing through this town.” Stiles told us.

“Guys look. They match.” Scott said noticing how the marks on allisons dads map lined up with Dannys.

“Theres three places right. Where they’re taken, where they’re found and where they’re killed. Well if the taking is the beginning and where they end up is the end then they must be killed somewhere in between.” Scott pointed out as he marked the map.

“There. He’s in the vault. He’s in the same vault.” Cora told us as she pointed out the vault on the map. It fell exactly in between the other two points. We threw our papers together before turning to run out of the clinic.

“Guys wait. The plan didn’t work. They cut the power.” Cora told us with a frightened look. The alphas were going to kill Derek.

“You guys go. Help Derek. I’ll get Deaton myself.” Scott told us.

“Like hell you will. I’m coming to.” I told him ignoring his weak protests as I ran out to his bike.

“I only have the one helmet.” Scott warned me.

“Just shut up and drive McCall.” I told him as I jumped on the back. He did as he was told.

-

Scott and I made it to the vault in record time. Scott was off the bike so fast it sent me to the ground. I was up quick and on his tail as he ran in. I watched as he raced to Deaton's side, but before he could get there he was thrown back by the mountain ash barrier. I helped pull him to his feet.

Scott and I looked at each other before stepping up to the invisible barrier. We leaned into it slowly pushing with all our supernatural strength. I last a couple of seconds before I was launched across the room. I hit the metal of the walls and collapsed in a heap. Scott pushed on, screaming out against the pain. I stood to go back to Scott's side but as I did the ground started to shake. I felt a feeling wash over me like more power than I’d ever known. I collapsed back onto the ground onto all fours. A roar ripped from my throat as I felt the wolf inside me start to change. Morphing its shape. Then as soon as it started it stopped and I had my whole body pressed against the cool marble of the vault floor. I looked up to see Scott lying next to me.

“Let me give it a shot.” I looked up to see Noah. He pulled out his gun and with one bullet freed Deaton from slow and painful suffocation. We waited for Noah to charge forward and break the line before we followed. Dragging Deaton over to lean against the wall.

“How’d you find us?” I asked.

“Those vials from the clinic, the ones with the celtic symbols. I knew one of them looked familiar.” Noah said pointing to the symbol on the vault floor. I smiled at him in amazement before launching myself into his arms to give him a hug. He was a hero.

“Sheriff, that you for being one hell of a detective.” Deaton praised still panting. I pulled back.

“You bet, now let's get you an ambulance.” Noah told him standing and walking outside to make the call. As soon as he was around the corner Deaton grabbed Scotts shirt and pulled him in close.

“Your eyes were red. Bright red.” Deaton told him. I looked at Scott wide eyed.

“How is that possible?” Scott asked confused.

“It’s rare. Something that doesn’t happen within a hundred years but every once in awhile a beta can become an alpha without having to steal or take that power. They call it a true alpha. Someone who rises purely on the strength of character. By virtue, by sheer force of will.” Deaton told him.

“Is that what I’ve been feeling?” I asked. Deaton nodded.

“You knew this would happen.” Scott realised.

“I believed, from the moment I knew you were bitten. I believed.” Deaton told him a wide smile on his face.

“You’re not the only one.” I said as I put the pieces together. Why the alpha pack was really here.

“No. Deucalion isn’t after Derek. He’s after you.” Deaton told him.

[endofgreenofficial]

The characters of A Captive State

Brian “Jurgis” McPhee (born 1983), is one of the four main protagonists of the story, he was the older brother of Rula McPhee. He was the only two of four main protagonists (supposedly alongside Gabe Conway), to having their mysterious abilities from the aliens. Born in the village of Tinley Park, At the age of 3, Jurgis was attacked by the mysterious alien invaders while he was sleeping in the bedroom of his family home in Tinley Park (Illinois), and he suddenly became stubborn and kleptomaniac. By the age of 7 in 1990, Jurgis left orphaned after his family were murdered by the US military. After his parents were murdered by the US military, Jurgis moves in the Wicker Park by his friend named Jerry Hawk (8oone) and his other Hell’s Lovers MC members (including Cody Ellison) in 1991. After moving to Wicker Park, Jurgis was discovered by the FBI after hiding in Goose Island brewery alongside many hobos in their 10s and 20s. After Jurgis went out of jail, Rula discovers his new name was faked, and that his real name was Brian McPhee. He claimed his new name after murdering his abandoned Lithuanian boyfriend in Chicago. Alongside his adopted sister Rula, Jurgis was an avid heavy metal fan. His favourite hobby was playing guitar and skateboards. His favourite radio station were Adrenaline 90.4, Juvenile 101.5 and Chicago Hardcore. Jared McKenna portrayed Brian “Jurgis” McPhee. Although he was born in London, Jared McKenna had started his acting career in 2006, while he first appeared in the long running police procedural series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in 2007, his feature film debut was Joe Wright’s period drama Atonement. He took his recent success in the 2018 movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, while portraying the young Han Solo. In January 2017, Jared McKenna had officially cast as Brian McPhee in A Captive State. Jared McKenna had cited Cole McGrath from InFamous and Stranger Things’s Mike for his portrayal of Brian McPhee. Cody McKenna plays the role of Jurgis McPhee ages 6 to 10.

Caroline “Rula” McPhee (born 1984), is one of the four main protagonists of the story, and she was the adopted sister of Brian McPhee. Her birth name was Caroline Howell. She was dressed like a young boy, to avoid her childhood memories. Rula’s parents were originally from Britain, but she left orphaned after her parents were murdered by the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division while visiting Navy Pier in Chicago. She had an adopted cousin named Danny Howells, a young brother who came to Chicago around the early 1990s (although Danny was not a biological brother of her). She was a biggest fan of rock music. She lives in Pilsen neighbourhood with her boyfriend Narciso “Nark” Hernandez. Her favourite radio station was Juvenile 101.5, Adrenaline 90.4 and Willows 103.1. Non-binary actress Damian Ruane portrayed Rula McPhee. She came out gay at the age of 7 in 2010, and she made her acting debut in her native Ireland with TRTE’s children’s show Roy. At the age of 10 in 2013, she made her breakthrough role in the UK with BBC’s long running medical drama Casualty. In January 2017, Square Enix had already found the 14-year old Irish actress Damian Ruane (Casualty, Roy), for auditioning the role of Rula McPhee.

Gabriel Conway-Drummond (born 1985), is one of the four main protagonists of the story. Victor “Vic” Kamanga portrays Gabe Conway. After his parents were murdered by the members of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, Gabe finds his childhood memories leading to the alien invasion of Chicago. His favourite radio stations were The Beatz 95.1 and The Rhythm 92.5. While auditioning for Gabe, Square Enix already found Vic Kamanga, when he played the role of Alessio Jones in Spectral earlier in 2016. In January 2017, Vic Kamanga had choosen to play the role of Gabe Conway in A Captive State, and the motion capture work had began earlier.

Raphael “Rafe” Conway-Drummond (born 1979), is one of the four main protagonists of the story. Ernest Jamieson “Ernie Jay” Wilkes portrays Rafe Conway. Gabe and Rafe shared their relationships together. After his parents were murdered by the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, Rafe and Gabe reunited together when they’re returned back to their home in Chicago. His favourite radio stations were The Bronx FM and The Rhythm 92.5. When he was only 5 years old in 2007, Ernie Jay Wilkes made his acting debut with the long running BET sports drama series The Game. At the age of 11, Ernie Jay Wilkes made their breakthrough career in Starz’s hip-hop drama Power, which features the legendary rapper 50 Cent and Omari Hardwick.

Caroline “Carrie” Conway-Drummond is portrayed by Steph Oliver. She was the younger sister of Gabe and Rafe Conway. She was also the tritagonist of Gabe and Rafe Conway. She is also Cody Ellison’s girlfriend, and therefore affiliated with both Ellison's crew and her friends Jurgis and Rula McPhee. After learning about Colonel Levitt’s and Alan Rittenhouse’s betrayal, Gabe requests that Ellison bring Carrie to safety by fleeing from East Chicago from the US military raid. Later in the storyline, Ellison pondered proposing to Carrie but the question of whether she accepted or not remains unanswered. Carrie is depicted as intelligent and pragmatic which suggests that although her brothers Gabe and Rafe turned to anger and betrayal as the US Army had in war with Scavengers in Chicago.

Crystal Billy Saunders is portrayed by Tristan Wick. He was the homeless teenage boy living around Jurgis McPhee’s apartment (2145 West Evergreen Avenue) in Wicker Park. In 1992, when Jurgis trapped in Goose Island after the US military raid, Crystal Billy and other Hell’s Lovers MC members discovers him after he was sleeping alongside the hobos in their 20s and 30s.

Leeland Posner is portrayed by Denzel Dion. He was the homeless young man living around Gabe and Rafe Conway’s apartment in 1234 North Kedzie Avenue in Humboldt Park.

Daniel “Danny” Howells is portayed by Josh Bartosz (ItsJosh). He was the adopted cousin of Rula McPhee and deuteragonist of Brian “Jurgis” McPhee, one of the four main protagonists of A Captive State. Danny was the young British drug addict who came to Chicago as far in 1994, while he first met Jurgis McPhee at his apartment in Wicker Park. As the storyline suggests, Danny was the adopted brother of Rula McPhee during his arrival in Chicago. As a member of the Phoenix, Danny aids Jurgis plots an attempted assassination of Colonel Charles Levitt of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, as well as participating in the raid against the Disciples. Danny is nicknamed "The Violent Englishman" because he is like killing anyone who hated the Phoenix, most notably from his capability of his own mind, unlike Jurgis. He is also compete in a car race and beating Jurgis in a round of video games. There are, however, humorous occasions when he runs into walls, as well as indications that his cohorts manipulate the outcome of games played with Danny so that he would always win. For example, in one game he plays against Jurgis, Gabe, and Rula, Danny keeps asking for cars until they’re finally stands with a .45 (later calling Jurgis, Gabe and Rula "bad luck"). Another time, while practicing shooting range, his friends move the target decoys into the path of Danny ball and out of the path of the player character’s. Danny is also incapable of rugby, since his other working senses are ineffective of walking through the pitch. His favourite radio stations were Adrenaline 90.4 and Juvenile 101.5. He had a brother named Lloyd Howells (Badzz), who is later introduced in one of the main storyline missions.

Anita McPhee is portrayed by Kody Theo. She was the older sister of Brian McPhee, often she calls him Jurgis (after his dead Lithuanian lover).

Doctor Jeffrey “Evan” Hayes is portrayed by Matthew Jay Bailey (stfumatthew). He was the young physician working inside Norwegian American Hospital, becoming the member of the Phoenix, and he was the tritagonist of Brian “Jurgis” McPhee. From his life about being killed by the Scavengers during his early childhood, Dr. Hayes gives his everyday treatment to his patient named Brian McPhee, who was nearly died at the age of 3 when he was attacked by Scavengers in Tinley Park. Dr. Hayes has been widely praised for exposing the alien invasion in Chicago during the 60s to 70s, also criticized for its "overuse of hyphens". He is a leading authority in the field of PTSD and narcolepsy, and he has treated both children and teenagers. Dr. Hayes is portrayed as a charismatic psychologist and surgeon. He charges exorbitant rates for sessions (as seen in a journal where he raises his rates by a "reasonable" 75%) and does not appear to care much about his patients and their problems. During Jurgis's medical treatment, he is seen looking at Jurgis’s childhood memories from his childhood within his own visions. He appears unconcerned about Jurgis's behavior as the latter confesses that he is able to examine him without remorse. He and his wife Jean (Hope Paige) were the young physicians working inside Norwegian American Hospital.

Patrick “Cody” Ellison is portrayed by Tyler Brown. He was the deuteragonist of Gabe Conway. Patrick Ellison was possibly born around the late 1970s and previously worked as an associate of the Hell’s Lovers motorcycle club in Chicago during the early 1990s. He was previously expelled from Chicago by the US Army before his "best friends" Gabriel Conway and Jurgis McPhee entered his life. Gabe convinced him that his friends was only holding him back in life. Ellison was taken prisoner by the US Army in 1989 and quickly escaped in 1990, with Ellison deep in debt because he is still paying insurance fees to them. He then began to obsess over conspiracy theories and began working for Gabe and Jurgis as the member of the Phoenix, an independent paramilitary organization based outside Chicago. In October 1998, Ellison was executed by a firing squad by the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Northerly Island, alongside Danny and Nark, by the orders of Colonel Levitt, after the Phoenix raided the US military installation south of Chicago. His favourite radio stations were Adrenaline 90.4, Juvenile 101.5, Chicago Hardcore, and Chicago Rock Radio.

Narciso “Nark” Hernandez, is portrayed by Jacob Esteban-Jacobs aka (JacobJacob15 ASMR). He was the tritagonist of Caroline “Rula” McPhee. In 1994, when he was about 8 years old, Nark meets Rula McPhee when she was hanging out with her friends inside 900 North Michigan Shops. Nark explains Rula about the plans to defeat the Scavengers and destroying the Project Anvil, the scientific project created by the US Army that is helped to protect many areas of Chicago from the attacking outsiders. In October 1998, Nark and his others (alongside Danny and Ellison) were executed by firing squad by the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Northerly Island, by an orders of the US Army Colonel Charles Levitt, but later failed after three of them were escaped from the execution. His favourite radio stations were Adrenaline 90.4 and Juvenile 101.5. He never speaks Spanish.

DO-5478 aka Theo, is portrayed by Louis Alcius (KidFreak). Theo was the robot created by the US Army, and serves as the tritagonist of Gabe and Rafe Conway. DO-5478 was first appeared when chasing Gabe and Rafe Conway in 1989, until it was reprogrammed (and named after Gabe’s deceased brother Theodore Conway) by Dr. Hayes inside Jurgis’s apartment in Wicker Park.

Jenny Barbosa, is portrayed by Maya Elizabeth. She was the tritagonist of Brian “Jurgis” McPhee. She had claimed her life was ruined by the Scavengers, whom she had nearly killed in 1988 when she visiting Jurgis’s home in Tinley Park. Her favourite radio stations were Adrenaline 90.4 and Juvelnile 101.5.

Colonel Charles Levitt, Jr. is one of the main antagonists in A Captive State, he was the member of the United States Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. Travis Robertson portrayed Colonel Charles Levitt. A distressed Persian Gulf War veteran, Colonel Levitt takes a part of the protection against the alien invasion of Chicago that happened after the great heatwave. Robertson had cited Frank Underwood in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Cyrus Temple in Saint’s Row: The Third as one of many strong stylistic influences on his portrayal of Colonel Levitt. “A Captive State will not featuring the US Navy, the US Marine Corps will also included”, Travis Robertson explained about his role as Colonel Levitt.

Stuart Kermode, is one of the main antagonists in A Captive State, he was the high ranking FBI agent who was the head of the investigation against the alien invasion of Chicago. Jordan Brenda portrays FBI agent Stuart Kermode.

Staff Sergeant Alan C. (Charles) Rittenhouse is one of the supporting characters in A Captive State, he was the CEO of Rittenhouse Corporation, a newly formed private military contractor that is helped to end the alien invasion and anarchism over Chicago. Rittenhouse was previously serving with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. After the end of the Persian Gulf War, Rittenhouse was betrayed and banished by his former mentor Colonel Charles Levitt and his men, after he wrongly accused of killing many innocent people during the Persian Gulf War. Darius Rolince plays the role of Alan Rittenhouse.

William-Joseph Mulligan aka The Illusive Man, is one of the main characters of the story. He was only one to protect their people of Chicago from the alien invasion. He was one of the main antagonists in A Captive State, alongside Colonel Charles Levitt of the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and FBI agent Stuart Kermode. Quinten Hyde portrayed the illusive man. Hyde cites Liquid Snake/Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid: Guns of The Patriots as one of many stylistic influences of his character in A Captive State.

[shakespeareanhoneybadgers]

Pack of Orphans, Chapter 2

Fic summary: Orphan Black AU. Gary Schofield's life changes when he witnesses a man who looks exactly like him commit suicide and decides to don his identity. He is soon drawn into a vast network with science and the supernatural competing against each other for answers to a decades old experiment. Ao3.

Rating: M

He couldn't stop staring at Not Lacey as they fled the scene of the crime. Put more make-up on her, change her outfit and she’d look closer to Lace than he did to Danny. But her tells were different; Lacey would be drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, not picking at the material of it.

“I can’t believe he’s dead.”

He glanced up at Belle’s face. She looked as pale as he felt, staring blankly at the road ahead as she put distance between them and the scene. Her head shook slightly.

“I mean, we just saw him this afternoon… Tried to calm him down about Danny not returning any calls, assured him we’d check on him if he didn’t respond soon...” She turned to him, “So does that make you Gary Schofield?”

“Gaz but yeah.” He raked his fingers through his hair, “So what, you just decided to check in and that’s why you witnessed the bloody Rocky Horror Picture Show?”

“I figured Begbie would do something dramatic.” She shook her head incredulously, “Did I know the hitman was going to be there? Of course not, we didn’t even know he was in London.”

“Back?” Gaz echoed, “Hitman? What the fuck is going on?”

“Your guess is as good as any of ours.” They were starting to head out of the heart of the city now, towards the suburbs, “We figure the organization is sending someone after all of you to either terminate the experiment or get rid of the evidence it occurred...both’s possible too I suppose.”

“A fucking experiment?!”

“Please, Gaz, we’ll get you up to speed with what little we know,” she assured him, casting him sympathetic glances when she could spare the attention from the road, “A lot is still speculation… And I think it’ll be better to sit down and talk it out rather than continuing to give you half answers as we speed away from a homicide.”

“Fine.” He turned around in his seat, staring back behind them. He didn’t know if that maniac had a car but damned if he wasn’t at least going to keep an eye out, “...but how the hell do you know Lacey? Is she part of this too?”

Belle sighed, “She’s not… But apparently she didn’t tell you about me.”

    They drove on in silence and he watched the buildings climb up the income ladder. By the time Belle pulled into the driveway of a house, it was in the not-even-in-his-dreams price bracket. He followed her up the path to a porch worthy of lazy summer lounging, stepping into a foyer that automatically made him feel like he should be taking off his shoes and avoiding touching anything.

“Nick?”

“We’re in here.” Belle’s voice echoed from nearby. It took all of his Year One manners not to push Belle aside and lead himself into the living room.

    Lacey of all people was on the couch, legs crossed and arms spread over the back of it. Drink in hand she was watching a man standing next to a white board who, surprise surprise, looked like a scruffy older version of him. Lacey nearly spilled her drink as she got to her heels.

“Gaz!”

“It’s fine, I’m fine, this is…” He looked down at his clothes, thinking he should’ve made some attempt in the car to at least get his face cleaned up, “...not my blood.”

    The new doppleganger hardly paid him any mind, going straight for Belle. They embraced, her hand cradling his head and his splayed across her upper back.

“Nick…”

He pulled away, snapping, “What the hell were you doing?!”

“I was worried about Begbie pulling something...Begbie-esque, and he did. But he was right, it’s not Danny, Danny was the one who was killed by the train.” She gestured to Gaz, “This...is Gary Schofield. Gaz, this is my husband, Dr. Nicholas Rush.”

    The other man finally took notice of him, though didn’t seem particularly impressed, “...so you’re Gaz.”

“Aye.”

    He contemplated him for a moment longer, “...glad I never went blonde.”

Belle shot him a warning look, before turning to the other woman, “Lacey, you didn’t tell him.” There was no accusation in her voice, just mild surprise.

The room quieted and Gaz felt more than saw Lacey tense, the grip on her glass tightening as her chin tilted up. She rolled her head as though she were working a kink out of her neck before turning to him.

“Yeah so, you know how I’ve told you as long as I’ve known you I don’t care about finding my bio family? Well...she found me.”

    Gaz stared at Lacey, feeling like he was looking at a stranger instead of his best friend, “...and you didn’t tell me?”

“You were kind of busy pretending to be a nightclub owner… And I was embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?”

“Yeah, look at her, Miss I’m-Fucking-A-Rocket-Scientist,” Lacey jerked her head towards her.

“Professor of quantum physics, but close enough,” Belle brushed it off, “And tell me you wouldn’t be curious if you learned you were adopted and, when you went to search for your parents, you found out you had a sister.”

“No, because I’ve never been curious about my parents! They gave me up so clearly they didn’t think much about me.” She finished her drink and plopped back down on the couch, “Anyway it didn’t matter until now, because of this Twilight Zone shite...”

“Of course it mattered,” Gaz muttered, taking a seat beside her, “You matter to me, Lace… Always.”

“This is all very touching,” Nick drawled, “But unfortunately low on the agenda. You two can discuss lies of omission afterwards, but right now we need to patch together what happened at Devine’s joint and what we know so far about why we have all these familiar faces.”

“You’re going to want a drink,” Belle told Gaz, “What would you like?”

“Anything strong,” he said.

Lacey extended her glass and Belle stepped away, “I think you’ve had about enough.”

“I’ll let you know when I’ve had enough,” Lacey growled. Belle wasn’t dissuaded, touching Nick’s shoulder as she passed him by.

    Nicholas sized up his audience as she went into the kitchen, playing with the cap on his marker, “...what do you know about cloning?”

    Gaz was struck dumb by the question and Lacey shrugged, “They did it to a sheep in the mid-nineties. Everything else comes from sci-fi.”

“Aye, Dolly is the best known case of actual cloning, certainly not the last.” Nick’s eyes stayed on Gaz, trying to read him, “Us, for example… You, me, Devine, Begbie, MacAvoy, countless others. There’s a very good possibility that we’re all copies from one individual.”

“Bull shit,” Gaz spat, “If humans were being cloned we’d know about it. You can’t keep something like that a secret.”

“You’d be surprised,” Belle returned, offering him a glass of whiskey on the rocks, “I mean, Lacey and I are clones.”

“That’s different,” Lacey insisted, “I seriously doubt we grew in a test tube before being tossed.”

“You’re clones in the basic sense,” Nick defended, “Identical DNA, identical fingerprints… Natural cloning with one fertilized egg splitting in two. Given the age ranges between all of us,” he gestured between himself and Gaz, “...it’s very likely we’re of the...lab rat sort of cloning.”

Really it shouldn't be so much of a surprise; it wasn't a half bad explanation, and he didn't have any better theory. But still…

“...we’re older than the sheep, though.”

“Doesn't mean someone wasn't playing mad scientist in the basement.” Rush muttered, crossing his arms, “Truth is none of us know who made us. It was coincidence MacAvoy and Devine even crossed paths.”

“Danny was a little...well, neurotic,” Belle explained, “He enjoyed his conspiracy theories, so seeing someone who looked almost exactly like him gave him all sorts of ideas. Nick wasn’t difficult to find, being a professor...and I think we found Begbie through Danny’s network… And you through your criminal background.”

    It was the first time Gaz had seen the disgruntled academic smile, “Public indecency, eh?”

“Fuck off,” Gaz hissed.

“It was rehearsal that the police butted in on with no context,” Lacey insisted, “Anyway, so far there’s...five clones, two of which are dead.”

“That’s where the live headcount stands right now,” he agreed, “The death toll is...significantly higher.”

“Because of this...bloodhound hitman boogeymonster fellow?”

Gaz wasn’t reassured the way they shared a look before the older man answered.

“During our research we found some...unsettling news reports,” he said haltingly, “Family of four brutally murdered… Mother and kids shot, the father… They’ve only found bits and pieces of him.”

“Jesus Christ…” Gaz muttered. Lacey put her head in her hands.

“It’s a similar MO, but the victims are spread over countries,” Belle said, “Murdered loved ones, the majority of the body never found…”

“And when you went to look at their pictures they all looked like versions of the same guy,” Gaz finished. He shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out Danny’s phone.

“What are you doing?” Nick barked.

“None of your fucking business!” He dialed the number without thinking, holding it to his ear.

           It rang and rang and rang until he got the answering machine. He dialed again and it rang and rang and-

“Who is this?”

           He had never been so grateful to hear that bastard Larry’s voice, “Nate and Mandy, they alright?”

“Gaz, is that you?”

“ARE NATE AND MANDY ALRIGHT?!”

           There was some mild shuffling, “We’re all asleep…or at least Mandy and I were. You on something?”

“Go check on Nate, please! Make sure he’s in his bed!”

“Sleep it off, will ya?” The line went dead.

           Gaz tossed the phone to the other side of the couch and jumped to his feet. Lacey was close behind.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” she insisted, grabbing for his arm.

           He shook her off, “I need to be sure!”

           She grabbed him by both shoulders, “Chill the fuck out.”

“It’s Nate, I’m not going to fucking chill until I know he’s alright!”

“Running over there in the middle of the night is going to make you look insane!”

“Your boy should be fine for now,” Rush said brusquely, “There’s a gap between his killings.”

“Yeah, well, that was before he saw two of us in the same place!”

    He tried to push by Lacey but she stood her ground; those heels must give her some advantage, he thought briefly, digging in  for leverage or something.

“Tomorrow,” she promised, “You heard Dr. Scientist; nothing will happen tonight. And you’re still covered in blood, which won’t go over well with any of them.”

    He looked between Lacey, Belle, and Dr. Rush and realized he wasn’t going fucking anywhere tonight. He eyed the older nerd version of himself.

“...you got anything I can change into, then?”

    Their bathroom could’ve been a studio apartment with a tub and toilet, and the shower was…awkward. Set into a corner with two glass walls, he felt like he was giving a bit of a show to whoever felt like coming in. But god did it feel good to get clean; the hot water even pushed Nate out of his mind temporarily.

           He should’ve expected how well the clothes would fit, but it was still eerie how it sagged in all the right places. As if they were only a few pounds between them.

           Clones… Like he was in some kind of sci-fi movie, an experiment gone wrong. This was too fucking weird for him… Having a guy look exactly like him was bad enough, but there was a whole swarm of them, and a hitman to boot.

           He had to convince Lacey that the best thing for them was to grab Nate and run. The scientist and his assistant wife could play the thriller game but Gaz didn’t want any part of it. He wasn’t the tiniest bit curious about any of this.

           When he came back to the living room Lacey was the only one there, lying face-up on the couch and swirling the ice around in her glass idly. He leaned on the back of the couch, bending down to look at her.

“You alright?”

           Her eyes moved from the ceiling to his face, “Pretty sure I’m still in shock.” She set the glass on the coffee table, propping herself up on her elbows, “…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Belle. Honestly I just don’t like thinking about it, you know?”

“I know.”

“I mean look at this shit,” she waved her hand around, “It’s ridiculous… I’m sure they earned it but still.”

           It was definitely a different lifestyle than they were used to.

“And where’d they go to?”

“I think they’re filling MacAvoy in on everything,” she eyed him, “…they’ve offered to let us stay what’s left of the night here.”

“You think I’m gonna sleep at all after that?”

“It’s a good drive back to Sheffield,” she sighed, “…and really, I don’t like the idea of just you and me against the clone serial killer. They seem like they’ve got a vague clue as to what’s going on, at least.”

That was pretty much the exact opposite of what he wanted… But if he wasn’t going to check on Nate, he might as well stay here.

“...sure,” he mumbled.

    First thing tomorrow morning though, they were heading back.

III

    The sleepy church on the outskirts of Middlesbrough was completely dark and silent, except for the quiet shuffle of feet across stone. Still dressed in his nightshift he moved towards the altar. He crossed himself and knelt before it, fumbling with the match before striking it and shakily lighting the candles.

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name…”

    He’d been asleep when the call had come. He had jolted upright and fumbled for the disposable cell phone they had given him, answering before he was capable of more than a garbled noise in greeting.

“Thy Kingdom come; Thy Will be done…”

    Begbie’s dead, Rush had announced, and he could hear sweet Belle in the background hissing at him. It was quick, he continued, ignoring her, bullet to the head, didn’t even know what hit him.

As if THAT were supposed to somehow comfort the fact another one of them had fallen victim to the serial killer.

“...on earth as it is in heaven. Give us…”

    We’ve got a new one, Gaz. He was pretending to be Danny; had no idea about any of this. Apparently if the hitman didn’t act first Begbie would’ve offed him.

“...give us this day our, our daily bread… and forgive us our trespasses…”

    He’s got a son, young-ish we think. You remember what it’s like at first; it’s all you can do just to wrap your head around it.

“...as we...forgive those who trespass against us. And, and lead us not into temptation but...deliver us...deliver us from evil.”

    Doesn’t help he got a firsthand look at what we’re dealing with. I think he’s getting out of the shower; Belle, love, you want to get the guest room ready?

“For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours now and forever.”

    He looked up to the cross hanging behind the pulpit. Tears came to his eyes as the prayer remained open and as he thought about the last bottle he had on hand down in his quarters. It didn’t seem that long ago he had gone to a liquor store out of town, going to restock his “emergency supply”...and had literally run into Mr. Devine.

“...I’m so scared,” he whispered to it, shaking his head, “I know that everything is according to Your Plan...but I don’t want to die. I know there have been times I’ve thought about it, but I never truly meant it...”

    He had been on the road to sobriety before this had happened. Really he had just been looking for comfort of his own after having to give last rites to a long-time parishioner. But now… How could he be expected NOT to drink?

    His lip quivered, as the question that had been bothering him since Dr. Rush had theorized that they were clones spilled out.

“...does Begbie even have a soul to pray for? ...do I?”

    He stared at the cross but no divine miracle occurred; no angel descended with prophetic words. He didn’t even hear God’s voice inside of him the way he once had when he was called to ministry.

    Joseph was feeling the distinct difference between Mother Theresa’s insistence God would not give her more than she could handle...and Paul the Apostle saying God would not let them be tempted more than they could bear.

“...Lord, please protect me...and my brothers. Amen.”

[mutant-jojos]

Minor character profiles

Other characters to be added as necessary!

Joestar family

George Joestar - The father of the three Joestar boys. Born in England, he served in the royal air force for a time before moving to the U.S., where he took up a career in real estate. A kind, hardworking man and a loving father. After his first wife left him, he met Seiko Higashikata while on a business trip to Japan, and married her about a year later. Murdered by Dio in 2010. 

Elizabeth Joestar: George’s first wife and biological mother of Jonathan and Joseph. Formerly a highly successful lawyer, and particularly known for her role in the so-called “Pillar Men case” of the late 80s, in which she ensured that three mutants who had committed many murders got convicted. However, in 1996 she suddenly divorced her husband for reasons unknown to her children, and her current whereabouts are unknown.

Holly Joestar (Seiko Higashikata) - George’s second wife, Jotaro’s biological mother, and mother in every other sense of the word to Jonathan and Joseph. Born in Morioh, Japan; Upon moving to America with her husband, George, she adopted the name “Holly”. Beloved by all for her sweet and gentle nature. Murdered by Dio in 2010. 

Danny - The Joestars’ beloved childhood pet, a friendly and highly intelligent harlequin great dane. Unfortunately, he died in 2004 after being hit by a car; After some debate, it was eventually determined that he did not simply wander into the street, but was in fact pushed by Dio.

Tomoko Higashikata - The younger sister of Seiko Higashikata/Holly Joestar, and mother of Josuke. Had an affair with a foreigner during her college years, which led to the birth of Josuke, who she raised as a single mother with help from her father and long-distance support from her sister’s family. Died in a car accident in 2013.

Ryohei Higashikata - Seiko and Tomoko’s father, a police officer in Morioh. Helped to raise Josuke along with Tomoko. Died in a car accident in 2013.

Jotaro’s pet fish - Jotaro has had many pet fish of varying types over the years. Their names are Beyoncé, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Britney Speares, and Katy Perry. Only Beyoncé, Mariah, Shakira, and Britney are currently alive; Madonna died during a power outage, Cyndi Lauper was eaten by Katy Perry, and Katy Perry died of an infection after having been bitten by Beyoncé. Jotaro and Kakyoin suspect that Beyoncé purposefully bit Katy with the intention of avenging Cyndi.

Joestar aquaintances

Dio Brando - Jonathan’s childhood... “friend”. Initially hated mutants (although he never showed that side of him when Jonathan or his parents were around, much to the frustration of Joseph and Jotaro), but after developing powers of his own at age 12, he came to believe that he and certain other mutants were inherently better than humanity as a whole. As he grew increasingly more conceited, he and Jonathan had several falling-outs, culminating in a violent fight in which Dio murdered George and Holly Joestar. He has not been seen since. His powers include levitation, super strength, freezing, and the ability to heal himself- at the cost of draining life force from other living beings.

Will Zeppeli - A longtime friend of the family, and mentor to George’s father, who died young and was also named Jonathan. Very eccentric, but kind, and helped the boys get back on their feet after the deaths of their parents. Owns a book store, where Jonathan works.

Jonathan’s friends

Robert E.O. Speedwagon - Grew up on the streets, and was involved in crime throughout his youth before finally doing his best to go clean. Currently seems to bounce around from job to job and doesn’t always even have one, but when he does, he manages to give a portion of what he makes to charity, no matter how small his wages. A supportive friend with fantastic hair. Very gay for Jonathan, although Jonathan himself is oblivious to this. His superpower is heating his abs red hot.

Erina Pendleton - Jonathan’s longtime girlfriend. They initially dated in middle school, but she lived abroad for several years before finally returning in 2010. Currently a medical student, with dreams of opening her own clinic that treats anyone, including mutants, at low costs so it’s accessible to the poor. Very passionate about improving healthcare for mutants, and very kind and motherly, but doesn’t take shit from anyone.

Joseph and Caesar’s friends

Smokey Brown - An orphan with a knack for picking pockets, and friend of Joseph’s since the first year of high school. Although he is known to be somewhat easily freaked out, he’s generally the voice of reason among their group. Always there if you need someone to confide in. Currently attending college with plans of going into politics.

Suzi Q - Joseph’s girlfriend, although they had feelings for each other long before they started dating, and only got together after a lot of pressure from Smokey and Caesar to just fucking confess already jesus christ. (Even now, they’re still a bit shy in their relationship.) Sweet, energetic, and absolutely terrible at making decisions.

Josuke and Okuyasu’s friends and classmates

Koichi Hirose - The first friend Josuke made after moving to the U.S., partly because of his basic Japanese skills. A very well-behaved boy and definitely the most reasonable member of their friend group, although he can be persuaded into doing reckless things, and can be quite cruel and crafty when he wants to. He has the ability to create auditory hallucinations- whether affecting everyone within a certain radius, or targeting specific individuals- and is lucky enough to have very pro-mutant parents, so his friends often hang out at his place.

Yukako Yamagishi - Koichi’s girlfriend, although she’s friends with Josuke and Okuyasu too. Almost impossible to stop once she’s put her mind to something, and probably the most likely to get away with murder out of anyone. Her power is manipulation of her hair. Her parents are very anti-mutant, and don’t know that she and Koichi are mutants, or that they have other friends who are.

Toshikazu Hazamada - A student in their grade, a shapeshifter who’s been known to cause trouble using other people’s identities. Although he is definitely a troublemaker, he’s not always especially malicious, and has something of a truce with Koichi due to having the same favorite manga.

Other

Rohan Kishibe - Author of the international best selling manga Pink Dark Boy, and former classmate of Joseph and Caesar, to whom he is known as “Hey, aren’t you that kid who drew all the weaboo stuff in 9th grade?”. Can “read” the histories of others, a power which is activated through physical contact. (While it is voluntary, he usually wears gloves just as a precaution.) Seems to have taken a liking to Koichi, for whatever reason, but doesn’t always get along with most of the others due to his generally snobby personality. Doesn’t consider himself part of the mutant community, and instead believes himself to be on a separate tier from all of humanity; However, unlike Dio, he doesn’t believe that this devalues anyone else and isn’t really interested in the whole “enslaving humanity to do my bidding” thing.

Mikitaka Hazakura - An odd boy with shapeshifting powers, probably about Josuke and Okuyasu’s age, who claims to be an alien whose full name is Nu Mikitakazo Nshi. Has been known to eat things that really aren’t meant for eating.

Telence T. D’Arby - An egotistical tryhard gamer who’s something of an unwanted rival to Kakyoin. Both of them have frequented the same gaming store for many years, and ever since Kakyoin beat him in a Mario Kart tournament, Telence has been determined to beat him at everything he possibly can.

Hol Horse - Another former classmate of Joseph and Caesar. Nobody knows why he acts like a bad cowboy stereotype. Everyone kind of thought he’d grow out of it after the first year or two of high school, but somehow, he didn’t. What a weird guy.

Tonio Trussardi - Owner of the best pizza place around, and just generally an amazing cook. Has the power to sense health issues (both physical and mental) in others, and like a true Italian, often attempts to remedy them using the power of good home cooking.

Wang Chen - A Chinese immigrant who sells weird T-shirts and other things out of a banged up old van behind the post office. Always has kind of a shifty aura about him and the fact that he’s selling these things out of a van behind the post office is questionable, but hey, at least his shirts are cool and reasonably priced!

Keicho Nijimura - Okuyasu’s older brother, with the power to manipulate certain small objects. Due to having to take care of his family on his own at a young age, he was always very stressed, which usually manifested in anger and aggression towards the most convenient target (which was usually Okuyasu). Tragically, he eventually committed suicide at age 17.

Mr. Nijimura - Okuyasu and Keicho’s father. Had a difficult time holding down a job, and signed up for an experimental medical trial that resulted in his mutation- whatever it may have originally been- going wild, until he was eventually more animal than human. Killed by Keicho at the same time he committed suicide.

Reimi Sugimoto - A resident of Morioh. Josuke’s former babysitter when he was a kid, and also took him in during the period of time between the death of his family and when he was able to move in with his American cousins.

Rudol von Stroheim - A local police officer and actual neonazi. However, he seems to be mostly all talk and might not even actually have a real concept of reality. Joseph often finds it entertaining to prompt him into going on his long, hilariously bizarre rants, and sometimes records this and posts it on his blog.

Straizo - Another cop. Mysterious and cold, and more professional than Stroheim.

The Passione gang - An up-and-coming local mutant gang who the cops can never seem to catch. Coincidentally, in the years since their gang formed, drug-related crimes in the area have dropped drastically, and local gardening and agriculture seems to be flourishing.

[scorpmal]

So lately I’ve been toying with @kikaiz ’s reverse trio au (based in Danny Phantom) and it sort of led me down the path of this concept in the Harry Potter world, specifically with the golden trio, to create what I called the flipped trio au.

Basically what I’ve done is take each character from the golden trio’s archetype and gave it to one of the other two, keeping their personality traits that are there because of their nature over the environment in which they were raised. In this, Harry would take on Ron’s position in the golden trio as the “comic relief” type character, Ron would assume Hermione’s “smart friend” character, and Hermione would take on the “chosen one” character previously connected to Harry. Basically what follows is a ton of various ideas that arise based on this concept.

HARRY:

Harry would definitely end up more like his father than he is in canon: confident in his abilities (bordering quite heavily on arrogance), prone to mischief, and always making jokes

His parents aren’t dead is this au so he would be actually been raised by people who love and respect him

Still very similar to the character we know today but WAY more laid back and relaxed because his life hasn’t been nearly as stressful as it was in canon

I wanted to also attach to him the poverty aspect connected to the Weasley’s but it doesn’t make sense to me (James is from an already wealthy family, Harry is an only child, more than one working parent, and even if James and Lily were as grossly underpaid as Arthur was I still don’t think they’d ever truly be poor)

He and his family (specifically James) would 100% be labeled as blood traitors though. Not only did James marry a muggle-born but it’s pretty obvious which side they’d fall on in this sort of race war

I think Harry might actually have a slightly better (maybe?) relationship with Draco in this? I’m really not sure how that dynamic would change with Hermione at the helm of the trio

Not only would he still be playing quidditch but I think he’d be even better at it since he would’ve been playing for much longer

Might have actually been a bit better with girls after some coaching from James (and then Lily telling him to disregard it all in favor of her advice which lets face it would be much better)

Still manages to be hella clueless which I really think rounds him out nicely as a mini James

Not not only does he looks just like his dad but he acts like him too (definitely less douchey though) which weirds people out to a whole new level

RON:

Ron is no longer the youngest boy of a family of purebloods, but instead the only magical child of a family of muggles

This probably would help a bit with his feelings of being overshadowed by his brothers

However! He still thinks they would have been better suited to the wizarding world and is considerably anxious about proving that fear right

This is what leads us to Ron being the smart friend He doesn’t want to be as lackluster as a wizard as he thinks he is as a muggle so he spends way more time actually studying and actively trying to do well because his grades are one of the few things he can control

Still quite lazy in other respects, and I don’t think he’d every reach Hermione levels of being extremely focused in school because he doesn’t have that same innate drive as she does

Just as cool under pressure as he has been shown to be, but not because he’s grown up around and is extremely familiar/comfortable with magic but because 1) he’s got a huge family and is used to the pressure and 2) he’s the type of person who makes themselves comfortable or at least can adapt to new and unfamiliar situations and 3) if he can be deposited in a world previously unknown to him and not freak out (too badly) he has a pretty good handle on most things

His family would be financially stable similar to Hermione’s family and because Arthur wouldn’t be working for the Ministry and thus couldn’t be grossly underpaid by them

Doesn’t mean that Molly stops knitting her sweaters because they’re awesome

Still hates spiders

HERMIONE:

Grows up an orphan with terrible foster/adopted parents (we know nothing about her family) who treat her similarly to the Dursley’s and Harry throughout the series

The only difference would be she would get out of the situation much more quickly than Harry did

I don’t care what anyone says, Lily and James Potter are not letting their son’s best friend go back to an abusive home especially since James’ parents took in Sirius to shield him from a similarly toxic environment

This could go one of two ways: either Hermione becomes an honorary Potter similarly to how Sirius did as a teenager, or it could open the door to Sirius taking Hermione in himself. Both ideas have merit to them in my opinion

Without trying to sound overly complimentary of Hermione I honestly think she’s the best suited of the three to be the chosen one

She’s got really strong morals still and is able to use her position as the “chosen one” to push for what she wants more forcefully (“I defeated Voldemort as a baby! Join SPEW!”)

Hermione would also still be the one to call Harry and Ron out on their bull and keep them in line, so to speak

OTHERS:

Lily and James never die, which would set off a whole chain of events within their personal lives that I’m trying to keep as close to canon as I can

Peter would still end up on Voldemort’s side (can’t change canon too much) but he’d end up in Askaban and he would be the Prisoner of Askaban from the books who escapes I’m not 100% sure how it would play out but let’s ignore canon and go with it okay shhhh

Remus ends up teaching DADA like normal, but he’d be a better adjusted human

Snape would still out him as a werewolf to the entire wizarding world and I think he’d still end up going into hiding

Snape would also pretty openly hate Harry since Lily is still alive. Instead of him having Lily’s eyes being what protects Harry from Snape it would be a constant reminder that James and Lily got together and had the cute ass kid that is Harry

Harry would definitely mention it to one of his parents and it would culminate in Lily having some GODDAMN AGENCY in this “love triangle” and she could finally put to rest all of the Snily shippers the idea that it was ever a love triangle or that she was a prize to be won. She chose James and if Snape has an issue with that he can take it up with her fist (and he ends up getting punched because I made this au up and I need to see that)

That’s one of the many reasons he’s salty enough to out Remus

Besides maybe taking Hermione in as a surrogate daughter I really don’t think Sirius would work

The man is an eligible bachelor right up until the day he dies (unfortunately under similar circumstances)

Harry and Hermione still spend a lot of time at the Weasley’s house. That’s where Harry meets Ginny and they do their thing

I also like the idea of the Weasley’s sort of ushering in an era wherein muggles who know about magic (and squibs of course) are able to take an active part in the wizarding world. For example, Fred and George could still pretty easily found Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes — it doesn’t take magical ability to do potions and once they have a couple of wizards working for them they can collaborate to make charms and the like. Ron retiring from the Aurors to join at least George (unsure as to whether or not Fred should die) to help out makes a lot of sense in this. I don’t think it takes magical ability to ride a broomstick and play quidditch (lmk if I’m wrong) so for all we know Ginny could become the first muggle quidditch player. You hopefully get my point with this one

This is hella long but feel free to add your own ideas about this on this post or tagged under #flipped trio au

Don’t think too hard about canon and it’s a pretty interesting idea in my opinion

[trendingnewsb]

Great Filmmakers Pick Their Favorite Movies of the 21st Century

Film directors including Antoine Fuqua, Sofia Coppola, Paul Feig, Denis Villeneuve, Brett Ratner and Alex Gibney recently spoke to The New York Times about their favorite movies of the 21st century to date.[1] Below, I highlight 20 of the choices. This is an excellent place to start if you’re looking for great movies you haven’t seen or haven’t even heard of.

Antoine Fuqua’s Selected Films

Antoine Fuqua himself has directed Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and other films. His selections included:

Fences (2016)

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the film takes a passionate look at former Negro-league baseball player Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down. Fences was also directed by Washington. It’s adapted from a play by August Wilson, who Fuqua says “would be proud” of the output.

Watch Fences here.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Fuqua’s comment on the movie,

“It took us into a world that I have never seen before and executed it in a visceral, gritty way. It was not only moving, but it was heartfelt, dangerous and entertaining.”

When a penniless, eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai comes within one question of winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, a police investigation reveals his amazing story. Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture of the Year and Best Director, Danny Boyle.

Watch Slumdog Millionaire here.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Fuqua on this movie,

“A world undiscovered by some, in our own backyard. And it doesn’t use the tricks of Hollywood.”

Newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis is Hushpuppy, the tenacious six-year-old force of nature in an isolated bayou community. When her tough but loving father Wink (Dwight Henry) succumbs to a mysterious malady, the fierce and determined girl bravely sets out on a journey to save him. But Hushpuppy’s quest is hindered by a “busted” universe that melts the ice caps and unleashes an army of prehistoric beasts.

Watch Beast of the Southern Wild here.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Fuqua notes it does something a lot of movies don’t,

“sustained intensity and tension, even when it was only two people in the room talking.”

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. It’s the story of that search and ultimate raid/assassination.

Watch Zero Dark Thirty here.

Sofia Coppola’s Selected Films

Coppola is best-known for Lost in Translation, as well as being the daughter of Oscar-winner Francis Ford Coppola. Here are some of her selected films:

Force Majeure (2014)

Here’s how Coppola commented on the film,

“I loved the little moments, the details that said so much.”

This is the story of a model Swedish family—handsome businessman Tomas, his willowy wife Ebba and their two blond children— on a skiing holiday in the French Alps. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular but during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche suddenly bears down on the happy diners. With people fleeing in all directions and his wife and children in a state of panic, Tomas makes a decision that will shake his marriage to its core and leave him struggling to reclaim his role as family patriarch.

Watch Force Majeure here.

The White Ribbon (2009)

Coppola loves the black-and-white photography.

In a village in Protestant northern Germany, on the eve of World War I, the children of a church and school run by the village schoolteacher and their families experience a series of bizarre incidents that inexplicably assume the characteristics of a punishment ritual.

If you like old-time photography to convey the WW1 sense, this may be for you too.

Watch The White Ribbon here.

The Savages (2007)

Coppola loved the acting of the two main performances, by Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Until recently, all John and Wendy Savage (Hoffman, Linney) had in common was a lousy childhood and a few strands of DNA. But after years of drifting apart, they’re forced to band together to care for the elderly, cantankerous father who made their formative years “challenging.” In the process, both of these aimless, perpetually adolescent forty-something’s may just, at long last, have to grow up!

If you love good acting, this is a good film to try out.

Watch The Savages here.

Paul Feig’s Selected Films

Paul Feig is considered one of the best comedy directors working today — especially for women — having helmed Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters, among others. His selected films are:

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Feig on the movie,

“One of those movies I could watch over and over again, because it was just so out of left field. In comedy, we feel that we’ve seen it all and done it all, but then an original voice comes in and you go, damn.” It is truly an original movie.

From the rural town of Preston, Idaho, comes Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). With a red ‘fro, his moon boots, and illegal government ninja moves, he is a new kind of hero. When his friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez) decides to run for class president, it is Napoleon to the rescue to help him triumph over adversity.

Watch Napolean Dynamite here.

This Is The End (2013)

Feig says,

“They pulled off all those elements that seemed like they couldn’t work — it was emotional and funny and they did it playing themselves.”

While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. Kevin Hart and others make appearances.

Watch This Is the End here.

Amelie (2001)

This film was nominated for five Academy Awards, and Feig says,

“it’s so literal and yet stylish. You fall in love with her immediately.”

A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris café, Amelie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better. From then on, Amelie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness…in the most delightfully unexpected ways.

Watch Amelie here.

Denis Villeneuve’s Selected Films

Denis Villeneuve is most recently the director of Blade Runner 2049. He has also worked on films including Arrival. His selected films are:

A Prophet (2009)

Villeneuve pulls out one scene for The New York Times, 

“The deer being killed in slow motion by a car in “A Prophet” (2010) remains one of the most powerful cinematic shots of the last decade.”

An impressionable and vulnerable Arabic man gets thrust into a hellish prison, and ironically discovers greater opportunities for success than he ever possessed outside of the bars.

Watch A Prophet here.

Dogtooth (2009)

Villeneuve says,

“The madness in “Dogtooth” (2010) is the most refreshing thing I’ve seen in a long time. Yorgos Lanthimos may be one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. I’m still laughing at the crazy adults running to catch airplanes falling into their garden, because their father convinced them that they were fruit dropping from the sky.”

Three teenagers live isolated, without leaving their house, because their over-protective parents say they can only leave when their dogtooth falls out.

Watch Dogtooth here. 

Dogville (2003)

Villeneuve on the movie,

“The idea of making a set without walls to show the cowardice of a community was genius.”

When a beautiful young Grace (Nicole Kidman) arrives in the isolated township of Dogville, the small community agrees to hide her from a gang of ruthless gangsters, and, in return, Grace agrees to do odd jobs for the town’s people. But as the search for her intensifies, they demand a much better deal. What they don’t know is that Grace has a dangerous secret, and their quiet little town will never be the same.

Watch Dogville here.

Brett Ratner’s Selected Films

Brett Ratner is famous for working on the Rush Hour films as well as Hercules and other big box office movies. His selected films are:

The Kid Stays In The Picture (2002)

Ratner simply calls this “one of the greatest documentaries ever made”.

Success. Scandal. Sex. Tragedy. Infamy. Robert Evans knew them all, and in this provocative and compelling documentary, he reveals how one of the greatest winning streaks in Hollywood history almost destroyed him. From his early acting days to his stellar rise as head of production at Paramount and involvement in a well-publicized cocaine sting, Evans’ meteoric career reveals the moviemaking industry during one of its most glamorous and scandal-filled periods.

If you enjoy documentaries, consider it.

Watch The Kid Stays in the Picture here.

The Pianist (2002)

Ratner on the movie,

“It will go down in history as one of the greatest Holocaust motion pictures ever made.”

The Pianist, stars Adrien Brody in the true-life story of brilliant pianist and composer, Wladyslaw Szpilman, the most acclaimed young musician of his time until his promising career was interrupted by the onset of World War II. This powerful, triumphant film follows Szpilman’s heroic and inspirational journey of survival with the unlikely help of a sympathetic German officer.

Watch The Pianist here.

Borat (2006)

Ratner calls it legitimately “one of the best comedies ever made.”

Sacha Baron Cohen brings his Kazakh journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen for the first time. Leaving his native Kazakhstan, Borat travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences.

Watch Borat here.

Alex Gibney’s Selected Films

Alex Gibney has directed the film Taxi to the Dark Side. These are some of his selected films:

City of God (2002)

Gibney references the opening scene, featuring a chicken and a knife, as classic.

The streets of the world’s most notorious slum, Rio de Janeiro’s “City of God” are a place where combat photographers fear to tread, police rarely go and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. In the midst of the oppressive crime and violence, a frail and scared young boy will grow up to discover that he can view the harsh realities of his surroundings with a different eye, the eye of an artist.

Watch City of Gold here.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Gibney makes an interesting point about what you can learn from this film,

“Great take on corruption. My favorite scene is when [George Clooney] takes care of a client who is too arrogant to know how much trouble he is in. Want to understand the 2008 financial crisis? Watch this scene.”

Clayton cleans up clients’ messes, handling anything from hit-and-runs and damaging stories in the press to shoplifting wives and crooked politicians. Though burned out and discontented in his job, Clayton is inextricably tied to the firm.

Watch Michael Clayton here.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Gibney argues that this movie can make you think about major societal issues,

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about torture. This film gets deep into the horror of it all and the imagination that’s needed to survive it.”

Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

Watch Pan’s Labyrinth here.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Gibney gives it high praise,

“The ultimate post-9/11 film that has nothing to do with Al Qaeda or the politics of the Iraq war. It’s about a brutal force of terror that can’t be bargained with and can only be understood with the wisdom of a lawman philosopher.”

When a man stumbles on a bloody crime scene, a pickup truck loaded with heroin, and two million dollars in irresistible cash, his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain reaction of violence. Not even west Texas law can contain it.

Watch No Country for Old Men here.

There’s a good chance you haven’t seen all these films, or even heard of them. But people who love and respect the craft of filmmaking as their own career point to these as stellar movies made since 2000. Give them a chance. You may even learn quite a bit about history or new parts of the world in the process.

Reference

[1]^The New York Times: Six Directors Pick Their Favorite Films of the 21st-Century

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Great Filmmakers Pick Their Favorite Movies of the 21st Century

Film directors including Antoine Fuqua, Sofia Coppola, Paul Feig, Denis Villeneuve, Brett Ratner and Alex Gibney recently spoke to The New York Times about their favorite movies of the 21st century to date.[1] Below, I highlight 20 of the choices. This is an excellent place to start if you’re looking for great movies you haven’t seen or haven’t even heard of.

Antoine Fuqua’s Selected Films

Antoine Fuqua himself has directed Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and other films. His selections included:

Fences (2016)

Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the film takes a passionate look at former Negro-league baseball player Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down. Fences was also directed by Washington. It’s adapted from a play by August Wilson, who Fuqua says “would be proud” of the output.

Watch Fences here.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Fuqua’s comment on the movie,

“It took us into a world that I have never seen before and executed it in a visceral, gritty way. It was not only moving, but it was heartfelt, dangerous and entertaining.”

When a penniless, eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai comes within one question of winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, a police investigation reveals his amazing story. Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards®, including Best Picture of the Year and Best Director, Danny Boyle.

Watch Slumdog Millionaire here.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Fuqua on this movie,

“A world undiscovered by some, in our own backyard. And it doesn’t use the tricks of Hollywood.”

Newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis is Hushpuppy, the tenacious six-year-old force of nature in an isolated bayou community. When her tough but loving father Wink (Dwight Henry) succumbs to a mysterious malady, the fierce and determined girl bravely sets out on a journey to save him. But Hushpuppy’s quest is hindered by a “busted” universe that melts the ice caps and unleashes an army of prehistoric beasts.

Watch Beast of the Southern Wild here.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Fuqua notes it does something a lot of movies don’t,

“sustained intensity and tension, even when it was only two people in the room talking.”

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. It’s the story of that search and ultimate raid/assassination.

Watch Zero Dark Thirty here.

Sofia Coppola’s Selected Films

Coppola is best-known for Lost in Translation, as well as being the daughter of Oscar-winner Francis Ford Coppola. Here are some of her selected films:

Force Majeure (2014)

Here’s how Coppola commented on the film,

“I loved the little moments, the details that said so much.”

This is the story of a model Swedish family—handsome businessman Tomas, his willowy wife Ebba and their two blond children— on a skiing holiday in the French Alps. The sun is shining and the slopes are spectacular but during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant, an avalanche suddenly bears down on the happy diners. With people fleeing in all directions and his wife and children in a state of panic, Tomas makes a decision that will shake his marriage to its core and leave him struggling to reclaim his role as family patriarch.

Watch Force Majeure here.

The White Ribbon (2009)

Coppola loves the black-and-white photography.

In a village in Protestant northern Germany, on the eve of World War I, the children of a church and school run by the village schoolteacher and their families experience a series of bizarre incidents that inexplicably assume the characteristics of a punishment ritual.

If you like old-time photography to convey the WW1 sense, this may be for you too.

Watch The White Ribbon here.

The Savages (2007)

Coppola loved the acting of the two main performances, by Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Until recently, all John and Wendy Savage (Hoffman, Linney) had in common was a lousy childhood and a few strands of DNA. But after years of drifting apart, they’re forced to band together to care for the elderly, cantankerous father who made their formative years “challenging.” In the process, both of these aimless, perpetually adolescent forty-something’s may just, at long last, have to grow up!

If you love good acting, this is a good film to try out.

Watch The Savages here.

Paul Feig’s Selected Films

Paul Feig is considered one of the best comedy directors working today — especially for women — having helmed Bridesmaids and Ghostbusters, among others. His selected films are:

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Feig on the movie,

“One of those movies I could watch over and over again, because it was just so out of left field. In comedy, we feel that we’ve seen it all and done it all, but then an original voice comes in and you go, damn.” It is truly an original movie.

From the rural town of Preston, Idaho, comes Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). With a red ‘fro, his moon boots, and illegal government ninja moves, he is a new kind of hero. When his friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez) decides to run for class president, it is Napoleon to the rescue to help him triumph over adversity.

Watch Napolean Dynamite here.

This Is The End (2013)

Feig says,

“They pulled off all those elements that seemed like they couldn’t work — it was emotional and funny and they did it playing themselves.”

While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. Kevin Hart and others make appearances.

Watch This Is the End here.

Amelie (2001)

This film was nominated for five Academy Awards, and Feig says,

“it’s so literal and yet stylish. You fall in love with her immediately.”

A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris café, Amelie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better. From then on, Amelie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness…in the most delightfully unexpected ways.

Watch Amelie here.

Denis Villeneuve’s Selected Films

Denis Villeneuve is most recently the director of Blade Runner 2049. He has also worked on films including Arrival. His selected films are:

A Prophet (2009)

Villeneuve pulls out one scene for The New York Times, 

“The deer being killed in slow motion by a car in “A Prophet” (2010) remains one of the most powerful cinematic shots of the last decade.”

An impressionable and vulnerable Arabic man gets thrust into a hellish prison, and ironically discovers greater opportunities for success than he ever possessed outside of the bars.

Watch A Prophet here.

Dogtooth (2009)

Villeneuve says,

“The madness in “Dogtooth” (2010) is the most refreshing thing I’ve seen in a long time. Yorgos Lanthimos may be one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. I’m still laughing at the crazy adults running to catch airplanes falling into their garden, because their father convinced them that they were fruit dropping from the sky.”

Three teenagers live isolated, without leaving their house, because their over-protective parents say they can only leave when their dogtooth falls out.

Watch Dogtooth here. 

Dogville (2003)

Villeneuve on the movie,

“The idea of making a set without walls to show the cowardice of a community was genius.”

When a beautiful young Grace (Nicole Kidman) arrives in the isolated township of Dogville, the small community agrees to hide her from a gang of ruthless gangsters, and, in return, Grace agrees to do odd jobs for the town’s people. But as the search for her intensifies, they demand a much better deal. What they don’t know is that Grace has a dangerous secret, and their quiet little town will never be the same.

Watch Dogville here.

Brett Ratner’s Selected Films

Brett Ratner is famous for working on the Rush Hour films as well as Hercules and other big box office movies. His selected films are:

The Kid Stays In The Picture (2002)

Ratner simply calls this “one of the greatest documentaries ever made”.

Success. Scandal. Sex. Tragedy. Infamy. Robert Evans knew them all, and in this provocative and compelling documentary, he reveals how one of the greatest winning streaks in Hollywood history almost destroyed him. From his early acting days to his stellar rise as head of production at Paramount and involvement in a well-publicized cocaine sting, Evans’ meteoric career reveals the moviemaking industry during one of its most glamorous and scandal-filled periods.

If you enjoy documentaries, consider it.

Watch The Kid Stays in the Picture here.

The Pianist (2002)

Ratner on the movie,

“It will go down in history as one of the greatest Holocaust motion pictures ever made.”

The Pianist, stars Adrien Brody in the true-life story of brilliant pianist and composer, Wladyslaw Szpilman, the most acclaimed young musician of his time until his promising career was interrupted by the onset of World War II. This powerful, triumphant film follows Szpilman’s heroic and inspirational journey of survival with the unlikely help of a sympathetic German officer.

Watch The Pianist here.

Borat (2006)

Ratner calls it legitimately “one of the best comedies ever made.”

Sacha Baron Cohen brings his Kazakh journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen for the first time. Leaving his native Kazakhstan, Borat travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences.

Watch Borat here.

Alex Gibney’s Selected Films

Alex Gibney has directed the film Taxi to the Dark Side. These are some of his selected films:

City of God (2002)

Gibney references the opening scene, featuring a chicken and a knife, as classic.

The streets of the world’s most notorious slum, Rio de Janeiro’s “City of God” are a place where combat photographers fear to tread, police rarely go and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. In the midst of the oppressive crime and violence, a frail and scared young boy will grow up to discover that he can view the harsh realities of his surroundings with a different eye, the eye of an artist.

Watch City of Gold here.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Gibney makes an interesting point about what you can learn from this film,

“Great take on corruption. My favorite scene is when [George Clooney] takes care of a client who is too arrogant to know how much trouble he is in. Want to understand the 2008 financial crisis? Watch this scene.”

Clayton cleans up clients’ messes, handling anything from hit-and-runs and damaging stories in the press to shoplifting wives and crooked politicians. Though burned out and discontented in his job, Clayton is inextricably tied to the firm.

Watch Michael Clayton here.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Gibney argues that this movie can make you think about major societal issues,

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about torture. This film gets deep into the horror of it all and the imagination that’s needed to survive it.”

Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

Watch Pan’s Labyrinth here.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Gibney gives it high praise,

“The ultimate post-9/11 film that has nothing to do with Al Qaeda or the politics of the Iraq war. It’s about a brutal force of terror that can’t be bargained with and can only be understood with the wisdom of a lawman philosopher.”

When a man stumbles on a bloody crime scene, a pickup truck loaded with heroin, and two million dollars in irresistible cash, his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain reaction of violence. Not even west Texas law can contain it.

Watch No Country for Old Men here.

There’s a good chance you haven’t seen all these films, or even heard of them. But people who love and respect the craft of filmmaking as their own career point to these as stellar movies made since 2000. Give them a chance. You may even learn quite a bit about history or new parts of the world in the process.

Reference

[1]^The New York Times: Six Directors Pick Their Favorite Films of the 21st-Century

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