#clockwork flying squirrel

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

It was revealed in ‘Above the Desert’

that the Inspector had built TARVIS out of parts from an amplifier that he had aboard the BOOTH for no apparent reason.

[jediclaire]

Saluki is one of the oldest dog breeds. They have been found mummified and might be the original Seth beast.

just having some fun with interesting fantasy imagery! Give it a reblog, if you play, please? And tell me WHY you picked what you picked if you want?

[solarplanet2]

The Little Eldritch Creature

DCxDP Drabbles/Scribbles

Part 1(? Still undecided)

Danny had a lot to say.

Especially to Clockwork.

How dare he send him to another dimension without him knowing?! Especially when all Clockwork had said to him before being thrown into a portal is;

"Good Luck, Daniel."

Good luck? GOOD LUCK TO WHAT!?

Oh, once Danny comes home he will give that old man a saying to. And bit him. Yes! he'll bite his clocks! Let's see how he likes it!!

It's bad enough that he was thrown into a natural portal, but being reduced to a small thing at the size of a squirrel!?!?

He can't even do anything in this form!

Sure, he can use his powers but only to an extent. The only thing Danny could do was being intangible, invisibility and flying/floating.

Disgrace! He was supposed to be a king! A powerful being! He can't be reduced to small adorable thing!

Danny punched the ground in distress, already feeling the tears coming up in his eyes in distress.

Another thing he had noticed. Not only he was in a form of little creature, it seemed his mind and body is of a baby, a child!

He is FOURTEEN! almost fifteen! He can't act this way!

Danny let out a wail, punching the concrete floor in pure distress and helplessness. He wants to bite Clockwork! He wants to be mad at him and get him home! Everything is so big! He doesn't want to be small! He feels helpless! And weak! No! He wants to go home!

He wants to go home and see Jazz!

He misses Jazz...

°•°•°•°•°•°•°

"WWAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Red Hood pauses in his step once he hears a...very squeaky wail?

But it also made his pit rage react.

What the?

"Hood. Come in."

"Yeah. What is it, Oracle?" Red Hood signed in as he jumped over a rooftop, heading towards the wail.

"The satalites detected something in your area. Just about a few blocks ahead of you. It causes a static in the frequency."

Welp. There goes his answers.

"I'm already on it. There was some kind of Wail in my direction. Already checking it out."

"Hood, Wait for back up." Oh great.

"I'm already here." Hood scoffed at B as he landed down in front of the alley way.

"Hoo...?" Static came in the comms, making Hood furrowed his eyebrows. Whatever this is, it's effecting his comms.

Hood knew something was wrong once he stepped in the alleyway. The pits suddenly felt weird. Not the bad weird but weird notheless.

Worried. Go. Now!

Hood groaned. Alright. He had an urge to shoot someone.

The more Hood stepped in the alley way, the more he could hear something. A small sound, like a whine? A squeaky whine in the edge of this block.

Hood froze once he saw a familiar green by the end of the dumpster. Oh fuck.

So that's why the pit rage is reacting.

Fuck.

Grabbing his gun from the holster, he slowly walked towards the dumpster. He looked over and....

What is that?

It's small, smaller than Alfred the cat. White hair and ..is that a green tail?

Okay, whatever it was, it's glowing.

And shaking.

And crying.

Why is it crying?

The pits instantly reacted. Bubbling in his stomach like boiling. But Hood knew he wasn't angry.

It felt like it was concern?

But for what?

What is this thing-?

And it's looking at him.

Hood felt himself freeze at the Lazarus green eyes. Big and wide Lazarus green eyes. And fuck are those tears??

Hood doesn't know what to do.

Chirp!

It chirp.

Fuck that was adorable.

Focus, Hood! This is not the time to think such thoughts. He needs to comm the others. Comm B and--

Wait why is moving!?

HOLY SHIT--

CHIRP!!

•°•°•°•°•°

This guy reaks of ectoplasm.

No. This ecto is not good. This ecto is dangerous.

He needs help.

(I am thinking whether or not this needs a part 2 so don't be disappointed if there isn't that means no tagging)

(Edit: it has part 2)

[half-deadmagicperson]

HDBHFSP Chapter 2!

This is chapter two for my @ecto-implosion fic, 'How Danny Broke His Favorite Star Projector', based on art by the amazing @midnightectosnack (WHO HAS AMAZING ARTWORK THAT YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT!)

Rating: Teen (To Be Safe)

Crossover: Danny Phantom, Hades (Videogame)

Warnings: Non-graphic Temporary Death, Death Mentioned

Previous | Next

Link to The Amazing Artwork

       Danny awkwardly held his hand out to his opponent, half expecting him to not take it. The Greek lowered his weapon and grasped Danny’s arm in greeting.

   “Zagreus, Son of Hades and Persephone, Prince of the Underworld.”

   “It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness, and sorry about this whole mess.”

   “You said your mentor sent you. Who exactly is that?”

   “Oh right! In the Infinite Realms we call him Clockwork. He’s the Keeper of Time. He said that you would know him as Chronos, but he’s neither evil, nor child-consuming. He’s more like an aspect of him that’s just purely Time. I don’t really understand it.”

   The two continued talking for a while until Danny casually mentioned his home on Earth, or the surface as Zagreus knew it. 

   “So wait, do you know what a bird looks like, then?” Zagreus asked, rather enthusiastically. Danny raised a brow.

  “Um…yeah? Do you, like, not get birds down here?”

  “No, only spirits. Is it true that they fly?”

  “Yeah, they fly all over the place. They’re pretty common on the ‘surface’.”

   Zagreus looked at the boy awestruck before asking more questions. Danny told him about squirrels, turtles, and various other creatures. Zagreus listened intently, occasionally offering input from his brief time on the surface.

   “But my favorite thing about the surface is the stars!” Danny mentioned after wrapping up his conversation about flamingos. Zagreus lit up.

  “I always loved the stars! I would admire them every time I visited my mother! Although, it sounds like it has been quite a while since I’ve seen them.”

   “I should totally take you to see them! In fact,” Danny looks at a bracelet on his wrist, “They should be out by now!”

   Zagreus glanced down to think. A night out, although short, would be fun. He looked back up at Danny and smiled. Time to see the surface again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Danny was ecstatic when the prince agreed to go with him. To make things easier on themselves, they decided to take the route through the Ghost Zone. Zagreus was a bit startled by the lack of gravity at first, but eventually got the hang of it. Danny led his new friend through as the ancient prince took in the sights of the floating islands and staircases. Occasionally, Danny would point out important spots, like the Far Frozen or Dora’s Kingdom.

   “Oh and over here is Pandora’s domain! I don’t know if you met her at all, but she’s nice.” Danny said, pointing over to a large Greek-like structure. It was probably the most normal sight for Zagreus, compared to the rest of the Zone.

   Finally, the duo reach a ripple in the green atmosphere. Danny stopped in front of it to explain some things to Zagreus before they went in.

   “Here we are, the Portal. Now, before we go through, I should probably prepare you for what’s on the other side. The ‘Surface’ has changed a lot since you’ve been there. Heck, it’s changed a lot since I was alive! Humans have made lots of advancements and machines throughout the ages. There’s gonna be some things that might look strange and different to you.”

    Zagreus nodded in acknowledgement, and the two walked through the ripple.

    After stepping through, a dismal sight greeted Zagreus. The room was dark, much like his home, but this was more dingy. Sheets of cloth coated in dust covered many objects in the room. Boxes littered the room, but they were not a material the prince was familiar with. Danny sighed and dusted off one of the boxes.

   “Welcome to Fentonworks, or what’s left of it. The building is owned by my nephew. My, uh, my sister, Jazz, after we found out I couldn’t age set it up so that I could have a place to hide out in. Plus, someone needed to watch the portal.” Danny awkwardly scratched behind his neck before signaling to go upstairs.

   The upstairs looked in a lot better shape than the dungeon they crawled out of. There was a small table to eat at, but no furnace. Danny noticed his confusion and showed him the ‘stove’ and ‘microwave.’ Zagreus took in the different sights of the house. Tiny portraits littered the shelves and walls. All of the ceilings had dim, weirdly shaped stars glowing on them. Another staircase and two ladders later, and they finally made it to their destination.

   The stars were absolutely beautiful. An infinite expanse of glowing, white dots stretched down into the horizon. A gentle breeze brushed against Zagreus’s face as he took in the sight of the town. The buildings were taller than most houses he’s seen, but they were in shambles. He stood up from the cold metal of what Danny called ‘The Ops Center’ to get a better look at the town. Other than the moon and  stars, there was no source of light. The structures were cracked, and plants claimed them as their own. Zagreus scanned the area for any signs of life. Surely there must be someone out here right? There’s no way Danny would be living in a town alone? Danny noticed the concern on Zagreus’s face.

   “The town used to be more lively when I was growing up. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either. Things were pretty great, going to the mall, getting some Nasty Burger, or even just sitting around playing DOOMED,” he started to explain, “After I died, the portal in my basement opened up which led to frequent visitors. They liked to stir up trouble with the living, so I usually had to stop them. Eventually, things became more peaceful, but the portal being open left some side effects on Amity. The ectoplasm from the portal contaminated the environment. People who lived here regularly didn’t notice a thing, but when relatives came to visit, they’d often get sick. The Guys in White, a government ghost hunting organization, decided to seal off the town from the rest of society. Nobody new ever came, but people were allowed to leave. I watched as the town slowly became smaller over time. After I got my job with Clockwork, I started guiding the town’s souls into the afterlife. I helped strangers, my friends’ grandparents, or a neighbor down the street. None of the deaths really affected me until they got closer to home. First, it was my father, then my mother, then Tucker, then Sam, then…Valerie, and…and…Jazz. They were all gone.”

    Tears glinted in Danny’s eyes as the once cheerful expression was replaced with a far more sober one. Zagreus didn’t really know what to do about that, so he just patted the boy’s shoulder. Danny wiped his face and smiled. It was at this point Zagreus noticed that despite how young Danny appeared, his expression was filled with age. Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

  “I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I guess I just haven’t had someone to talk to in a while.”

  “That is alright…I don’t really have many friends either. Most of the time I’m just in my father’s palace or trying to break out,” Zagreus let out a snicker, “but I don’t really spend much time with the people down there.”

   Danny nodded before replying, “Well, if you get bored doing whatever the Prince of the Underworld does, you’re more than welcome to come visit. I’ll even clean the house!”

   “I may take you up on that offer,” Zagreus smiled, until he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him. Danny’s voice started to fade into the background.

  “It’ll be nice to have a friend over for company!”

   Zagreus let out a weak smile before the pain consumed him and Death reclaimed his form.

  

  Danny watched his new friend dissolve into a puddle, much like one of his clones would, and started to panic. His friend just died??? Was this normal? He should see Clockwork. Can Greek gods even die? Is Zagreus considered a god? He really needs to go find Clockwork.

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

(belated!) FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2023 #10: In which Donna is up early, despite being on vacation

[CN: food]

.

.

Like clockwork, Cameron found herself happily waking up on that first morning out at Lake Tahoe early in the morning. She found it much easier to go to bed earlier, sleep soundly, and get up in the morning out at her trailer, too, and she’d wondered if it was because of all the electric light in Mountain View. Whatever the reason, Cameron was awake at 8 in the morning. 

For a while, she lay there, on her back, content, feeling sunlight streaming in through the windows of the cabin’s bedroom, and listening to birds singing and chirping. She was perfectly warm, the bed was perfectly soft, and Donna was curled up next to her on her side, pillow clutched under her head. Naturally, Donna was wearing her favorite pair of flannel pajamas, a set of moisturizing gloves and socks, and her beloved silk eye mask. To Cameron, everything about it felt just right. 

After about fifteen minutes, Cameron started to sit up. Softly, she said, “Hey. You wanna come sit outside with me?”

Donna didn’t answer at first. And then, groggily, she said, “…I love you, but no.”

Cameron grinned as she sat up fully and stretched her arms over her head. “Had to ask,” she said, before swinging her legs out of bed. She went to the chair near the bed and started to pull her favorite and oldest pair of jeans on over her boxer briefs. 

Donna peeled back the left side of her eye mask. She watched Cameron for a few seconds and said, “You are shockingly chipper after a very long day and night.”

Cameron grinned rakishly at her before pulling a thick blue sweater on over her undershirt. “I wore you out, then?”

“Well, we were also on a train for 7 hours yesterday. Because someone doesn’t think it’s really necessary to fly out here.”

“And it isn’t! Especially in these increasingly desperate times of climate crisis,” Cameron said, as she pulled on a pair of homemade wool socks.  She got up and strode back toward the bed, and then leaned over and kissed Donna on the cheek. “It’s part of the experience. See you at breakfast?”

“Mmmh. Enjoy the porch!” she said, before turning over and going back to sleep.

Cameron skipped toward the door, but quietly, stopping to grab the pair of binoculars she’d brought with her. She hung them around her neck as she stepped out into the hallway, and shut the door behind her.

She went out to the kitchen and started her usual Tahoe routine: she poured herself a bowl of cereal and put on a pot of coffee, and then she ran out into the living room and put on her sneakers, and then needlessly, enthusiastically rushed back to the kitchen, where she had her cereal standing up, over the sink, so she could gaze out at the window as she ate. When she was done she put the bowl in the sink, and then made a large mug of coffee. She went into the living room and pulled on a jacket, and a hat and a scarf and fingerless gloves that Donna, who had recently taken up knitting, had made for her. Finally, she went back to the kitchen, and grabbed her mug, and then headed straight toward the front door.

She stepped out as quietly as she could onto the porch, and sat silently on the top step. She looked out onto the lake, whose slate blue waters were calm. She then looked at the nearby trees, scanning their branches slowly and carefully. She couldn’t see any birds or nests, just squirrels and chipmunks. She sipped her coffee, and waited patiently, but alert, happy to be there and in no rush. 

Forty minutes later, Donna, now in her favorite sweatpants and favorite sweater, mug of coffee in hand emerged. Cameron was looking out at the lake, squinting through her binoculars. It was ridiculously endearing, perhaps the most endearing thing Cameron had ever done. Which, Donna though, was significant, considering how many endearing things she had seen Cameron do over the past fifteen years.

Cameron frowned. “Still too far away for me to make out what it was. But, hi,” she said quietly.

“See anything else?” Donna asked. “Did you see that purple bird that we saw in the summer?”

“I think she might have gone south for the winter,” Cameron said. “I did see a bright red cardinal, though! Which, I’ve seen them before. But it’s still nice.”

“We always see plenty of wildlife on our walks by the lake,” Donna patted Cameron’s shoulder. “We should go later. And, we can bring the bird guide book!”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cameron agreed.

“For now though,” Donna said, “I’m starving, can we make a ridiculously elaborate breakfast?”

Cameron didn’t answer right away, she was still looking out at the lake. She was smiling tentatively, hopeful, unconcerned with her everyday worries, for once. It was a good look for her, Donna, thought, and she had told her as much.

After a minute, Cameron said, “Yes, breakfast sounds great.”

Donna turned back toward the front door, and Cameron hesitated, and then followed. Donna put her arm around Cameron’s shoulder, and said, “Happy birthday month, baby.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Cameron beamed. “Thank you,” she whispered, as she let Donna pull her close and hug her tightly. 

[kariachi]

So, saw somebody else doing a whole ‘what daemons do your OCs have and why’ sorta deal so, for shits and giggles, my major loves.

Marian- Torc, Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Look, sometimes a woman is a tortoise. Patient, sturdy, stubborn, reliable. An old soul who always plans ahead, with a mind that runs like clockwork. A rock in the chaos. And then, you get people who are tortoises, but more. She has a large presence, a matriarch at her heart who walks into a room and you feel it in the air, a quiet pride barely hidden under the stereotypical tortoise humbleness that requires a massive daemon to contain it. Add to that that, for giant tortoises, Aldabra’s are known to be relatively fast and acrobatic, which is a great reflection for the fact that she has the soul of an adventurer and prankster underneath it all. For all she’s reserved and hardworking, once you get her out of her shell she burns for excitement.

Monette- Cadyl, Gelada

Again, sometimes a woman is a monkey. An outgoing and communicative creature, small and unassuming, not as smart as some but enough so, with complex social networks and a tendency to keep groups of partners and associates. She trades in favors like a gelada trade in acts of grooming, thriving in a group and wasting when she’s alone, not afraid to let go of some of her power and control in exchange for a more overall favorable outcome. But like a gelada you can’t let the charm and peaceful exterior fool you, because with cause she’s more than willing to bare her teeth in warning or threat to defend what’s hers.

Allison- Donnie, Austroplebeia cassiae

Why yes, Donnie’s species doesn't even have a common name, just one of so many little-noted stingless honeybees. Allie is everything you would expect from such a creature. Hardworking, loyal, creative, more focused on the whole than on herself. She lives for her family and her community, organizing people, supporting those around her, and standing for what she believes in, no matter the cost to herself. But the stingless portion is important. She hates to lie, and more importantly isn’t made to fight. While she’ll take to it if need be, it’s not in her nature to be on the front lines, and her roles is more in taking care of and lending support to those who can dive into the fray herself.

Dr. Carel- Lana, Northern Flying Squirrel

Though he appears to be scatterbrained, our dear doctor is more intelligent that he first seems, simply hard to understand due to how he flits from project to project that others can’t understand with dogged determination. Not one to run, not one to fight, fine alone but happy in groups as well. His, unique, viewpoint is befitting someone with a gliding daemon, as is the way his mind and feet both wander.

Var/Valko- Tarav, Bluetick Hound

And sometimes a man is a hound dog. Loyal, social, highly active, loud. Or, well, he used to be. He’s nonverbal anymore but still once he opens up you better hope you can read sign at speed because he’s not slowing down or shutting up. He reliable, playful, outgoing, and true to his pack. Adventurous and intelligent, though not a leader in any way. He’s a follower, yes, and one of the best right hand’s you’re going to get.

Irene- James, Western Pebble Mound Mouse

Is pretty much exactly what you’d stereotypically expect from a mouse- shy, a mite timid, but intelligent. She’d working on regrowing the backbone her family stole from her, but she’s polite, respectful, playful, and empathetic. True to James’s species, she’s in her element in groups despite her shyness, a creator at heart, more resilient than she first appears, and without an aggressive bone in her body (or any bones, really, but that’s besides the point).

Jadie- Wira, Ring-Necked Pheasant

Somebody somewhere ordered a prince charming, though I don’t know who. Though not immediately impressive, they have an air of confidence and grace common to male gamefowl everywhere. They’re charming, dependable, affectionate, chatty, and a hardworker, ready to drop everything and dive directly into whatever mess they need to to look out for those around them. Poly as fuck, they spoil and defend their women against all comers without a second thought, taking a fierce pride in them in all their glory, and are also strongly family-oriented, for all that they’ve run off and done their own thing.

[overwhelmedbyskeletons]

The Occurrence of New Year’s Day

A normal new years eve celebration roared across the planet. Every walk of humankind cheered and embraced in one another to bring in the new year. Officials in Germany were the first to announced the glow as it poured into the roads and soon into people’s homes. Radio silence soon followed after.

A natural rarity they called it. Mistaking it as a cold winter’s mist holding the color of the field’s and mountain’s green flora, they could not have possibly known that it was alien. The rate at which it traveled was matched by only it’s effect on life.

The following morning, New Year’s Day, 6:44am, still tired, but awake nonetheless. I first noticed the mist in my backyard engulfing my small vegetable garden and pouring over the fence into my neighbors yard. A normal early morning mist was expected, what soon set a pit in my stomach was the absence of scratching at the back door. Every morning like clockwork while I made my instant coffee was the constant itching of my dear Rufus clawing for his breakfast.

My mind quickly was fully alert and concerned. I pushed my face close against the glass to see more of the outside, the bright sun shining in my eyes. Birds and squirrels painted the green grass like an abandoned, war torn battlefield. Rufus laid in his dog home, his favorite blanket tucked in with him upon it, all engulfed by the green mist. Sleeping as soundly as ever and for ever more. The yard had not been so quiet and still since the day before I brought him home.

I was driving back home from a concert when I see something shifting on the side of the road. A barely newborn pup abandoned in a box on a bridge in downtown LA. He immediately loved me as all puppies do. I gave him what little there was of my dinner and he fell asleep in my lap the rest of the drive home. His puppy breath yawns were expectedly disgusting, but I knew then that it was the start of a great friendship.

My neighborhood has a strict rule against fireworks due to the thick trees surrounding us so pets see the end of the year as any other day without fear. I cried and argued against myself why I didn’t let him in the night prior. Through my tears I lunged to the backdoor, but chose to stay inside. My instinct told me what I tried my phone to call anyone, but no answer. My introverted view on life had saved me from the dangers of partying and a social life. The TV played a short dubbed recording of the German news reporting for a few days, cycling between an alert with a deafening tone.

WORLDWIDE EMERGENCY/ STAY INDOORS/ DO NOT SEEK HELP/ DO NOT TRAVEL/ AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS/

For a long time, maybe weeks, I remained. I sat and stayed inside. Power would be cut every night at 6pm, bedtime was at seven. The monotony was maddening, but i kept myself company.

I’d look out the windows and I swore that I saw birds flying. Was the danger only surface level? How high up did it go? Hoe many unlucky souls were caught in it?

I would occasionally check on Rufus, hoping to see his tail thwacking the walls of his home away from home as he waits for me to call him in for food, but he continued to sleep.

Two months past and no word from anywhere. The power started shutting off at 4pm and sometimes would stay off for til the next day before staying on for only a few minutes. The uncertainty of everything was unnerving. Those few who were scattered out there were starting to thin out even more.

One morning as I ate what little food i had left, i looked out the window and was amazed. Rufus who was still in his deep sleep as I called it, gave me a jolt of happiness. If he was in fact, gone, he had not decomposed at all. Was he actually in a state of preservation or is he just sleeping? Gone but held only by this green mist’s effects. Months had past and he was simply in a sleeping state. I hypothesized endless on what the mist was, but my knowledge was only what I could see. My imagination ran wild.

Another week went by in a blink. Most of the time I slept. When I was awake i would constantly hit the power button on the TV, hoping for a response, even that automated alert. My sleeping friend out back was at more peace than I could ever hope to be in.

I was losing weight, i had barely anything to eat and tap water had changed its color to a dark greenish color. I knew what was next for me.

I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote and thought,

“If anyone is out there, and was to find me, us… i’d want them to know my final thoughts.” So I wrote:

“Hello, my name is Ricky Ramirez and I am to my complete annoyance, dying. I do not enjoy this feeling of hunger pains. My dog Rufus age 4 1/2 lay out back. Together we lived here happily. On Tuesdays, we would eat hamburgers together. Saturday was bath day. For Rufus, not me. I showered regularly. I enjoyed mexican cuisine thanks to my parents. I don’t know how they are.

Anyways, I’m gonna end this now.

I’m sorry to anyone I may have wronged in my life. I’m sorry for all the shows I missed. I am sorry I didn’t let my heart get broken more. I am sorry I didn’t say “I love you” more. I’m sorry.”

I signed the page, dated, scribbled a crude drawing of myself and set a book on it.

The door to my backyard creaked loudly as it opened, something Ms. Gold to the left was always telling me to fix. I walked down the steps barefoot, the cold grass felt great between my toes and scraping up my leg. I took in a breath of air and it was clean and fresh and perfect.

I looked up and the sky was bright with stars. The endless universe was a fireworks show of planets and stars of unthinkable size and power.

I laid down a blanket and pillow on the grass. Gently, I pulled Rufus from his bed and into my arms, carefully not to wake him. We laid down on the blanket and I watched the sky. The mist soon enveloped me and I become so relaxed, more than I had ever been before in my life. I scratched behind Rufus’ ears in the spot that he loved before closing my eyes.

[rjzimmerman]

Fawns rescued by Animal Nation, a nonprofit animal-rescue group in Rye, N.Y. When the facility is overcrowded, Patrick Moore, the group’s volunteer president, harbors baby deer in his home shower.

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

Animal Nation, one of the few rehabilitation centers in Westchester, often reaches capacity and has to stop taking in new creatures before the end of the year. But calls skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people once cocooned in offices began spending more time outside. They found fawns orphaned near bike trails and fledglings fallen from their nests. Many city residents moved to the suburbs, and some first-time homeowners were greeted by attic-bound swarms of bats or flying squirrels, according to Jim Horton, the owner of QualityPro Pest & Wildlife Services in Hawthorne, N.Y.

Some wildlife-control specialists euthanize so-called nuisance animals, but Mr. Horton takes the animals he relocates to rehabbers. He also assists Animal Nation on many of its more difficult calls. A few weeks ago, Mr. Horton climbed a 40-foot ladder to pull a baby raccoon out of a tree. Earlier this year, he rounded up a family of swans trying to cross a parkway and dropped them off at a nearby lake. He was also called out to aid a bald eagle that someone thought was hit by a car, but turned out to have lead poisoning.

Many of the calls that Animal Nation receives pertain to baby animals in no distress at all. Last week, someone called Mr. Horton about a baby bird she had found in her yard and placed in a box. Mr. Horton had a hunch that the bird’s mother might have been nearby, so he took the bird back outdoors and out of the box; like clockwork, the mother robin flew down to feed her newly freed chick.

This mistake often happens with fawns left by their mothers in backyards, which can appear abandoned to the well-intentioned onlooker. “In the case of humans, the enemy of your enemy is your friend,” said Asia Murphy, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who has used camera traps to study fawns in Pennsylvania. Coyotes, bobcats and black bears avoid humans, so living alongside people can offer additional safety to a deer, Dr. Murphy said.

[ughgclden]

bee, love, i am so happy you had a good first day, you deserve calm and loving days, and you deserve people, deserve friends. i’m so happy for you.

as for apologising, i’m a terrible hypocrite every time i tell you not to worry about it, as i also apologise for anything, most notably existing, but i want you to know you don’t have to apologise to me, i understand the impulse but there’s no obligation or anything.

i’m glad you’re feeling better, and that it was just a little ick, well not glad that you were ick but glad it wasn’t too bad.

when it comes to being in welton, i fantasise a lot about these things, i think something especially about boarding schools is appealing to me. being away. that’s why my plans are new york or wales or if my friend is to be believed, quebec. sometimes though, those realities all feel more and more like tissue paper soaked in water, just waiting for a reason to fall apart

i read really quickly, it’s probably an issue, i read red white and royal blue in about an hour and fifteen minutes. neil and i. kindred spirits. today at lunch i watched the last thirty minutes of dead poets society, going back to rewatch “i was good, i was really good.” like ten times.

imposter syndrome is slowly getting the better of me.

i actually dressed up as leia for the midnight premiere of the force awakens. i’m that person. if i’d been with you in the cinema i would have cried too, you’re not alone there, i cried watching it on the floor.

i don’t deserve the nice words you give me, but i’m happy i make you feel comfy and cosy, and ironically enough, writing with a quill or fountain pen never ends in pristine and unsmudged ink, you can thank my being left handed for that. i think there’s something nice about writing with fancy pens, maybe that makes me seem pretentious as well. oh well.

as for dps tattoos, if i can ever get any tattoos, i want the neil crown, “i was good, i was really good.” somewhere, probably my wrist who knows, and some art that alludes to the first unmanned flying desk set. among others. the “and still we sleep” thought, and the outline of meeks and pitts both sound so lovely. so so lovely. i really hope you can get every tattoo you wish. although your bank account may hate me for saying so /j i want more piercings, mainly on my ears, i have something of an earring addiction, my favourite pair at the moment is probably my howl drop earrings that look like howls from howls moving castle.

honestly the outfit/hair colour distraction rule is dumb. it’s dumb. i just don’t get it. abuse of power ig. and yeah. we were like hugging and sorta just leaning on each other while talking and the administrator got angry, for whatever reason. the straight couple making out behind us, she didn’t seem to mind, however. it’s dumb, and im glad i don’t go there anymore.

im clearly very articulate today (sarcasm) my mind is ehhhhhhhhhhh and feels like a squirrel laying on its stomach.

maybe i will call you ramona flowers, bee /j did you know the original name for pac man was puck man… /j hiding in the back of the music room to avoid a maths test sounds like something i would do. i say this, knowing full well that i’m such a neil kinnie that i end up feeling like a teachers pet because i want to do well, both for myself and simply to avoid trouble with my mum.

a new york times best seller, huh? well if i ever publish anything i’ll dedicate it to you, both for being the only person who thought i could be a storyteller, but also for being a lovely person in general.

sometimes one day after another feels impossible. tomorrow feels impossible. but oh well. i think younger me would be disappointed, to some degree. on the other hand, i think they’d think it’s cool how much i know. if nothing else, they’d love that i have a typewriter. also, i’m sure young you would be proud of you, i am. i’m so proud of you.

i mean bee, i could teach you to shoot a bow /hj YOU CAN WIELD A SWORD????? here i was thinking you could not possibly get cooler or hotter omg i’m in love /hj

thank you for being proud of me, really bee, thank you. and thank you for being the only one. i’m hardly changing the world, but i guess if i don’t burn out and lose this fight, changing a few points of views in the process of growing wouldn’t be terrible.

p.s. it’s certainly something, i feel bad because i always pull away from people when i get numb and it’s so new that me doing that could be detrimental to everything, but me forcing myself not to could have a bad effect on me. who knows what’ll happen. i’m just gonna try and keep them happy no matter what.

p. p. s. bee you brought this upon yourself /lh

all my love, bee, and that pun was the out of this world part of that sentence. you’re so cute omg.

that quote is beautiful, and since i, once again, had to translate french and smile about it, i’ll leave you with this

no importa que nos separe la distancia, siempre habrá un mismo cielo que nos una.

p.p.p.s. thank you for saying what you do, and i know that i don’t owe you anything, but writing to you is easy, and makes me happy, when i manage to get myself to sit down and think about it. i’m sending you back hugs, gentle forehead kisses and mugs of tea, a soft blanket and a narnia movie marathon, where we argue about how i am definitely not better than susan pevensie, but you almost certainly might be.

i’m so happy uni is going well thus far, love. and i hope you love your classes. learning.

thank you for everything bee.

yours, always,

star✨

star sweetheart, thank you so so much, honestly. i can't tell you how much that means - i know you said not to apologise, but an apology seems in order for the lateness of this message- im terrible i know /lh thank you sm though.

i'm writing this whilst listening to one of my favourite albums (hypersonic missiles by sam fender, if you were curious) and curled up in bed, so this really adds to the comforting vibes.

i'm with you on that, boarding schools do have a certain something about them, don't they? i hope you can get to one or all of these places in your life - i can speak from experience wales is especially beautiful, but i can really see you in new york, too. wherever you end up star, i truly hope you're happy there.

an hour and fifteen mins?!!? the fastest i've read something was a clockwork orange in two and a half hours or so- you are so strong star, i've watched that film 20+ times and only watched the last half an hour maybe 4 /lh

that is SO CUTE oh my god- i will admit, for it chapter two i did channel my inner bill denbrough and wore some flannel (i luv that limbo <3)

you deserve all of these words and more, i promise you. you deserve something a lot less clumsy, but i offer you my best. left handed.. you rly are neil huh? /j

all of those ideas; absolutely lovely. the i was good tattoo breaks my heart in the best way possible. im hoping you get all of these tattoos, love. you'd suit them more than anyone, i'm sure. those earrings sound like the coolest fucking things ever? i did have a pair that had a little vodka bottle on, but i lost one in a club and haven't gotten round to replacing them. i definitely want more piercings too,, my conch is looking pretty bare as of late...

that is just. so disgusting? im so- god that makes me so angry i can't even explain. i think i should punch all homophobes straight in the mouth, actually /hj

love, i bet younger you would be so so proud of all you've achieved. from only what you've told me, i am. they'd be over the moon at how intellectual, kind and strong you are, i know it.

I CAN!!! ITS ONE OF MY MOST ESTEEMED TALENTS!!! lets make a deal. you teach me to shoot a bow, i teach you to wield a sword.. we're giving very narnia power couple if i may say.. /hj

i will always be proud of you star, for even the smallest of things you achieve. you're actively making a difference and a change, take bringing this positivity into my life for example. you've got this, star. i know you have.

ps; im wishing you all the best my love, seriously. take every day as it comes, and listen to your mind and wellbeing. im sending you so much love

pps; that quote. is so fucking cute. god im breaking down,, its so pretty and so DHJHFJKNFKKN yeah.

this is me, making you a cup of coffee and your favourite comfort meal, with a kiss on the top of the head. we will have this argument - as much as i love susan, she's no match for you <33

all of my love and happiness, star. you truly are one of a kind.

if i may, i'd like to leave you with an excerpt from a poem i saw earlier that i fell in love with;

"and you laugh. / loudly- / head tipping back. / and while your eyes / are on the ceiling, / i am mouthing / something too heavy even / for this steady night to shoulder. / "this is not a joke." i mouth. / "love me. love me." - letters from medea, salma deera

[ask-the-becile-boys]

Playlist for Mobile

Got a suggestion? Send it in! (Please include who it’s for.)

Now on Spotify, thanks to @aspen-world!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TfOE8u2DJqpqi4iPFSZpo?si=8a46d7cd47784990

Note: Voice Claims are approximate, not canon.

The Becile Bots

Big and Bad– Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Cream and Bastards Reprise– Harvey Danger

Thick As Thieves– Kasabian

Sinister Kid– The Black Keys

A Moment of Silence– Streetlight Manifesto

Blood On My Name– The Brothers Bright

My Kind of Guy– Kaiser Chiefs

Sixteen Tons– Tennessee Ernie Ford 

Weather to Fly– Elbow

House of the Rising Sun– The Animals

Ain’t Nobody’s Problem - The Lumineers

Carolina Drama - The Raconteurs

The Ghost of Stephen Foster - Squirrel Nut Zippers

Doombop! - The Toxhards

Hare

(Voice Claim) Funeral Party - Jeff Touhy (with a layer of grit on top)

S.O.B.–Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

He’s A Tramp– Peggy Lee

Mean Mean Man– Blair Crimmins and The Hookers

Old Number 7– The Devil Makes Three

Tobacco Road– John D. Loudermilk

The Skull

(Voice Claim) His Kiss, The Riot– Patrick Page

Black Market Baby– Tom Waits

Folsom Prison Blues– Johnny Cash

Two Against One– Danger Mouse ft. Jack White, Daniele Luppi

In The Pines-- Brian Reitzell feat. Mark Lanegan

The Jack

(Pre-Accident, Post-Repairs Voice Claim) James Norton (Cole from Dragon Age)

Dirty Imbecile-- The Happy Fits

The Hound and The Fox-- I The Mighty (Oil in Water version)

Beat the Love-- Autoheart #4 Fish in a Birdcage-- Fish in a Birdcage (thank you h0dgep0dgee!)

(Post-Accident Voice Claim) Fancy Dancing– Fable Cry

(Pre-Repairs) Madhatter– The Adicts

(Pre-Repairs) We’re All Mad– Circus Contraption

(Pre-Repairs) Coney Island Creepshow/Hellgate– Beat Circus

(Pre-Repairs) One Foot In The Grave– Creature Feature

(Pre-Repairs) They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!– Napoleon XIV

Locksmith

(Voice Claim) Tim Curry (Clue)

The Waltz of the Monsters– Yann Tiersen

Nine Whole Lives– Amanda Jayne

Demon’s Aria– Pavel Lisitsian, from Rubinstein’s The Demon

Farewell Kabarista– Vagabond Opera

Dee

(Voice Claim) I Don’t Care About You– Lake Street Dive

Hit ‘em Up Style– Carolina Chocolate Drops

Rocks and Water– Deb Talan

Raise Hell– Brandi Carlile

Hey Ho, On The Devil’s Back– Katzenjammer

Ain’t Gonna Drown– Elle King

Curses - The Crane Wives

Pops

I Hold Your Hand In Mine– Tom Lehrer

Where I Want To Be– Josh Groban, from Chess the Musical

Work Song– Hozier

The Doctor’s Wife– The Clockwork Quartet

Grace for Sale– Terrance Zdunich, from The Devil’s Carnival (thanks paoju!)

Riker Szarka

(Voice Claim) Johns Hawkes (Teardrop in Winter’s Bone)

The Road Goes On Forever– Robert Earl Keen

Man of Constant Sorrow– The Soggy Bottom Boys

Echoes– Radical Face

Act Naturally– Buck Owens

Trouble– Cage The Elephant

Gimme Three Steps– Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Whiskey Song– Joe Iconis/Original Cast Recording (thanks chiefartist!)

Scratch

The Phantom Below– Moron Police

The Hounds– The Protomen

When I Fall– Barenaked Ladies

The Chemical Worker’s Song (Process Man)– Great Big Sea

Tatters

TBA

Duets/Multiple

The Jack to Hare (Pre-Accident): Always Gold– Radical Face

The Jack to Hare (Post-Repairs): Always Sayin’-- The Littlest Man Band

Dee and Hare: Good With God– Old 97’s ft Brandi Carlile

Dee and Hare: Rivolta Silenziosa - Humanwine

The Jack to The Jon: The Run and Go-- Twenty One Pilots

[tambelon]

Last night we had a D&D one shot and... o o f.

I played a monster slayer ranger by the name Khaccir, who is an aarakocra and a friend of the quest giver—a gnome inventor who wanted us to go check something out in the swamp. Amazing.

@askscribbly played a human bard by the name of Lamarr, and @shadowhanded played her paladin drow namer Zarial.

Khaccir kind of heard them talking about adventures and such and mentioned he had a job that required more adventurers as there was no way he was going to do it by himself.

Long session story short, almost got eaten by a huge snake but it got killed by a Shambling Mound and nearly killed Zarial since he got sucked into it. It was a tough fight, but Khaccir got the final kill by shooting two arrows into its head 👏

Second encounter was a Frogemoth... like, Jesus Christ those things are hardy. It broke one of Khaccir’s wings because it realized a prey item could fly away and I was not happy because I liked my ability to fly.

Lamarr got a Horn of Blasting from the gnome inventor and used it twice, crippling it since it was hitting a ship behindnit which gave off an electrical discharge. We weren’t doing a lot to this thing and we got a piece of the ship and decided to get the fuck outta town. Khaccir has sanctuary put on him to keep him safe so he used it to his advantage and kept shooting arrows at the Frogemoth while the other two climbed out of the crater this thing was in.

We got back, gave it to him, and got paid. And Lamarr decided to hit on the paladin and Khaccir noped out of that room so hard, but it’s okay. He got a gift from the gnome inventor of a clockwork squirrel and it’s so cute and it’s name is Fidget ❤️

Scribbly drew art of the team and the moment when Khaccir got his magical item—gloves of climbing and swimming

Main campaign is next weekend and hoboy, I don’t think I’m ready.

[impulseislost]

Heart made of glass, My mind of stone

uh... yes ok so i wrote this but switched genres and themes halfway through so wew.

Length: 3000+ words

Warnings: some screaming, uh felix yeets himself away from his problems

Relationships: a minor relationship within the danceline (sorry), chan and Felix are brothers

think thats it

Soft ticks echoed in his ears, combining with the clicks of his tools in the clockwork he was working on. The toy had stopped working sometime in the early morning and the lack of its presence set him on edge.

It was late now, sometime between the witching hour and break of dawn. And if anyone saw him up now, they'd have his head. He knees that they all thought he should rest.

But if he rested, he'd miss the mouse.

He paused, setting the toy and tools down to stretch. A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he leant back, looking at the clockwork spread over the white cloth. Soft ticking around him as another clockwork creature jumped onto the table, keeping clear of the white cloth.

The cat's gear ticked softly, kept safe from wandering hands by a delicate metal chassis. It had been his first creation, his favourite really. The boy loved all his creations but the cat was his favourite.

Minho had named it Sooniewhen he'd asked for a name and littered him with praises. Like he needed them.

He smiled, raising a hand to stroke the cat's head.

"I'll fix your buddy soon." He promised gently, sitting forward to pick up his tools again. His voice was quiet, slightly hoarse and scratchy from disuse. The cat lay down, resting its head on its paws.

The soft ticking and quiet clicking filled the room again as he started to reconstruct the mouse. His fingers started with the legs, clicking gears together and beginning to take shape.

He smiled as he did, the sound of the gears coming together make him smile. Clockwork was where he felt safe. He smiled numbly at the thought. It was odd to say that he felt safest with cogs, gears and moving parts. He knew for sure that's not how the other's felt.

They weren't as comfortable as him around Soonie and his creations.

Weren't always comfortable around him.

As he worked, more and more of his creations joined him; Doongie, Dori, the squirrel he'd made for Jisung. All of them. They settled around him, watching him. He barely noticed.

The soft ticking got louder, more disjointed the more clockwork there was in the room.

tick,

tick,

tick,

"Felix?"

Felix looked up, fingers holding the last gear millimetres above the mouse's nearly finished body to stare in surprise. It was dark, save for where he was working. The desk light on the table made it hard for him to see who was in the doorway opposite him.

"Felix, Love, it's 3 AM. What could you possibly be doing at this hour?" He blinked, glancing down to push the gear into place with a slight frown. He didn't respond for a moment until a cleared throat prompted him to.

"...well, not sleeping, obviously." There was a sigh before someone sat on the opposite side of the table. One of the clockwork cats, Dori, jumped up to saunter over and onto the other man's shoulders.

From the angle he now sat, Felix could tell who it was from the way the light now bounced off his face. Minho stared back at him, something pooling in his eyes that Felix couldn't understand. He avoided the elder's eyes, picking up a piece of the chassis and gently placing the mouse's interior clockwork into it.

"...What's keeping you up?" Felix didn't answer, instead spinning one of the gears in the Mouse's body gently to get it started up. A moment passed before it started moving properly. Felix smiled, placing the last piece of the chassis and clicking it into space carefully.

Minho reached over to touch his arm, bringing his attention back to the man in question, "You ever going to answer me?" He asked quietly, removing his hand to let Felix place the mouse down.

He shook his head, setting the mouse down in its upright position and holding his breath. Minho sighed, leaning back in his chair and watching the boy again. The mouse twitched, then skittered to a different part of the table, the tick of its gears joining the rest.

A pause followed.

"How did you know I was awake?" Minho glanced up to where Felix was packing up his tools carefully before he shrugged.

"Your clockwork creatures tend to flock around you when you're working. The rest of the apartment was too quiet." Another pause then, "Jisung tells me you've been avoiding him. Mind telling me why?"

Felix froze. A moment passed then another before he jerked his head up to stare at Minho. A moment passed before a small, unnatural, squeak passed his lips. The elder frowned, reaching over to run a hand gently over the decorated metal of Dori's Chassis.

"Is it to do with our last mission? Felix swallowed, breath shakey as he looked away. Memories of the day in question filled his mind and he---

Broken gears, not being able to move. Jisung's body on the ground nearby. Wounds in the shape of his hands. Of his gears.

Blood on his gears. Not being able to move, someone else in control. Woojin and Changbin literally holding him down.

He couldn't say anything, he couldn't do anything. A scream of anger escaped his lips, scratchy. Gears had broken in there as well. It wasn't him.

He wanted them to know. It wasn't him.

Whispers filled the air around him. Someone was hovering over Jisung. Hyunjin?

A sharp tug in his leg. The feeling of his gears breaking again. He screamed, this time pain-filled as his leg was forcibly removed.

"Minho!" Someone called out. Soft hands at his forehead, a whispered apology as those same hands ran through his hair. The feeling of the gears in his other le breaking. His body being taken apart by rough hands. Tears that weren't in his control leaking out his eyes.

Minho's apology as someone in his field of view, Chris, started on his arms. Minho's apology as His arms were taken from him. Until he was just lying there with his head in Minho's lap. With his lover's hands running through his hair, whispering apologies until he blacked out.

He gasped sharply, pushing himself away from the table with a sharp noise. The sharp noise of metal claws echoed landing on wooden floors as Soonie jumped from the table. Felix's fingers shook as he took a step back.

"I... I can't. I hurt him. I don't..." He gasped out fingers digging into his thighs, to where the gears that ran throughout his body turned just below the skin. The gears that kept him alive, just like his beloved clockwork creations.

Except he wasn't his own clockwork creation, he held no love for these gears. Not even Chris, his creator held love for these gears. He couldn't after what had happened.

Minho stood up, holding his hands up as he maneuvered around the table. Felix took another step back from him before he paused.

"It wasn't your fault Love. None of us knew they were going to have someone who could do that to you. No one knew there was a ferrokinetic on their side." He soothed gently, before opening his arms to Felix, "Don't shut us out over something you can't control Baby. Please."

Felix hesitated, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Still, it would've been his blood on my hands if he had died. You don't understand what it was like hyung. I knew what I was doing, I was conscious while fuck knows who had me. I was conscious and I couldn't do anything. He was screaming at me to stop hyung."

A sob escaped his lips, as Felix finally allowed himself to cry. As he sunk to the floor.

"I couldn't live with myself if he had died." Minho dropped to the floor, maneuvering himself over and wrapping his arms around the clockwork boy. He relaxed into Minho's arms, tears soaking into his shirt as soft fingers moved to run through his hair.

"But he didn't. He's alive, he's still with us. Hyunjin fixed him up, Baby." Minho whispered to the crying boy in his arms. His fingers kept brushing through the blonde strands of hair, even as he leant down to kiss the boy's head.

"I can't lose any more of my humanity hyung. I don't ha- Don't have enough to begin with."

Soft ticks echoed through the room as Soonie padded over, nestling its head into Minho's laps. The clockwork animals had always been perceptive of Felix's emotions.

Minho kissed his head again before he replied. "And you won't a baby. Hyung won't let you. Hyung knows how hard this is for you."

More sobs echoed through the air.

"It's not fair. I'm not going to get to grow old wi- with any of you. I'm stuck like this. I.. I..." Minho tilted Felix's head up.

"Listen to me. Even if you don't change, nothing changes between us alright. Even if I'm old and crippled, I promise I'll still love you. We'll still love you."

Clockwork ticked around their house, Felix's creations intertwining themselves through people's legs and tripping people up. Felix himself stood at the balcony, gazing over the flying city with a frown.

There was clockwork in this city's veins, just like there was clockwork in his. Engineers worked day and night to keep the clockwork in the city running. The city was a technological marvel in this age. And that was even compared to Venice.

Felix smiled grimly at the thought, resting his arms on the railing and looking over the sky. Wind rustled through his hair, the sound joining the soft ticking of his clockwork.

Years ago, back when he hadn't been clockwork, Felix had wondered how the pretty clockwork dolls he'd seen through shop windows felt. Were they alive? Did they breathe?

He knew better now.

Felix was avoiding his lovers and as much as he knew it was futile, he didn't want to see them still. His break down in Minho's arms rang fresh in his mind. Clockwork didn't feel. Clockwork wasn't meant to have emotions. He was meant to be a cold unfeeling doll. Just like the ones in the windows of the shop windows from years ago.

His fingers curled around the cool wood as he stared blankly at the cloud. His legs were starting to feel stiff, still not a hundred percent. Still not talking to JIsung.

Slowly beginning to avoid the rest of his family.

It would be easier if they all treated him like one of the clockwork dolls. That was all he pretty much was, a clockwork doll with a mind and a heart. But he knew they never would do that to him. Minho and Hyunjin were too deeply embedded in his heart for him to let them go while the others treated him just as they would treat any other human.

All save Chris. His 'creator', the one who saved him. His brother.

Reasonably speaking Chris probably had the most reason to think he wasn't a doll. But... He was the only one who seemed to treat him like one. He never answered Felix unless it was necessary and ignored him until it was necessary or his clockwork needed repairs.

It made it easier to distance himself at last.

Pale arms wrapped around his waist and a chin was placed in his hair. Soft lips placed kisses in his hair for a moment before Hyunjin's hand came to rest on his own, the polished wooden railing still resting beneath Felix's.

"Found you, baby." The elder murmured into his hair. Felix chose not to dignify that with a response. The only one he could think of would either confirm Hyunjin's worries or confirm his own.

There was a quiet hum.

"Chris says he's been looking for you. And I've noticed you've stopped talking to hyung today. You alright Lixie?" He hummed again, enjoying the way Hyunjin pressed his lips against his hair.

"He probably just wants to do more repairs honestly." Felix murmured after a moment, moving his hand to link fingers with the elder, "I don't want to see him right now." Hyunjin's fingers squeezed Felix's gently, the soft flesh pressing against the covering of his chassis.

"He wants to help you, Felix. Give him a chance to act like a brother perhaps?"

Felix sighed, leaning back into his Boyfriend's chest.

"Maybe. When's Minho getting back?" He mumbled in an attempt to change the subject. He felt the vibrations of Hyunjin's laugh echo through his clockwork.

"Soon, why?"

"Can't I want cuddles from both my partners without getting attacked? Honestly, what has the world come to?" Again, Hyunjin was laughing.

The Airship ride was smooth, almost the smoothest Felix had ever been on. The blimp was the first of it's kind, running a combination of Clockwork, steam and a magic gas instead of one of the three like most others. Honestly, He was a little sceptic about it.

Wouldn't that be dangerous?

Either way, he was only here for his mother. His mother was terrified of these sorts of things after all.

So he was here, hands laced with his mother's as her fingers twisted in the fabric of her skirts. The ruffled fabric cut off above her knees in the front, clearly allowing Felix to see how much she was shaking.

"If it wasn't necessary to use these to travel between Seoul and Sydney, Felix, I wouldn't be on here. But your father's still..." He understood, his father had been in the city ever since he was 14 on work. And the two years without his father had been stressful for him in a way.

The boy nodded in response, letting his eyes watch the clouds pass with a frown. They were beginning to descend, and he could see the landing zone for the blimp now. Home soon.

A quiet ticking noise filled the air, the first Felix had heard on this trip. He paused, looking around in curiosity. The rest of the ride had been quiet save for now. It was weird. The ticking got louder. Then.

Everything went white.

Felix woke up with a jerk, throwing himself out of the bed in a rush. He hit the ground with a thump and a loud gasp. His hands rose to his chest, then to his neck before moving again. It was okay, it was just a dream. He was alive. He was still here.

A quiet snore echoed through the room as he pushed himself up. As he checked his bed he sighed in relief. Minho and Hyunjin were still crashed out thank god.

He watched the pair for a moment, his heart aching, before he turned to creep out of the bedroom. The door opened and a clockwork cat was instantly by his feet.

Felix sighed, running his hands through his hair as he stepped through the quiet apartment and over to the Balcony again. The cat wound between his legs as he leant on the railing once more.

As he found himself watching dimly lit clouds.

"You're hiding from everyone." Chris sounded strangely worried as he crept over to the clockwork boy. Felix raised an eyebrow at him, turning to watch as his brother stepped onto the balcony to stand beside him.

The man's curls were unruly like he'd been up all night in his workshop, or had just woken up. Felix was willing to bet it was the former.

"Are you alright Felix?"

He froze, peering at the man. Had he just heard that right?

"What does it matter to you?" Chris sighed, leaning his head over the railings with a frown.

"I'm your brother, I'm meant to care." He replied ina gentle tone. Felix scoffed, clenching his fingers to grip at the railings. The ticking got louder.

"If pulling me apart is you caring, you have a funny way of showing it." Felix murmured in a cold tone. Chris flinched, looking clearly regretful at the action. Felix narrowed his eyes, confused at the actions but he didn't have any time to unpack what it could mean.

Tick

Tick

Tick

Clink

Something in Chris's pocket clinked as he pulled it out of his trouser pocket. Felix stared at him, a frown on his face. Slowly, the elder opened his hand, showing Felix the golden locket in his hand.

One of their last memories of their mother.

"It's hard to love you, Felix," He started, threading his fingers through the chain before he continued, "You want to be loved, but you think - Want even - Everyone hates you. You want to be human, but you force everyone around you to treat you like a doll." Chris paused, clenching his fist around the locket and tucking it away.

"You want someone to be close to, someone to love you. But you don't want me. You don't want my love. You get mad at me for loving you, then get mad at me for treating you as you want me to treat you. I'm not a mind reader Felix. I can't tell what you want from me." Felix flinched at the words, lips open to deny them. Chris was wrong, he was wrong.

He loved Chris, Chris didn't love him back.

Chris was the person in the wrong here. Felix knew it.

There was a sigh, before Chris leaned on the railing, eyes closing, "I know you want someone to blame for Mother's death. For how you are. But don't blame me. I couldn't save her, God knows I tried. I tried to save you as well, and I didn't want you to be this either. Please... Don't shut me out. I can't lose you as well."

There were tears in his brother's eyes. Felix didn't want to agree with it. He wasn't the one shutting Chris out... Was he?

He thought back to it, to every time Chris had tried to initiate a conversation with him. To the way Felix had always blown him off, avoided him, ever since the crash. How he had cursed Chris for his mother's death and for his clockwork body.

... To the way he had forced Chris to act around him.

Chris had his hands risen to his eyes, hiding them from Felix in a way he never used to. What did he do? He wasn't sure how to comfort Chris anymore.

He ran.

Minho and Hyunjin found him several hours later, curled in an alleyway somewhere in the city. They didn't talk, just sat next to him and offered him some warmth.

Half an hour passed that way, no questions asked, until Hyunjin stood and pulled Felix to his feet.

"Let's get you home baby. Dori's missing you, I bet." That earnt a slightly displeased noise from Minho, but Felix nodded anyway, letting himself be lead out the alley and onto the busy streets. men and women drifted around him without him noticing

He misses the way Hyunjin presses his lips against his temple and the way Minho's arm is wrapped around his waist.

He missed the way that, when he was pulled into their home, the clockwork creatures swarmed them and the way Minho reached over to kiss Hyujin quickly.

He didn't miss the way Chris froze when he came in the room. How he quickly left. It was almost like the events from hours earlier had been a dream.

Yes of course. He wasn't the one hurting Chris. That wasn't him.

No one else looked at him when they entered the room. Not even as he was lead to his room. And that was fine, he could care less.

He was tired anyway.

"Felix. We need to talk. I think, you need to change the way you treat Chris hyung. Not just Chris, all of us actually." There was a flinch, but Minho knew he couldn't watch they way Felix treated everyone anymore.

They were people. Not clockwork.

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

Father Time - A Christmas Truce Gift

Happy holidays, @qlinq-qhost! That’s right, Dee, I was your back up Truce partner! I’m so sorry to hear that your original partner wasn’t able to get you a gift this year, but that just means I can give you one myself. You wanted some good old father/son Clockwork and Danny fluff and I am all too happy to provide. I hope you enjoy and that you have a great new year!

                                         ⍣ I have a Patreon! ⍣                                           ☪ I have a tip jar! ☪

                                                Father Time

The sound of canvas material tearing and ripping against the force of too many papers and books sent Danny Fenton into a panic as he felt all the weight in his backpack disappear. A reluctant look over his shoulder showed exactly what he had been expecting to see, which was the sight of a week’s worth of missed or late homework scattered alongside the sidewalk and road with crumbled, wrinkled textbooks.

It took a long moment for it all to sink in, but when it did, Danny was pulling his now broken backpack off and throwing it at the wall of a nearby brick building with as much force as possible. The few objects that had remained inside were free to tumble out and hit the strips of grass and gravel, Danny ignoring the newest problem in favor of taking care of what was currently his biggest problem.

While Danny was used to exhausting days considering he was the town hero Danny Phantom and half-ghost, it was somehow worse when it was just normal human things that managed to get to him.

“Oh, come on!” The words burst out of him violently as a car sped past, running over the papers still in the street and either ruining them or kicking them up into the air. Danny tried to grab what parts of the papers he could, near shaking with rage when it happened two more times before he got everything picked up. “Just my luck.”

He had half a mind to blame Johnny 13 and the teen’s own usual bad luck, but he hadn’t seen Johnny in almost a week. No, this was Danny’s bad luck and the results of it all had him contemplating throwing everything of his that was school related into the nearest dumpster. Before he could, though, his phone was ringing, forcing him to juggle things around before he managed to answer it with a huffy little, “What.”

“Wow, someone’s having a bad day!” At hearing Tucker’s voice, Danny relaxed the smallest amount and gave a groan as an answer. “That bad, huh?”

“Let’s just say the last few days haven’t been the best.” It was at least a relief to hear Tucker’s familiar voice where he had been out of town for the last few days, now. “How’s the family reunion?”

“Half of them think technology is a sin, so, you know, I’ve been using technology to make their lives hell over the last few days. What’s been going on with you? Sam back, yet?”

“She should be back on Saturday. Why did you two both have to have family reunions at the same time? I can’t believe the school even excused you for that.” 

“As long as I do the homework, I don’t think they care, and I think Sam’s parents bribed the school with a new gym or something. Seriously, though, how are you? You sound like you’ve had a rough week. Wanna talk about it?”

Considering Danny was a week behind on homework, had dealt with five ghost attacks, hadn’t seen his parents since they left for a science convention, and had to deal with Jazz stressing herself out about college finals, Danny supposed it could be said that he was having a rough week. He also didn’t want to bother Tucker with it when he was so far away and couldn’t help, though.

“Nah, just minor things. My backpack finally reached the end of its life, though, and sent all my books and papers into the street.”

“That sucks.” Tucker’s tone was flat and matter-of-fact and Danny had to fight off a laugh. “Nothing too bad, though?”

“C’mon, Tuck, I can handle a week without you and Sam here - although you are very missed. Thank you for leaving snacks in your locker at school all the time, by the way.”

“Hey! I was saving those!”

It was easy to turn to bickering and teasing as Danny started the walk home again, everything clutched in one arm awkwardly as he fought to keep it balanced without losing anything. It didn’t help seeing as he had to stop to pick up one or two things every few feet, but his conversation with Tucker at least kept him from going off the deep end.

It took almost an hour to get home, Danny finally ending the call with Tucker and shuffling his way into the kitchen and dropping everything onto the kitchen table. Half of it fell into the floor and Danny didn’t even try to pretend to care about it.

“Hey, Jazz! Is there anything here to eat?” Not hearing a response back, Danny groaned and started going through the cabinets on his own, scrounging up some chips and a can of soda that would have to do for the night. “So much for going shopping today.” He understood that Jazz was busy with finals coming up, but he was pretty sure she was either starving herself or had snacks squirreled away in her room - which she probably did. She had a mini-fridge, after all.

Grabbing a few notebooks and pages off the mess on the kitchen table, Danny stomped his way up the steps and fell into the chair at his desk, setting everything out as he finished off his chips. It took hardly five minutes before he realized it was too quiet and his focus was nowhere near his homework.

Every few seconds he kept thinking about how they were almost out of food or how he hadn’t seen Jazz for almost three days besides a quick hello and goodbye in the morning. If it wasn’t that then it was the half dozen ghost attacks that he had dealt with alone this week. Three of his teachers had given him extra work on top of his makeup homework due to missing so many classes, as well, and Danny was honestly stressed enough that he just wanted a few seconds where everything was under his control.

It turned out that being sixteen was no easier than being fourteen and was, in fact, proving to be worse.

Turning back to stare at his homework that had tire marks in some places and was ripped in others, Danny finally gritted his teeth and shoved the books to the floor before standing up.

“Man, forget this.” Digging for that feeling inside of him that he had only ever been able to describe as ‘cold,’ Danny dug his fingers in and grabbed a hold of it, bright light moving around him before he was falling through the floors to land in the basement of Fenton Works.

After a small moment to make sure no alarms were about to go off, Danny launched himself into the portal with more aggression than he probably should have.

He expected to see familiar shades of green that overpowered everything else, but instead what he got was soft shades of blue and purple and the background sound of hundreds of clocks all ticking in time with one another.

“Nice of you to drop in.” The familiar voice was the only reason Danny didn’t throw an ectoblast, but it didn’t stop him from glaring up at the ghost who apparently oversaw all of time. “It’s been a long week, hasn’t it?”

Just like that, Danny felt all his anger drain out of him as he slumped against what he realized was an overstuffed armchair that was a soft, faded purple. Looking up to Clockwork, Danny sighed quietly, “You have no idea.”

“Well, I have a few ideas,” Clockwork chuckled, flying over to settle on a couch that was only a few feet away. It was the same color and looked just as plush and overstuffed as the armchair. “I’d be willing to hear more, however, if you want.”

“It’s been absolute hell!” The words exploded out of Danny as he sat up, and he was feeling his energy spike around him as if his body was preparing itself for a ghost fight. “The ghosts never seem to stop, my parents pretty much abandoned us to ourselves, I haven’t seen Jazz leave her room in days, and my best friends are out of state and I’m left to not only protect the town but try to pretend like my entire life is somehow normal, which, you know, I’m not. I’m just the creepy little kid with creepy little powers-”

“Here I thought you liked to use your own words to describe things and not others’.” Startling slightly at that, Danny glanced up to see Clockwork was looking at him with an unimpressed look. “I believe we’ve both heard enough of what Penelope Spectra has to say on others.”

“Sorry,” Danny finally muttered after a few moments, slumping back down in his seat. It was easy to forget, but Clockwork had been working with him for almost two years, now. “Guess I’ve been a pretty poor mentee, huh?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Clockwork had approached him with the offer to train him and teach him about the Ghost Zone, but Danny hadn’t expected to get as attached as he had. With the way his family had always been self-sufficient, Clockwork almost felt like another dad to him. “In fact, I was going to stay I’m rather proud of you.”

“Wait, what?” It took half a moment for Danny to zip over to Clockwork’s side on the couch, eyes narrowed as he stared at him. “If you’re just lying to make me feel better-”

“Daniel.” Clockwork’s lips pulled into a smirk, the ghost setting a gloved hand to rest on his head. “When have I ever lied to make you feel better?”

“I… Never, I guess.” Never being as in Clockwork could be brutally honest about some things - not that Danny hadn’t needed the words, at the time. “I’ve been barely holding on this week. How can that make you proud?”

“It’s precisely because you’ve been holding on.” Clockwork ruffled his hair and Danny couldn’t even begin to stop himself from relaxing at the gesture. “You’ve been facing challenge after challenge all on your own and yet you’ve kept pushing yourself back up each and every time.”

“Yeah, but, that’s not much.” Danny settled more on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at a random spot on the couch. “I mean, it’s not like I can stay down, can I?”

“Oh, Daniel. That’s precisely why you’ve become such an amazing hero.” Resisting the urge to look up at Clockwork’s words, Danny didn’t get a choice as fingers curled under his chin and lifted his head up to meet Clockwork’s gaze. For as much as his eyes were nothing but red, they still had always felt soft and caring. “You never let yourself give in - even when you want to.”

“No, but- I keep failing.” Danny slammed his eyes shut, not quite able to bring himself to meet Clockwork’s disappointed look when he realized what Danny was saying. “I’ve failed at everything this week.”

“And how have you failed?” Clockwork asked, as if he didn’t have the ability to see Danny’s past week in high definition on a mirror.

“I only just barely won my last two ghost fights and each time damage happened to the city or someone got hurt.” His eyes dragged open at the quiet laugh he heard.

“I believe Amity Park is used to getting hit a few times. As for the people, there was nothing more than a few bruises and scrapes. You also have won all your ghost fights - barely or not.”

“I can’t figure out any of my homework and I dropped it all in the road today. Half of it is destroyed.” His teachers were going to kill him for that one.

“Accidents happen,” Clockwork said softly, Danny looking down to his left hand out of ingrained instinct - and ingrained pain. “That doesn’t mean we don’t learn from them, however, or become stronger from them.”

“Thanks, but I’m still screwed where half the teachers are sick of my excuses,” Danny snorted, not letting his eyes return to Clockwork’s. “I’ve… I’ve barely seen my friends and family for the last week.”

“Yes, that one is difficult… How has that made you fail in anything, however?” How hadn’t it made him fail?

“I’m- I should be okay without them, shouldn’t I? I’m a sixteen-year-old hero. I should be okay if my friends and family are all busy for a few days and I’m left on my own. I shouldn’t just- I shouldn’t just fall apart like this. It’s stupid!”

“Daniel.” Clockwork guided his gaze upwards again, serious expression on his face - serious, but not disappointed. “I would be worried if you were alright when left on your own.” Yeah, no, that response didn’t make sense. “I know you’re about to hate what I’m saying to you, but you are still a child, Daniel.”

“But-!” He was Danny Phantom! He was a hero and he was responsible for making sure it was everyone else who got to be a kid.

“But you’re growing and learning and becoming better from your mistakes. That’s the very definition,” Clockwork laughed, finally letting Danny’s chin go to instead place a hand on his shoulder. “The people we care for and who in turn care for us are pillars for us. They hold us up when we need a break from the weight and they remind us why we keep going.”

“That doesn’t mean I should just suddenly fall apart when they’re all gone, though. That means I’m-”

“That means you’re tired, and upset, and need rest. Nothing more and nothing less.” The hand on his shoulder gave a light squeeze and Clockwork’s voice dropped into something softer. “Daniel… You aren’t Atlas. You weren’t born to carry the world on your shoulders.”

Danny stayed quiet this time, wincing when he heard Clockwork’s quiet sigh. When he felt something fall on his shoulders, he blinked as he saw it was Clockwork’s cloak. “What- What’s this for?”

“I can’t help with bringing your pillars back to you, but I can at least give you some time to rest from carrying all that weight.” The cloak was cool and soft against him, the cloth brushing against his cheek and making him think of newly washed blankets still fresh from the dryer. “My Citadel flows against time differently than what you’re used to, but that means it allows you a few hours of just resting without any time lost.”

“And… you’d really let me stay here for no other reason than just to- To sleep?” Danny leaned back a bit and the cloak draped more around him. While it was loose on Clockwork, it seemed to utterly dwarf Danny. It was like a blanket and, if he focused, he could smell something that reminded him of a clean, fresh scent that made his shoulders relax before he could think it through.

“I have never had a problem with you staying here for any reason, Daniel, nor will I. Whether you need advice, training, someone to talk to, or even just a place to rest, my Citadel is always here for you.”

“Alright, jeez, there’s no need to be so sappy.” The words tumbled out of him more than he wanted to, Danny pulling the hood over his head and shivering as he felt… safe. “How long do I have?”

That familiar hand landed on the back of Danny’s head and gently pushed him down, Danny not bothering to fight the feeling as his head was guided to lay on Clockwork’s lap, the ghost tugging the hood more around him before answering quietly, “As long as you need.”

“Hey, Clockwork?” For a few seconds - or maybe forever - there was a peaceful silence in the room as the clocks created a soft sound that filled up any white noise that could bring back Danny’s thoughts. His eyes, still barely open, caught sight of the room that was made of light blues and faded purples - soft colors that went completely against the harsh green of the Ghost Zone and the bright colors of the human world.

Staring at the sight for as long as he wanted, Danny hid a smile against the inside of the hood as he turned around and curled up more against Clockwork, body losing all its tension.

“Thank you.”

                                                                    ::

When Danny woke up, it was soft and gently - not at all like the violent jerking he was used to. There was no blaring of the alarm clock, no lingering unease from a nightmare, and no one pounding on his door. It was just an opening of the eyes and the realization that there was a beam of golden sunset light across his face.

Yawning and pushing himself up, and mentally grumbling about the short winter days, Danny blinked at seeing it was still only around five in the afternoon. He had apparently laid down to rest, but he felt the best he had ever felt, and he had only gotten home half an hour ago and had sat down in his room five minutes ago.

When he moved and felt soft material brush against his skin, Danny looked down to see an oversized purple cloak that was snugly wrapped around him. It didn’t take much longer than a few seconds to remember his trip to Clockwork’s and the talk they had.

“He could’ve taken the cloak back,” Danny finally muttered to himself, standing up and yawning wide enough to crack his jaw as he shuffled to his desk. What he saw instead of his torn notebooks was his homework and textbooks neatly ordered and made to look as new as the day they had been made, a single sheet showing him what chapters were needed for what assignments as well as a list of helpful study reminders. Next to it was a plate of warm food and a bottle of water that was still cold to the touch.

Falling into his chair and watching the sunlight fill up his entire room and warm his skin, Danny leaned his head back and gave a quiet laugh as he curled his fingers into the cloak with a tight grip.

Having a second dad who could control time wasn’t so bad, it seemed. 

[theguardiansseries]

From the Beginning Chapter 4

Bonjour, mes chers! Sorry for such the long wait! I was getting back into school and my job and boy is life getting exhausting! Midterms just passed, however, so let's hope I can get a little bit of a routine going here again.

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Click here to read on FFN Click here to read on AO3

Summary: Danny Fenton was a simple, sixteen-year-old teenager who loved fast food, video games, and getting a B on surprise pop quizzes. He’s also the half-ghost teenage hero Danny Phantom who defends Amity Park from ghost attacks on a daily basis. Somehow, the ghost attacks make a lot more sense than crushes, friendships, and falling in love with someone he is definitely not supposed to be falling in love with. It was a lot easier to separate Phantom and Fenton before, but now it’s getting harder the more he learns about himself. Just who was he? The dorky son of scientists who loved the stars or the hero that protected the town. He’s starting to feel like he won’t like the answer. (Iambic Prose) (Prequel to Guardians and Partial Show Rewrite)

<<First Chapter>> <<Last Chapter>><<Next Chapter>>

Chapter Four

::

“Have a good day at school!” Yelling back a garbled-out goodbye through whatever he had shoved in his mouth, Danny quickly made his way down the front steps of Fenton Works before running towards the school. As much as he would love to fly there, it was way too cold to even bother with this early in the morning.

God, winter break was both too short and too long, sometimes. It seemed like both minutes and lifetimes ago that Danny’s winter break was starting, and he had been trying to ignore the holidays with everything in him. Maybe he was under some Christmas curse and learning Ghostwriter’s lesson had finally broken it or something. Ugh. He’d have to wait an entire year to find out.

It felt like way too long since he had been back to school, though, and a small part of him was honestly looking forward to just hanging out with his friends and being a normal teenager – well, as normal as a teenager could get considering the ghost powers and everything.

Idly thinking on maybe going back to visit Ghostwriter when he needed help on his homework, Danny didn’t slow down his quick pace until he was getting close to the school steps, catching his breath as he felt every inch of happiness leave his body as he stared up at the now familiar building. He was definitely back at high school, at least.

“Incoming!” That loud cry was all the warning Danny was given before he suddenly had a best friend wrapped around his shoulders. Danny was eternally grateful for his ghost strength, because otherwise he and Tucker would both be collapsed in a pile of snow. “Danny! Buddy, pal, friend, chum, sport-”

“Who did you piss off and who are you hiding from?” Danny probably shouldn’t encourage Tucker’s crazy behavior, but it was hard to hold in laughter when Tucker was shifting and moving around him like a demented squirrel.

“Me? Piss someone off? Danny, please, come on. I’m the most likeable person in this entire school. I really don’t appreciate-”

“Foley!” Biting his cheek to stave off his laughter this time, Danny felt Tucker slap him on the back before he was given a crazy grin.

“And that’s our cue to get to homeroom!” With that, Tucker was pulling him along, Danny easily letting him as he kept an eye out for the color black. Somehow, even with him keeping an eye out, Sam still managed to sneak up on him enough to almost give him a heart attack.

“Jesus, Sammy, are you trying to make me use my ghost powers?” Danny accepted the hug anyways, getting a face full of a furry hood that was attached to a coat and had a sheen to it that made it look like it was forever stuck between being black and being purple. It was probably some fake fur made of human skin or something like that, too. “At least Tucker gives warning.”

“And I give you impromptu training. You’re welcome.” Damn. He really had missed these two. Like, yeah, okay, he hadn’t been that long since he had seen them, but still. “So, I believe you were catching us up on some ghostly poem drama last night before we ended the call?”

“Oh, yeah, right. There’s not much to it.” Danny used the rest of the walk to class to quickly explain the basics of what had happened over Christmas with the whole poem incident. When they dropped into their seats in homeroom, he was completely unsurprised to see that Tucker was holding back laughter and Sam was looking offended.

“A ghost messed with my memories? I mean, I’m glad the town didn’t really remember that mess and they don’t hate you again or anything, but is that why I can barely remember what I did over the holidays? Oh, that’s so-”

“Hey, hey, Ghostwriter isn’t all that bad.” At the look he was given, Danny gave a weak little shrug and half of a smile. “What can I say, I made a new friend. Doing the whole apology thing and spending time at that library probably made it the funnest winter break I’ve ever had.”

“Dude. Now I’m offended.” Tucker, very dramatically, held a hand to his chest. “You don’t count our winter breaks as fun?”

“Last winter break you almost had us thrown in juvie.” That had been an interesting one to explain if nothing else. It made kind of a funny story. At least, to them, it did, but not so much for their parents when they had picked them up at the local courthouse jail or whatever it had been. “You have your own category of fun.”

“I still can’t believe there’s a ghost out there that can control us all like that.” Leave it to Sam to stick to the heart of the matter. “Are we sure he isn’t going to do that again? I mean, we can barely even remember what he did.”

“You’ll probably be fine as long as you don’t piss him off,” Danny shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty good with never again angering the guy who can control reality, although Clockwork did mention there were limits to his powers.”

“It’s because he’d be overpowered, otherwise, and the universe knows that isn’t fair,” Tucker said solemnly. Danny was a little disappointed that Sam beat him to it when it came to kicking Tucker’s chair. “Hey! No kicking in class!”

“You don’t have any proof.” Sam crossed her arms and smirked at Danny. “Let’s get back to the true heart of this matter where you befriended a guy version of Jazz.”

“I did not!” Thinking on his week with Ghostwriter, though, and what he had learned about the guy, Danny supposed that maybe he kind of sort of maybe kind of had. “Shit. I totally did, didn’t I? Well, you know what, he might be a kind of friend, but he’s still annoying!”

“Hey, at least you have another ghost that isn’t out to hunt you down or kill you or anything.” Tucker finally got his chair perfectly straight before Sam nudged it just a bit to the left. “Dammit, Sam!”

“It is nice to have another friendly ghost on our side. Like, yeah, okay, he’s a little weird, but… He can actually be pretty fun.” Danny hadn’t thought discussing books could even be fun until he and Ghostwriter had almost destroyed a couch arguing about one of the books.

“Fun, huh?” Sam raised a single eyebrow which, really, how the hell did she even manage that? Danny bet she practiced it in the mirror. “I can tell since you spent an entire week with him.”

“Whoa, hey, no, I spent five days with him.” That didn’t really sound all that much better, but Danny was on thin ice to begin with.

“That’s a school week,” Tucker piped up. “It counts and there’s no way I believe that you were just ‘organizing books’ for an entire week at that place. Spill it. What else did you do over break?”

“Settle down, students.” At Lancer’s voice, Danny let out an explosive sigh and slumped in his seat. Thank God.

“I never thought I would say this, but thank God, class is starting.” Both his friends choked on a laugh, Danny smiling himself. It was nice for things to be normal, again. “Hey, wanna hit the mall after school?”

“Oh, hell yeah! I hear Techtopia has a sale going on.” Oh, Tucker. He would never change. “I’m sure there’s probably a deal going on at the Hot Topic there, too.”

“Please,” Sam snorted, looking toward the board at the front of the class before glancing back. “There might be a new year sale going on, actually.”

“Mall it is.” A little time to be just a normal teenager was just what the three of them needed. Besides, after ghost hunting, the mall was harmless as could be.

::

“Right. Note to self. The mall is never harmless.” Danny dragged himself out of the pile of store merchandise he had crashed into it and waved at the scared cashier at the counter. “Sorry about that. Send a bill to the mayor, I guess? Sorry!”

“None can stop the all-powerful Technus 2.0!” Oh, God, Technus was worse than ever before. Danny seriously might lose his mind if he had to keep this up for too long.

“Yeah, yeah, all hail the megadork. I seriously can’t believe your upgraded form is just you with a mullet. Where are you from, the eighties?” Dodging the electronic wires that came after him, Danny grinned at Technus and tried to make himself as annoying as possible. At least he was used to being used as a target, unlike everyone else here. “Ooh, did I hit a sore spot?”

“You will be the first to be crushed under my might, ghost child!” Eugh. That was probably the most annoying moniker he had yet. Well, he guessed his break really was over now. It had been nice while it lasted.

“Yeah, yeah, master of technology. Hey, you know what? It’d be more impressive if you actually ever managed to win!” Quickly dodging a blast of energy, Danny gulped as he felt the searing heat just barely brush his arm. God, he really needed to work on never getting hit by those because they hurt-

“Ah!” At the cry of pain, Danny quickly snapped his head around, eyes wide at seeing Valerie on the floor and sitting up with a hiss of pain.

“Oh, I’m gonna break you in half!” Feeling energy pour into his hands, Danny unleashed half a dozen blasts all at once, viciously pleased when most of them managed to hit Technus on at least some part of his body. “Well? You’re after a fight, aren’t you!”

So, alright, maybe Danny had the tendency to jump the gun and get too angry and protective and all that, but he was trying to keep the ghostly stuff away from his friends! They shouldn’t have to worry about stuff like this when he was supposed to be here taking care of it!

“C’mon, Technus! You wanted a fight, didn’t you?!” Readying more energy, Danny narrowed his eyes when he saw Technus looked intrigued. That was never a good look. He would know, too, after growing up with scientists his entire life.

“Interesting.” Technus’ gaze flickered to Valerie and Danny was attacking again at once. The last thing he wanted was for ghosts to put together that Valerie was the Red Huntress. They were less forgiving on ghost hunters than they were on him. “Oh, don’t worry, ghost child, I haven’t forgotten about you.”

“Dude, could you sound any more like a super villain?” Dodging the wires that snapped for his ankles, Danny grunted as he was hit with a blast strong enough to send him crashing into a huge stack of boxes and god that fucking hurt. Pushing himself up and catching his breath, Danny frowned when he saw he had changed back. “Ugh, why do you never work when I need you to?” Stupid powers.

“Danny?” Freezing at the voice, Danny blinked up at seeing Valerie looking down at him with raised eyebrows and, yeah, right. Phantom crashed and Fenton appeared. Right.

“Ah, hi, Val. So, uh, hey, those ghosts gone yet? I was trying to find Sam and Tucker and suddenly boxes were falling on top of me.”

“Yeah, they’re both gone.” Valerie gave a laugh and held her hand out, Danny smiling as he let himself be pulled to his feet. If nothing else, Valerie had a nice laugh. “You okay?”

“Just another day in Amity Park, I guess.” Danny gave Valerie a quick once over, relaxing when he saw that she was just fine. Technus’ blast didn’t seem to do any real harm to her, which, good. “You good? I saw you go down from that one ghost’s attack or whatever it was.”

“Knocked off my feet, I guess, but I’m good.” Valerie’s smile seemed to soften before she suddenly stepped back and dropped Danny’s hand and oh, yeah, that- Huh. He had forgotten they were even holding hands in the first place. “So, uh, you were looking for your friends?”

“Yeah- Yeah. I was. Sam and Tuck. My friends.” Danny really wished he could clone himself some days, just so he could slap himself. He just was never sure how to act around Valerie some days. She was kind and sweet and friendly and had a pretty sharp wit and she was also a ghost hunter who absolutely hated his guts with everything in her.

“Right.” Valerie looked away and Danny was about to move before he heard her clear her throat with a rough cough. “So, um… You’re good at Chemistry and everything, right?”

“What?” At the dry and sour look he was given, Danny gave a slow nod. “I mean, yeah? I usually get by with a low A or sometimes a high B. Why?”

“I was wondering if maybe we could meet up in the library some time and you could run me through a few things? Petricoff is making it way harder than it needs to be.”

“Ugh, I know, tell me about it.” Danny loved science, don’t get him wrong, but that demon that taught the science classes as Casper was pure evil. She probably really was a demon. Danny wouldn’t have been surprised. “But, uh, yeah, sure, I can help.”

“Great. Exchange numbers?” Valerie was already holding her phone out with a new contact pulled up, Danny fumbling to do the same with his own before they swapped. “Thanks. I know I haven’t been the nicest friend lately.”

“We all have our rough spots. I mean, it is high school.” Was he alive? Did Technus’ last hit kill him? Because he was exchanging numbers with one of the more popular girls in school and she was honestly smiling at him.

“Tell me about it,” Valerie laughed, taking her phone back and tossing Danny’s to him. It was a close save to keep it from dropping, Danny slumping in relief as Valerie laughed. “Hopefully having scientist parents pays off.

“Yeah.” Okay, so, yeah, maybe Valerie was the Red Huntress and all that, but she was still pretty amazing, and she actually seemed to like Danny. That alone was an impossible miracle considering the only people who had ever really liked him in his entire school career was Tucker and Sam.  

“So, hey, do you need to meet up with your friends right this second, or do you maybe wanna grab a bite to eat real quick? I was about to grab something before the whole dick measuring fight took place.”

Choking on a laugh, Danny silently nodded as he followed Valerie back towards the food court. Sam and Tucker would be okay for a while yet, and, well, maybe it was time to move on from his puppy crush on Paulina. Valerie’s dad had taken her suit away after that whole Pariah mess, after all, so Danny would be perfectly safe dating a ghost hunter.

Heh. Dating. It was the time for New Year’s Resolutions and all that Jazz stuff. Maybe he could make a resolution to try a little bit harder to be a normal teenager. Sure, he should probably be worrying about Technus getting away, but he could let his parents handle it or something. They were the professional ghost hunters, after all.

“You know what, Val? Grabbing a bite to eat sounds great right now.” Food did sound pretty great but being just an average Amity Park teenager sounded even better.

“You’re pretty chipper all of a sudden. Should I worry about you being possessed by a ghost or anything?”

“Nope. Just possessed with some good company.” Grinning at Valerie’s startled laugh, Danny felt something in him relax.

A little time as a normal teenager was just what this new year could use.

[half-deadmagicperson]

Color Palette Ask Game

Tucker

Dorathea

Jazz

Danny and Cujo

Danny and Clockwork

Flying Squirrel

Professor Zombie

Red Panda

Dash

Sam

Color Palette Source

(feel free to send me more asks btw)

[atc74]

You Were The First - Chapter Three

Summary: Dean Winchester completed basic training in March 1941 and was offered an opportunity he can’t turn down, to fly with the Allied Forces and England’s Royal Air Force. It will provide a better future for him and his bride-to-be, but what he doesn’t know is it will change the lives of everyone around him.(This is loosely based on Pearl Harbor).

Square Filled: none for this chapter

Written for: na

Characters: Dean Winchester, Y/N Bennett, John, Mary and Sam Winchester, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, Arthur Ketch, minor OC’s.

Warnings: Angst, not gonna lie or apologize

Word Count: 1097 (I am sorry this one is a little short)

A/N: Thank you so much to @crispychrissy for her patience and guidance, and exceptional listening/reading skills. This probably would not have happened without her. An Anon sent me a request that I will also fulfill later in the series for an Eagles song. Guys, it has been a really long time since I was this excited about a series! I hope you like it!

YWTF Masterlist

~Chapter 3~

Like clockwork, Sam went to see Y/N every Friday afternoon after school and they would go down to the soda shop for a milkshake. She would ask Sam about school, what colleges he was looking at and he would confide in her about the girl down the street that he had a crush on; Jessica.

Sam didn’t feel he could talk to his dad about girls, and the thought of going to Mary made him uncomfortable. With his brother overseas, Y/N was the next best thing. They would sit in that little soda shop and talk for hours about everything and anything. Y/N had known Sam since he was a toddler and she already looked at him like a little brother. They would sit and tell stories about Dean growing up and he would probably be mad as a wet hen if he heard them.

No matter how hard they laughed or what they talked about, it always ended the same way; they both missed Dean and were anxious for him to come home. A few tears would always fall from her eyes before she quickly brushed them away, trying to be strong for Dean’s brother; her future brother-in-law.

Y/N still had Sunday dinner with the Winchester’s at least once a month. They would be family in a few short months and it was comfortable. With the exception of mentioning Dean’s letter, they tried to avoid talk of the war over in Europe. They all read the papers and heard the reports, but they refused to acknowledge how bad it really was. If they talked about it, it made it real. Imagining Dean on a extended trip was easier for all of them.

It was a bright and sunny day in Lawrence Kansas. It was May 2, and Sam’s seventeenth birthday. Y/N had started working at the small bookstore to pass time and keep her mind off of Dean. She was well aware of Sam’s love for reading books of any kind, since she had also been reading to him from a young age. A new book had been catching her eye for months and she had gotten it for Sam.

“Y/N, thank you so much. This is very thoughtful of you, but you didn’t need to get me anything,” Sam told her as he looked at the copy of ‘Grapes of Wrath’ from John Steinbeck she had given him.  

“I know I didn’t need to Sam, but I wanted to. Happy birthday,” Y/N smiled at him over the discarded wrappings on the table. Mary was just about to the serve cake for dessert.

The illusion they had so carefully crafted over the last two months shattered that sunny day in early May when the doorbell rang in the middle of Sam’s birthday dinner.

“Mr. and Mrs. John Winchester?” There were two men at the door, both dressed in military uniforms. Before either of them could speak another word, a strangled cry broke the silence and Y/N fell to the floor.

Y/N stirred, a cool sensation on her skin dragging her out of the fog. “Oh Mrs. Winchester! I had the most horrible dream!” Her eyes opened and she scanned the concerned faces and red eyes that looked down upon her. She sat up and it all came rushing back.

“Shhh, honey. It’s okay,” she heard her mother’s voice cooing in her ear. But she knew it wouldn’t be okay. Nothing would ever be okay ever again.

“What happened?” Y/N asked as Mary handed her a cup of hot tea.

“They told us that Dean’s plane had been shot down over France, near the coast, in an area heavy with Nazi occupation. The British Royal Air Force is reporting the entire crew as killed in action,” John’s voice boomed through the small parlor. Mary broke into tears once more and fled the room.

Y/N’s gaze met Sam’s across from her. Fresh tears rolled down her face as the hot tea fell from her hands. Y/N remained in a daze as her parent’s led her from the Winchester’s home and into the car. She stared out the window, but saw nothing but the blur of her tears as her father drove them home.

The next week passed in a haze and a steady stream of neighbors and sympathetic condolences. Y/N could barely find the energy, let alone the will to greet them. It wasn’t until the day of Dean’s funeral that she finally gathered the courage, albeit somewhat forced, to bathe and dress. She knew on this final day, the day she would lay her beloved to rest, he wouldn’t want her to continue to wallow in her grief.

Her mother zipped the back of the black knee length dress and placed the small hat atop her dark curls, pulling the short black mesh veil over her face. The carefully applied cosmetics were still visible, but the veil hid the dark circles and red rimmed eyes Y/N wore.

Her father drove them to the church where they sat in the front row with Dean’s family. She held Sam’s hand tight in her own, tears falling silently. She tried to listen to Father Murphy as he preached his sermon, but all she could hear was Dean’s voice and the words he had spoken to her less than two months ago. He sat with her in this very church, in this very pew and vowed that he was going to marry her that coming August.

“He lied,” her words nearly a whisper and Sam turned to look at her. His long arm wrapped around her shoulders and he held his brother’s fiancee as she cried.

The graveside service was short and Sam held her hand throughout. An American flag was presented to Dean’s father as Mary cried silent tears next to him. After the gunshots and mourners departed, Y/N sat in her chair. The open grave yet to be covered was a blur. She dropped to her knees in front of it, crying; her wails ringing through the cemetery loud enough to catch the attention of anyone still milling about.  

“You lied to me Dean! You lied! You promised me you were coming back! You said we were getting married. You’re a liar!” she screamed at his empty casket until her throat was raw and her voice wouldn’t come out anymore. It was there, still on her knees in the dirt, that Sam found her. He hugged her tightly and they cried together.

I’d love to hear/read your thoughts!

Tags: @iwantthedean @d-s-winchester @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms @just-another-busy-fangirl @mamaredd123 @ellen-reincarnated1967 @tankcupcakes @katymacsupernatural @winchesterprincessbride @chelsea072498 @meeshw777  @tmccarney @ruprecht0420 @theoriginalvicki @nanie5 @docharleythegeekqueen @megansescape @notnaturalanahi @impalaimagining @mrswhozeewhatsis @blacktithe7 @emoryhemsworth @bringmesomepie56 @devilgirlsarah @spnbaby-67 @myoutletforfanfiction @deansangelgirl @jerk-bitch-and-an-angel @kayteonline @rockhoochie @percussiongirl2017 @fanfreak07 @sandlee44 @moonstar86   @squirrel-moose-winchester @growningupgeek @charliebradbury1104 @evansrogerskitten @feelmyroarrrr @itseverythingilike @smoothdogsgirl @supernatural-jackles @ryantherandomhero @love-kittykat21 @kathaswings @crispychrissy @paintrider13-blog  @bethbabybaby @ravenangel33 @shaelyn102 @roxyspearing @nosleeptillbucky  @x-waywardaf-x 

Dean tags: @whimsicalrobots @akshi8278  @iamabeautifulperson18 @suzannebeaketa @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @deandoesthingstome @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @boxywrites  @sparklesuperwholock88  @ericaprice2008   @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels 

YWTF Tags (CLOSED): @luci-in-trenchcoats @hexparker  @meganwinchester1999 @bitchy-tacos @ultimatecin73 @neveah-potter15 @housav @thereisnolumos @frickfracklesackles