#far-flung hero of the stars

[upsidedowndreamland]

"I... do not know what to do," Meta Knight said, causing Bandana to audibly gasp and Dedede's beak to drop. Meta would... would never admit something like that. If even he had given up, then...

Maybe they really were doomed.

Thinking this over, Bandana gazed out across Dream Land, the first terrified tears falling to the ground and glittering orange in the fading sunlight. The crowd was steadily growing more and more violent.

Their pitchforks were so sharp.

"We need you, Kirby," he whispered.

[astronomic727]

Journey through Far-Flung Space - Project Dream

First Project Dream post on Tumblr and Cara woooo!... but wait that ain't meta knight- Yeah so, I explained in the description of the accompanying Youtube video that I'm bringing back the Interlude videos! These are videos that are a part of Project Dream and it's story, but aren't about any Dream Friend in particular. This interlude and the one that'll follow Meta Knight's video are to show what Kirby is up to while Bandana Dee, Meta Knight and King Dedede are off on their own excursions! Love how this piece came out, this one has been planned for several years and it's great to finally have gotten around to doing it ^^ Speedart video available here!

[specialagentlokitty]

Aizawa x student!reader - a handful of trouble

Hiya I have a request for aizawa if that's alright. Maybe like Aizawa × student reader where R always tries to sneak out after curfew and he knows that so he just catches them again before they get out of the building with his scarf? - Anon💜

Looking at your phone, you grinned as you stuffed it into your pocket, zipping it up, and you made your way to the balcony of your room.

Jumping on the railing, you flexed your wings a couple of times to stretch them, then you jumped down.

“Nice try.”

You were tangled in Aizawa’s capture scarf, dangling from the side of the building.

“Busted…” you mumbled.

“Yup, and in a world of trouble.”

Aizawa lowered you down to the ground, keeping you in the scarf while All Might stood in front of you with his arms crossed.

Aizawa let you go, and you grinned up at All Might, planting your hands into the grass behind you.

“Double busted huh?”

“You know this is for your own safety.”

“Come on! It’s so boring!” You whined.

Aizawa walked back over, tangling you back into his scarf, making sure you couldn’t fly away.

He dragged you behind him.

“Come on Aizawa, is that really necessary?” All Might sighed.

“Yes! The kid won’t stay still long enough if I don’t! You try bringing them back inside one night!” He huffed.

You grinned proudly, looking up at both your teachers as you were lifted up, feet placed on the floor so you could get up the steps.

You waddled into the building, and sat down on the floor.

Aizawa walked over, and he stood in front of you with his arms crossed.

“Do I seriously have to put child locks and bars on the damn windows?” He snapped.

You rocked back and forth, trying to wiggle free from your captivity.

“Let me be free Mr Aizawa!”

“No! Why do you insist on breaking out every night?!”

“Let me be free!”

“No!”

Mr Aizawa sighed.

“I’m giving you a week of detention, and your on house arrest for two days!”

You grinned proudly.

“Freedom!”

“I’m going to be here with you so don’t even think about it!” He scolded.

You let out a groan of annoyance, and you threw yourself again the floor with a heavy thud.

“Don’t ignore me!”

You grinned proudly, staring up at the ceiling.

Aizawa sighed again, letting you go.

“Go back to your room, and you better not try sneak out again.”

You jumped up, beating your wings a couple of times to steady yourself before landing in the ground, and you grinned at your home room teacher.

You ran back to your room.

You just had to wait longer this time.

So you did, reading, studying, trying to wait until it was later in the night, and then you opened your balcony door.

You didn’t wait this time, you flung yourself out of the window and took straight into the skies with a big grin.

There was no reason why you broke out most nights, you just enjoyed the late night flights over the city.

You looked down at the city lights, and you stopped in one spot, wings keeping you in place there as you looked around.

You looked at the lights below, then looked up at the stars above.

It was almost like looking at the reflection in a lake, it was peaceful how they matched.

You turned around, looking up at the night sky, and you pulled out your phone to take a few photos.

While you were taking phones your phone started to ring, and you answered it, sticking it on speaker.

“Hello?”

“Seriously?! Again?! Where are you?!”

You held the phone away from your ear and let out a loud laugh.

“You’ll never find me Mr Aizawa!”

“I have Hawks looking for you! You’re in so much trouble (Y/N)!”

You snickered a little bit, going back to flying around, getting a little higher.

“I’m free!”

“You’re breaking curfew!”

“Yeah! Yeah! I’ll be back before the morning!”

“(Y/N) get back here now!”

“Bye!”

You hung up, turning your phone off and you stuffed it into your pocket with a grin.

You spotted the red winged hero not far ahead of you, and you gave him a little salute as you folded your wings against your back.

“Get back here you little rebel!”

You dived straight down, lightening building up around your wings, and in a flash you were gone.

A cool trick you had was when you went fast enough you could build up electricity, then using that you could teleport into another location as long as you knew where it was.

You appeared in front of the dorms, and you came crashing to a stop, tripping over and stumbling over your own two feet, falling to the ground.

“(Y/N)!”

Aizawa caught you in his scarf and pulled you into the dorm.

“You’re in a world of trouble!”

You threw yourself to the ground as he began to shout at you, and then he sighed, walking over to look down at you.

“If you keep this up you’re risking your studies to be a hero.”

You huffed a little.

“Look, I get your restless, but you have to quit this now, before I seriously consider having to expel you.”

“You can’t do that.”

“You want to test that theory?!” He snapped.

You huffed again, sitting up, folding your wings against your back.

“You’re on house arrest for two weeks, someone will be in your work by for you, you’ll be catching up on chores.”

“Boring!”

“Well stop breaking out! This isn’t a prison!”

“Then why can’t I be free?!”

“Because it’s not safe!”

Aizawa crossed his arms.

“If you stay in the dorm for a month like you’re supposed to I’ll consider asking hawks if he can take you on a flight with him every so often.”

Your face lit up.

“Seriously?!”

“You need to follow the rules for a month (Y/N). Then I’ll think about it.”

You jumped up, wings puffing up a little bit with excitement.

“Okay!”

“Good, now go to your room and stay there.”

You nodded your head and ran off.

Aizawa sighed, truth be told he was already arranging something like that for you, you clearly had a lot of energy, you needed to fly to burn that energy you had.

Aizawa came to check on you a few times, and just like you said you actually stayed in your room this time

[raineandsky]

#128

“How’d that thing at the weekend go?”

The hero laughs with visible discomfort. “Ah, pretty good. Wasn’t too bad.”

The other hero turns to look at him incredulously. “Wasn’t too bad? I thought your kids had some big parts in that play or something.”

“Oh, yeah, they did. You know how kids are, though. Acting clearly doesn’t run in the family.”

The last the other hero had heard, the hero was ecstatic to be going to this play. Now, he’s folding his clothes and shoving them into his locker like the weekend wasn’t anything special.

“You feeling alright?” the other hero asks shortly.

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know.” The other hero leans against their locker as the hero fiddles with the code on his. “I was expecting you to be more… excited. Has something happened?”

“No, nothing.”

“You can tell me.”

“I don’t have anything to tell you.” The hero gives up and slams the door on his locker. It doesn’t shut. “It was a nice weekend. The kids did their play and it was as entertaining as it was a bunch of eight year olds misremembering all their lines. That’s it.”

The other hero watches him as he turns back to the bench, sifting through his bag. They consider pushing it, but they don’t get the chance before the locker room door gets flung open.

“Sorry I’m late!” calls the voice in the doorway. “Traffic’s a nightmare. Anyways, I know you’re dying to hear how the kids did—god, they’re stars. I took a video, look—”

The hero cuts himself off when he finally meets the eye of… the hero, elbow deep in his bag with his locker swinging open behind him.

“Oh,” the hero says faintly from the doorway. “You’re me.”

The other hero rounds on the hero inside the locker room. “Who are you?”

The hero—although maybe not now—stares at them like he’s shocked before nodding to the hero in the doorway. “He’s the imposter.”

“He is actually trying to tell us about his kids,” the other hero says flatly. “I’m more inclined to believe he’s real.”

The hero glances between the hero in the doorway and the other hero next to him for a long second. “Look, I didn’t think I’d have to research his weekend plans, okay?”

That’s as good as a confession to the other hero. He’s already reaching for the handcuffs in his pocket—thank god he thought to take them out. “Okay. Well, you have the right to remain—”

He’s barely started before the hero bolts, the bag thrown mercilessly to the floor. The hero—the real hero—moves after him, the other hero close behind as their fake hero throws himself into the corner. He stumbles back against the wall, trapped.

“There’s no need to run,” the other hero drawls.

“I’m not running,” the fake hero say. He smiles, his back to the tile, like this was all part of the plan. “You can’t run through walls.”

And with that he leans back, the wall swallows him, and he disappears.

“He has my powers, too!” the hero cries, pointing rather uselessly at the now empty corner. “That’s not fair!”

The hero launches after him, straight through the wall. The other hero, cursed with the power of super strength, is left to take the long way round.

By the time the other hero gets there the hero already has the imposter in a tight hold. “What an idiot,” the hero says severely. “Let’s get him into a cell, huh? Whoever he is.”

“Almost had you, didn’t I?” the imposter says with a bright laugh. The other hero doesn’t like it. “Imagine what a league of us could do. Who would you trust? Who’s real? Who’s fake?”

“Oh, shut up,” the hero snaps.

“Stay on your toes. I’m far from the only one,” the imposter continues. His eyes bore straight through the other hero when he says, “Next time, it might be you.”

[toytoriyadorm]

CHAPTER 9: Fire Breathing Dragon

“Popular much?” Yuukei joked once Winston got close enough.

“Hehe, I guess you can say that~.” He laughed aloud. “What brings you to the Coliseum? If you want to watch the plays, you gotta wait one more day!”

“Myeh, we ain’t impatient little kids! Me and the henchman just came to give you this junk!” Grim argued from within Yuukei’s bag, before shoving the stack of scripts into Winston’s arms. With an eyebrow raised, he quickly skimmed the content written by his supposed “arch-nemesis”.

“What?! Unfair!” He suddenly yelled, a country-like accent beginning to grow apparent. “Whatcha mean I can’t fight a dragon no more?!” 

The blonde teen and his familiar looked at eachother. “You were supposed to fight a monster?!”

“Well, technically! Zackery planned out some robot lizard thing for me to fight in our play! Lotsie always said it looked dangerous, but I didn’t expect him to pull the plug on it!” Winston sighs, further flipping through the document. “‘Now it looks like I have to fight him myself…”

“What's wrong with that? You guys are already at each other's throats most of the time, so why not just let it out on stage?” Grim commented.

“Arguing is way different from fighting!!” Winston insisted, “Fighting means pulling fists and punching people enough to break something! I can’t do that to a classmate, I’ll hurt them!

Yuukei put a finger on his chin, wondering. “...Winston, could it be that you’ve never seen any behind the scene work for action movies..?”

The student with the side ponytail turned red, confirming Yuukei’s suspicions. He scratched at the star sticker on his cheek nervously. “Maybe…”

“No wonder you got all nervous about fighting that scientist guy! You don’t even know how any of it works!” Grim exclaimed.

“Yes I do! I get hooked to wires for all ‘em fancy flipping tricks all the time!”

“Flipping ain’t fighting! You’d probably end up knocking some teeth out!”

“Well that's why I don’t want to actually fight!! If you were actually helpful, you’d do something like say you’d teach me!!” 

“Wait, that's actually a good idea.” Yuukei perked up, causing the other two to give him an odd look. “We’ve already fought off overblot monsters, so Grim can use that experience as a basis! And Grim’s able to breathe fire too, so it’ll be like play-fighting with a mini dragon!”

The magical monster tried to interject, but the blonde teen whispered into his feline ear. “Plus, we might get more than a few cans of tuna as payment…” 

That seemed to get the beast’s attention, as he jumped out of Yuukei’s bag, flames a little brighter than usual. “Hmph, I suppose I can use my super awesome mage skills– unless you plan to back out,”

“For my performance? No way!” Winston smiled in a way that reminded Yuukei of a hero. “Over my dead body!”

CHAPTER 10: Ringing

After managing to clear out the stage for the two, Winston and Grim’s practice fight began. Playful swings and fake scratches evolved into bright spells and blue fireballs being flung around the stage, never hitting their pretend target. Yuukei managed to find a spot to ensure he didn’t get hit, pulling out his camera so he could snap some cool moments to show Ace and Deuce.

“You weren’t lying about those flips!” Grim gasped aloud before casting another fireball.

Winston dodged the magic with ease, as if he were performing a dance rather than a battle. “You thought I was lying?! Mean!” He pointed his magic pen back at Grim, light swirling from its gem. 

But before Toytoriya’s star could aim for the side of the beast– just as he told him to do– he had stepped far too close to the stage’s edge.With a sudden yelp, Ramshackle’s prefect watched as Winston fell off, his un-focused spell heading right for a surprised Grim.

“Grim, watch out!”

Suddenly, a familiar glass box formed on top of the familiar, deflecting the spell right before it could even graze his fur. 

“Having a magic duel without any safety measures… you Ramshackle students must really be trying to make a mess of our festival.” A tired voice calls out, ignoring Grim banging hard on his entrapment.

“Wait! It's not what it looks like!” Winston got up from the ground, rushing over to the white-haired student. “We’re not actually fighting!! It's practice for me and Zackery’s play!”  

Pat taps his wand onto the glass box, leaving Grim to fall out with a loud “Ow!”

Still, Winston continues his explanation; “Yuukei said that since Grim and him already fought overblot monsters, they could teach me how to, like, fake fight!”

Pat stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Ramshackle’s prefect told you that, since they fought magical monsters, they can teach you how to… avoid punching your classmate.”

“Uh, yeah!” Winston said, staring back at Pat with a far more blank look behind his eyes. 

Yuukei got up from his spot, ready to further defend his case when a loud ringing shot out of his bag. Walking up to the trio, he dug through only to find the silver watch ringing loudly. “Wow, this thing actually works? Now where’s the off button…”

Recognition flashed through Pat’s face, as he opened his mouth to ask where Yuukei had gotten the timepiece. But before he could say a word, a white glove flew past him and snatched the watch. He turned around, only to be greeted by a smile that he knew all too well.

“So that’s where you’ve been. I’ve been looking for this everywhere!” Lotsie says as he clicks the alarm off. 

[smakkabagms]

everything feels odd, far-off, tossed as mindless god-hewn waves I begin to prefer grief to nostalgia, its thick-mawed smoke that towers and peels back tough flesh to show - show what? stains, pomegranate-red ponderous and despaired along the earth’s stark surface where I bloat, belly-up, in the field curdled with lilies and dreams, so many dreams of forests I can’t see only because I haven’t loved well enough - isn’t this, too, a cruelty? I am a horror in the face of indifference, I scour tar-black pots for meaning my hands sour as old eggs that trip and tumble over wanting and grief that turns like fabled heroes, into stone everything far-off, too far-flung, each a world into itself the stars bray to disrobe themselves but no one watches and meaning is revealed to be a lack of shelter, of light and I know too dearly that inevitable domain of isolation I walked there too long and even now what is left of my animal is  maned with it, moon-wreathed, knowing no other belonging it is my name I wear and maim with unspeakable as a weapon, but just as real

[manygeese]

@lost-trio-week

When his starship gets pulled into the Delta quadrant seventy years’ travel away from home, Commander Jason Grace doesn’t expect to become friends (possibly more) with the very people he was sent there to capture. But the universe has funny ways of working out, doesn’t it?

A self-indulgent Star Trek: Voyager AU for day two of Lost Trio Week: crossover.

~*~

This was supposed to be a two week mission. Two weeks, round trip. Go into the badlands, capture the Maquis terrorist/freedom fighter ship, and get out. It wasn’t even that far from Starfleet territory- Deep Space Nine was just a quick wormhole trip away from where they started.

So how did they end up on the other side of the galaxy?

The Argo B shook violently as it was flung into the foreign space, shedding sparks from its interior walls. Jason struggled to stay in his seat, but he was ultimately unsuccessful.

There were a few hazy moments after the tremors stopped where all the surviving occupants stayed still, most collapsed on the floor. Captain Chase was the first to regain her footing, pulling Jason up with her. “Lieutenant,” she called to the helmsman, Percy Jackson he believed. Upon realizing the man was incapacitated, she took the helm herself as her crew members began to stir around her. She pushed a few buttons, each push accompanied by the creak of the damaged console and a weak beep, before turning back around in her chair and fixing Jason with an unnerving stare. “This is impossible. We’re… we’re seventy thousand light years away from the Alpha Quadrant.”

He barely had time to process the information before a mangled chime came from the viewscreen. After a few more button presses from the Captain, a video appeared on it.

There was a woman, her brown hair in a messy braid. Her gaze was shaky. The ship around her was falling apart, with wires falling from broken panels, control centers busted wide open, and licks of electrical flame appearing here and there. An engineer could be seen running about trying to put out the fires. There was screaming and the grating of metal in the background, so loud that the woman had to shout to be heard. “This is Captain Piper McLean of the Maquis ship Wilderness. The disturbance has completely wrecked our hull and totaled our engines. We surrender and request asylum,” she hissed.

Crash! A piece of the ceiling came thundering downwards, landing on the engineer. Jason winced in sympathy as he heard the cry it ripped from the man. McLean’s eyes widened in fear, and the video cut off just after she spat out the word “fuck.”

Captain Chase rose from her seat and tapped her combadge. “Captain Chase to the transporter room. Come in, transporter room.”

There was a chirp as the transmission went through. “Yes, Captain?” A reedy voice coughed.

“Beam the crew of the Maquis ship on board immediately.”

Stunned silence. Jason really couldn’t blame the poor ensign that was running the transporter. If he had gotten a hail from the Captain saying that, he would’ve thought she’d gone crazy, too. But the image of the dying ship was still burnt into his mind. At length, the transporter officer managed a measly “b-but, Ca-”

“That’s an order.” Captain Chase hauled the still unconscious Jackson into a standing position. “Commander Grace, take the Lieutenant-” she nodded down at her ward, passing him onto Jason’s shoulder- “down to sickbay. I’ll send the Maquis your way.”

Jason nodded, adjusting the limp man on his shoulder and heading towards the turbolift when the captain beckoned to him again. “And Commander?”

He turned his head as best he could. “Yes, Captain?”

“Make a good impression.”

It was evident that no one had told the Maquis that. At least thirty of them, plus the injured from the Argo, were crammed into the medical bay. Their leader, the woman from the video, was in a crabby mood. As someone in the line of command, Jason could understand that. He’d be grumpy too if half his crew died and he’d been forced to surrender for the good of the survivors. But as a diplomat, he was confident he was going to throttle someone if she kept this up. Or maybe his emotions were just running high.

“Captain McLean,” he’d greeted with a nod when he first met her. She was getting a concussion treated. He offered a hand.

She did not shake it. In fact, she pushed the dermal regenerator and the officer holding it away and attempted to look around the room. “Where is he?”

Jason frowned. “Where is who?”

“Excuse me, have you seen a man with a crushed leg anywhere?” She asked a passing nurse. They gestured to the privacy curtain, where Jason was reasonably sure surgery was being performed. McLean got up anyway. “Thank you.”

“Um, Captain McLean?” Jason tried, following her up to the curtain. “I’m-”

McLean rolled her eyes. “Listen, blondie, I’m not in the mood for chit chat. Try again later.” She craned her head to try and see over the screen.

“Who are you looking for?” Jason asked.

“My friend,” she grunted. He couldn’t hear it over the clamor, but he could see that she was tapping her foot.

Jason hummed sympathetically. “Are they the one who had the ceiling fall on them?”

“Yeah. What, did you see the transmission?”

“Yes. I was on the bridge when you hailed us.”

“Not my best moment,” she sighed.

“One could argue that valuing the lives of your crew over your victory is a very good moment, actually,” Jason pointed out. “I would have done the same thing, had I been in your shoes.”

McLean snorted. “Thanks, I guess. Who are you, anyway?”

“Commander Jason Grace, first officer of the USS Argo NCC-1012-B.” He offered up his hand once more.

She took it and gave it a firm shake before going back to watching the privacy curtain intently. Eventually, it rustled open, revealing the engineer from the video sans left leg from the mid thigh down. Dr. Solace’s eyes darted around for a moment before landing on McLean. He handed the injured man off to her. “Here, take him to a bed. Or an empty space on the floor where he can lay down. I’m not picky.”

McLean nodded and scooped him up. The man’s eyes were shut tight, like he could feel the pain even through the anesthetic. His head was thrown back, sending his dark brown curls every which way and uncovering the pointed ears of a Vulcan. Spotting an opening in one of the cots, Jason pointed McLean in that direction and let her set down the engineer there.

McLean leaned against the wall next to the head of the bed, never taking her eyes away from the man. Jason adopted a similar pose opposite her.

After what felt like hours, the Vulcan’s unfocused eyes fluttered open. He pushed himself to sit up on his elbows. “Piper?” He groaned. He fell back onto the bed with a thump.

“I’m right here, Leo. Right here,” she soothed, grabbing his hand. Wasn’t that considered intimate in Vulcan culture? Maybe Jason had just confused him with some other pointy eared species. Wait, no, the blood leaking into the bandage around his leg was green. He had to be a Vulcan.

The man’s- Leo’s- gaze floated around for a bit before landing on Jason. He squinted scrutinizingly at his uniform. Jason suddenly developed the urge to tug the end of his shirt down and adjust the sleeves. “Where are we?”

“The Argo’s sickbay,” Jason answered with what he hoped was a welcoming smile.

Leo looked back at Piper. “Who’s this guy?”

Jason answered for himself before McLean could, subconsciously drawing himself to his full height. “Commander Jason Grace of the USS Argo NCC-1012-B.”

“Classic commander behavior,” Leo muttered. “Always out here saying their full name and rank. You don’t see us Lieutenants pulling that shit.” His words blurred together, like he was trying to get the sentence out of him as fast as possible.

Jason found his brows furrowing. All the Vulcans he had worked with before wouldn’t have been caught dead saying half the words Leo did. “Is he always like this?”

McLean smiled and squeezed Leo’s hand. “Yeah. Wouldn’t have him any other way.”

~*~

“Okay, was anybody gonna tell me that Percy broke the transwarp barrier, became a lizard guy, stole the Captain away so he could turn her into a lizard too, then proceeded to have lizard babies together on some secluded planet? Or was I just supposed to figure that out myself?” Piper huffed, entering the sickbay.

Jason looked down at his hands. Somehow, they still felt like they had the slime on them. “Well, they were more like salamanders, but yes, that is what happened.”

“That was what the security alert was about? Here I was thinking a shiny new type of hostile alien was attacking,” Leo sassed, following close behind. His prosthetic leg didn’t slow him down a bit.

It had been a year and a half since the Argo had ended up in the Delta Quadrant. The two former Maquis had climbed the Starfleet ladder quickly, partly due to skill in their fields (engineering and communications), partly due to the Captain’s eagerness to incorporate Maquis in the bridge crew, and partly due to the sheer amount of openings caused by casualties.

“I think we’re glossing over the part where Annabeth and Percy had lizard babies,” Piper insisted, gesturing to where the Captain and the Chief Helmsman were recovering from their amphibious states.

“Salamanders. And I, for one, am happy to gloss over them. They were absolutely rancid to hold.” Jason suppressed a shiver at the thought- they were so… so twitchy and gooey. Like an egg that had been soaked in vinegar for a week, or a pulsing brain. Ugh, he didn’t want to think about them any longer.

“Where are they? I wanna see ‘em,” Leo commented. His head swiveled around like a globe.

Piper gave him a look. “You and Zhang were the ones who went down there, right?” Her eyes narrowed.

Leo continued to look around, going to open the door to the doctor’s office when Solace shot him a glare. The Chief Engineer held his arms up in surrender, but he turned his hopeful gaze back to Jason, which was arguably worse than him getting into the hyposprays. “Yeah, they were. Where’d you put them? Man, I can’t wait to be an uncle.”

Jason mumbled the answer and rocked back and forth on his heels.

Yes, he had left the salamander babies on the planet. What else was he supposed to do? The Captain didn’t have time for kids, nor did either of the officers want children at this point of their journey. Also: they were literal newts. He didn’t know about Annabeth or Percy, but if he had evolved into an amphibian and… mated with his coworker, he would feel pretty damn awkward around the spawn. There were no pre-schools aboard the Argo. Besides, if there were, there was an important thing to remember: they were literally fucking newts.

Leo put a hand to his pointed ear and wiggled his fingers as if that would amplify his hearing. “What was that, buddy?”

“We left them,” Jason squeaked.

Leo’s jaw dropped and Piper’s eyes shot open. There was a stunned silence before Leo started laughing. “You- you abandoned them? You… I can’t actually, this is so stupid,” he wheezed.

Jason sputtered and scrambled to defend himself. “They were slimy!” Seriously, that was the best he could come up with?

Piper began laughing with him, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “That was very Starfleet of you, Jason,” she snorted. She shook her head disbelievingly.

Leo wiped a tear from his eye. “‘Ooh, they were slimy! Of course that means I should forsake them on some planet that nobody knows jack shit about!’ Do you hear yourself, man? That is the most kindergartner ass logic I’ve ever heard.”

“Forsake is not a kindergartner word,” Jason argued.

“And jack shit is? That’s not the point, Commander,” Piper accused, “the point is you left the poor little dudes all on their own. It’s rude.”

“Yeah, dude. They’re gonna be raised by wolves or some shit and they’ll be back, searching for the people who left them to die. And I don’t know about you, Pipes, but I’m gonna sing like an annoying little bird if freaky salamander people start threatening me.”

“And then the freaky salamander people will start torturing you with their slime! You’ll be so slippery and disgusting!” Piper accused. Jason suppressed a very un-commander-like giggle.

“They’re gonna be using you as a backscratcher.”

“You will be damp. Wet, even. Soaked.”

It was at this point that the Captain decided to wake up. Annabeth’s eyes blinked open, regarding them carefully. “Commander?”

The laughter was sucked back in like a vacuum as he straightened back up, clumsily giving her salute. “Captain. How was your- um. I was going to say vacation. Uh, are you alright?”

Her brow furrowed, but she gave him a smile. “As you were, Grace. You three go back to whatever you were doing, but do keep it out of sickbay, yes? I need to have a chat with the Lieutenant here.” She jerked her head towards Jackson, who was just beginning to stir.

“Yes, Captain.” He wasted no time in retreating from the room, and he found himself relieved when he heard the steps of Leo and Piper following him eagerly.

“Jason, do you still have the coordinate points of where you and Zhang beamed down?” Piper chirped, hand hovering over her combadge.

“… yes,” he replied warily.

Piper leaned over Jason to share a grin with Leo. Wordlessly, they each grabbed one of Jason’s arms and hauled him to the transporter room. When he saw Leo and Piper take their positions next to him on the pad, he surrendered the coordinates to the transporter officer, knowing he had lost. He would be making them carry the salamanders, though.

Piper gave the order to engage, beaming them down to the jungle planet. The lizard babies stared up at him with their disturbing, beady eyes, not having left their previous spots. He supposed they were kind of cute, actually. In a moist, creature-like way.

“Aww! They remind me of the sehlat my aunt gave me back when I was still living on Vulcan,” Leo cooed, crouching down and picking one of the three up. It made a croaking noise, which he didn’t seem deterred by.

“Aren’t sehlats mammals?” Piper murmured, cradling another larva like a baby.

“Yeah, but this is based on charisma alone,” Leo responded dreamily. He seemed totally enamored with the pup. “I’m gonna name you-” he booped it on the nose, or whatever the newt approximation of a nose was- “Shelby.”

“This little guy’s name is Dave, in my opinion,” Piper said, tickling the lizard’s stomach and bringing a series of clicking noises out of it.

Jason, upon realizing neither of them was going for the third, reluctantly brought the last one to his chest.

Leo peered over his shoulder to smile at Jason’s baby, who was burrowing into his uniform. “She likes you.”

“She totally does,” Piper agreed. “Well? What are you gonna name her?”

Jason looked into the salamander’s goofy little eyes and listened to the sounds coming out of her tiny little mouth and patted her slimy little back. The name struck him like a lightning bolt. “Her name is Miriam. Commander Grace to transporter room, three- six? Six to beam up.”

~*~

Five years into their trek, Jason found himself watching from behind the Captain as she paced up and down the briefing room. “Let me get this straight: trans-dimensional aliens have mistaken your recreational holodeck program for real life.”

“Yes, Captain,” Piper and Leo said in unison. They sat across the table from Jason and the Captain, looking down dejectedly like two kids admitting to their mom that they broke the neighbor’s window while playing baseball.

“And these aliens have gotten into an armed conflict with the villain of the program.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And this conflict is what’s sapping energy away from our warp and impulse power.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“The way I see it,” the Captain announced after letting Leo and Piper marinate in the awkwardness at length, “you need to defeat Doctor Chaotica and destroy his Death Ray before we completely run out of power. Correct?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“But- um- the thing is, we’re in this really weird part of the story where they introduce a new character,” Piper added, scratching the nape of her neck.

“And not just any old new character, no siree,” Leo supplied.

“She’s the Bride of Chaotica: Queen Arachnia. We’ll have to fight her, too, but if we send in someone to play her before her hologram can come into the equation…”

“… we’ll be able to sabotage the Fortress of Doom from the inside and make it so that our rocket can get through the lightning shield!”

Jason shook his head fondly. “I have no idea what a single word of what you just said means.”

Leo and Piper shared a look, having a whole conversation with their eyes. Jason would never be able to understand it- was it a Vulcan thing? Was it a best friend thing? Was it a pure penchant for mischief? He had long accepted he would never have an answer.

Eventually, they leveled their gazes on Jason with sly little smiles.

He recoiled and raised his hands in apprehension. “What are you planning?”

“I think we have our Arachnia, Pipes,” Leo snickered.

“Excuse me, what?” Jason sputtered. “Uh- why can’t the Captain be Arachnia?”

Piper and Leo looked towards Annabeth, clearly not expecting any enthusiastic offer. Sure enough, the Captain just smiled and turned to Jason. “No, no, I fully approve of their casting decisions.” As Jason’s smile dropped, the corner of her mouth twitched upwards in a smirk.

The costume was every bit as uncomfortable as he thought it’d be. The wig was rather unwieldy, the dress a tad bit too tight, and the makeup heavy. Piper and Leo had had great fun doing it for him, though, so he supposed there wasn’t too much harm done.

The real ordeal was Doctor Chaotica, though. His slicked back hair was an affront on its own.

He spoke exactly as a villain from a black and white 1930s sci-fi film should, which wasn’t a good thing. It was taxing on the eardrums, especially when such a voice was trying to whisper sweet nothings in one’s ear.

Of course, these sweet nothings consisted of the list of planets he was going to blow up for Arachnia, and how extravagant their wedding was going to be. Something about having it recorded in Technicolor?

Jason was relieved when the program ended, immediately reaching around to his back in an attempt to undo his corset (because according to Piper, it had been necessary, though she had accompanied it with a wink to Leo, who was turning a hundred shades of red). Piper, dressed in her full Captain Proton gear- a ridiculous leather jacket and pants complete with comical goggles resting on her forehead- rushed to help. The rest of the crew involved in the ruse celebrated and headed towards the exit. Leo waved before yawning and leaving the holodeck.

“I’m never gonna forgive you for making me do this,” Jason grunted as she undid the bow and loosened the corset. He heaved a pent up sigh when the pressure around his torso released.

“Yeah, yeah, thank me later,” Piper laughed. She patted him on the back, making him suck in a sharp breath since the area was still sore. She winced. “Sorry.”

“You better be,” he snorted and pushed her aside with his hip. “And if you’re looking to get me to play your floozy, Patience Nicelady or whatever-”

“Constance Goodheart.”

“Her, yes. If you want me to be her the next time you play in here, consider it a no.”

“Aw, man,” Piper teased, “Leo would really enjoy it, though!”

Jason felt his face get redder. He and Leo had only been dating for a while, and it had taken five years of developing feelings and a very… eventful Pon Farr to get to that point, but Piper had been endlessly annoying about it. Apparently, she wanted Jason to get her in touch with one of the security officers, Lieutenant Ramírez-Arellano, since she had convinced Leo to make a move. Jason saw absolutely no logic in this, since to “get in touch” with someone on the Argo was as simple as running into them in the hallways.

“Okay, be that way,” she said, giving him a raspberry when there was no response to her dig. “I’ll take you back to my quarters and I can get you cleaned up. The makeup, I mean, I’ll let you and Leo figure the rest out.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Shut up. That’s an order.”

“We’re of the same rank. You can’t pull the Commander card on me.”

“I will put you in the brig.”

“And let Leo remove your makeup? He’ll try to get you clean with elbow grease and a prayer, and that mascara is waterproof. Good luck with that.”

Jason knew that part of being a good Commander was knowing when to switch tactics. “If you shut up, I’ll ask Zhang to give Reyna the bridge shift at the same time as you.”

“Deal.” Piper’s teeth clacked shut and she began speed walking her way out of the holodeck. Jason huffed a laugh and followed her.

~*~

Jason and Piper had walked back to their individual quarters every day after their shifts ended for six years now. It made it easy for the communications officer to get her daily Leo Time (patent pending) in if they did not have the same shift, as she often stayed a while to play a game of 3D-chess.

Most days, Leo was absolutely wiped out after work. Between working on improving the warp core and gathering messages from the Alpha quadrant, Chief Engineer was a taxing job. Even after he had clocked out, Jason often found Leo sitting on their bed and translating orders from Starfleet Command. He didn’t really have any energy for recreational activities, which all three of them lamented.

They had only made contact with Starfleet through the Pathfinder probe a month prior, and it had made Leo’s job a whole lot more tedious. Everyone was constantly anxious to see if their family had sent them any letters, which required deciphering from the Pathfinder, and it was put on the Engineering crew to do all of it.

When Jason entered their quarters that day, with Piper lingering at the threshold, they heard soft sniffling sounds coming from the bedroom. The two commanders shared a look and nothing more, wordlessly agreeing to figure out what was wrong together.

They approached the closed door with apprehension, making sure to knock first. Jason pressed his ear to the barrier as he said “Leo? Can we come in?”

There was no answer except frantic shuffling and the eventual hiss of the opening door. Leo was leaning on the frame with an over the top smile, eyes scrunched closed though the grin didn’t look like it should reach them. He let out an awkward laugh at seemingly nothing. “Hey. I was just, um, feeding Shelby, Dave, and Miriam. Didn’t hear you come in.”

Jason leaned forward slightly, squinting at him. “You’ve been crying,” he stated.

Leo’s eyebrows shot up, revealing eyes glistening with tears. “What? No, why would you think that?”

“There are tear tracks on your cheeks,” Piper pointed out. “What happened, Leo? You know you can tell us anything.”

His expression softened, melted was more like it, and he let himself fall into Piper’s open arms. Jason rested an arm on his back, moving up and down in an effort to soothe him. “It’s just,” Leo started, cutting himself off with a sob, “I got a letter from my mom.”

Piper nodded. “Mhm. And what did she say?”

Leo laughed, albeit nervous and choked up. “Lots of things, but I couldn’t get over the first three words. ‘I love you.’”

“Oh, that’s cute,” Jason chuffed into Leo’s hair. “Happy tears, then?”

He felt Leo shake his head. “Not exactly. Like, woo, she loves me, yay, but it sunk in just how much we’ve missed. She told me my cousin back on Vulcan had a kid. Last time I saw him, he was fifteen. And, uh, they named the baby after me, so that was a punch to the gut. I wasn’t even aware that they still liked me. Then all of a sudden they’re naming kids after me? Wild.

“I mean, like, after me and Piper joined the Maquis together, I never saw them again. I haven’t even talked to my mom in a decade. Ugh, that sounds worse now that I say it out loud. It’s just, I was afraid of what she might think of me, and we were busy fighting the Cardassians and trying to stay alive, so I didn’t really have time to think ‘oh, I should go tell Mom I’m okay’. Not when there were repairs to be done and stuff like that. I think, actually, I might have used that as an excuse for a while. I didn’t want to call her because… well, I was scared she might not love me anymore.”

Silence fell over the room, uninterrupted aside from the bubble of the water in the salamanders’ tank. Jason nuzzled further into Leo’s hair, trying to make it obvious how much he loved him through actions rather than words since he was pretty sure he’d start crying if he said anything.

It was Piper who broke the quiet as she tugged Leo and Jason closer. “She’d be a fool not to love you. Anybody would.”

“When we get back,” Jason whispered tentatively (he had never been good at verbal comfort, or at least, not as good as Piper), “I’m calling it now: she’s gonna be over the moon to see you. She’s gonna have a huge grin on, and she’s gonna crack open a bottle of champagne, and she’s gonna give you a big ol’ hug.” He squeezed Leo in his arms, making him giggle.

Leo sighed into the shoulder of Piper’s uniform. “I love you guys.”

~*~

Seven years after their foray into the Delta quadrant started, and Earth was just as beautiful as Jason remembered it.

The Argo had emerged from the transwarp tunnel a little worse for wear, (who were they kidding, it was about to fall apart) but they had made it. A whole fleet of Federation ships had greeted them upon their return to the Alpha quadrant. They managed to make their way into the dock at San Francisco, where countless enthusiastic friends and families awaited the crew members.

Fireworks burst in the night sky above, briefly coloring the city in vibrant reds, yellows, and blues. The clamor of the crowd was a nice sort of deafening. Piper was clutching his hand, laughing as she was dragged along by Leo who had a similar grip on her other hand. He was searching for the snack table.

“Can there even be a snack table on such short notice? It’s not as if we called beforehand to say we were almost there,” Jason had pointed out.

“A man can dream, Jason,” Leo had snapped.

Every so often Jason would be stopped by a kid and asked for an autograph, meaning he had to stop the party train. The first time Piper had this happen to her, she teared up. “That little girl just told me she wanted to be a Commander when she grew up, too,” she sniffled. “I’m gonna have a mental breakdown. Seven years ago, I’m a criminal, and now I’m a role model? Yup, I’m definitely gonna cry.”

Jason chuckled and knocked his shoulder against hers, scanning the crowd.

Over the past few months, as communication with the Alpha quadrant increased, Jason had been researching the members of Leo and Piper’s family who lived on or near Earth so he would be prepared when (at the time, it had been an if) they got home. Piper’s father was a Betazoid ambassador, while Leo’s mother worked as an engineer for the Federation. They both lived near Starfleet headquarters, but it would be a gamble on whether or not Ambassador McLean was there, as he spent a good half of the year on his home planet. If Jason had memorized the timetable correctly, this was one of the months spent on Betazed, unfortunately.

Commodore Valdez, however, could almost always be found on the exoatmospheric starship construction rig orbiting Earth. He hoped the base up there had gotten the good news- or, more likely, seen it.

A quick once over of the crowd revealed nothing, but it looked like there was a group of people beaming down on the outskirts. At the front was a woman Jason shouldn’t have recognized as quickly as he did, as he had never met her in person, but she had the same hair as a certain Engineer he knew and loved- tight, dark brown curls that fluffed up at the edges. He gave a little tug to Piper’s hand and explained the situation. He aimed for a whisper, but those weren’t very effective when there were hundreds of people partying it up around you. Nevertheless, Piper got the message and followed Jason’s lead, dragging a protesting, oblivious Leo along with them.

He didn’t have the chance to talk to the Commodore, as she started calling her son’s name before they could get to her. At least he had turned around in time to watch Leo’s eyes light up. The engineer liberated his hand from Piper’s, who was grinning.

Jason felt his wide smile soften when he saw Leo worm his way through the crowd to jump into his mother’s arms. Somehow, he could hear their laughter (and sobs) over the clamor.

Piper moved her hand up to his shoulder. His eyes stayed fixed on the Commodore and Leo, but he could tell she was smiling. “We’re back. After all this time, we’re back. I can’t believe it.”

Jason’s cheeks hurt, but the smile just wouldn’t go away. He didn’t want it to. “I’m glad that we got launched into the Delta quadrant,” he sighed.

He could tell that she was giving him a look- probably the one with the raised eyebrow and the singular upturned corner of her mouth. He looked down and, yup. It was that one. “Glad? Elaborate, please.”

“I wouldn’t have met you or Leo,” Jason reasoned with a shrug.

“And this justifies seven years of constant alien attacks, salamander babies, Brides of Chaotica and whatnot?”

“I would give birth to a hundred salamander babies if it meant I could still have you and Leo in my life.”

“Ew! Ew, gross,” Piper laughed. “I didn’t need that visual. Ugh. Disgusting. I’m gonna go find Reyna, have fun with your future mother in law.”

“Bye, Piper,” Jason breathed, watching her disappear into the crowd. He let his eyes drift up to the starry sky once she was gone, thankful for once in his life that he could look at the familiar constellations from the ground, no longer among them. And sure, he’d probably get up there again some day (after a long, long vacation hopefully), but for now, he was happy to be back on Earth with his favorite people.

[elizabethemerald]

A Shade Darker than Red: Part 10

Masterpost

Dick felt like his already fragile hold on his family was slipping through his fingers. The death of the clown of Arkham had gone cold and no new clues were appearing. The stress of a possible new killer in Gotham on top of everything else was driving the Bats apart. He could almost feel the delicate threads fraying. 

Damian and Tim never had the best relationship and were now constantly at each other’s throats. Tim had been caught placing explosives around Gotham and Damian had been caught with a fast acting poison on his person. Which worried him even more, if he had caught them, how much had they managed to sneak past him before he noticed? 

The tension was most noted between the two younger members of the family, but it was still felt by the others. Duke looked like he wanted to pull away before the chaos turned to bloodshed and Cass was staying in Gotham only for her family and Steph. If the infighting with the family exploded into actual conflict, Dick just knew the city would pay the cost. He couldn’t imagine how terrible an idea it would be to have some kind of Gotham war or a fight for Batman’s cowl. 

As with any problem with the heroes, the citizens of Gotham were the ones who suffered. There had already been another breakout from Arkham, Black Mask and the other criminal gangs were getting more violent and pushing more drugs onto the streets, and the number of unsolved murders on their docket kept rising. The city of Gotham was reaching a boiling point, and Dick was afraid the only way to stop it was for someone to ask Bruce to return to his role as Batman, but so far none of them were willing to give him a second chance after what he did. 

He had, barely, managed to get his family back together at the Clocktower in an attempt to mitigate the damage, but even here it looked only moments from bloodshed. Tim and Damian were snarling at each other, Duke was putting more focus on his homework than his cases, Steph and Cass were withdrawn, leaning against and crouching on top of Barbara’s computer respectively. Babs was doing her level best to track down what little information they had and to keep ahead of the rising tide of chaos. Dick himself was caught between pacing and pulling at his long unwashed hair and getting between Tim and Damian before one of them did something they would regret. 

“Tim! Damian! Both of you need to calm down!” Dick snapped. 

“Tt. I am perfectly calm Grayson. It is Drake who is acting irrationally.” Damian replied immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Hardly. You’re the one desperately holding onto the Robin title, as if it means anything without Batman.” Tim shot right back. 

Dick had to physically pull the two of them apart after that. It was like all of their greatest strengths were coming back to bite them. Damian had inherited so much of Bruce’s characteristics, which unfortunately included his poor emotional intelligence. Plus Tim’s genius in crime solving could be turned to finding the emotional vulnerabilities in those around him, which he was always quick to exploit. Damian pulled a knife and Dick had to wrestle his youngest brother to keep him from impaling Tim with it. 

A crackling tear opening up in the air of the Clocktower stopped the fight before it could escalate further. The tear widened and filled with green, swirling light. Damian slipped Dick’s hold and flung his knife into the hole in reality.

“Hey! What kind of hello is that?” 

The family all tensed in confusion at the voice that sounded from the portal. The voice didn’t have anywhere near the gravitas they would expect to come from a Lazarus green opening. Two hands stuck out of the portal, one of them clutching the knife. 

“I don’t mean you any harm! Please keep any further weapons to yourselves. See I have my hands up!” 

After a moment a head covered in snow white hair, with a floating crown made of stars stuck itself out of the portal and looked around, seeming to gauge how likely it was to have to dodge more weapons. 

“I’m keeping this by the way!” The being said as they emerged fully from the portal into the center of the Bats. They shoved the knife into their own arm and it vanished before their eyes. “Normally a good instinct, but less effective because your weapon can’t harm ghosts.”

They were even more confused as Damian was being praised and encouraged to attack first. The being, that appeared to be a male in his twenties, with a cloak made of the Aurora Borealis then smacked themself on the cheeks twice as if trying to wake themself up. 

“Right, right, talk like a normal person.” He looked at them all with eyes that glowed a bright, toxic green. “My name is Danny Phantom, High King of the Infinite Realms, and Ancient of Space. I’m the Ghost King! I swear on my throne, my core, and the power of the Ancients that I mean you no harm.” 

Cass relaxed and waved causing Steph to cheerfully wave as well. At her computer Babs was typing rapidly trying to find any information. 

“What brings a High King to our little Clocktower?” Steph asked, trusting her fellow Batgirls to know whether this guy was a threat or not. 

“Oh! You’re Spoiler!” Phantom turned to her with a broad smile. If it’s slightly too broad, broader than a human should be able to do, none of them mentioned it. He then waved back to her and Cass. “And you’re Black Bat. Oh I’m so excited to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.” 

“All good things I hope.” Steph said with a cheery smile before it dropped off her face. “Wait, how did you hear about us? You said you’re the Ghost… King…” 

The realization hit the room like a tidal wave. Jason. The Ghost King had heard about them from Jason. Phantom allowed his face to fall to seriousness as well. 

“It is true. Jason Todd, known as Red Hood, is currently one of my subjects.” Phantom allowed his head to hang for a moment before lifting it and fixing each of them in turn with his steady gaze. “However he is more to me than just another one of my subjects. I have adopted him into my family, so in a way, you are all part of my family. And as family I wanted to facilitate a conversation. Are you ready?” 

The members of the Bat Clan were used to world shaking news but in the past couple of minutes they had been hit with a lot of curve balls even for them. The confirmation of an afterlife, that there is a monarchy that rules said afterlife, that Jason had somehow earned the favor of that monarch and that they might be able to have a conversation with Jason from the afterlife were all individually things that could shatter the foundation of their worlds. So they did what they did best and compartmentalized and put all that information to the side to freak out about later. 

When he had received nods from everyone he gestured to the still swirling portal and… after a moment… out from the portal came the ghost of Jason Todd.

 Jason immediately had to turn intangible as another blade zipped through his body while the rest of his siblings screamed and made far too much noise. Fortunately Danny had closed the portal after Jason was through and the knife embedded in the wall behind him. He pulled the blade free and tossed it back to Damian. 

“Good throw Demon Brat.” He said with a chuckle, before he gave the rest of his siblings a sheepish look. “Uh. Hi, everyone.” 

Dick immediately threw himself at Jason and wrapped him up completely in an octopus style hug. Jason floated with his brother in his arms then had to catch Cass who flung herself on top of the pair, almost bringing them all to the ground. Steph was only a moment behind and even Damian came and leaned against Jason, though he kept his arms crossed as if he was too cool for a hug. His stoic affection was ruined somewhat by Duke wrapping him up in the group hug. 

“Are you all insane?” Tim shouted from where he was standing back with his bo staff in his hands. “You can’t just trust an entity this powerful’s word! This could be an illusion or a method of mind control!” 

“Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I broke an oath on my own core?” Phantom asked with a raised eyebrow. The Ghost King was currently floating over the hugging Bats with a warm smile on his face. 

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s awful. Even if we could trust that a core is a real thing, much less capable of holding you to an oath, there is so much flexibility in what you swore!” Tim argued, his staff shaking in his hands. “Jason! If that’s really you, what is verification code Alpha, Sierra, Tango!”

Jason rolled his eyes for a moment before he began rattling off a reply. 

“Sierra, Uniform, Kilo, Mike, Yankee, Kilo, November, Uniform, Tango, Zulu.” 

“See! That’s not the proper reply at all!” 

“Yeah it is Replacement.” Jason said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I would say if you asked me to do some stupid coded verification phrase.” 

“No it's… wait a minute. Hey!” Tim looked offended for a moment before he finally decided to set paranoia aside for once in his life and dropped his bo to the side. He took a running jump and landed on top of the pile, finally overpowering Jason’s flight and bringing the whole family to the ground while Danny laughed uproariously above them. Barbara wheeled her chair over to join them, wiping tears from her eyes. 

The happy, tearfilled reunion was interrupted by one of Barbara’s proximity alarms going off. She turned back to the computer, the Bat pile slowly breaking up, though still staying close to each other to see a woman with long red hair and a pile of pizzas in her arms at the bottom of the elevator. Babs turned on the intercom and they could hear her talking. 

“Hi? Oh Hello! My name is Jazz, I’m with Danny and Jason, fully human person just here to help break up the tension of a very stressful conversation. I swear on the Infinite Realms and the grave of my brother that I don’t mean any harm.”

Babs looked to Jason and Danny to see them both nodding and keyed in the control for the elevator to open for Jazz. They waited in almost total silence, all of the siblings with at least a hand on Jason as if he would disappear if they took their eyes off him for the elevator to come up. As soon as the door opened to Oracle’s control room Jazz took a bold step out, then immediately ducked and lifted the top pizza box to catch a flying knife from Damian. 

“Jason, you were right, Robin absolutely would greet all three of us with a knife.” Then she turned to address Damian. “Please remember, I’m human and I won’t heal like ghosts do, so be more careful in the future.” Damian actually looked slightly guilty, though maybe that was for being so easily predicted. Then Jazz pulled the knife free of the box and pocketed it. “Also I’m keeping this.” 

Soon enough the entire family was eating, pizzas spread around the room. They had remembered that Damian was vegetarian, that Steph was an animal and liked pineapples on her pizza and that Cass and Tim would eat anything so long as it wasn’t moving. Danny had summoned a ghostly pizza from a smaller version of his portal for him to share with Jason. Even one of the pizzas being slightly stabbed didn’t inhibit their enjoyment any. 

Dick wanted nothing more than to enjoy just eating pizza with his family again, he loved being able to see them all smiling, all together, but he knew this wasn’t all there was to this. He might not be as paranoid as Tim or Bruce, but he still had his own moments. A king of a different dimension didn’t orchestrate a reunion like this for no reason. Once everyone had a bit of their food, he wiped his mouth and sat forward, drawing the attention of the others who all settled as well. 

“Not that I’m not happy for another chance to see my Jay-bird…” Dick said, trying to fight down the grief of seeing the ghost of his brother in front of him. “But I’m sure there is a real reason you’re allowing this conversation.” 

Danny nodded and flicked his wrist causing the remains of his ghost pizza to disappear. He floated lower and drew the attention of the entire room, living and dead, before he began. 

“It’s time to talk about the Curse of Gotham City.”

[lilas]

mostly spoiler free thoughts on aville going into DT

Avi’li and Erenville get close after ENW

Avi’li is in recovery in Sharlayan for at least a month; he’s not himself, he has a hard time doing basic things without him getting tired, he’s also bored and restless and irritated with everyone around him, and he’s unpacking a lot of trauma that’s culminated over the course of the story

He escapes often to Labyrinthos just to get away from people, and he starts working regularly with Erenville as a result, at first because it’s something to do that isn’t staring into the void and feeling eternity collapse around him, but it becomes a chance for Avi’li to reconnect to nature again, to the earth and life that he fought so hard to preserve

This is the focus of Adventures in Labyrinthos, a little collection of oneshots I’ve been writing on and off; just two strangers getting to know each other, learning about each other, and bonding over their shared interests

They just click and there’s some attraction and crushing there that neither of them is keen to act on

Erenville fully believes this is a short lived thing; they both travel to far flung corners of the world for various reasons, they may never cross paths again; so he’s satisfied leaving things unspoken, enjoys the bubbly feeling for what it is now, and is fine letting it go

Avi’li isn’t interested in maintaining any romantic relationship during this time; he’s focusing on himself, he doesn’t feel quite human sometimes, he doesn’t feel capable of meeting the emotional needs of other people, much less a romantic partner where there’s a higher expectation for reciprocity

He is also in love with Yugiri, and is grappling with where he wants to take their relationship and what feels right for both of them

There is also an element of denying yourself joy as a form of punishment. Avi’li isn’t aware he’s doing this. What is he punishing himself for? I think for him, he feels guilty he’s not… happier? He’s a hero, he saved the world, he acted selflessly….but he can’t return the same joy he sees when he’s thanked or applauded or praised.

Anyway

They reunite again before DT, obviously

Avi’li is better, he’s in a much healthier place after his experiences in the ENW patches

Erenville is considering things now. He and Avi’li will be traveling together for some time, maybe it’s worth it to see where things go?

Avi’li at this point has also concluded his romance with Yugiri; he feels better for it, he misses her, he’ll always be a little in love with her, but it feels better this way

However

His love for Yugiri, him telling her that he doesn’t feel he can be in a relationship right now because of his emotional/mental state—that’s echoing in his mind every time he looks at Erenville

He’s steadfastly ignoring any feelings, but it’s hard because he likes Erenville; theirs is a friendship and a connection Avi’li desperately wants and needs in his life; I don’t think he’s ever been so in tune with someone like this before?

They kiss on the boat to Tural (the boat is free headcanon territory; still in that in between of everything I know to have happened so far, and everything to come)

It happens one evening beneath the stars, talking about nothing, and it’s spur of the moment and amazing until Avi’li ends it

Erenville confesses he likes Avi’li, wants to see where a romantic relationship could go if Avi’li would let them

But Avi’li is afraid and guilty; what if his mental health relapses? What if he hurts Erenville? What about Yugiri? If he can be with Erenville, shouldn’t he go back to Yugiri and try again with her? Doesn’t she deserve that?

So Avi’li rejects him, stating those very reasons, and Erenville is…… understanding but frustrated. What is more frustrating than being rejected not because they didn’t like you back but because of fear and guilt? Because of reluctance to try?

Anyway, this is how we’re starting DT. 😌👍 Where do they go from here? That is to be discovered during MSQ. 🫡

Their dynamics can shift, certain things can happen, anything can impact their relationship so We Will See where they end up by the end of it all. I’ll enjoy the journey no matter the outcome. 💕

[karaloza]

Legend of Zelda Theme Park - Castle Town (UPDATED)

As guests move along the walkway at the back of the Welcome Plaza, the noncommittal park ambience is gradually overtaken by facades of old-fashioned half-timber houses, and then masonry castle walls. Finally they arrive at a grand archway with ornate double gates flung open to welcome visitors. Atop the archway sits a picturesque train station, and beyond it is a bustling medieval(-ish) market square of cobblestones, storefronts, gaming booths, and more. In the center is a large marble fountain bearing a sculpture of the Triforce, and on the far side of the square, opposite the entry point, is Hyrule Castle at the end of an avenue lined with trees and statuary. To the right of the castle from the point of view as you enter the area, a cathedral-like structure can be seen rising behind the rooftops. The area music loop consists of a collection of “main town,” shop, and minigame themes from across the franchise.

Castle Town, besides having plenty to do in its own right, serves as the “hub” area of the theme park, with walkways leading directly to three of the other areas (besides the Welcome Plaza) and indirect paths to the others via a ride.

Attractions

Spirit Train Grand Central Station: The Spirit Train is a handy and scenic way to get around the theme park, encircling the central portions on an elevated track, with several stops along the route. Some of the sights in Hyrule can only be seen from aboard the train!

Carnival Games: Most of the central portion of Market Square is occupied by game booths, evoking the numerous “mini-games” found in most LoZ titles. The games themselves are of fairly standard types, but the paraphernalia are all themed like items from the franchise—as just one example, instead of throwing a mere baseball at a target, you throw a “Cucco” (even if it is just a baseball with a chicken face and wings printed on it). Rather than paying cash to play, guests pay “rupees” from a debit card they can get from a vending machine, and the more you put on the card, the more bang for your buck you get—say, five dollars gets you 100 rupees, but twenty gets you 500, and higher amounts net further price breaks. The games themselves cost anywhere from 25 to 100 rupees per play. Prizes are the usual small plush toys and cheap trinkets you would expect, but you can bank wins on your “rupee wallet” card and redeem them for better things if you so choose.

Link and Zelda Meet-and-Greet: What theme park would be complete without an opportunity to meet the star characters? The Hero Link and Princess Zelda can be found in dedicated meet-and-greet spaces on the ground floor of Hyrule Castle. Both characters have undergone many design changes over the course of the series, but by default they appear in something close to their classic, iconic looks. Link gets his green tunic and stocking cap, white leggings, and brown leather arm guards, with a bright but not glaring color palette and more fine detailing than most video game hardware can consistently render. Zelda’s look varies a lot more from game to game, but common features include a white underdress and pink or mauve pinafore-like outer layer with gold embroidery, as well as long blond hair and a distinctive tiara. The objective is to present the theme park itself as an installment in the franchise, with its own story (that you, the guest, create as you go) and details, and its own incarnations of the Hero and the Princess.

Hyrule Castle Gardens: Across from the meet-and-greet spaces, archways lead out into a peaceful courtyard space of flower beds, benches, fountains, and topiary sculptures of familiar creatures from the games, backed by a soft music loop of leitmotives for the game series’ many princesses, love interests, and other gentle, feminine characters. This attraction serves the vital function of relaxation, giving guests an opportunity to take a load off for a while in a tranquil setting.

Temple of Time Theatre: In the back corner of Castle Town, alongside one of the walkways leading to Death Mountain, is a sizable performance venue. The daytime program consists of 30- to 45-minute plays summarizng the plots of actual games, both for entertainment and so non-fans can get some idea of what the big deal is. “Here at the Temple of Time, we can see all across the history of Hyrule and beyond and tell you the legends as they actually happened!” While waiting for the show to begin, guests can enjoy a musical playlist alternating the Temple of Time theme with the score from various “telling a story/recapping a legend” cutscenes. In the evenings, some of the seating area is converted into a dance floor and the plays are traded for mini-concerts by local folk rock bands (and of course, each set includes a cover of at least one iconic LoZ score piece).

Shops

6. Pictobox Shop: If you got your picture taken by a park employee near the main entrance, you can swing by here later in the day to buy prints, perhaps in a nice souvenir frame, or installed in a commemorative keychain.

7. Curiosity Shop: The one in Clock Town may be an outlet for goods of shady provenance, but here, it sells a variety of interesting knickknacks and curios, all guaranteed to be above board.

8. Coro’s Lantern and Oil Shop: This cozy shop offers a selection of wax and LED candles, oil lamps and fuel, scented oil diffusers, and even a unique line of Legend of Zelda-inspired scented soy wax jar candles.

9. Enchanted Kingdom Treasures: Another knickknack shop, this one more targeted to fantasy fans. Some of the items here, from dragon figurines to sword-shaped letter openers, are LoZ-branded, while others are more generic.

10. S*T*A*R*S: Inspired by a minigame in Twilight Princess, this dimly lit tent sells a number of light-up souvenirs, laser-cut crystal sculptures with LED-illuminated stands, and similar tchotchkes.

11. Madame Couture’s: Hytopia’s #1 couturier has her own shop branch here, where guests can buy anything from a simple souvenir tee-shirt to a luxurious fantasy gown, and much, much more!

12. Happy Mask Shop: Named for the innocuous shop in Ocarina of Time that became the founding premise for an entire sequel game, this shop sells licensed masks, hats, and other costume pieces to enhance each guest’s heroic adventure.

13. Badge Market: A shop to buy and trade collectible enamel pins, based on the one of the same name in in Hyrule Warriors. Rather than the endless rows of character images one might expect, pin designs in this theme park focus on iconic emblems from the game franchise, such as the royal crest, symbols of the different peoples of Hyrule, medallions and shields, etc.

Eateries

14. Food Stalls: Interspersed among the game booths in the central portion of the square are booths selling the kind of quick bites you can find at carnivals and farmer’s markets.

15. Potion Hut: A juice and smoothie bar/service counter. Choose from among a wide array of bottled beverages—from common soda brands, water, juice, tea, etc. to unique blends labeled as “health potions,” “energy elixirs,” and other in-universe concepts—or have your own favorite mix made to order!

16. Stock Pot Inn: A buffet restaurant with a menu of hearty soups and stews and flavorful salads.

17. Royal Banquet Hall: An elegant table-service restaurant located on the upper level of Hyrule Castle. It’s pricey and requires a reservation, but it’s worth it for the Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom-inspired menu served in a regally appointed dining room with spectacular window and balcony views of the park. The interior décor features tapestries, paintings, and stained-glass windows depicting iconic LoZ scenes rendered in genuine medieval and Renaissance art styles.

Miscellaneous

After dusk, the Triforce fountain in the center of the area puts on a little light show every 15 minutes.

Paths to the other themed areas in the park can be found in the side alleys encircling Market Square, but that’s not the only reason to explore them! They contain many secrets, some of which are related to the phone app-based minigames.

[tarisilmarwen]

Tagged by @jessicas-pi

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

—

RIGHT SO IT'S BASICALLY THE SAME LIST AS BEFORE BECAUSE I SUCKED AT GETTING SHIT DONE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

But you may still ask me about them and maybe that'll be the motivation I need to work on them. :)

Alphabetical by fandom order:

Aldnoah.Zero

"Re.alization Cour 1"

Avatar: The Last Airbender

“The Girl In The Iceberg”

Big Hero 6

Currently untitled Season 2 part two rewrite/rework

Jedi Fallen Order/Star Wars Rebels Crossover

“A Splintered Path”

Star Wars (General/Crossover)

"Throne of Bloodred Thorns"

Untitled Ahsoka rewrite/fixfic

“Ballroom Blitz” (working title, may change)

No Order 66 AU Maul kidnaps Ezra fic (featuring much of the Prequel Order)

No Order 66 AU Maul tries to crash The Gathering fic

Star Wars Rebels

“Descent Into Dawn”

“Fissured Holocrons” - “Shadow Captive”, “By The Light Of The Holocrons”, and “Tatooine Suns”

“Far Flung Stars”

“Relics”

“Harmless Games”

“I See The Light”

Sword Art Online

“My Brother’s Keeper”

“Gilded Heroine”

Teen Titans

“Broken Wings”

“Tyrants Rising”

“Shades Of Crimson”

TTSWAU - “Nightfall” and “Purge The Darkness”

“Titans Stay Night”

“Pacific Titans”

“Glow”

“Scraps Of Bread”

Also see here for previous answers from the last time I did this: WIP Ask Game

No pressure tagging @seleneisrising, @kanerallels, @jedi-nurse, @slightly-nerdy-rambles, @angel-gidget, @findswoman, @kazoosandfannypacks, and @starfiretheninja.

[upsidedowndreamland]

Maybe he'd been going about this all wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have been searching for Kirby's energy signature, but that of the other Destroyer Void the Master Crown had detected.

He'd heard the rioters outside the castle, practically ready to storm it. Seen them when he'd looked out his (barred) window.

It would probably be best if he got right to it, in that case.

[vodika-vibes]

Arachne is not getting the nickel version so now she has to sit and listen to these terrifying villains explain Everything Wrong

Vod’ika I’m trying to keep track of all my questions here you know . . . 😅

Victor Von Doom has someone to monologue too, and he's going to take advantage of it. It helps, I suppose, that Arachne is a spider rather than a member of the Fantastic Four.

And also, hehehe~ There's some angst at the bottom, just fyi.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant- "Let go of me!" Dogma spits out, struggling against his brothers, trying to get to the glass and metal coffin that his Arachne is sleeping in, "Let-" Fives throws his weight over Dogma, joining Echo and Jesse in restraining him, "Come on, vod." Fives tries, "Kix is checking on her now. See?" There's a laugh from the opposite side of the room and the look up at the man standing there, "There's no need to worry. She's just having the sweetest dream. She might not ever want to wake up." There's a look on contempt on his face, "And you were foolish enough to come here without a jedi. So you'll be joining her soon enough." At the same time, in Manhattan- Doctor Doom's voice is like a drill, boring into her brain as he drones on and on and one- Stars, and you thought that Rhino was bad about monologuing. "Okay!" Arachne finally interrupts when he pauses to take a breath, "So, basically, my options to end this simulation or whatever are to die or to break it." "Exactly so." "Great! So, how far do I have to go to break the simulation from the inside?" "As far as you can," Doc Ock says, "Though, it really would be easier to let us kill you." "Yeahhh...I'm not doing that." She opens her mouth to say something else when the building above rattles with an explosion. Fisk, largely ignored until this point, turns to the room at large, "The Avengers are here." Arachne watches as the men around her done their battle gear, and then she yelps as the Green Goblin grabs her around the wrist, "Time for you to go." She's barely able to pull her mask on before she's being flung away from the battle between the Avengers and a lot of the super villains. "Oh boy." She breathes out as she turns and flings herself towards the Brooklyn Bridge, "Good thing this isn't real or the damages would be astronomical-" Arachne is halfway across the bridge when an arrow cuts through her web, causing her to fall to the ground. She lands, hard, on the ground, and immediately rolls over to her feet. "Working with Fisk now, are you Arachne?" Captain America asks as he stalks towards her with several other Avengers on his feels. "Well," She replies as she lowers herself to the ground, her gaze darting in every direction to look for an escape, "Needs must and all. You know how it is." His eyes are cold, and Arachne's heart sinks. She's never, ever, wanted to fight Captain America. "Surrender Arachne." "Oh, you have no idea how much I wish I could." She replies. "...so be it." Arachne's mind races, she needs to remove Iron Man from the field first and then focus on Captain America. Or else this is going to be a very short fight. Arachne is a very talented fighter. She's been heroing since she was 13 years old...however, the Avengers have both number and experience on her. Even so, the fight lasts longer than any of them expect. And then Hawkeye gets a lucky shot, and she goes down. Her head thumps aganint the concrete and she probably could get up, she probably could keep fighting. Her gaze drifts to Captain America, looming over her, and then drift back to the blue skies of Earth. She really, really hopes Victor was right about this. Captain America lifts his shield, holding onto the edges. Arachne keeps her gaze locked on the sky, "I was glad to see them. One more time." She whispers. He brings the shield down. She closes her eyes. Captain America's shield is embedded in the concrete of the Brooklyn Bridge, blood splattered across the white ring of his shield.

[karoiseka]

💙

This is both for Eva and for @blackestnight who will get their other prompts answered after I recover from this straight up craziness I devolved into for this one. ^_^ <3

Have some Shadowbringers Karo with an unsuspecting Ardbert. (and a middle screenshot I'm stupidly proud of the posing on)

The bottom of the glass bottle looked back at Karo as she peered through it’s neck, a scowl upon her face.  

“You know, that isn’t going to help,”  Ardbert’s voice came from the seat next to her.  They were sitting at her table in the Pendants suite assigned to her, the wine bottle in her hand the second of two that had disappeared down her throat in the past few bells.

“I know,” Karo was trying not to slur and failing miserably.  “‘dulls i’ a bit though.”  She could hear his sigh, but no rebuttal came at that statement.  Rak’tika had been harsh on her emotions, from the Eulmorans snapping at their heels and the danger Y’shtola’s people had been put in.  That was nothing to say of what the mage herself had done using Flow again and having to mourn her again before Emet snatched her right back out of the Lifestream startling all of them with the show of kindness.  Thancred had also been within sight for most of the way, but just as emotionally out of reach as Y’shtola had been physically, which continued to eat at her.

Taking in the extra Light from the Warden had been harder, and it was starting to take the toll that her sightless yet all-seeing friend had already started to see.  It had only taken one glance in the mirror when they returned to the Crystarium to see the way her eyes were being leeched of color, now matching in hue to the shade next to her.  Yet that wasn’t the worst of it.

Because then, then, Emet-Selch, Ascian, and insufferable know-it-all had interrupted their walk back through the caves to comment on the historic paintings that adorned the cavern.  He spun a tale of ancient people facing a great calamity unlike any the Star had seen before–and their incredulous answer.  Zodiark.  Hydaelyn.  Both the first Primals.  Born of desperation and fear.  Love and protection.  Two sides of a whole, now sundered into fourteen–and three that had been left unsundered.  Three striving to bring back their home and loved ones for eons without end.

Karo went to take another swig from the bottle, placing it down with a thud and a scowl as she had forgotten it was already empty.

“Damnitall,” her head swiveled, looking around to the counters for more bottles–hopefully still full.  Determination flowed through her, hands planting on the table to stand and head to her quarry.

“Karo, I don’t think that’s a good idea–”  Ardbert was already on his feet, arms out as if to steady her, knowing that she would just pass through him, even as she stood and swayed in place.

“I–I got this!”  Her tone was not nearly as certain as her words, and sure enough as she took a first shaky step away from the table, stumbled as her support was no longer close.  Cursing, Ardbert lunged forward, hopeless as it was, and almost collapsed under the sudden shock of her weight landing solidly in his arms.

The phenomenon had only happened a handful of times since she had arrived on the First, and so far only when she had been fast asleep, waking just long enough to acknowledge his solid presence at her side before falling into sleep, leaving him to sit in quiet contemplation throughout the night, the touch of another on his skin for the first time in decades.

This however was messy, sloppy, in the surprise on both their parts as he hefted her carefully, and in the way only a drunk could, Karo flung her arms exuberantly around his neck, a smile lighting up her face in joy.

“My Hero~!” His sigh was one of affection, knowing she didn’t mean to sting with the words, even as she buried her face into his chest, ears tickling his nose.  He couldn’t stop the chuckle that followed, even as he tried not to hold her too tight.

“C’mon then, let’s get you to bed, you’ve had enough to drink for one night,”  he could almost feel the pout as she whined, tail whipping around their legs.  Looking up at him, he wondered how anyone told her no about anything with those large blue eyes.  It wasn’t his imagination then, they had lightened in color as she took on the extra Light.  

Without another word, he bent slightly to scoop her into his arms, chuckling as she whooped with delighted laughter, mood swinging as wildly as only a drunk’s could.  Carefully as he could, he took one step after another, heart filled to bursting with wonder and awe at the small woman in his arms, already curling into a ball, and nuzzling his neck.  How had she brought such life and color to his mundane hell that every day had become?

There were not enough steps to contemplate their entire balance before he made it to the bed tucked neatly in the corner of the large room.  Perhaps the gods would be kind and would allow him another peaceful night at her side, that precious touch rekindling who he was, and what he lived for–had died for.

“Ride’s over, Warrior.  I’m afraid you’ll have to tuck yourself in since this mystery only seems to extend to you,”  Leaning over, he started to place her down on the thick mattress, before she held on tighter around his neck.

“You’re so good to me, Arbert.  Ardbert,” She overly enunciated his correct name after the slip of his “alias” from the Source.  

“I love you,” and with that her lips were on his, sloppily kissing him, holding on as he dropped her the rest of the way to the bed with the shock of it, being pulled down after her, unbalanced as he was.  He knew it was the drink talking, but the words nevertheless were laced with Truth that his Echo confirmed, making his heart clench. 

Hesitantly he returned the kiss, reveling in the feel before breaking off and then kissing her nose and forehead.  A happy giggle told him that he hadn’t offended as he carefully moved to sit in his normal spot on her bed–never fully taking all contact away in case the magic disappeared.

“C’mon now, time for sleep,” and with an incoherent positive babble, Karo curled around him and was passed out in moments.  He let his fingers run through her hair, carefully tracing her ears as she hugged him closer.  It would be a good night–one he could watch over her and provide what comfort he could.  It was all worth it.

[seriousfic]

The larger problem is that Goyer’s “Foundation” seems bored with its source material. The plot is carefully tailored to Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” with many of its fantasy embellishments cribbed from better-known sagas. There are transhuman starship pilots à la “Dune.” Math plays a feeble cousin of the Force; Jared Harris’s Seldon looks like Alec Guinness’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Gaal, the young outworlder evading her destiny, is an updated Luke Skywalker. Everyone seems to have a special ability, and, where Asimov’s protagonists drew urgency from the brevity of their lives, Goyer’s cheat their way across the centuries with clones, cryogenic capsules, and “uploaded consciousness.” They are supersized heroes gallivanting through a diminished galaxy. What’s lost is Asimov’s talent for conveying our fragility in the cosmos. His first novel, “Pebble in the Sky,” takes place on a colonized, irradiated Earth, where imperial soldiers mock the local belief that the planet is humanity’s world of origin. “Nightfall,” his most celebrated story, is set on a world with multiple suns, where an eclipse makes the stars visible for the first time in millennia, and creates a planet-wide existential crisis. The “Foundation” saga achieves a yet larger sense of scale through its episodic structure: Trantor, a sprawling city-planet that dazzles Gaal in the opening volume, returns in the next as a world of farmers who sell scrap metal from the endless ruins. The Apple TV+ series could have tried to craft a new template to encompass these constellations. Instead, it falls back on a sturdily familiar one: a ragtag band facing down a mighty empire, with the fate of the universe pivoting on the actions of a gifted few. It’s an approach that would have appealed to Asimov’s Lord Dorwin, a dilettantish dignitary obsessed with identifying humanity’s original solar system. Rather than search for it himself, though, Dorwin relies on the findings of long-dead archeologists. When Salvor suggests that he do his own field work, Dorwin is incredulous: Why blunder about in far-flung solar systems when the old masters have covered the ground so much better than we could ever hope to?

[somethinginworl]

au of kirby star alies where far flung starlight heroes (the part where your in space) is just a crazy road trip on the warp star

everyone has had to barf at least once because the warp star is as fast you guessed it a shooting star

and just overall and annoying mind bending experience

and for the last time WERE NOT THERE YET MARX!

Imagine them fucking going at it like it's Rainbow Road