#it becomes less funny when he gets attached to Danny

[dclovesdanny]

Dcxdp prompt

Dan/Danny/Dani 3/5

Danny, due to one of his parents’ weapons exploding and having a bad reaction to a weapon the GIW had crudely made, was now the parent of a four year old child version of his evil self(boy was that a mouthful) and a two year old version of his female clone.

Tucker and Sam had set up an apartment for him and the kids in Star City, since they had found out the GIW had set up shop in Gotham. Tucker had even made fake papers for him and the kids. He was now Danny Manter, the parent of Ellie and Jordan Manter. Now, if only he could get his new boss to stop staring at him….

Dinah was concerned for her newest employee in a professional capacity, no matter how much her husband teased her about wanting to be the next Batman. She was a professional! She already had Roy, she didn’t need another one!

…. This became significantly harder to stick by after witnessing her new employee use a scream more powerful than hers during an alien invasion when one of the invaders got too close to his kids.

[starry-bi-sky]

don't you want to be a cult leader? - danyal al ghul au

this is mostly a joke post but i thought it was funny and had to share so--

his first mistake was, obviously, inheriting his father's inability to see an injustice and stand still. -- actually, danyal's first mistake was his lair being so big. a mountainous island with a large temple in the center resembling his old home in Nanda Parbat? With sprawling foliage and rivers and streams and waterfalls galore? What was he going to do with all that space? Let it go to waste? He had plants there! Native trees of the ghost zone growing from the soil! He couldn't let it all be left unchecked!

So naturally after helping a fellow teenage assassin ghost -- who he later learns is named Akihiko, -- from Walker of all people, he sent them over to hang low at his lair until it was safe enough for them to wander around the Zone. Walker couldn't get through Danyal's astrofield if his life depended on it, and trust him -- he's tried. Danny was clearing out debris from his stupid transport vans for weeks.

Honestly it wasn't so bad, he and Aki really quickly became fast friends and Danny loves having a sparring partner close to his level again -- he hasn't had this much fun fighting since he left the League. Aki was very dedicated and levelheaded, the both of them clicked really well because of it.

Nonono, the real trouble began after Danyal met some long-passed League members and allowed them to come join his island as well. Apparently they had made a few enemies of the zone, and maybe Danyal still felt some loyalty to the League. He couldn't just let them be left to rot. Their zealotry could be overlooked so long as they kept it contained and helped him take care of his island.

And it.. snowballs from there? He meets a teen squire aptly calling himself Ambroise -- whether that was his living name or not is yet to be seen -- who died during feudal france, who is just about as dramatic and passionate as every french stereotype makes them out to be. He calls Danyal "my moon and great muse" -- which is both flattering and little uncomfortable, but Danyal's grown up in the League as the Grandson of the Demon Head, he is used to mild worship. he passes it off as nothing more, nothing less. -- and while his energy is overwhelming on the worst of days, he helps Danny draw out of his shell more in ways that Sam and Tucker still struggle with.

Him and Aki butt heads a lot, but the two seem to hold the other in at least some positive regard, so Danny doesn't worry too much about them fighting while he's gone. It only becomes a mild issue when Aki also begins calling Danny "my moon". It's a little sweet, so Danyal brushes it off.

Then he takes in a troupe of ghosts some time after he defeats Pariah Dark and they begin calling him "great one" just as the yetis do in the far frozen. This is where he meets the twins -- a pair of sibling ghosts who call themselves Trixie and Missy (short for Trick and Mislead) -- who aren't quite as passionate as Ambroise but more energetic than Aki. Eventually they also start calling Danyal "my moon" and attach themselves to his hip, even within the living. They like to hide in his shadow and cause trouble for the rest of the students. He makes sure they don't hurt anyone.

He's pretty sure Aki is jealous, same with Ambroise, but he can't be too certain other than the fact that they become much more lingering (re: clingy) whenever he visits the island.. Something he's trying to do much more often these days due to the increasing amount of people living there now. Since when did he become so popular?

Then there's Pēnelópeia from the Greater Athens, who ran away from home and joined his Island after he ran into her while she was being chased by Skulker -- and he's pretty sure the reason was because of her chimeric appearance. Her strange eyes and mismatched wings and lion's tail and talons. She assimilates into his friend group very easily, she gets along well with Ambroise and Trixie and Danny usually finds the three of them climbing the trees to pluck the most fruit from the top. They can fly and he knows it, but they prefer to climb.

Then finally there's silent poet Akkara who comes from ancient mesopotamia, who gets along most with Aki -- which is no surprise there considering their similar personality dispositions. he watches Aki and Danyal fight each other and leaves comments on this or that that he notices. He writes Danyal poems on clay tablets and leaves them by his room.

They're one big mismatched group of outcasts, and Danny's got the other ghosts on his island to tend to, because they're living on his island and he wants to be hospitable even if he struggles with that. But he spends the most of his time with them.

Sam and Tucker are making fun of him. Tucker jokingly tells him 'careful Danny, at this rate you're gonna start a cult'. Danny really wishes he had taken that joke more seriously.

He just. keeps. collecting people. Wayward souls lost in the zone, looking for shelter or refuge from something or other -- whether that be another hostile ghost, or a past afterlife, or just a purpose. Danyal finds them, he takes them in, offers them a place on his island until they are ready to leave. Many seldom do. He's not complaining -- he has the space, and it feels like it's only ever growing.

His close friends, his "inner circle" as he's heard the others call them, keep insistently calling him "my moon". He starts calling them his stars, because then it only feels fair. They're his stars, this is his constellation. It becomes a thing; little star halos begin forming behind their heads, picking them out from the rest. He loves them so much, it's hard to place. Sam and Tucker are also his stars, but they reside in the living realm, they're his tie to Life. Meanwhile, his friends here know what it's like to be dead, and sometimes its nice to relate.

Those living on his island keep calling him "Great One" and he's beginning to notice zealotry in their care for his island. He really, deeply appreciates it. His close friends gain nicknames -- as his stars, it's only natural for him to pick them out from the cluster in the skies. Akihiko, his Sirius and bright star. Trix and Missy, Castor and Pollux, the twins and troublemakers. Ambroise, his zealous Antares and close friend. Penelopeia, chimeric and loyal Vega. And Akkara, his Arcturus and strength.

It's ridiculous how long it takes for him to notice; he is, of course, a deadly trained assassin. He is meant to be observant -- and normally he is! But somehow this becomes a blind spot. One that becomes too big to be dealt with by the time he realizes it.

He should've noticed when Aki, his Sirius, stood beside him one day while Danyal looked over his island and saw the sprawling spirits carrying on about their afterlife and bowing to him as they saw him, and said: "I looked down into the depths when I met you; I couldn't measure it." They aren't one for flowing prose, it took him so off guard he was silent for over a minute before he finally spoke.

Danyal should've recognized devotion for what it is, and yet he didn't. He should've recognized it when Antares began spouting praises about him, crowing about his radiance and resplendence to the heavens. He just brushed it off as Ambroise being Ambroise. He should've recognized it when Trix and Missy nearly broke Dash's leg after he knocked Danyal's books out of his hands, he excused it as them being protective. Of them coming from times where such violence may have been customary -- after all, that's what he used to be like. What he was still like, sometimes, when his emotions nearly got the better of him.

He should've noticed it when the people living on his island followed his word like gospel, looked at him like he hung the stars in the sky. When his friends gifted him a shawl with the moon phases delicately embroidered into it, with silver, shimmering thread and moving stars lovingly stitched into it. Their constellations seen clear as day in the dark fabric. When he found small shrines dedicated to him -- but they lacked any image of him beyond stones carved to look like moons, so he ignored it. When the religious imagery began popping up.

He really, really should've noticed it when a bunch of cultists accidentally summoned Antares, and Antares had turned to him when he arrived and called them heretics. But he was so centered on the fact that they had kidnapped one of his stars, that he hadn't paid much attention to what Ambroise had said.

Sages say that faith is blind, they should also say faith in you is even blinder.

It really only hits him one afternoon while he's sitting in Sam's room studying with Tucker, Missy and Trixie lounging at his feet, Aki sat on his right, Penelopeia braiding his hair, Ambroise draped against him, and Akkara lurking over him. Its one of the rare few times they're all in one room together.

It hits him like a bolt of lightning. He looks up from his textbook. "Oh Ancients," he says in no amounting shock. Everyone looks up to him.

"I've become my grandfather."

[raaorqtpbpdy]

Death by Exposure

Written for the Phic Phight Prompts: At first Danny had been worried sick that Wes had figured out that he was Phantom, but when no one believed him it had sort of become funny. Still, after the anti-ecto act, and the GIW, and his own parents very public very violently vitriolic screeds against ghosts, Danny had to wonder what he'd ever done to Wes that the guy would risk exposing Danny to all that. (from @hpwotters-blog, or at least I think that's you're tumblr.), and Wes Weston wakes up to find an injured Phantom on the fire escape. (from @half-deadmagicperson)

Other prompts that will be included in later chapters but aren't in this one:

With how much time he spends on basketball and his delusional conspiracy theories, no one would ever suspect that Wes Weston has another secret hobby… (from @kadziduo)

And Wes has been spending more and more time around Fenton and Co. lately - hey! he’s only trying to get some much-needed evidence against them, not trying to get all buddy-buddy with them. And anyway, they’re an entirely annoying bunch, so he wholeheartedly blames them for the fact that he’s currently being monologued at by the ghost holding him hostage. (from @a-closet-emo)

Chapter 2: Exposome

AO3 Link

[Warnings for: violence, blood (ectoplasm) and injury, and guns]

Much to Danny's relief, everything continued on more or less as normal. His classmates didn't shoot ecto-blasts him while he walked down the halls, the G.I.W. didn't raid his house to abduct him for experimentation, and no matter what had been said at that presentation, the school's generally positive opinion of Phantom had remained intact, just like Sam had said it would.

The only thing that really changed was that most of the student body started wearing Fenton Wrist Rays to school. Some of the girls customized them by painting them with nail polish or gluing rhinestones to them. One girl even soldered tiny loops onto hers so she could attach charms to it. They were an accessory more than a weapon, now, and Danny found his worry subsiding.

Another thing that didn't change was Wes Weston. "I'm telling you people! Look at this!" He held up a picture of Danny with photoshopped white hair and green eyes. "Tell me he doesn't look like Phantom! You can't!"

"Yeah, and I bet if you photoshopped white hair on a picture of yourself, you'd look like Phantom too," one of the cheerleaders heckled.

"You know, there's a really easy way to prove if he's Phantom or not," an upperclassman pointed out, holding up his wrist to show off the silver bracelet there in demonstration. "These ray things don't hurt humans, right? If you really wanna prove he's Phantom, you can just give him a little zap, and see what happens."

Wes looked at the upperclassman, mouth agape in horror. "I'm not gonna shoot him!" he said, aghast at the very idea. Wes didn't even wear his wrist ray to school, and tended to scoff at the assertion that ghosts were all that dangerous at all. "I wanna prove he's Phantom not put him in the hospital."

"Uh-huh, sure." The junior scoffed and shook his head. "Sounds to me like you just don't want us all to see how wrong actually you are."

"Harmless or not, you know we're not allowed to shoot those things at each other," Sam interrupted harshly. "Unless you want detention, I suggest you put a sock in it. Come on Danny."

He followed her to their usual lunch table with Tucker right behind him. 

"I guess you guys were right about Wes not wanting to hurt me," Danny noted as they took their seats. "He may be an asshole, but it's nice to know he has some standards." Just as Danny was about to take a bite of his sandwich he felt his ghost sense go off and his breath misted in front of him. He put his food down with a deep, deep sigh. "I gotta ghost. If I'm not back by the time class starts, take notes for me, okay?"

"You got it, dude," Tucker said. "Do what you gotta do."

Danny sprinted to the bathroom to transform and then took off to deal with Cujo, who'd apparently decided to terrorize a pick-up game of catch on the football field by chasing the ball and tackling the players. Thankfully, Danny would definitely be able to take care of it before Valerie caught wind, but it gave him a bit of a scare when he got there and saw that one of players had activated their wrist ray and was trying to shoot Cujo.

"Stop that! Don't hurt him!" Danny shouted, firing a warning shot in front of the guy's feet to make him back off. "He's just trying to play with you. He doesn't know any better. Cujo! Come!" Cujo turned to look at Danny and happily trotted over to him, tongue lolling. "Good boy." Danny knelt to scratch Cujo behind the ears.

The little dog hadn't even gotten too excited and grown to the size of a shed, and yet these kids had tried to shoot him anyway. Thank the Ancients that they respected Phantom enough to stop when he told them to.

"Is he... friendly?" asked the guy who'd shot at Cujo, cautiously deactivating his wrist ray.

"Oh yeah," Danny assured. "And he's actually well-trained, too, but if he gets over-excited, well, he becomes a bigger problem. He's still friendly, but he's just a dog, and he doesn't know his own strength sometimes."

"Can I pet him?"

"Sure," Danny said. "He won't mind." The student let Cujo sniff his hand before stroking the dog's head.

"Ha," he was clearly amazed that he was able to do something like this at all, and his mouth fell open in awe. "Woah, he feels so weird, like if water could hold a shape."

"You mean like ice?" scoffed one of the other guys he'd been playing catch with.

"No, man! I can't describe it. You gotta feel it for yourself."

Skeptically, the other guy came closer and did the same as the first, cautiously stroking the dog's fur. Cujo rolled over to let them pet his belly, basking in the attention. "Oh, wow that does feel weird."

"I know, right?!"

"Sorry to cut this short, but I really need to get Cujo out of here before Valerie finds him, because she kind of blames him for ruining her life."

"Why's that?"

"Because he kind of accidentally ruined her life," Danny answered with a shrug scooping the dog up. Cujo wriggled for a moment, getting comfortable in Danny's arms before popping his head up, excited for the flight. The nearby students all said goodbye to both Phantom and Cujo. The two who'd been brave enough to pet him thanked Phantom for that opportunity.

Flying home with the ghost dog in his arms to usher him through the Fenton Portal, Danny grinned with relief, and hope. It seemed like the students of Casper High were more inclined to trust Phantom over the government. Maybe he could even convince them that what they were learning about ghosts was wrong, that ghosts could think and feel just like humans did.

After sneakily dropping Cujo off in the Ghost Zone, Danny flew back to school, but a newspaper vending machine stopped him in his tracks. The front page headline read "Phantom menace poisoning the minds of our schoolchildren!" It was an article about how Phantom was supposedly brainwashing the local youth into liking and trusting him. It warned parents to remind their children that all ghosts were evil, and dangerous, even if they appeared to act otherwise.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Danny flew the rest of the way back invisibly.

All Danny's hopes were dashed in short order as the situation grew steadily worse. The school installed ghost detector alarms that would wail anytime Danny got within six feet of them in his human form, which of course had Wes chomping at the bit to scream, "Fenton is Phantom! He keeps setting off the ghost detectors! If that's not proof, I don't know what is!"

"Danny got ecto-contaminated from one of our parents experiments a while ago," Jazz said calmly as she passed them in the hall. "If he was a ghost he would activate them from much further away."

"Yeah, what she said," Danny agreed. That, at least, was true. When he turned into Phantom, any ghost detector within thirty feet of him went off. His human form suppressed his ecto-signature enough to sow doubt in Wes' theory.

Danny's parents started giving speeches in the park about "ghost safety" that basically consisted of them spewing vitriolic ghost hate for an hour straight, and teaching ordinary people how to kill ghosts. They made Danny come to their first speech. When it was over he locked himself in his room until the morning, skipping dinner because he felt too nauseated to eat anything. 

Eventually, the propaganda started to work, and even some people at school started to believe that ghosts were evil. There were still others who disagreed, some because they wanted to believe in their ghostly hero and others simply to spite their parents, as teenagers were wont to do.

The worst was when the government gave approval for the G.I.W. to start doing anti-ghost patrols in Amity Park. Danny tried to go out as Phantom less, by the Ancients he tried, but despite their improved training, the G.I.W. just couldn't hold up to certain stronger ghosts, and they weren't immune to overshadowing either. Besides that, Danny had to protect the ghosts too.

It was one thing to let the G.I.W. chase them off, but they tried to capture ghosts for experimentation as much as possible, which Danny couldn't let fly. He wasn't about to let even his worst enemies go through anything like that. Then there were the ghosts that specifically targeted Danny, like Skulker, and forced him to transform and fight, disregarding the danger to both of them. Taking all that into consideration, try though he did, Danny actually ended up as Phantom even more often than before.

With so much more being piled onto his plate, Wes' continued campaign to expose Danny's secret stopped being funny again, and became annoying, and eventually, Danny was forced to wonder why. Why was Wes still so determined to expose him?

Surely he wasn't completely blind to everything going on. He had to know that there were laws in place that stripped Danny of all his rights as a human being, just because he had ectoplasm in him. He must have heard about all the vile things Danny's own parents said about Phantom during their "ghost safety" speeches. And there was absolutely no way the G.I.W. patrols could've escaped Wes' notice.

So why? What had Danny ever done to Wes that he would risk exposing—no, that he would do everything in his power to expose Danny to all of that? Sure, Danny had messed with him a little, had teased him, but so what? He'd never done anything to Wes that put him at risk of being dissected. What had Danny done to deserve all this?

Danny had feared Wes once, then laughed at him, then vaguely disliked him, but now Danny had grown to actually hate the guy. He resented Wes for continuing his potentially deadly efforts against Danny as the stakes rose ever higher.

Then the unthinkable happened. The G.I.W caught up to Phantom, shot him out of the sky. Danny took two shots to the back, one to the side, and one to the leg before was able to give them the slip by turning intangible and traveling underground.

It was spring break. Sam's family had dragged her into some fancy retreat that they wouldn't let her worm her way out of. Jazz was touring out-of-state colleges with their mom, and they wouldn't be back until the following afternoon. Tucker had gone to his family reunion. Danny had assured them that he would be okay. He'd promised he'd be careful.

And now he was bleeding out. Ectoplasm and flecks of blood soaked his jumpsuit, and he was sure he'd broken several bones when he'd fallen out of the sky and hit the ground hard. He couldn't go home, not in this condition. The house's ghost defenses would finish him off in an instant. He could go to his friend's places, but there would be no one there to help him, and he couldn't properly treat the wounds on his back by himself. He needed help. He needed someone who knew, who wouldn't hand him over to his parents or the Guys in White.

And he needed them fast because he could tell he was about to pass out, and he couldn't risk someone finding him unconscious and calling the G.I.W. on him. There was only one option available to him. Reluctantly, he flew west, huge drips of ectoplasm falling rapidly from his open wounds, splattering on the street below. The ecto-blasts had singed his skin too badly, preventing him from healing as fast as he normally did. The edges of his vision started to blacken as he flew sluggishly, awkwardly through the air, barely avoiding another anti-ghost patrol.

Finally, he reached his destination.

His only chance.

He landed heavily on the fire escape with a loud clang. The second his feet hit the metal, his knees buckled and he blacked out momentarily, unable to go any further. So there he was, helpless and injured, outside the bedroom window of none other than Wes fucking Weston, desperately hoping he hadn't just made a huge mistake.

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[sparkandwolf]

What’s in a Name?

Pairing: Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale Rating: General Summary: Whenever Stiles’ mouth opened, Derek didn’t know what was going to come out. It had him on edge at all times, an edge he was ready to leap off of the minute the right words came out, the words that Derek would attach to and hold onto forever. When Stiles started on the nicknames, he grasped onto them, hanging onto them every time, finding a new meaning behind each one. He was waiting, waiting for one time something was different.

______________________________

Derek knew he was in love with Stiles from the moment he opened his mouth and said something immature, possibly a dick joke, maybe even a dog joke. He wasn’t sure why he was so intrigued by the way Stiles would talk, laugh at himself, and then wiggle his eyebrows like he knew he was funny. Derek didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t.

Derek wouldn’t admit that sometimes he was. 

Whenever Stiles’ mouth opened, Derek didn’t know what was going to come out. It had him on edge at all times, an edge he was ready to leap off of the minute the right words came out, the words that Derek would attach to and hold onto forever. When Stiles started on the nicknames, he grasped onto them, hanging onto them every time, finding a new meaning behind each one. He was waiting, waiting for one time something was different. 

read on ao3 or under the cut

He was Stiles’ ‘Sourwolf’ first. Sure, it wasn’t entirely flattering or even inaccurate, but that meant Stiles was aware of his demeanor, knew exactly what to expect out of Derek. That meant Derek could surprise him. And Derek had always been pretty good at surprises. He started by trusting Stiles, going to him when he was in the most pain he had ever been in, the wolfbane slowly making its way to his heart through his veins. He sought out Stiles under the guise of looking for Scott, but it was Stiles who held the saw to his arm, Stiles who punched him awake and saved his life, even if it less about the life being Derek’s. 

Then he was… Miguel. That one wasn’t his favorite, but he couldn’t pretend to not see the interest in Stiles’ eyes as he tugged on the shirt that barely fit over his chest. He had to push back his own thoughts of Stiles’ smell lingering in the fabric, his detergent never enough to wash it fully out, not to Derek. Stiles was using him as a pawn, for Danny, the one that Derek had heard Stiles mention before. The only other person in his school who seemed to be interested in men. Derek latched on to the word ‘other’ more than he would care to admit. 

He segued into the distraction. He sat in Stiles’ jeep outside of the police station and let his eyes linger on Stiles’ a bit longer than he intended and pretended not to hear the uptick in his heart. He flirted with the deputy he knew he would never have an interest in, but the jealousy wafting off of Stiles was all too much for him. Then, he was drowning, pushing Stiles away to distract the kanima from devouring this person he wasn’t willing to lose. He used his new role of distraction, to beat at Stiles with sarcasm and faux dislike until Stiles did exactly what Derek knew he would do, what he needed him to do, survive. It was a pleasant surprise that he saved Derek along the way. 

Then Stiles saw him as someone worth protecting. Almost everything in Stiles’ life was crashing around him. His father was taken, the most important person in his life was missing and Derek couldn’t help but blame himself. Scott’s mom was missing, too, taken by someone Derek had used to try and get over his feelings for Stiles. And Scott, the one other person Stiles trusted most in the world was allied with the villain. 

But instead of doing something stupid and rash and reckless, Stiles went to him, waking him up out of unconsciousness to get save him once again when he didn’t have to. “We gotta get you outta here, the police are coming right now, and we gotta get you the hell out of here." 

“What about the others?” Derek had asked. The others, the important ones, the ones that meant something to Stiles. Derek didn’t mean anything to Stiles and he had accepted that after months of trying to be something to Stiles. 

But Stiles just laughed, their fingers laced together, something Derek didn’t notice until Stiles leaned his forehead down and breathed in deeply. Derek had to shut his eyes, blocking out the sirens getting closer, the electricity surging above them, the distant sounds of growls and screams. All he could hear and feel and smell was Stiles. 

“I can’t do this without you, Derek. I need you.” That was what Derek had waited for since the first time Stiles opened his stupid mouth. He didn’t know it, but he was waiting for his name. The raw honesty, the small inclination that Stiles needed him as much as he needed Stiles, the slight waver in his voice and skip in his heart that told Derek he wasn’t crazy. It told Derek that he needed to get out of there, with Stiles, so he could become the fixture in Stiles’ life that Stiles had become in his. 

So he stood, his hand pulling at Stiles to lead him away from what they had to leave behind. Derek thought that moment changed everything for him. It was like he’d been striking a match, the spark dimming out every time he thought he heard what he needed, and finally, the spark ignited with just the sound of his name. Derek couldn’t stop the flames from raging, consuming everything that Derek was, everything Stiles made Derek want to be.

He would be the sourwolf to Stiles’ eternal optimism, would be his Miguel, with the hot body that had Stiles’ words stuttering uncharacteristically. He would be whatever distraction Stiles needed, a gentle caress, a light kiss, an all encompassing hug. Most importantly, he would show Stiles that he was worth protecting, worth giving up the small bit of safety they had in each other. And he would protect Stiles, because there was no doubt in his mind, from the first moment he heard him speak anything but his name, that he would look after Stiles in whatever way he could. 

[aboutcaseyaffleck]

Casey Affleck Gets Philosophical About Life, Time & The Whole Damn Thing

“Time,” reflects Casey Affleck, “is something I have been thinking about lately. It is ironic how the older you get, the better you are at being patient. With less time left, people become better at waiting. But this year, I feel much older and a lot less patient. I guess you’ve got to accept that time is never wasted? That doing is no different than not doing? That you can’t kill time no matter what you do, and that no matter what you do you can’t prevent the opposite from happening either? I don’t know. It’s a double-edged sword.”

It’s a Wednesday afternoon in early January, and Affleck and I are doing the Zoom thing, ostensibly to discuss his two new movies, the recently released indie Our Friend and the upcoming 19th-century period drama The World to Come. Yet our virtual tête-à-tête has become far more interesting, jumping wildly from his love of trains and travel to weightier topics like family, the future and the search for something more, something meaningful.

“I like the idea that time is an illusion. That past, present and future are all happening at once. I like it even though I can’t totally get my head around it. But either way, the me in the mirror gets older every day.”

Like most of us, he’s not only had plenty of time on his hands in recent months, housebound in L.A., but he’s tried to use his downtime wisely. “I tried to use this year of quarantine constructively,” the 45-year-old Oscar winner says. “I tried to see it as a winter season for shutting down and restoring something inside, but I just couldn’t. I’m not that evolved, I guess. I didn’t take up a new hobby or learn an instrument or get better at ‘self-care.’ If anything, I let my better habits and routines fall off. It was all I could do to keep my head above water and help buoy my friends and children when I could.”

As a guy with two teenagers at home — Indiana, 16, and Atticus, 13 — it hasn’t been easy, but he’s doing his best. He tried taking his sons on their annual camping road trip over the summer, but it was short-lived. Instead, he’s been focusing on making a happy home. “My kids don’t get to see their friends a lot, so I’m doing a lot more stuff with them, coming up with activities for the three of us, which they mostly hate, and I mostly let drop. And then I try again with the same outcome 90 percent of the time.”

While trying to create innovative plans to sustain his boys, he came up with one he thought might do some good, too. In June, he launched Stories from Tomorrow, a social-media initiative focused on creative writing by kids.

“At the beginning of all this last March, the first thing that occurred to me was that the quarantine would have a big impact on young people’s emotional well-being — the disruption they’re going to feel is really going to affect their mental health more than anyone else,” he says. “When I would sit down to write creatively, I felt better. But I couldn’t get my sons to journal or do creative writing much. I didn’t want to twist their arms about it. So I was like, ‘I’ll make a social media platform that inspires young people to write creatively, because it is such a good way of working out difficult feelings. And the way I will do that is have well-known people read the kids’ writing publicly.’ I knew that hearing your own writing read was exciting. I thought it would be really inspiring, that creative writing would be a great outlet for kids stuck at home.”

He enlisted some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Robert Redford, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jon Hamm, Matthew Broderick, Kyle Chandler and Danny Glover, as well as two current costars, Vanessa Kirby and Jason Segel, and arranged for donations made through the program to go to children’s hunger nonprofit Feeding America and Room to Read, which supports female education. He reached out to schools in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Haiti, hoping to create a global community.

Affleck was excited to make progress, to have done some good, but the initiative didn’t take off as planned. “In the end, an Instagram account for creative writing by tweens just couldn’t possibly compete with the quintillion bytes of daily data generated online. I don’t know. But I tried! And anyway, since then lots of other organizations started doing basically the same thing, and they are more organized than I am, and they have done a better job. So be it.”

Yet, adults have been disrupted, too, including Affleck himself, who is aware that, relatively speaking, he has gotten through mostly unscathed. “Am I happy? I mean, I’m relatively okay. It’s been a hard time to find balance and to keep it. I would say it’s been a hard time in my life, but I know that it’s been harder for other folks. So far we haven’t lost anyone, and we haven’t lost our house. And I rediscovered that when you’re feeling bad, there’s nothing better to do than to try to help other people. Being of service not only helps others but is a great way of getting outside of yourself. Also — and I really believe this — I think this time will be remembered as one when our country made leaps and bounds in the right direction; we are changing and growing and it’s uncomfortable, but we will be much, much better. I wish I could see the next couple hundred years. It’s going to be amazing.”

At the end of the day, it’s family that’s keeping him going. “Having my kids around and being able to spend so much time with them has been amazing. It is the brightest silver lining in all of this. They are what gives me the most joy. They are funny and smart and interesting and interested. They are just the best company ever,” he says. “Anytime I try to parent out some ‘teaching moment,’ I find they are two steps ahead. They help me make sense of stuff just as much I help them, if not more. I don’t have any answers, but batting the questions around, back and forth, is a good way of coping.”

CALEB CASEY MCGUIRE AFFLECK-BOLDT feels he is luckier than most. Although he and many of his peers have gone jobless for a full year, he spent 2019 working hard. He had not one but three films done and dusted prior to the start of the pandemic; the last one wrapped a week before mandatory quarantine. Two of these have back-to-back release dates: the tearjerker indie Our Friend came out in January, and sweeping period drama The World to Come will be released February 12. Thriller Every Breath You Take is slated for later this year. “I am so, so, so glad I spent 2019 working that much. It is what kept us afloat all through 2020,” he says.

The films themselves are radically different, but there are a few common threads. In both of his winter releases, Affleck plays a man who has lost a family member and whose marriage is in shambles. In both, he is a man in pain.

In the LGBTQ masterpiece The World to Come, which revolves around the love that blossoms between two married women on the mid-19th-century American frontier, his character, Dyer, says very little but manages to convey a wealth of emotion with his eyes alone. He may seem stoic, but he is suffering.

“The World to Come is a story about a couple who have lost a baby. They’re dealing with the grief in totally different ways and having a very hard time coming together again,” he explains. “My character wants to heal that by having another, but his wife [played by Katherine Waterson] is coping in a different way. She is severing all emotional attachment to him because it triggers more and more grief. She [only] seems to come alive when she is with their neighbor, a woman on the next farm [played by Vanessa Kirby]. He wants his wife happy, but he also would like her to love him. To me, this is the story of how couples can have their relationship shattered by a sudden loss. And it’s definitely a beautiful story about two women who feel that they have to hide their love and find the courage to love each other anyway.”

Affleck likes layers. He himself has many, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s drawn to roles written as fully formed characters, not caricatures. With Dyer, that’s abundantly clear. “Crisis is fun to play, [and Dyer] is in an interesting crisis,” he says. “I think he’s a really good person — a really decent, solid, loving person — which is what I loved so much about playing him and what I love so much about the writing. It’s more interesting when there’s no bad guy, just a conflict of circumstances and feelings that get so complicated that it drives two people apart.”

In Our Friend, a different set of circumstances drives the leads apart. Affleck and Dakota Johnson take on the true story of Matthew and Nicole Teague, whose imperfect marriage was strained by his long absences and her affair, neither of which seem at all important when she’s diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“To me, Our Friend is really a story about how petty grievances between people can divide them and then be forgotten when a gigantic tragedy is dropped in their laps. [Matthew] was wronged, it’s true — his wife cheated on him. On the other hand, he wronged her in a bunch of ways; [they] were just more passive and not quite so salacious. He wasn’t around. Matt got to be a dad and he got to travel the world as a journalist. He left her to take care of the kids. She wanted to have a life too, she had dreams of her own — she wanted to be a singer, she wanted to work — but she didn’t get to do that. She just got to be a mom. She was left holding the bag, and it wasn’t fair.”

He spent a fair amount of time immersing himself in the journalist’s life while filming in Fairhope, Ala., in 2019. (The film’s title is taken from Teague’s award-winning Esquire essay, “The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word.” The friend in question — played by Jason Segel — is a man who puts his life on hold to help the family during their darkest days.) But he did not become Matt Teague, which is an important distinction. “[Director] Gabriella Cowperthwaite asked that we not portray the personality traits of the real people. No accents, no mannerisms. [But] I did steal his style, because I had never seen someone nail the dad look any better than Matt. I say that with affection.”

As for the dreams Nicole gave up for her family, Affleck says, “If you were to ask Matt, I’m sure he would acknowledge that he was neglecting his role. He was neglecting her dreams, and that is a part of marriage, supporting what the other person wants. Like all relationships, it was complicated.”

Like life itself, really. This is why he can identify with both sides. He understands Nicole’s pain about the deference of her dreams as well as Matt’s desire to escape through travel — especially now, when Affleck himself has been completely grounded. Since the age of 17 he’s taken 20 cross-country road trips. His love of driving is secondary only to his enthusiasm for trains: Amtrak is his jam. He even fantasizes about owning his own train car one day.

Immersing himself in each location — whether it’s the sleepy Alabama town of Fairhope or the more exotic locale of Romania, which served as a stand-in for the East Coast of the U.S. in The World to Come — is actually one of the most desirable parts of the acting life, he says. “One of the things I love about working as an actor is that you go to some brand-new place and the community invites you in in a way that they don’t usually if you’re a tourist,” he confides. “You get to see what it’s like to really be there and imagine yourself living there.”

And he has — over the past ten years he’s spent so much time in cities including his hometown of Boston; Vancouver, British Columbia, the location of Light of My Life; Atlanta, where he shot the 2016 action flick Triple 9; Argentina, where he made Gerry; Dallas, for A Ghost Story; Calgary, Alberta, where much of the epic western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford was filmed; Our Friend’s Fairhope set; Cincinnati, for The Old Man and the Gun; and Braddock, Pa., where he filmed the 2013 drama Out of the Furnace. “I have loved moving in and settling down and living a character’s life and then moving on. But I feel most at home in places that are struggling to get by. It reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in. I feel lighter in those places, more relaxed. I feel like myself. I fit in.”

For him, the where is almost as important as the who — immersing himself in the place is imperative to understanding his character. This is part of what makes him such an accomplished actor — he and most of the parts he plays merge. I draw a crappy analogy about how the characters are like a coat, which he very obligingly works with. “You have to build the coat from all of the scraps and pieces of yourself; all these characters are made up of little pieces of me,” he says, noting, “Obviously, sometimes they can’t be. Sometimes I have no connection whatsoever, and those are the jobs I look back on and I either feel nothing for, or worse. But sometimes you have to take the job that is available, like most people in the world. You know? I don’t think my dad wanted to be a janitor. But he did it.”

He’s won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe and an Independent Spirit Award, among others, and appeared in films that run the gamut from box-office juggernauts like the Ocean’s 11 franchise and Tower Heist to indie darlings like brother Ben’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone and Manchester by the Sea. He has even written and directed, most recently 2019’s Light of My Life, a bizarrely prescient movie about raising children in a pandemic. At this point in his career, he should have his pick of parts. “Not really,” he says. “There are a lot of people out there who have done good work, who are driven, and who have something to share. I have never been someone studios embraced as a ‘movie star,’ never knighted. I have always had to fight for the parts I have gotten. And you know what? That’s fine. Let me fight. It’s how I cut my teeth, and it is how I will keep them sharp. You can’t ask for more than a chance to be in the ring. Also, movies and TV aren’t all I care about. Sometimes I think, ‘Well, jeez, I have to work, and there are two jobs available to me, and the one that isn’t as good is the one that is close to home and I can see the kids, so I guess I am doing that.’ I love movies and really try hard to make them good. I really bust my ass every day when I get the chance to make one. I care more about my family than any movie. It’s not [always] the job I love, but this is the reality of my life. But maybe life will be long enough for a few more chapters.

The forward momentum of his future is an interesting topic. At the moment, he isn’t so much planning for the future as he is exploring it, because Affleck is not someone who likes to live with regret.

“I guess [at the end of the day], regret should be reframed as a reminder to be different,” he observes. And so, with this in mind, he embarked on a personal journey several years ago and decided to go back to college (at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia). He had completed two years at Columbia University, but he never graduated — his film career kept getting in the way.

“I went back to school because I hadn’t finished, and I wanted to think about new things in a way that school can help you do,” he says. “I couldn’t go in person, so I found a strong online school and got started. You know, I’m 45, and I just thought, ’This is halftime. This is where you hit the locker room and think about how you want the rest of the game to go.’ You know what I mean? Like, ‘Okay, we went out, we played our best, we didn’t know what the other team was going to be like, we made some mistakes, we are in the game, so let’s adjust like this.’ Also, I’m not sure I want to be an actor forever. I had made a small pivot from acting into directing, and into producing more. And I like to direct movies. The most satisfying creative experience I’ve had in a long time was being a director. But ultimately it wasn’t quite enough. So I wanted to go study some of the things I was interested in. I wanted to do more with my life.”

Although he needed general credits to graduate, he found an unexpected passion for juvenile justice along the way, with a particular focus on alternative accountability programs. “I don’t know where this will lead me, or why I am so interested in it, but finding and implementing better systems for addressing harm and conflict among kids, adults too, but mostly young people, is something I care about. And the work that I have done so far has been fascinating and deeply rewarding.”

When I ask if this stems from his own experiences as a troubled kid growing up in Cambridge, Mass., with Christine, a single mom — his parents divorced when he was 9; his father, Timothy, an alcoholic tradesman, checked into a rehab facility in Indio, Calif., when Affleck was just 14 — he muses thoughtfully, “I love my parents and think they both did the very best they could and cared a lot. Period. Did I get into some trouble as a teenager? I got into some trouble when I was a kid, and I struggled a lot through high school with depression and substances, yes. Much of it I didn’t even know wasn’t normal. I don’t know if I was ‘troubled.’ Either way, as an adult, I’ve come to see that, regardless of how I compare to anyone else, I want less conflict in my life. That might be part of the reason why I’ve been so interested in learning about better ways of resolving conflicts, both with children and with grown-ups. It isn’t something they teach in school for some reason. Man, there is a lot they don’t teach you in school, huh? A lot you’ve got to learn on your own.”

And on this journey, mistakes will be made. That’s par for the course, and Affleck is no exception. “I have made so many mistakes, but life is the time for mistakes. I do believe people should hold themselves accountable and repair harm they have caused. That is important to me, and I try hard to do that whenever it is called for: apologize for mistakes and repair them,” he admits.

This is when our conversation, as such conversations are wont to do, comes full circle. Before we say goodbye, Affleck remarks, “You know, I heard Bono talking on Howard Stern’s show, and he said something about Frank Sinatra that was interesting. He said that he heard two versions of Frank singing ‘My Way.’ One version was recorded when Frank was young, and the other version was recorded when Frank was old. Each had the exact same words, same arrangement, same everything. But when Frank was young the line ‘I did it my way’ sounded proud, and when Frank was old it sounded humble. Whatever else time does to a person, I think it also does that.”

[source]

[thevoilinauttheory]

⏳ for Danny

CONTENT WARNINGS: MANIPULATION & ABUSE IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP, MENTION OF SERIOUS INJURIES (NO DEATIL), AND PASSIVE SUICIDAL IDEATION

( Thank you for the asks, @renofmanyalts! Wanted to wait until I got these other ones outta the way to continue on this story >:)c )

Maximiloix folded an ankle over his knee, a thoughtful hum at the presented question. Danny’s story was not one shared often - or at all. At least, not correctly.

“Avis is a loyal man - perhaps loyal to a fault. Once he becomes attached to another, he will stay with them, no matter how they change. No matter how much they hurt him. He trusted too easily as a child - he was eager to please, eager to love, and eager to be loved; he gave his heart freely to others.

Despite this, he was very despised by the people in his family - and the people that surrounded him. He was an outcast from his peers for being too loud, too close, and too distracted and energetic - and for being a bastard child, regardless of his lack of knowledge on the subject. They picked on him, bullied him - but… there were some that would take advantage of his trusting nature. Because of this, he has seen many near-death experiences, even if he cannot remember them. From his brother, to his extended family, to bandits, poachers, and corrupt Wailers.”

“With these things in mind, let us begin.”

“Avis does not remember much from his childhood - and the memories he does have are skewed, for the better. If the story of Cerid has not graced your ears, allow me to tell the tale in full.”

“He was eighteen when he met him, Cerid Amalric, was his name. The boy would *not* shut up about him - I would get letters from him; and whenever I visited, he would tell me everything. I met the boy myself… I can tell you for a fact that I did not like him. There was something… off. Avis’s rose-tinted glasses were fogged, and no longer could he see the warning signs. I knew he would not have listened if I tried to sway him, and so… I attempted to show support where I could.”

“Their friendship started off wonderfully. There were no issues, despite the wrenching feeling in my gut about the boy, I would not step in if there were no present issues. Their relationship became serious just a few moons after Avis had been tempered. He would sneak out from his home, or Cerid into his - and that was when Avis fell head over heels for him. The point of no return, and I saw the end coming fast. It started with Cerid slowly spending less and less time with him - he’d return home early, or he would simply not show up to their usual gathering area; if it were ever brought up to him, he would wave it off as being too busy.”

Maximiloix placed his hand on his chin, eye turned to the floor, some deeper thought in the presence of his tapping heel.

“I only know of this, because one night I had visited, Avis was turned into my coat - sobbing. He had once asked me before… why his family did not love him. His first serious crush disappeared, and now. Now he was beginning to notice Cerid’s behavior. None of this made the question any easier to answer.”

“The reason why these acts were so harmful, was that if Danny had done the same - if he had let Cerid alone at their spot, if he had told him he were too busy, the boy would scold him; tell him how selfish he was to not say something about it. This happened in one instance where Avis had to take care of his younger sister while she was sick. Any loving, or at least considerable, person would have shown some compassion towards the situation - perhaps even consoling, for the time missed. Cerid was not. He was livid. He put it in Avis’s head that he should be more important than his family.”

A sharp inhale took up a space of silence, in the exhale came the story further.

“...Avis, on his way to meet Cerid one day, had been set upon by his uncle - step-uncle, to be exact. The man loathed him as much as Tyaka’to did. The boy was able to push his way through, but not without injuries - and not without grave ones. I found him bleeding, holding back tears, curled to keep pressure on his wounds. I dressed him as best as I could. While my skills in first aid were not terrible, this was far before my delve into magic. When I asked what happened, he relayed this information to me… then told me that Cerid had left him there. Scolding him for getting hurt, but did not seek to aid him. Told him to stop joking.”

“It took a turn for the worst the next day. Avis was still recovering from his injuries. When I say that I had lost my temper towards both Jeramias and Tyaka… I had completely lost it. A scolding was not enough, I could go on about it, but it is not necessary. I demanded that Avis stay with me in Gridania while he recovered… without hesitation, his parents agreed. I could not believe that one of my most trusted friends was--”

“-- We had arrived in Gridania, and I was situating an inn room for us. Cerid had come to meet him again, this time, with his own injuries - bruised, bloodied, beaten down. He begged for help - and, as expected… Avis disregarded his own injuries to help the one he loved. While attempting to lift Cerid’s arm over his shoulder, the stab wounds across his chest had reopened. Even as Avis started to slump in pain, Cerid pushed and pushed for him to help - I watched my god-son fall to near unconsciousness… and watched as Cerid called him selfish for focusing on his own wounds. Watched as he berated him, “the joke isn’t funny anymore”.”

“...Needless to say, I was not happy. I bade the Wailers in the area to take Cerid to the Fane for healing, and took Avis back into my care so that he would not have to face such abuse when he awoke. The next day, I watched as what was left crumbled. Avis had taken himself down to get something to eat, and Cerid found him there. He immediately turned to screaming at him, telling him how he abandoned him in his time of need, how he only thought of himself. How could someone that he loved be considered lower than his family, and reminded him of the days he was forced to not show up. It hurt - it was painful to watch as Avis begged him. That he would do better, that he would fix himself and his behavior.”

“...Cerid’s response was: “the only way it could be fixed is if you were dead”.”

Maximiloix dropped his leg, flattening out his robes in a means to rest his idle hands. Though he had to spend a time in silence, reflecting back on the events - and the pain they brought.

“Avis did not sleep nor eat well for a few moons, and did not come back from his mind almost two years later. He had lost all will to continue living - but stayed alive in spite.”

“During this time… for his sake, I decided to do my own digging. To some surprise, there were rumors spreading about Avis. How he injured and bloodied a poor blind boy. How he cheated and ran, leaving a broken heart. How he threatened to harm himself or others to keep him from leaving.”

“...I could not go on without learning more. I visited the Fane to see what treatment plans were in place for Cerid… only to find that his injuries were fake. Makeup and ink. That Avis would beg for this boy to stay… I can understand from personal experience, but. It does not make it any less painful. He had done no harm, any that he had, he apologized for profusely - he simply wanted to be loved, and another took advantage of that. It truly is no wonder that he keeps himself as distant as he is able to.”

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

i hope you guys enjoyed your break! can i get some sugar daddy derek that take care of sugar baby stiles?? maybe throw in some mafia derek in there too please?

Sure thing. And the tag. - Anastasia

Who's your Sugar Daddy by Kindred

(2/2 I 1,764 I Mature)

So what’s happening?” She asked seeing Stiles hang his head as the others are smirking and chuckling apart from Scott who has a very deep frown on his face. “Stiles sugar daddy.”

It Started At The Jungle by Hollylynn 

(4/? | 4,200 |Explicit)

Stiles is 16 when he meets Derek Hale, he’s 16 when he leaves his world behind for a new and exciting relationship.

You Were a Kindness When I Was a Stranger by DevilDoll

(1/1 I 8,092 I Explicit)

"It's not all handcuffs and spankings and learning to deep throat." This is an AU with consensual BDSM sex acts, in which Derek supports Stiles financially in exchange for a sexual relationship. Stiles is of legal age.

Sugar Daddy? by EloquentSavage

(4/4 I 8,259 I Explicit)

Busy, attractive, professional male seeks male artist, musician, or college student for mutually beneficial live-in arrangement. Compensation fair and generous. Must be intelligent, enlightened, quiet, and useful.

Stiles meets the ad's requirements, easily, but is he crazy enough to answer it? Is Derek crazy enough to follow through?

You can find me on Twitter at StilessPillow if you're interested! or

Prompt fill porn with just a little plot. Cute, funny ending, a tiny bit of angst.

So When Do I Get To Pledge My Loyalty To The Mob? by RedRidingStiles

(1/1 I 10,089 I Mature)

“Are you my sugar daddy?” Stiles blurts out, slapping a hand over his mouth when his brain catches up to his mouth. The man lets out a soft laugh, making his way around the couch till he’s standing just feet away from Stiles. Stiles can smell his cologne from here, it smells heavenly, Stiles kinda wants to bury his face into the guy's chest so he can figure out exactly what it is.

“If that’s what you’d like to call it.” The man smiles, Stiles doesn’t think he should be allowed to smile like that. All soft and gorgeous and way too pretty to be legal. He’s still not convinced any of this is real.

Stiles loses his wallet, someone returns it along with $5,000. Shit keeps coming, Stiles life doesn't make any sense anymore, he's just going with it.

Twelve by PolarisTheYoungWolf

(6/? I 16,743 I Mature)

It started with him being alone and feeling worthless...feeling like nothing. Then the drug Twelve made him feel everything, and he loved it...craved it. No matter how expensive it was, Stiles found a way to get it. Using his college fund, selling his things, trading his virginity to his dealer for another hit, and then selling his body to White Collar John's for more money after. In his mind...it was perfect. He loved sex, he loved drugs, he loved the attention he got by the John's who wanted to please him, who wanted to save him. He felt powerful. He felt happy.

So naturally his old friends chose that time to take interest in him again. Acting worried, pretending they cared. Stiles didn't buy it and was pissed off that they were "trying to fix him". He wasn't broken! --- When the pack and more specifically Derek, notice Stiles' distant behavior, they're horrified to realize just how bad things actually are. Derek almost kills Stiles' favorite regular and the Sheriff won't deny he wishes he'd gone through with it.

This night is heating up raise hell and turn it up. by pseudofoucault333

(1/1 I 21,421 I Explicit)

Derek needs someone to accompany him to a Gala and decides to look in less than usual places for his date. Never did he realize the moment he looked at Stiles' picture that he would find himself with someone who could become so much more, despite the foundation of their relationship. But as always Peter seems destined to ruin his nephew's happiness as payback, will his ultimatum be enough to destroy what Stiles and Derek hold so dear?

The Same Old Blood Rush (With A New Touch) by rainsoakedshoes

(13/13 I 29,564 I Explicit)

“Friends with benefits,” Derek stated. “I just happen to be in a position to provide a few more benefits than your usual hook ups.”

***

Derek was an Alpha with a pack and a multi-billion dollar company to take care of. Stiles was a college kid with assignments and student debt to worry about. Neither of them were looking a serious relationship. A one night stand turned into an easy no-strings-attached arrangement. Although nothing is ever as easy or as simple as it first seems.

Bittersweet and Strange, Finding You Can Change (Learning You Were Wrong) by WithMyTeeth (Ylith)

(8/8 I 49,983 I Explicit)

When perpetual loner and failwolf extraordinaire Derek Hale finally loses patience with his meddling family, he grabs a confused Stiles Stilinski, unsuspecting diner patron and herbal medicine student, off the street to pose as his new boyfriend. Hijinks ensue.

What We Called Love by jadore_hale

(8/8 I 105,410 I Explicit)

He’d guessed that if Derek wasn’t paying him for the sex, then he was obviously paying him for the conversation. So Stiles made it a point to talk and never stop. Stiles rambled and Derek sometimes listened. Stiles shouted about X-Men and porn in fancy restaurants, and Derek sometimes grunted in response. Every now and then, Derek would even look up from his phone and make eye contact and blink, which Stiles would always take as a positive and real acknowledgment to his existence. And they never had sex. Not ever. No matter how badly Stiles wanted them to, and he wanted them to, oh so badly.

Stiles Stilinski has been Derek Hale’s sugar baby for the last three years, and just can’t understand why the man pays him so much damn money.

Or the one where Danny is Miley Cyrus, Dylan Sprouse, Justin Beiber, and Kanye West all in one.

[phantomphangphucker]

A Secret Dog With A Secret - Phic Phight

Prompt Creators: @purpleillusn @trainernick

Prompts: (1) Jack Fenton thought that all ghosts were evil, until he met a certain ghost dog. (2) Danny gets a dog - Danny decides he finally has time for a pet, but it has to be Cujo for reasons (he's a ghost dog)

Summary: Danny’s got a dog and Jack isn’t quite sure what to think yet

Warning: Implied ghost animal torture

“Uh Danny-boy? I’m pretty sure that dog is not normal”

“Hmm?”, Danny doesn’t even look up as he scratches at the green puppy ears. Besides, he knows full well what Cujo is; he just doesn’t care. Hell, if anything a ghost dog would fair better in this household than a regular one.

Jack himself is finding it hard to just tell his son that this dog is clearly either heavily contaminated or a flat out ghost. Jack bends down and tilts his head at the tiny green puppy sitting on the floor. The puppy bends his head back and promptly falls on his back, barking once with a goofy grin. “Ok, I’ll admit he’s cute. But son, his drool is glowing”, Jack watches a bit confused as Danny simply shrugs. Clearly not caring at all. Jack looks back down at the puppy and spots the collar, “Cujo eh? Named him already did you?”.

Danny laughs lightly, trying to not let his nerves show. After all, he’s doing this both for Cujo and to maybe make his family change some of their opinions. “Naw dad, he came with it. Already trained too, so he won’t pee on the carpet or anything”.

Jack can’t help but find that suspicious but decides that he’ll just have to trust his son, if he ever wants Danny to open up to his family ever again. It hurts seeing how closed off Danny’s become and maybe, just maybe, this will change that. Sighing but putting on a smile, “well I’m still testing his drool”.

Danny watches but lets his dad spoon some of the drool off the floor into a vial, Danny knows full well it’ll come back full ghost but hopefully, by the time the results come in, his dad will have warmed up enough to not care. “I wouldn’t expect any different dad. Got any balls?”

Jack chuckles as he tosses some out of the freezer, “one great thing about freezers, son. They kill practically all germs, even most ecto ones!”. Jack watches his son as he tosses the ball, not too far though, and Cujo runs off to get it; before he heads down to the lab.

Danny smiles at Cujo, “well here’s hoping he doesn’t see big boy Cujo for a while. Pretty easy to think you’re harmless like this”. Cujo jumps up and starts licking Danny, smearing green drool all over his face. “God, ew, stop that you fiend”, Danny’s laughter doesn’t discourage Cujo at all though.

Down in the lab, Jack sits and contemplates while watching the sample spin, “I will be amazed if that dog isn’t a ghost but he’s just a dog right? An evil dog but tiny, very tiny”. With a nod, Jack decides that he can easily handle something that is barely a sixth his sons size. Shaking his head as he heads back upstairs, muttering to himself, “of all the times for only half the Fenton family to be on vacation”.

Danny’s watching Cujo jump from one chair to the next, it’s clear to Jack that the dog is defying gravity slightly. But he does find it odd that the dog doesn’t seem to be floating around.

Grabbing some of his fudge and sitting down he becomes almost giddy as Cujo happy runs off with a piece, “Oh! He likes fudge! Well then he’s must be a Fenton!”. Danny has to restrain himself to keep himself from looking utterly stunned. Muttering into his hand while his dad throws another piece at Cujo, which Cujo is all too happy to eat, “seriously? You just accept a ghost? Because of fudge? Really? I, just. Wow”. Shaking his head he decides that he’ll have to eat a piece of fudge next time his dad’s after him and see how he reacts. To Phantom, eating fudge. Muttering into his hand again, “if all it takes is fudge, to get them to call a truce. I will die just a little more inside”.

Jack is perfectly content to sit outside and watch Cujo run around if it means getting to spend some genuine time with his son. No him running off to who knows where, no locking himself in his room or the bathroom for hours on end, and no staying over at his friends instead of home. Jack isn’t as much a fool as people like to think and he’s terrified that as soon as his son hits eighteen next month, he’ll walk out the front door and be gone for good. Danny, meanwhile, has been terrified for years that one day he’ll have to do just that. But he’s not thinking about that right now, as he watches Cujo futilely bark and jumps at a squirrel.

Catching Cujo’s glow starts to wiggle and knowing full well that’s his transformation queue, Danny whistles at him. Jack looks impressed as Cujo zips right over to Danny and barks. “Wow, son. You weren’t kidding, he really is trained and well too”. Snickering, Jack tells Cujo to roll over and run around. Cujo happily does so, earning the reward of eating the rest of Jack’s fudgesicle.

Danny’s feeling pretty good about all of this as he spots Cujo actually sleeping on Jack while he’s knitting. Danny leans over the couch, arms on the back of the couch, “well someone looks pretty comfy”. Jack chuckles and pats for his son to sit, exceptionally happy that he actually does.

Jack can’t help but look his son over, being reminded of his sons height as he sits, “you sure have grown a lot son, I’m glad to see at least one of you got my impressive height!”. Danny personally isn’t sure if he’s glad or not, he looks way too much like Dan. Though his height and muscular build is well earned, so there is some pride there, and he finds he can’t help a joke, “well I guess it was inevitable that one of us would!”.

Jack has no clue why that’s funny to his son but he’s happy to just see him laughing. He doesn’t do that as often as Jack would like, especially for once being so carefree and full of laughs.

Jack looks over his shoulder as he hears the beeping from the lab, signifying that the sample is done. Looking back to the little puppy, he doesn’t really want to move the little guy but at the same time. Danny runs a hand through his hair, “so you want me to take him?”, he really hopes his dad says no.

Thankfully to Danny, Jack shakes his head, “the results will be there later. It’s not like he’s going to cause issues sleeping, ghost or not”. Jack decides he made the right choice as soon as Danny smiles, it’s clear as day it’s a real one too. Not one of his far too many fakes.

Jack can’t help but laugh to himself when Danny actually falls asleep on the couch, “you really are always tired and I really don’t know why. But get a good rest son, even if that looks uncomfortable”. Jack laughs a bit more as he really takes in Danny’s position, one leg curled up on the couch with the other almost stiffly sticking out, chest turned in the opposite direction, and one arm laying right across his nose. Even so relaxed Jack can still easily make out his sons defined muscles, which he still has no clue how he got. “I wonder if I ate less fudge...naw not worth it”, Jack winces then, as Danny kicks him in his sleep. Rubbing his, definitely going to have a welt, hip, “jeez those muscles are clearly not for show. Impressive, though currently painful”. The movement also seems to have woken Cujo, who stretches out lazily.

Jack blinks down at the puppy, having not actually been around him more or less alone before. Cujo tilts his head making Jack shrug and go to scratch his chin. Cujo seems to be enjoying himself though it becomes pretty clear to Jack that he prefers Danny. Watching as Cujo starts bitting on his sons toes, “you are clearly a puppy, a trained puppy, but still a puppy”.

Danny wakes up after a couple of seconds and flicks Cujo into the air with his toes. Snickering a bit as Cujo lands on his chest, “my feet aren’t chew toys, buddy”.

“He disagrees I’d say!”, Danny moves his arm off his face at hearing his dad’s laugh. Jack pats Danny’s leg as he gets up. Danny asks, “going to check the results now I’m guessing?”.

“Of course Danny-boy! Pretty well already sure about the results though!”, Jack shakes his head as he walks into the lab and sees the sample results. Completely unfazed that it confirms Cujo’s a ghost, “something tells me this won’t even matter to Danny. But it does matter”. Jack mentally debates for a while before heading up, while he’s no fool he’s also not the best at thinking on the spot. So he decides what he’s going to say well before actually doing it, when it’s something he cares about. And at this point anything that gets his son to hang out with him for nearly a full day is something he cares about.

Cujo’s chewing on a little pink bear toy as Jack comes back up. Flashing the clearly positive results at Danny before sitting down. Jack isn’t really surprised that Danny isn’t surprised at all, as he watches his son shrug. “You already knew before you brought him home didn’t you?”.

“Yeah, he's actually been in my room for a few days now. Healing”, Danny still really wants to give those asshole GIW a piece of his mind after the shit they did.

Jack sighs, partly because he had no clue and because he doesn’t like the way his son said healed, “I’m guessing you want to keep him at this point then. And healing from what? Is he a new ghost or something?”. Jack can’t help but wonder if maybe new ghosts could be influenced to be good, he knows his sons heart is practically made of gold so  in theory...

Danny decides for honesty, because really Cujo’s been his from the start even if he always denied it, “yeah, I’d like him to officially be mine. He practically adopted me years ago and he was new back then. His ectoplasm was all messed up, he was practically a puddle when I found him. Or more so he found me”.

Jack can tell there’s some anger in his sons' words and it’s officially clear to him that his son is attached to this particular ghost. Looking at Cujo happily gnawing on Danny’s fingers he can’t help but see why. The little guys not so bad, and dare he think it, not remotely evil. “Well you clearly care son and he’s hardly been even a little bad so I guess it’s ok. How’d he adopt you though?”

Danny laughs animatedly remembering how ridiculous those few days had been, “he just walked up to me in a parking lot and dragged me off to help him find his chew toy. After that he’d just show up to play, sometimes I think he thinks I’m a chew toy”.

Jack notes that Danny’s glare at Cujo, who’s chewing on his arm, looks more amused than annoyed, “he must have blunt teeth for that not to hurt. That’s an incredibly odd thing for a ghost to just do. But he is a dog and that’s very dog”. Jack knows there’s more to the story but he knows there’s no point in pushing it. His son will only tell him what he wants to, no matter how much Jack pushes him. Even if he did push, he knows all he’d get is lies and Danny would walk away from the conversation.

“Dogs gonna do what a dog’s gonna do I guess”, Danny tactfully avoids the pain question because it absolutely does hurt but he doesn’t even notice it because, compared to everything else, it was so minimal. Danny looks towards his dad, sometimes he still finds it weird that he actually has to look down a little instead of up at him, “so you’re going to be cool with ghost doggy here? Like, you’re really ok with this?”.

Jack looks at Cujo and thinks on his words, officially deciding that at the very least animal ghosts weren’t pure evil, “yes, son. It’s weird but you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and you’re a Fenton! Every Fenton hs a good ghost sense about them”, Jack has no clue why this makes Danny burst out laughing and laughing hard.

Once Danny’s calmed a little, “true there. Cujo is a good boy, hmm, yes you are”. Jack watches as Danny scratches at Cujo’s chin who promptly licks his face. “Just no invisible poop, ok?”.

Now it’s Jack’s turn to laugh, “now there’s an issue I didn’t even think of! There’s a story there!”. Danny nods and grimaces, “stepping in it”. Making Jack laugh more, eventually, Danny joins him in doing so.

Danny stops laughing groans a little at spotting Cujo’s rapidly wagging tail as he jumps down and bites Danny’s ankle. “This is what I mean boy, by you thinking I’m a toy”, thinking quick Danny extends his intangibility to Cujo knowing damn well the pup might not do it himself, as Cujo drags him off the couch and starts running around. Dragging Danny behind him and startling Jack.

“Er, son is this ok?”

“Yup! When I said he dragged me off I meant that literally!”

Jack can’t help but laugh into his hand even if this clear show of strength, there’s no way his son is light, is a bit concerning.

Danny eventually pops his head, with now messy hair, over the top of the couch. “He’s got a fair bit of energy now and I’m fine”, Jack can’t help but snort as Cujo teleports right above Danny’s head and lays in Danny’s hair.

“I think that’s obvious son. But at least his antics are only freaky not harmful”.

Danny decides it’s probably best to bite the bullet at this point, it’s probably not best to spring Cujo’s-also-a-ten-foot-monster-dog out of nowhere. Plus his dad clearly can tolerate the dragging Danny around craziness. “Uh yeah about that, Cujo’s size is very deceptive. Deceptive both literally and figuratively. Let’s go outside and he’ll run around some. Burn off some energy”. Danny can tell his dad’s a bit confused but nods anyway.

Cujo instantly starts bolting around the yard as father and son sit on the steps. Danny chuckles as Cujo, once again, notices the squirrel, “that poor squirrel. He’s really going to wish he picked any other yard to live in”.

“All that yapping might just make him leave!”

“Well once Cujo actually starts barking he just might”, shuffling a bit, “anyways you see how his glow is stronger and wiggling?”. Jack tilts his head and realises that his son is right, “huh? What’s he doing?”

Danny shrugs, “easier to just watch though try not to be too startled”. Jack’s a bit concerned now and then very concerned when the tiny puppy is suddenly a big angry looking tower of green fur. Both of them watch as the squirrel bolts out of the tree and flees.

Danny, picking up that Cujo will definitely chase it and that’s definitely not a good idea to let him do, “Cujo stay”. Cujo stops in his tracks and turns his massive head back to Danny, rolling his tongue out in the process. Danny can’t help but smile and rolls his eyes. Flicking his fingers, he lets Cujo know it’s cool to run over to him. Which Cujo promptly does, licking Danny from toe to head.

Jack’s still a bit in shock as Danny grabs Cujo’s collar and yanks himself up, throwing an arm over Cujo neck and hanging off the side of his big ass dog. “Same dog just, uh, bigger”

Danny watch’s, hiding his nerves, as Jack slowly gets up. Jack holds out his hand and watches as the massive dog licks him and wags his tail, “I’m really glad you didn’t introduce me to him like this, but he really is the same dog”. Jack shakes his head but smiles as he takes in exactly how Danny is just hanging off the side of Cujo, “if he’s letting you do that, then he’s got to be ok”.

Danny smiles warmly and turns his head to Cujo, “down down”. Heeding the command Cujo promptly shrinks down.

“Oh wow! You even have that trained! You could ride him into a fight like a horse!”

Danny can’t help but laugh, since he’s literally done that before, “yeah I probably could”.

Jack throws caution to the wind and rubs Cujo’s head a bunch as he hops into Danny’s lap. Judging by the way Cujo’s purple tongue hangs out, everyone’s gonna be just fine.

End.

[browa123]

Halfa Are Genetic Theory

I'm moving this over from my Amino account so more people can see it.

-

I've been thinking on this for a while now, and I loooove going on and on about Halfa theories with my friends on discord, thought I'd share one with you all here. It's all about genetics and stuff, so get ready.

This is like a half theory, half headcanon blather, so take it with a grain of salt. (Halfa theory, I'm so funny)

So there's this idea that only certain people can become Halfas in ectoplasmic exposure, and it's got me thinking.

Halfas are formed on a DNA level, as seen in the intro to Danny's accident. The ectoplasm literally coats the genes in his cells and attaches to them, coated in ectoplasm and mixed together.

I think that the ability to become a Halfa is genetic.

There were Halfas in the past, there had to be, as long as ghosts and humans have interacted, long enough for ectoplasmic exposure to mutate into a gene that can be passed down.

Poindexter in Splitting Images that the Halfa has all of a ghosts possible powers, and he'd only just met Danny. And I'm sure his visits with Vlad weren't plenty or pleasant if there were any. It may have been 20 years since Vlad Plasmius showed up, but the rumours that the Halfa has ALL the powers can't be spawned from just one Halfa, I believe. (Plus he literally says half a BOY half a Ghost, and Vlad was an adult during his accident)

Legends and myths going around may have caused these rumours before Vlad, perhaps ancient ghosts around for when they existed starting them when Vlad shows up?

So why do I think it's Genetic?

Remember, Halfa are half human, so their half ghost genes would pass down from child to child, but also get diluted into further generations as more human DNA is added, to the point in the present where there are no ghost powers, just the ability to gain them under the right circumstances.

I'm sure even in the past Halfa were a rare thing, and with how easily scared humans are, past Halfa were very secretive about their existence. There is, after all, nothing in modern research about ghost human hybrids.

The Halfa become half ghost, have offspring with humans, leaving a child with less Halfa power. Then that child grows up, has children with another human, weakening the power of half ghosts from generation to generation, until there's no ghost powers left.

And with no ghost powers, the warnings to hide them die out too, an entire species of hybrid vanishing off the face of the earth.

But the gene is still there, very faint, but with the right circumstances can be reactivated, creating a new generation.

So, what of today's Halfas? Let's start simple. With two of the oldest potential halfa we know. Yes, potential. You didn't forget, did you? Then again, the way the timeline went, I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm talking about Vlad and Jack. Both of them have this Halfa gene. The same Halfa gene, if you think about it.

Vlad and Jack must have a distant common ancestor if my theory has any weight. Remember, in the episode "Masters of All Time" Danny changes the timeline to stop Vlad from getting his powers, causing Jack to get hit instead and having his Halfa gene activated instead of Vlad.

And what does his ghost form look like?

It can't be mere coincidence of you ask me. Sure, it was the same portal, but only certain people can become Halfa. Not every Halfa looked like Count Dracula, after all. (Though it would be hilarious if that was their ancestor XD). Danny is proof enough of that.

But, I'm sure the bloodline that Vlad and Jack shared before splitting into the Fenton and Masters family tree had a Halfa that had the same sort of cape and spiky hair as both Vlad Plasmius in the main timeline and Dad Plasmius (I call him that, you can't take that from me) in the altered one.

I know what you're thinking. Yeah that's great and all but what about Danny? He doesn't look like Plasmius. To which I raise you Maddie Fenton. Danny's mother, and the next peice of this theory headcanon mess. Phantom doesn't look at all like Plasmius thanks to Danny's Mom. Why?

She, too, is a decendant of a Halfa bloodline.

I'm sure if Maddie was caught in the blast of the proto portal, shed have become the ecto acne covered Halfa. But her ghost form would probably be different due to her dormant genetics coming from another Halfa.

Now, let's not forget how these three met and what they were studying. Ghosts. In a world that believed them to be myths. Jack has a family history in ghosts dating back to at least the 1600's (Infinite Realms) and all three are convinced they exist no matter who tells them they're crazy.

Perhaps it's the ancient history of Halfa in the family tree that lead to both Jack and Maddie and even Vlad wanting to study ghosts in the first place. Something in their DNA that leads to the study of ghosts and the reawakening of a previously extinct spiecies. Halfa genetics, locked deep in their cells, sending instructions to the brain to try and reawaken.

*Ahem*

Vlad, move out of the way of the swirly, nope he's just gonna stand there like an idiot and let it happen, ok.

Bogus.

Now think about Danny again.

He's got double the Halfa genetics, from both his parents, making the deeply burried ghostly urge crawl under his skin for years, until his parents finish the portal, by putting the button on the inside.

A series of unfortunate events unfold, but it's destiny to Danny, to reawaken the genetic purpose that exists within him. He wanted to go in there, always, even if an unconscious thought he knew was dangerous.

After all, who knows what awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that portal? It's instinctual wanting to go in there.

And thus the genes of two Halfa bloodlines mixed into one boy activate, creating a rapidly growing, rapidly more powerful Halfa.

Danny is going to easily outclass Vlad some day, it's only a matter of time.

-

And that’s the little theory headcanon thing, have fun with it,

[lavvyan]

Continuing the Thing for @antares04a , part 2 of now 3 (or maybe 4, I’m so sorry!). Will make absolutely no sense whatsoever if you don’t read part 1 first. Um, cliffhanger warning. 

~~~

He explores his... power? His gift? This freakish thing that he can do? What does he even call something like that? Who does he tell about something like that? He kind of wants to tell Steve about his lightning-induced... affinity? Affinity sounds less dumb than superpower; he'll just go with that, then. He wants to tell Steve about his affinity, but a lifetime of watching movies makes him think about sterile labs and horrific experiments and has visions of top secret Navy research divisions pop into his mind, and it's stupid, he knows it's stupid. If there's anyone in this world he can trust to keep his secrets, it's Steve. But knowing, rationally, that he's being an idiot and working up the guts to do something about it are two very different things, so he keeps his head down and his mouth shut.

In the meantime, he explores his affinity to figure out its boundaries. After a week or so, he knows that if a thing has wires or moving parts, he can kind of talk to it. He can un-jam the office printer, fix the external hard drive that stores Grace's precious files of some TV show Danny's never even heard of, and stop Kono's fountain pen, inherited from a well-meaning uncle who seems to have only the foggiest concept of Kono's job, from leaking all over the place.

He can't convince his laptop to uninstall Cortana, talk the spilled coffee into leaving his shirt and hopping back into the mug, or stop his Enemy Mine DVD from doing that annoying freeze-skip during the Mickey Mouse dialogue.

Basically, Danny's affinity for technology is less scary than he thought. It's also, as far as his job is concerned, completely useless.

So he tries to find a use for it.

~~~ READ MORE ~~~

It's not that Danny has a habit of fixating on his issues. Except he totally does; he fixates and blows things out of proportion and pursues his goals with a sort of tunnel vision that might worry him if he had any attention left to spare.

Steve's gun sometimes jams when it gets too hot. Their firefights hardly ever last long enough for this to become an issue, but 'hardly ever' isn't the same as 'never.' Danny's been trying to make him get a replacement for years, but Steve's weirdly attached to this particular piece. Now, when Steve gets a call in the middle of cleaning it and walks out of the room, Danny seizes the chance to touch every part of that gun, sternly telling it to work like it's supposed to and keep Steve safe.

Chin's bike has been running less than smoothly. Probably dirt particles in the gas, Chin said, sighing as he added that he tried everything short of taking the whole engine apart, so that'd be his weekend sorted out. Danny spends his lunch break outside and casually reminds the bike that it's not supposed to jerk and stutter. Stop that, please, and keep Chin safe.

Kono's laptop when its connection to their server gets too slow. Lou's emergency sat phone. Jerry's ridiculous collection of USB sticks. The funny little GPS gadget Adam likes to take along on hikes. Grace's fitbit. The cooking station in Kamekona's truck. Hell, even Kawika's diving equipment.

Be better, he tells them. Work faster. Stay reliable.

Keep them safe.

~~~

More than a week goes by and the red marks on Danny's arm have almost faded completely. A few more days and he might even wear a t-shirt for a change. Just as well; Steve's been eyeing him in that way he has when he's plotting how to get the prissy mainlander to relax, so Danny sees surfing in his immediate future.

For now, though, there's a case to focus on. Someone tried to kidnap the son of one of Governor Māhoe's main campaign contributors, and while the boy has been whisked off to Europe for a fun holiday with old castles and a gaggle of bodyguards, Five-0 is under orders to find the would-be perps.

Which is, of course, when Steve goes missing.

~~~

Danny has this thing, okay, where he needs to know the location of the important people in his life, preferably every minute of every day. After the past few years, he thinks he can be excused for getting twitchy. Luckily for him, Steve has this thing where he likes to indulge Danny's more rational fears, though he can't resist mocking him for it.

So with Steve five minutes late and no text from him, Danny sits a little straighter at his desk and taps his finger on his silent phone. Ten minutes, and Danny's call goes straight to voicemail. Fifteen minutes, and Danny tells Jerry to check Steve's GPS signal. Twenty minutes, and Kono is going through traffic cameras, Chin is calling Hickam to see if they ordered Steve in, and Lou checks with HPD if anyone has called them about anything that might be even vaguely related to Steve. Twenty-five minutes, and they know that Steve took the Marquis that morning, that he and his car vanished from footage almost an hour before Danny called him, and that neither the Navy nor HPD have any clue about Commander McGarrett's whereabouts.

Thirty minutes, and Chin and Kono are on their way to Steve's house, Lou is back on the phone, Jerry is doing god knows what on the internet, and Danny...

Danny is back in his office, quietly freaking out. His laptop is open, showing their current investigation because maybe there’s a connection, but all he can think about is Steve, out god knows where with god knows what being done to him. The images refuse to leave his mind: Steve, bruised and bleeding, in the back of a truck in North Korea. On a gurney in Afghanistan. Sprawled across a basement floor, the groove left by a bullet that barely missed his brain bleeding sluggishly at his temple.

Breathe, he tells himself. Think. You're a detective, figure this out!

If only there was something he could do. He scratches absently at his arm, stares sightless at the images on the laptop screen. Of course he'd end up with the most useless superpower in the world. What good is fixing Steve's gun if Steve can't use it? What if some bad guy uses Steve's own gun to-

No, he thinks, vicious, scared, no, no way, you keep him safe, you hear?

Something tickles at the back of his brain, not quite a headache. Something almost like a whisper.

Keep him safe, Danny thinks again, more purposeful, trying to give the thought direction and it's weird, the order echoing in his head like he's shouting into a vast auditorium, screaming at silent spectators. All of you, keep him safe.

For a long moment, he's left with nothing but the fading reverberations of a desperate command. Then the audience breathes in, all at once, with a roaring, hissing sound that fills Danny's brain with static. He moans, warm liquid dripping down his upper lip as the audience says, YES.

He's dimly aware of sliding out of his chair.

He's unconscious before he hits the floor.

~~~

I’m so sorry! I swear I’m not going to take as long for the next update. Also, if you spot a typo, be a dear and tell me about it. 

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundups 7/6/17

Wow I had a lot to read and I still managed to turn it out faster than I turn out about 90% of these which I’m not sure if it’s a reflection on my reading and writing skills getting better or if I was stressing out over doing these way too much in the past. 

Regardless, we have quite a variety this week and still seem to be celebrating Wonder Joy so let’s just get into it~

DC’s Batman, Creator Owned CBLDF Defender, Marvel’s Spider-Man/Deadpool, DC’s Superman, IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light, DC’s Wonder Woman FCBD, DC’s Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor, Viz’s Yona of the Dawn

DC’s Batman (2016-present) #24 Tom King, David Finch, Danny Miki, Clay Mann, Seth Mann, Jordie Bellaire

Okay, so I follow Batman at a distance because I’ll be completely honest: Tom King absolutely lost me with the Gotham and Gotham Girl plot because I just could not get into it, and it annoyed me, so I’ve been hands off with the title for the most part, a decision I only double downed on with the Catwoman debacle and my correct assumption in King really relying too heavily on TWISTS. a

.... 

But I absolutely picked up this issue because even if nothing in my thinking brain believes, at all, that this will be allowed to change the status quo between Bruce and Selina...

I love BatCat so much you guys.

He proposed. And I bought it purely for those pages.

I have to emphasize it was for those pages alone because I could not have cared less about Claire and Bruce’s conversation because I’m just so tired of how many people there are in Gotham and how this conversation would have been so much more meaningful if it came from Kate or Dick or Tim or Cass or Duke or Harper or Damian or Julia or Luke or Jean Paul or Leslie or -- THERE ARE SO MANY BAT CHARACTERS THAT ARE NOT BEING USED TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL RIGHT NOW DAMMIT.

The conversation itself is kinda stuff we’ve heard before, and while I like how it tied in thematically it just wasn’t in me to not criticize the fact that it’s coming from the current OC of the Day. 

Anyway. 

I came for the BatCat and I was happy for it even if it was basically only three issues and I had to deal with grown artists making Gotham GIrl’s skirt incredibly short while she was in weird positions for most of it. 

So. That’s my take on that.

Now I can write 3 million fics about how this could be wonderful and that Helena Wayne gets to grow up with all her siblings and be loved by the world. byyyyeeeeeeee

Creator Owned CBLDF Defender Vol. 2 #2 Marc Adreyko, Gene Luen Yang

So this is mostly just an addition at the last minute both because it’s free and because it’s, well, an information brochure about uniting to subscribe or pledge money to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for all those who have been encouraged into activism thanks to recent events and the collective consciousness surrounding events like last year’s Pulse nightclub shooting.

It’s a good idea and it’s pro-community messaging speaks to me. I’d like to spread awareness for people that these voices are out there and that if you’re interested in providing support you can check out this particular brochure on Comixology for free or google at your leisure.

Marvel’s Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 2: Side Pieces Scott Aukerman, Gerry Duggan, Penn Jillette, Nick Giovannetti, Paul Scheer, Joshua Corin, Reilly Brown, Scott Koblish, Todd Nauck, Tigh Walker

Okay, so... I like Spider-Man/Deadpool’s first arc... but it’s pretty much exactly like Trinity over at DC and it’s spiritual predecessors Batman/Superman and Superman/Batman in that, outside of what’s honestly a pretty stellar initial premise, there is not a whole lot of plan behind where the comic wants to go for the future. 

So you get a whole lot of different creative teams and no cohesive narrative or direction for the comic to go. 

But I guess that really brings into question what makes ongoing comics work and whether or not th idea of “hilarious monthly team ups of Spider-Man and Deadpool without a point, and assumedly without continuity consequences” is enough to work. 

And as someone who honestly really enjoys one-shot one-and-dones, that’s honestly a pass for me. 

But at the same tim... I mean there’s a reason I have both Spider-Man/Deadpool and Trinity on trade wait status now. 

The whole is not equivalent to the sum of its parts, but honestly it’s got some genuinely funny and worthwhile parts as it stands. And I appreciate that. 

DC’s Superman (2016-present) #24 Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, Mick Gray, Joe Prado, Wil Quintana, John Kalisz

You know, sometimes being a comic fan is kind of like reading the newspaper more than reading a narrative story. 

For me that’s kinda what this issue felt more like, I was getting information on where all the characters had moved since last time, the motivations, some backstories. Slight progress and movement in the form of an update on what happened to Lois and getting to see her still kicking Clark’s ass in gear despite his concern for her injury, which I liked, but overall this issue mostly felt like filler for the final moment where we see Jon fall completely into the control of Manchester Black. 

Who... is a big whooping plot hole I am stil waiting to be addressed. Clark remembers Manchester Black from the New Earth continuity still and the “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” and knows about the Elite, but do they know about him? Or are they completely different from the Super Elite we knew? Are we going to get a Justice League Elite mention (which good god please spare me, though I’ll take Sister Superior). 

This is one of those cases where I feel like my overly extensive knowledge of things in continuity actually puts me at a disadvantage to actually like... reading and taken things for granted. 

I want things to make sense, or I want enjoyable Kent family shenanigans. 

But this issue did have Krypto so, I automatically add a star to it. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. 

IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light (2016-present) #6 James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, Joanna Lafuente

Look, sometimes I think it’s important for critics, reviewers, readers, what have you, to bea ble to say that they’re confused and don’t know what emotion to feel or whether or not the comic accomplished exactly what it wanted to and I’m just. Like. 

Yes that is my emotion at the moment.

A lot of stuff happened in this issue. Like lots of crazy, out there, amazing stuff was packed into a single issue and it’s like, there were panels where you’d blink and you’d miss important character development notes -- like Ratchet hugging their Rung once they got back. Like there’s so much good -- Rodimus had a lot of amazing moments throughout and I love the range of humor to anger to disappointment that he showed. Like his trust and faith in others is already pretty shattered at the moment and to feel Megatron’s apparent betrayal adding onto that is like a million times more stuff. I fear he’s nearing a very dangerous ledge, which is bad because this issue also tells us that Rodimus’ death wish and lowkey desire to put himself in dangerous positions to die heroically is still as prominent as ever. 

Someone hug my trash fire of a son, please.

And then magical girlfriend romance bringing back her girlfriend as a baby and it’s kinda weird like is it still going to be the same Lug? Does Anode acknowledge that it’s weird? Is anyone going to point out that they could feasibly use protoform matter now to resurrect anyone whose spark remnants are available now? Including Skids and Ravage?

what is going on

Anyway. 

There’s a lot packed into this issue which is why I am honestly kind of happy that next issue’s description is a “fallout” from this because holy shit, I need room to breathe and think through things.

Also. Dat smile when Megatron heard Optimus’ voice in the epilogue-ish finale. I like. Maybe had a fangirl moment. Just maybe. 

Anyway. I’m shrug emoji right now until I can get my emotional state sorted out because wow there’s a lot at the moment. Like a lot. A lot a lot.

DC’s Wonder Woman FCBD 2017 Special Edition (2017-present) #1 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott, Romulo Fajarado Jr.

Like last week’s Wondy special, this is a reprint, but it’s a reprint of the first issue of “Year One” which still holds up as the far superior of the two starting Wonder Woman titles from Rucka last year and is amazingly well held up...

...save of course for the exact same criticisms as the last time I went over the issue which is Dead Bro Walking trope and a whole lot of Rucka Why???? that comes attached to the really bizarre treatment of race in the first arcs of the series. It’s just so bizarre.

But honestly, again, these moves are meant to attract the new, excited audience after the box office smash that has been the Wonder Woman movie -- an audience that has been largely female of all ages. And if there’s one free comic I’m glad will show up immediately on their google searches this Wednesday, I’m very glad it’s going to be the start of what has quickly become my favorite standard bearer of Wonder Woman’s origin story. 

Something I appreciate even more after having finally read the entirety of Azzarrello’s Wondy run which. Eck. Wash my mouth out. 

DC’s Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor (2017) #1 Tim Seeley, Christian Duce, Allen Passalaqua

So this addition to my pull was kind of unexpected in that I had no idea that it was coming out this week and thought “why not” because I’m literally still so Wonderfully Pumped Up a the moment and as far as I can see, the more proceeds DC and WB can see attributed to Wonder Woman the better.

That being said, Tim Seeley really dug into his Grayson roots in this one because that’s about the only thing I really got from this issue is that Steve Trevor’s a badass secret agent with secrets and a deep seeded guilt thing. Which kinda felt like a harsher toned take on his Dick Grayson more than anything else. Which is fine.

Part of the problem here is that I did not read the New52 short term published book that was A.R.G.U.S. or whatever where Steve starred during the weird interim where Steve was not allowed around Diana and Lois wasn’t allowed around Clark but DC still wants to make money from fans anyway.

idk. And since those kinds of spy books are rarely my cup of tea, I don’t think this issue sold me on renigging on that instinct.

Still it was cute and Diana and Steve’s interactions, while minimal, are really the driving portion of his narrative which I think is always good.

But, just like the Annual, I’m left just sitting here going “why don’t we use this opportunity to show off the upcoming Wonder Woman creative team, DC????”

And I get no answer bc DC actually doesn’t care about some weirdo random blogger on the internet constantly screaming at them.

Viz’s Yona of the Dawn (2009-present) Vol. 6 Mizuho Kusanagi

I have actually been very interested in Akatsuki no Yona since I saw its anime show up in my Crunchyroll feed, and as with most anime I can’t help but immediately try to find the manga instead because I am impatient and want Answers Now. As I understand it, the Viz official translations are far behind the current run of the manga (makes sense, as the manga series has been ongoing since 2009 in Japan), and is only catching up to where the anime left off so far, but that’s more than okay for me right now.

Because oh my gosh, it’s so amazing to read such a beautiful story about the growth, empowerment, and pure will of a female character as told by a female author and artist. I’m not the biggest fan of Shoujo as a style of art, but having Yona strike a balance between beautiful and cutesy visuals with what is ultimately a fairly action driven plot with intense moral posturing and constant detail put into the grayness of life’s choices makes Yona of the Dawn honestly unlike just about any Shoujo I’ve read before. 

Yona is one of the most compelling heroines I’ve ever seen, and her intensity of spirit and her meaningful examination of her kingdom makes this fairy tale story really unlike anything else out there. 

And while I’ve really enjoyed Yona to this point, I have to say it is an amazing relief to reach Volume 6 an finally get more female characters than just Yona. I like the reverse harem appeal of the cast as it has been so far, and I have affection for several of the boys, but man is it so much more meaningful to have a few more compelling female characters backing up Yona in the representation department.

Especially since some of Yona’s crew still feel... a little bland to me. It’s usually not a good sign in a massive cast when the traits that come immediately to mind for me are purely character design. 

I’m excited for what’s to come and to see how our Princess fully realizes her potential as the Crimson Dragon. 

Also I should note some skeevy parts of this. One I don’t mind but am sure other people might, there’s the fact that Yona’s current storyline is dealing with Yona taking down a ring of human traffickers and slavers, which brings up the question of autonomy both for Yona as a woman in this honestly pretty traditionally sexist kingdom but also for the Dragons themselves and how their “service” to Yona is framed as a question of their own will. But it’s still a story about human trafficking and that could bother a lot of people. Another thing in this volume, which has bothered me in the previous volumes but really came to a head this time around, is Hak’s... weirdly possessive outbursts toward Yona. I get that they are meant as... idk protective and romantic to some and that we’re supposed to be compelled by his struggle to not show his affection for Yona, but honestly I’m just kinda... naw hoss. Like Hak’s a fine character and I like his relationship and history with Yona most of the time, but like.. the weird pushing her against walls and... licking honey off of her wrists and just. idk. We’re lost in translation here or something bc I’m not a fan.

I’m also not a fan of Viz’s weird changes in the font randomly throughout the book? Like just stop. It’s bad when your translations look lazier than the fan translations I’ve seen floating around on tumblr.

I’ll be honest, as high quality as I consider almost all of these comics this week, I would say the good majority of them did not give me a fully emotional experience or really captivate me in a way that satisfied me from start to finish. And I’m sure in the follow up issues to come there’ll be a lot for me to question into why that might be for the majority of them, but that time is not now. So, as much as it may feel like cheating to pick a volumed book over single issues, I can’t help but say that Yona of the Dawn by far is my pick of the week. It delighted, it changed up its structure and storytelling, built out its world and has started spending more time on the titular characters where before it often felt like we were just taking for granted that there was a dragon gained every volume. And Yona herself is just one of the most satisfying characters to see grow into their own. 

But that’s just my opinion, I’d love to hear what you all think. Agree? Disagree? Think I missed a great comic this week? Please let me know!

[susielindau]

Every year I try to avoid the crazy stress of the the holidays and recapture the magic of Christmas. “Oh, sure,” you’re thinking. With the cards and the decorating, when do I have time? I have my moments when I am swept up and experience that wonderful feeling where anything is possible. You can too.

One year when I was a little kid, my dad drove us around the neighborhood on Christmas Eve. As we approached the top of the hill, he told my sister, Patty, and me that Santa Claus came early this year. I pressed my nose against the cold window and glimpsed Christmas lights twinkling behind our building. When he opened the apartment door, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Santa had come while we were away. Loads of presents lay under the tinseled tree. I never saw those Christmas lights behind our apartment again, but from that night on I knew Santa decorated his sleigh with Christmas lights. I believed.

Flash forward to fifth grade. Ms. Shavink introduced herself to our class and gave us a preview to the coming year including “Becoming a Person,” classes; Catholic sex-ed classes without the sex.

“How many of you still believe in Santa?” she asked. I sprang from my chair and looked around at only four other kids. The rest of the class laughed hysterically. To say that I was embarrassed would be logical, but I argued with my friends about the magic of Christmas during every recess until I ran home after school.

I asked my mom about it. “Of course, there’s no Santa Claus. I thought you knew.” I ate my afternoon snack in disbelief.  Magic had represented hope, possibilities, and miracles. The world seemed duller. Grayer. Less fun.

That was the worst Christmas ever.

I grew up.

I endured those non-sex-ed classes and learned all kinds of horrible things like I was going to bleed once a month, forever. It took me a while longer to find out how babies were made. I had a harder time believing that couples actually engaged in that sort of activity than Santa didn’t exist.

When I had my own children, I recaptured the magic of Christmas.

Remembering the colorful lights that night behind our apartment, I tossed as many strings of holiday lights as our trees could hold. Okay, so that’s not true since I literally threw them. But, our home made the top 10 list for Christmas lights several years running.

Danny and I owned a toy and school supply business in Denver so he would bring trash bags of gifts home on Christmas Eve. We would stay up until 4:00 AM wrapping them since that’s what his Santa Claus did. I still yawn just thinking about how I lost that argument, every year.

On Christmas morning, we made the kids sit on the stairs and wait until all the relatives were dressed. Then, after what must have seemed like a lifetime and with the camcorder rolling, we’d let them run in their footy pajamas to the tree. The joy on their faces reflected the magic was alive and well in the Lindau household.

The summer before fifth grade we had the sex talk with our children and let them down about Santa. They were wide eyed about sex but already knew about the jolly fellow. Kids these days.

That didn’t stop me from keeping the magic alive.

After taking a tour of Patsy Ramsey’s house on a holiday home tour, (yes, THE Patsy Ramsey), I discovered decorating could be taken up a huge notch. Read this post to find out how she ruined my life. After the tour, I made wreaths, swags and sashed out our entire home. I added lights to all the greenery to make the house twinkle from the inside out.

Illustrating Christmas cards captures magic too. Have you seen what we are doing in some of these cards? That’s called artistic license. Creating something out of nothing more than paper and a felt tip is magical too. Especially for me, since I’m terrified before drawing them every year. I worry that I won’t be able to pull it off let alone get any likenesses of the family.

Suspension of disbelief.

We have all experienced this while reading or watching movies. In Elf, I still get a rush when Buddy, Will Ferrell, shows his dad, James Caan, that Santa is real, alive, and well. When he rides in Santa’s sleigh over New Yorkers in Central Park, my heart always swells. I’m in the moment and believe.

Imagine it, embrace it, believe in your dreams and you might be surprised.

Thing is, miracles do happen. I’m sure you have your stories. I have mine. There are times in our lives when we need to hold onto the hope of the farfetched, the unreachable, the impossible goal. Suspend disbelief. For a moment, magic will feel real to you too.

Every so often, when unpacking a garland or setting up my Christmas village, I am swept up into that giant hug of Christmas. I’m a kid again who believes in magic. Anything is possible. Instead of hoping for tons of gifts under the Christmas tree, I’m grateful for family who comes to share the holidays. I hope for continued health, dreams coming true, and many Christmas celebrations to come.

Sometimes we even jump for joy!

Christmas is a magical time of year. Don’t let it slip past you. Slow down and enjoy the moments.

When your heart swells, you’re filled with joy, or you feel like a little kid again, you will know that you have discovered magic this holiday season. You might have even suspended disbelief. Then, anything is possible.

Click for more adventure and inspiration on the Wild Ride.

Related posts:

Win a Handmade Christmas Card! 2018

10 Life Hacks in Time for the Holidays!

How Patsy Ramsey Ruined My Life!

Recapture the Magic of Christmas Every year I try to avoid the crazy stress of the the holidays and recapture the magic of Christmas.

[phantomphangphucker]

The Bindings Of Time - Chapter 5. And Times Little Slideshow Comes To End, Only To Start Again - PhannieMay - Day 24 Ghost Stories and Day 22 Memories

Summary: Danny’s had all of time to tell his personal ghost story

(Multi-chapter fic, each chapter falls under the Memories prompt as well as another day’s prompt) —the future— Danny smiles fondly as he closes his mouth, looking out over the gathered crowd, some here physically others viewing through the surrounding floating screens. Danny pats affectionally at his chest while sitting atop a black and white podium, ghostly tail curled around it as he finishes his story. The story of how the weird little halfa became The Master Of Time. It’s been a long time since then, though it feels so very different to him. Recalling it like it was yesterday and also seeing it like it would come to pass tomorrow. In all that time humanities views, not only of him but ghosts, had changed so very much; as he knew they would. 

Pointing at one of the raised hands, “so you really are a god then? Just a ghostly one?”. Danny still doesn’t care for the god term, while he was separate, and needed to be viewed as such, from everyone else; being viewed as a god was a little too separating. He wanted and needed reverence, not devotion. Smiling slightly, “while I may possess many qualities you ascribe to godhood, I don’t claim the title. I am very much one of you, a human. Not some grand being beyond you. My humanity simply exists differently and my state of self-access to things beyond. I walk amongst you a regular civilian, as I always have and will continue to. I tell you this now as it’s come to the time for me to be truly known to you. For you to understand that it is more than just earth itself I protect and stand guard over”. It really hadn't taken humanity as a whole very long to come to view Phantom as the Human Realms protector, though many falsely believed he simply protected this realm from ghostly threats. It had taken longer for them to understand that he actually protected the Ghost Realm as well. Even longer still, to accept and like that. Now it had been a few years since he’d become universally viewed as earths protector, keeper of both Realms and respected as such. Sure the two species still had their skirmishes and didn’t exactly get along, but that was expected. Heck, even he still got into sparring matches with both ghosts and humans. Two things so utterly different and in states that really shouldn’t be able to coexist, but yet do in him, could never truly exist in complete peace. But they did exist in harmony now, which was enough. He smiles warmly at all the nodding heads and faces, slipping off the podium to float upright as one of the world leaders turns to him, “so what title is it that you hold, if not that of a god?”. “Guardian remains suiting enough. Guardian of Earth and of Time. My title amongst ghosts is The Master Of Time or Time Master. But even they call me by Phantom. So Phantom is who I am, any further titles are simply embellishments”, no one knows what he looks like as a human, or more specifically they don’t know that the human they know is actually Phantom. Even with the knowledge of halfas, no one seems to make the connection, and how could they? The idea that someone you know is some powerful otherworldly and unfathomably old being, is so absurd that no one would even consider it. The old leader nods as he brings forth a purple high-status crown, three separate swirling bands of purple light with white rimming on the top and bottom of each. Danny stills his ghostly tail enough to let the two reverence guards slide it to float around his tail, below the three blue and green ones, before they stand stiff and salute him. Danny telekinetically moves the three purple bands to make it so there’s a pattern. Purple, first because his place as Master Of Time comes above everything else; then blue/green, purple, blue/green, purple, and the last blue/green an inch or so above the tip of his tail. Most people wore any status crowns they had, to mark important jobs or achievements, floating around their arms, but his tail was the only place where they would not hinder him. He never really used legs as a ghost anymore, far more comfortable to have a tail. Only ghosts got crown bands that glowed, though the blue part of the bands that marked him as Earths protector didn’t glow. A sign of his halfa state. Just the same, having three bands was only for the highest ranked of a position, most who did have bands only had one. Danny only knew of a few people who would forgo wearing their bands, himself included while human. A couple people chuckle over his rearranging of the bands, he really was being extra and him thinking about style is very humanising to them. Which is exactly why he did so publicly. “For someone so powerful and with so many responsibilities you sure don’t take things seriously”, pretty well everyone is quick to agree. Danny smiles devilishly, he did take all this seriously just with a thick coating of humour, “time’s a funny thing, and I’m a funny man. Burdens will crush you if not handled with light comfort. And a perpetually humoured demeanour and way of thinking is a near weightless level of comfort. Far more than the sweet embrace of everafter that I will never know and that will always be my greatest joke”. Danny floats off thinking about how it was rather amusing that there had come to be a universal term for when someone stopped existing. Sure many humans still said “death”, and many ghosts “fading”, but for anything official or public “everafter” was used. And it amused him even more that this word existing and being accepted as the proper norm, was what finally sealed the deal of the harmony between his two worlds. Meaning there was one less secret to keep.

Smiling fondly and waving at people as he flies by them, pleased at how they don’t and won’t treat him different. His presence has become so normalised to humanity as a whole that there was very little he could do to change the ways they treated him. Habit is a powerful thing, specially when it was one every human was surrounded by from the day they’re born. Pretty well every household had a charm of Earths Guardian. His symbol, a flaming DP inside a gear, was everywhere really. Teleporting back to Amity and leaving the visible spectrum before anyone notices his presence, funny thing about his teleporting, time always stopped for a bit just before and after; unless he forced it not to, of course. In Amity his symbol was even more popular, it was practically one of the pride and joys of the city; and rightfully so. It was, and still is, his home town after all. The whole freaking place was his lair and that was common knowledge, though he wasn’t here even a tenth as much as he used to be. Back in human form, Danny chuckles as he makes his way to Fenton Works. Of course he left out real names while telling his tale, he did have a human secret life to keep quiet. It was a bit funny how Phantom used to be his secret life and identity, now Danny Fenton was. Though he generally went by his middle name, James, now, and no humans actually knew his human last name. Ruffling up his purple dyed hair as he sighs at the Fenton Works sign, he does wish his parents had been around for all of this but that’s in the past. Besides, Jazz’s many times' great grandson was here now, though he didn’t know his secretive otherworldly uncle as anything other than a human family friend who worked as a relations director between humans and ghosts. Danny had found it utterly hilarious when Jazz’s husband actually changed his last name, effectively carrying on the Fenton name. Sure it was largely because of the Fenton name being famous and constantly mentioned when all things ghost were concerned. Still that way to this day, his whole little family essentially became the pioneers and faces of all things ecto. His parents with their hunting, ghost biology research and inventions, Jazz with ghost psychology, and him with ghost relations and ghost translations. The foundations for the sciences and arts of all things ghost. Even the current generation carried that name, too much pride and importance attached to it for any of them to ever change it. Pushing in the door and promptly getting tackled by little ten-year-old Levi Fenton, “hows it hanging you little devil?”. She chuckles up at him, “you deeker, for being so young you sure are unlived”. Danny will take the lighthearted insult, if anyone gets to used dated terms it’s him. Even if his little niece insists on calling him a deeker, foolish and socially inept, for it. Besides, he’s always been a dork. Waving at her father, Jester, as he sticks his head out the kitchen, smirking before going back to making food, “ah, I fancy you were at Phantom’s little meet turned nuclear? Quite the shell he cracked open on everyone huh?”. “Oh, I already knew. But it was highly to my own amusement”, now Jester jerks his head back out and looks accusingly at Danny. Squinting as he realises Danny’s serious, “lad what? Since when? I know you’re the director of a secretive branch, even if you’re barely older than I am, but truth?”. Danny laughs and rubs his neck, “I've always known. But you’ll find no human who did before today anyway”. Jester only gets to glare as Levi runs out the kitchen with the entire pot of food. Danny grabs and catches it as she trips, holding up the hot pot above her, that would have spilled over her, as he raises an eyebrow at her, “Fenton’s are a reckless bunch but this is walking-inside-a-portal-and-turning-it-on, levels of reckless”. She huffs at him though clearly startled, while Danny walks the pot to the kitchen. Jester shakes his head and pinches his nose, “well, she’s a case of extra reckless”. Tilting his head at Danny, “still haven’t placed where you get that saying from. You’re the highest open book covered in synthlocks I know”. Danny smirks and tilts his head, it’s nice that it’s finally the right time to have his Fenton family in the know again. Even if there are only two living Fentons’ now, well, and one half living one. “All secrets with time, Jester. But if you really must know...”, Danny trails off as Jester aggressively seats himself and slams his elbows onto the table, ever eager to know anything about the weird ass family friend. Guy didn’t even know Danny’s human bedroom was hidden in the house, so Danny doesn’t exactly blame him. Plus, Fentons’ were a curious bunch. Picking back up, “it’s part of the Fenton family’s biggest, weirdest and best-kept secret. And yes it’s a bit ironic that only one Fenton actually knows nowadays, but that’s just how things had to be”. Now Jester just looks confused, which is expected since, to his knowledge, him and his daughter are the only Fentons’ currently. Danny waves off his confusion, “the portal in the lab has some major history. So did the first Fenton protoprotal, both created halfas after all”. Jester coughs and looks at Danny incredulously, “dench! Truth?”. Danny nods as he sits down, “indeed, one Vlad Masters. Bless that man’s tiny cold evil heart, can’t say it’s surprising he managed to destroy himself. He wasn’t a true halfa though, the other one is”. Jester nods, “so that’s why the Fentons’ and Masters’ are close, huh”. That was something else Danny got a massive kick out of, Vlad instantly started playing nice when he found out Danny was beyond just overpowered. Eventually, that fake friendliness became somewhat genuine, even if Vlad had still been a conniving evil prick. It was downright impressive his daughters turned out alright, probably wouldn’t have if they’d been halfas though. Shaking his head, “Vlad actually hated Jack Fenton, was in love with Maddie Fenton and wanted to adopt the two kids. Spent most of his time trying to kill Jack and fighting the only other Halfa in existence at the time”, tilting his head back and laughing at Jester’s appalled face before continuing, “the only two members of a species utterly hating each other. One evil and lonely, the other good and connected. Very black and white, ironically. The third halfa was actually a clone of the good halfa created by Vlad to make the perfect son. Vlad was a straight up frootloop. Would have acted on a plan to destroy the entire world unless he was made earths ruler if it wasn’t for Phantom becoming The Master Of Time and putting a stop to that bent shit”. “How do you even know this? And who’s the Fenton that does? Do the Masters’ know all this?”, Danny wasn’t sure if it was sad or funny that the Masters’ did indeed all know about their halfa ancestor. They didn’t really see him fondly and most of his life was forgotten past to them. “The Masters’ know of him and that he was a halfa, but not really about him. As for everything else. Vlad was the very first halfa, existing alone for twenty years until Maddie and Jack built the official Fenton portal. But they put the on switch inside the portal, so when their son decided to walk inside and snoop around, it turned on accidentally. Making the second halfa, one Daniel James Fenton. You can figure out why his middle name is left out in everything”. Jester gawks at him as Danny continues, “calling myself a family friend was a needed ruse for quite some time, it’s simply not now. And now you get why I’m so weird”. Jester shakes his head some, “dench, visuals?”. Danny’s not about to just transform into Phantom but an eye glow should be enough, letting his green eyes glow powerfully bright, effectively getting across that he was telling the truth and was not weak by ghost standards. Jester whispers, “dench”, before shaking his head, “you are officially terrifyingly good at hiding and keeping secrets. Dench lad, you’re my ancient uncle and I had no clue”. Danny chuckles, “I’m quite the enigma to pretty well everyone. You won’t find any that are completely clued in on everything about me. Ghost, human or otherwise. Even my parents never were, heck! They didn’t even know I was a halfa for four years. But I’m the reason for the family business being what it is, my parents used to hate ghosts, Jazz didn’t even believe in them and there wasn’t public proof ghosts even existed. Till I half died and became a famous ghost, anyway”. Jester shakes his head, “that is baffling but also a densely Fenton thing. But if your ghost half is or was famous, I’ve probably heard of that half, I’m to guess?”. It was kind of nice that halfas and ghost were so much more common knowledge know that people were about as shocked at finding out their friend was a ghost as they would be finding out they weren’t straight. But finding out your friend or family was Phantom of all ghosts, was impossibly shocking. Such is the issue with being a hero and guardian, with fame and global reverence. Smiling softly, “oh yes you do, everyone does. Ghost, human, or otherwise. I got the title of Great One and saviour of the Ghost Realm, or Ghost Zone really because that’s what it was called back then, when I was fourteen. Sure only the tribe of the FarFrozen called me that but the worshiping made that pretty hard to forget. Eventually, I earned the title of hero here in Amity for picking fights with pretty well every ghost that showed and caused issues. Which used to be pretty well everyone. Which did make school pretty strange, Paulina had a shrine to me in her locker and would put herself in danger just to get my ghost halfs attention. Glad very few people still do that”. Jester shakes his head, “what even is your beforeafter? But considering the sheer amount of ghosts Amity’s had, there are lots of options really. Can’t say I’ve memorised the timeline”. Danny snorts, because that was too easy of a setup, “I have”. Jester glares at him, “you've half-lived it. Our history is just your life”. That’s not really what Danny meant but he’s also not exactly wrong either. Danny chuckles, “well, as you know, it’s sort of tradition for halfas to name their ghost half. Shocker, Vlad and me started that. Though we were both pretty dumb about it, well, I was more of a joke than dumb but using the same first name, in the same town where you live wasn’t exactly smart. Which is why my human form goes by James now. And why my ghost half goes by my chosen last name, even if everyone knows my first”. Jester laughs into his hand, “ok yeah that was pretty dumb of you, for such a smart guy too. Something tells me you weren’t the most thought blessed kid”. “Naw, I failed nearly half my schooling. Largely because I didn’t care though. My problem is more so that I’ll make jokes at the expense of my own safety. I have let myself get stabbed just for a pun on many occasions. My ghost name is literally a ghost pun on the Fenton name. Vlad called himself Vlad Plasmius or just Plasmius, it was cause his purple ectoenergy reminded him of plasma but he never told anyone that. He really was a science deeker in his twenties. Quite the dork. Just eventually became a rich pompous evil bastard of a madman. He made himself the mayor of Amity just to spite me”, Jester shakes his head but gets up, “tea?”, Danny nods but Jester pauses and points at the ectoplasm kind with a raised eyebrow. Danny shrugs, leaving it up to the guy, doesn’t really matter and he’s cool with either. Unsurprised when Jester indeed gives him the, slightly thicker than normal tea and glowing, ectotea. Swirling it around and smiling mischievously, “anyway, there’s no point in you guessing at my name, since it’s likely the last thing you would guess. No ones exactly ballsy or inane enough to think they even are friends with, none the less related to, the big DP”. Shrugging at Jesters’ incredulous and puzzled stare, “Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom, it’s almost sad how no one ever notices the similarities. Especially when the whole halfa thing is public knowledge”. The two sit silently for a bit before Danny loudly sips at his tea purely for his own amusement. It’s not until his third time doing this that Jester speaks up, whispering, “dench”, before shaking his head and glaring at Danny, “visuals”. Danny tilts his head to check before smirking and transforming, forgoing his cloak and staff, “my times get up is rather unnecessary and faintly overwhelming to have out right now”. Danny sips at his tea while Jester gapes. Danny, with a smirk, “your tea’s gonna go cold”. Making Jester look down at his drink dumbfounded. Before looking back up and composing himself, “dench lad, Phantom is a Fenton. And oh wow yeah that does sound alike. You’re right, I never would have guessed that, but with the time thing, I’m guessing you already knew for sure I wouldn’t”. Danny nods as he tilts his head towards the doorway, seconds before Levi slides in, having been pinged by the house that food was actually ready now. Running past Danny and Jester without even looking at them, while Danny smirks. His echoey voice gets her attention though, “so, gonna steal the pot again?”. Danny knows full well she intended to and Jester knows too because of her guilty face, one that’s instantly replaced with shock at seeing Danny still in ghost form. “BENT! PHANTOM!”, Danny tilts his head back and laughs while Jester tries to glare at her for her language but he’s still a little too caught off guard. Danny gets up and walks over, opting for legs for once, for the sake of seeming more humanly normal. With the bands shrinking and floating around his ankles. Purples on the left and blue/greens on the right, ruffling up Levi’s hair, “bet you never would have guessed Phantom was your ancient uncle huh? Still think I’m an unlived deeker?”. “JAMES!?”, she tilts her head and makes a fish face before looking excited. Kids really were a lot quicker to accept absurd things, and they were also quicker to not really give a shit. “Seeve! You so have to tell me stories!”, watching as she shuffles a bit while Jester spoons out everyone’s food, she tries to look up at Danny innocently, “I’m guessing I can’t tell anyone, can I?”. Danny smiles warmly at her as they sit down for food, “fraid not little lady, tis’ a Fenton family secret. Always has been, always will be. It just so happened that only one Fenton could know for a time”. Jester shakes his head as they all eat though the two human Fentons’ spend a good portion of the meal staring at Danny’s fangs every time he opens his mouth. Which is definitely hard for Danny to not laugh at.

Eventually, the three sit in the living room with Danny in human form again, it’ll take time after all, for them to get used to knowing they're related to and hanging out with Phantom. Danny summons up a viewing screen, “my life’s one big ghost story so care to see how I lived my teenage half-life? Everything, after graduating Highschool and becoming The Master Of Time, is pretty well history. But the stuff before? That’s Fentory”. Jester groans over Danny’s mash-up of Fenton and history while Danny snickers, while Levi just slaps his leg excitedly. Pointing at the screen, “these are viewing screens, I use them to display anything that’s happened or could happen in time. Like a souped-up vimsight. They can also be portals to that time but we’re not doing that”. Jester scoffs, “you make this sound mundane. Which, it stands, is for you”. Danny nods, “but of course. My normal is and always has been, everyone else’s definition of abnormal. And if you’ve ever doubted how much of a joke I am, I made a theme song and title sequence to go along with this”. Laughing some at Jesters’ and Levis’ incredulous laughter while the theme song starts and they flat out watch him die on screen. They go well through the night watching all the weird to plain messed up episodes of his teenage years. Little ghosts stories encapsulated on a screen about the strangest overpowered no longer so young, halfa; and how he wound this way. End. Fin.