#protostar party

[trekkiemage]

The Prodigy kids deserve a bday party!

[event-horizon06]

Hi friends! I made a story today, celebrating the crews birthday today! It’s mostly Gwyn x Dal, but there’s also some Zero/Maj’el in there.

I hope you all enjoy it!

Happy birthday Prodigy Crew! (And you too Mr. Waltke)

[event-horizon06]

Everyone, meet Antaran. He’s my guy. He’s also a Vau N’Kat, and naturally likes weapons. He’s sassy and doesn’t get enough sleep, like myself.

P.S thank you Jay! You are amazing

@event-horizon06 's star trek prodigy oc. going crazy going stupid, et cetera, et cetera

[sqsupernova]

Title: Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Link: Click Here To View and Comment Artist: 1attheedge Find them on: -Twitter: 1attheedge -Tumblr: 1attheedge

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There are two fics written for this art - be sure to check out both, linked below!

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Title: Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Link: Click Here To View and Comment Author: ErrolsFeather Find them on: -Twitter: netsen7 -Tumblr: Rating: General Audiences Warning(s): Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Words: 11k Summary: When Emma first meets Regina it is at a fashion shoot for a Victoria Secret magazine. Regina takes no notice at her at the time. The first time they really see each other is backstage at a fashion show. This is a story about firsts, love and how to nagigate through two different careers.

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Title: Everyone wonders what it would be like to love you - [Protostar fic] Link: Click Here To View and Comment Author: starchasm Find them on: -Twitter: starchasm -Tumblr: starchasm Rating: Teen and Up Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply Words: 6k Summary: Emma, a rising model, meets Regina, an actress and singer, at a party, and they have an instant connection. Can they navigate a relationship through being in the public eye, the disapproval of Regina's mother/manager, and their own insecurities?

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Remember - writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy, so it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! A creator who feels appreciated is a creator who is more likely to write or create art again in the future!

[h-didanart]

Hello hello, welcome back everyone to the Sunrise Arc Theatre au!

Now, for today’s batch of doodles we have some stuff from the Sunset and Moonlight Musical, brought to you by me going into a four(?) hour long YouTube binge for songs from musicals and stuff to add to both plays. It’s still pretty barebones compared to Get in Losers but it’s slowly gaining shape.

The first thing to show you all will actually be parts of a performance by the main villain of the play!

Thanks to all the chaos Moonlight and Sunset managed to set themselves with, Phantom Lunar was able to get the star with little difficulties. It was only natural for the little devil to then proceed to rub it in everyone’s faces, It’s Gonna Get Weird is the closing number for this arc of the play.

Featuring black lights and a harness (that’s what the thing that makes people fly on stage is called, yes?), this song is a chaotically fun performance truly brought to life by Haunting’s cheery delivery and bone-chilling demeanor. They have shown to love this choreography, often adding his own little dance moves to their different on stage performances, though at first he was reluctant to even try it due to the flying sections, they’ve never been a fan of heights. It definitely didn’t help that the worker in charge of him apparently teased them for it. The worker did not deny having said something about it when asked. Regardless of past fears, Haunting enjoys this song a lot and very often can be seen mindlessly practicing the moves.

And now, you will all get the chance to see some small sneak peaks into some of the songs in this play’s lineup, and get some exclusive commentary from the actors! Let’s get to it!

What was a casual hangout in the Alternate Lunar’s dimension soon turned into an awkward situation for the young Eclipse. He hadn’t known he’d step into a touchy subject with that small joke! Luckily the Alternate Lunar seemed more preoccupied with making a point about stuffing your face with sweet icy treats rather than guilting the solar bot about his mistake. Upgrades.

“I try to make the same face I made the first time I heard that line, but like, there’s something about the shock from that statement that just manages to get me to pull that expression even if I’m not trying to. It’s useful but oh my god is it awkward” —Clipsy Corona Galaxia

“I find it very funny honestly, that whole musical is just my sense of humor really! Though it does mean that I have to play it cool when I’m mentally cackling like a hyena at this guy’s reaction” —Umbra Blaze

Short lived but well remembered, an unlikely duo terrorizes the twins, dropping by randomly and demanding to play tea party. Moonlight and Protostar would wave them off had Phantom Lunar not had the powers of a God and basically be able to puppeteer anyone at any point they so desired. This was a party they could not decline the invitation to

“I like to sing this one! It’s very fun, and upbeat, and then it turns into a horror movie! What more could you ever want?” —Haunting Lune Aurora

“Yes, yes, this one is wondrous, quite charming really. Shame we do not get more appearances together, but alas, we got one semi-duet and that feels right for the characters and play” —Ruin Eclair Baker

“Moving as if you were a puppet is a lot more difficult than it appears, would not recommend” —Morning Star Galaxia

Having struggled to put himself in the right path, Moonlight finds himself frustrated with his twin’s lack of communication. It wouldn’t come as a surprise that he’d reciprocate the treatment, going through his own routes to ensure his family’s safety. Surely it will all work out in the end.

“I love this song. I know it’s a villain song but honestly that just makes it better, it’s just so cool! And way better than what I was gonna sing originally, I still think they switched my and Sunrise’s scripts or something” —Waning Moonlight Galaxia

“We did not switch their scripts, Get in Losers had already had a few runs before we even started auditions for Sunset and Moonlight. We just saw that the song would fit someone over here more than over there” —Herald Shadow Art, Head of Writing

It went wrong. It all went so wrong. It couldn’t have gone worse.

“I’m just gonna say it first, this is a completely safe thing to do. Yes there’s props that can catch on fire around, but me and some of our special effects guys have already thought that through. The only thing that’s gonna get burned is gonna be my clothes and that’s for a very cool quick change that probably won’t hurt me, so it’s all fine and good” —Waning Moonlight Galaxia

“It’s special fire produced by a specific mix of magically rooted powders, it looks like a tough flame but it can barely light a scrap of paper on fire” —Moonstone Crystal, Special Effects Department

“Finding a textile that would burn with such little heat was fucking hell, so no, there’s no danger in these stunts” —Eclipse Solar Macabro, Head of Costuming

[commandermeg]

I designed a fancy-dress version of the Protostar uniform and wanted a festive excuse to draw it - what better than a fun party? I'm sure Captain Me is dramatically retelling how she annoyed the greedy Ferengis all summer.

[unknownfacelessfanfictions]

Part 3: To be near you

Pairing: Commander Tysess x Ophelia (OFC) Fandom: Star Trek Prodigy Words: 3.9K Warnings: SPOILERS for season 1 finale; discussion of death; blood and injuries Summary: A reminder that time is precious A/N: @bigblissandlove1 @akamitrani I believe I've read somewhere that you have not seen Prodigy, but I tagged you anyway, just to be sure. I also know that many people find it uncomfortable to read about animated characters, especially if children watch the show too. If you don't want to betagged in Prodigy stuff, just tell me.

Body Language Masterlist

Red alert.

The constant flashing of the red light hurt his eyes and the shrill wailing of the sirens made his ears ring.

It was over. They had survived it.

For a moment, Tysess allowed himself to close his eyes to take a breath and let the irony of it all sink in. The entirety of Starfleet had been saved, by a bunch of kids who weren't even Federation citizens.

At least, pretty much all of them.

And it was almost destroyed by you, whispered a voice in the back of his head, but he pushed it aside when Janeway addressed him.

"Any sign of the USS Protostar?" Tysess felt his antennae lower and turned to his console. "No, Admiral." Regretfully, he shook his head. "I've tracked their warp signature, but read," he hesitated slightly, the cruelty and harshness of the words not wanting to cross his lips "-no signs of life." Without hesitation, Janeway replied. "Send a search party."

Tysess felt as if he could not agree more. This crew had saved them. Granted, they had brought the ship here, but the massacre had hardly been their fault. But as first officer, he felt obliged to present her with the facts. "But, Admiral, the distance they crossed," he folded his arms behind his back and looked at the screen. "It would take months to scan that many star systems."

Janeway, however, was not swayed and straightened up, her eyes now on him. "That crew just saved Starfleet. If they're out there, I want to know." Tysess nodded and stepped behind her to order the lieutenant to send a message to Starfleet requesting permission for a search party.

All at once, one of the ensigns at the ops console spoke up. "Admiral, damage reports coming in." Janeway turned and settled into her seat. "Report." "Direct hits on decks five, seven and nine, the starboard nacelle is damaged and we have hull breaches on decks ten, thirteen and fourteen, as well as cargo bay three and the engine room, with four dead there, eight injured, five of them seriously."

She continued to enumerate the number of injured and dead, but Tysess heard little more, except the pulse in his ears, which accelerated many times over, within a few moments.

At the same time, however, he felt as if time had stopped. Hull breach in engineering. Four dead. Hull breach in engineering. Four dead. Hull breach in engineering. Four dead. Over and over again these words echoed through his head, followed by another thought. Ophelia was on duty. She could be among them. Ophelia was on duty. She could be among them. His head was too full to think and at the same time empty without any thought.

"Commander? Commander? Tysess!" He snapped out of his trance and stared at Janeway out of wide eyes, who looked at him anxiously. "I'm sorry Admiral, you were saying?" It took vast amounts of strength to force those words out and Janeway seemed to notice as she gestured for him to follow.

In the privacy of her office, she turned instantly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right, Tysess?" He straightened and jutted his chin. "Everything's fine. I apologise, for my lack of presence of mind."

Anyone else would have bought it. Janeway, however, knew him too well. "Nothing is fine. Something is bothering you. Talk to me, please!" Tysess expelled a shaky breath and looked to the floor before answering. " Engineering was hit and had a hull breach." "Yeah, I heard." He took a deep breath. "Ophelia was on shift." Silence. Then-

"You are relieved of duty, Commander." Tysess's head and eyes shot up and he could feel his antennae snap to attention. "Admiral, Starfleet regulations require that-" "I know what regulations require," Janeway interrupted him, crossing her arms behind her back. "However, I also know what it is like to fear for the life of the person you love."

"Admiral, it would be wrong-" "- if you had to continue working even though you are subject to such emotional anguish." Her gaze softened for a split second. "Tysess, you have been awake and on duty for the last twenty-two hours. And even though Andorians are physically superior to humans, even they must realise that at some point enough is enough. Go. That is an order."

He was silent for a few moments, words missing, before he bowed his head slightly. "Very well Admiral." He turned, but paused outside the door to glance behind. "Thank you, Admiral." A thin smile danced on her lips. "I wouldn't know what for. Now go!" This time Tysess didn't hesitate as he walked through the doors, across the bridge to the turbolift and stepped inside. "Deck fifteen."

While Tysess had never had reason to complain about the speed, the turbolift seemed agonisingly slow today. Each deck seemed to take longer to reach and every second he continued to spend in uncertainty about Ophelia's condition drove him mad.

Under other circumstances, he would have found this revelation most intriguing. Although he and Ophelia had known each other for some time, they had been in a romantic relationship together for barely two months.

He wouldn't claim to have much experience with romantic relationships, in fact he had only had two before, but the feelings had never been as strong before, not even after years of being together, as they were now for Ophelia after less than two months. All at once it hit him like a blow. He loved her.

He, Tysess, loved Ophelia Zubira, with all his being, as he had never loved anyone before.

For a few seconds he felt a warmth swell inside him as he realised this. Although they had both made it clear that they were romantically interested in each other and had done things that were common for couples, neither had so far uttered the word 'love'.

Abruptly, his joy fizzled out and horror, disbelief and dread began to grow within him. He loved Ophelia. Ophelia might have been dead.

He would have never been able to tell her how he felt. The fear, which he had been able to suppress for a few moments, returned stronger than ever and Tysess knew that any Andorian would have fled at the sight of his retracted antennae. They knew that every Andorian would not let the death of his mate stand.

The turbolift stopped and as soon as the gap was wide enough to let him through, Tysess slipped out into the corridor and walked with brisk steps towards engineering, which accelerated each time until he was running. He did not care that he was jogging, even sprinting. He didn't care about the astonished looks of the other crew members who had probably never seen him so out of control, however, Ophelia was the only thing that mattered at that moment, the only thing that lived in his head right now.

Only in passing did he notice the damage, which didn't even need a closer inspection to be seen. By now, as he rounded the last corner, his heart was pounding in his chest and the sight before him brought it to an instant halt. The security doors were closed. Engineering had been evacuated. Tysess slowly raised his hand as his nightmare scenario played out before his eyes. Ophelia, locked in the engineering, dying in agony.

He closed his eyes to put the images out of his mind when he heard his name and shot around. For a split second he had hoped, however the voice turned out to be that of an ensign who looked at him. "It's about Lieutenant Commander Zubira."

~**~

She's dead.

Ophelia pulled her legs closer to her body and buried her face in her arms folded over her knees to stifle her sobs as the same scene played over and over before her eyes. When the ships had started firing at each other, she had been in sickbay to repair one of the replicators.

The first hits had shaken the ship and Ophelia had been about to go to engineering to avoid the nurses and doctors, Noum was God knows where, when the next hit had hit the power supply for half the bio-beds. But as these had been needed and Ophelia didn't know what to do anyway, she had set to work and for the next twenty minutes had bitterly fought a battle against the power sources that kept failing before finally winning.

However, all the shaking and spraying of sparks had left her with some scrapes and minor burns, though nothing serious or life-threatening.

However, when Ophelia finally managed to get up to attend to her duties in other areas, the doors had slid aside and three lieutenants, led by Noum, who had apparently finally come down from the bridge, rushed frantically into the room shouting, carrying a person between them.

A person Ophelia knew very well and with whom she got on very well.

Commander Maira Baqri. Chief Engineer of the USS Dauntless, Ophelia's fire chief superior officer and a very good friend. She had been full of joy for life and every time that mischievous smile had appeared behind the yellow hijab, Ophelia knew that what was to come would either be the best experience of her life or a memory she would forever regret.

However, the strong woman, otherwise so full of life and bursting with energy, now lay on the biobed with severe burns and bleeding flesh wounds, while nurses and Noum, scurried around her as the Tellarite barked orders. "Maira." Her voice was only a soft whisper, however she could not bring herself to raise her voice as the lump in her throat knew to prevent it.

The next few minutes were nothing but a blur of movements, colours and shouts and the only thing burned into her memory forever was the long drawn out beeping and the soft cursing of Noum, which he only uttered when his medical skills were once unable to save his patients.

The memories brought tears to her eyes and for a moment she was tempted to wipe her face with her arm, but left it at that. Her arms, more than the rest of her body, were covered with small wounds and hurt a little, but she had refused to have them examined and treated. Noum had protested strongly, but he too had realised that it made more sense to look after more seriously wounded members.

Ophelia sniffled softly and wiped her eyes with her hands, which were also a little scuffed up, making it a little more painful, to wipe away the tears as her eyes fell on the PADD lying next to her on the sofa.

It was still open from this morning and the program to select holoprograms was still open. Ophelia had decided to introduce Tysess to her home in Colombia and had spent the morning searching for suitable and realistic programmes, only to find that none came close to the real thing.

Tysess.

Her sadness changed abruptly to pure fear and horror and a sob escaped her. Tysess had also been on duty, on the bridge, and so far Ophelia had heard nothing from there. That very morning, since Admiral Janeway had been declared unfit for duty, he had said goodbye to her as the highest ranking officer and promised her that they would be back on Earth soon. Now she wasn't even sure if he was still alive.

Ophelia tried to reassure herself by telling herself that she hadn't seen him in sickbay, but it didn't really help. After all, patients could still have been brought in, or his body could be lying cold and lifeless on the floor in a corridor.

Cold sweat of fear spread over her body and she jumped up. She didn't care if she had to tear the whole ship apart, but she would find Tysess.

Alive.

Ophelia didn't even bother to put on her shoes and ran over to the door on her socks, opened it by pressing a button on the panel next to it, and cried out softly.

Standing in front of her, breathless and filthy, sweaty with a small scrape on his cheekbone but otherwise unharmed, was Tysess, who had raised his arm to open her door with the code she had given him. For a split second they stared at each other in shock before realisation set in.

"Oh God!" Ophelia sobbed out, wrapping her arms around Tysess, who had rushed over to her in an instant and was holding her tightly against him, his arms wrapped around her waist, body pressed tightly against body, nose buried in her hair. "You're alive, oh God you're alive," Ophelia sobbed softly and felt them stagger into their quarters, the doors closing behind them.

She sobbed into his shoulder, which didn't seem to bother the Andorian as he continued to run his hands up and down her back and through her hair.

"I thought you were dead," he murmured and she could hear his voice almost breaking with tears. "When they said that engineering had been hit, I thought-" His voice broke off and Ophelia sobbed out again, pressing herself tighter against him. "I was so scared. The possibility of losing you too, after-"

Her voice broke off and her crying intensified before Tysess led her to the sofa so they could drop down, still pressed close together. Tears of sadness, anger, fear and relief streamed down her face onto his uniform top, yet he didn't care and just pulled her closer, pressing kisses to her forehead and just being there while Ophelia cried the sorrow of the last few hours from her soul.

"Maira is dead," she choked out after a while. "They brought her in and...and...there was blood everywhere and I...I couldn't do anything...I...I just stood there and wa...watched her die..." Another volley of sobs shook through her and Tysess pressed his forehead against hers. "It's not your fault." His voice was strained and Ophelia felt more than saw his antennae, which had dug into her hair earlier, twitch. "If anyone is to blame, it is me."

Through tears, she looked up at him in confusion. "Tysess, of what..." "It was I who gave the order to take the call. The call that ultimately subdued the entire ship and nearly sent it to its doom. I am the one to blame for the death, of every single crew member. I-"

His voice trailed off and with shock Ophelia watched as silent tears rolled down the usually composed Commander's cheeks. "It's my fault...mine alone...Please...forgive me... I'm sorry..." He broke off and sobbed quietly, making it Ophelia's job now to pull him close and, even with a tear-stained face, gently run her hands through his hair, careful not to touch his antennae.

"It's not your fault, Motema nangai. Anyone would have done the same in your place. You are not to blame."

Tysess shook his head silently before looking up. "I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you. If you had died, I would have..." He did not finish his sentence, yet he did not have to. Ophelia knew what he meant and pulled him close again. "It's okay.... It'll be alright, Tysess."

"No," he pulled her to him so that she was almost sitting on his lap. "I would never have forgiven myself if you had died without me being able to tell you how much you mean to me, how much I cherish you and praise your presence."

Still with tears in her eyes, she looked up at him and smiled slightly. "You don't have to." For the first time in fifteen minutes, he broke away from her, only to frame her face with his hands. "Yes, I do have to. Because just the thought that one of us could die without you knowing how much I love you... It breaks my heart."

Ophelia's breath caught and for a moment all sadness and fear were forgotten. "You mean it? That you love me?" With a calf-eyed smile he looked down at her and rested his forehead against hers. "How could I not? You are wonderful, kind, beautiful, intelligent, funny, and so much more than I ever hoped or dared to dream. In all my life I have never loved a person so much and it scares me."

Ophelia laughed a tearful laugh and put her hands to his cheeks. "Then let us be afraid together, mi amor. Let us fear this love together."

His eyes widened. "You too?" She smiled and felt tears well up in her eyes again. "Like crazy." For the first time he smiled a wide, if too equally gentle, smile and leaned down slightly to kiss her. It was a long, intimate kiss, which told of the pain, fear and sorrow of the past hours, however, it was what they needed.

When they broke away, admittedly a little out of breath, they leaned their foreheads against each other for a few moments and could each feel the other's breath on their face.

"Will it always be like this now?" Ophelia's voice was low and barely audible, though she knew Tysess had heard her. He always heard her. "Will we only spend our time in service worrying about each other? Having to worry about the other getting hurt? Or even worse?"

He sighed slowly and moved away from her face just enough so they could look into each other's eyes. "Yes. But at the same time it means that in any situation we know that there is at least one person on this ship worth fighting on for. When we come back, wounded and injured there will be someone to tend to our little aches and pains. And even if one day, though I hope not, we have to hand over the other's coffin to the family, we can live with the certainty of savouring every moment. Because that's what I intend to do. To savour every moment with you" He looked up. "Are you in?"

For a few seconds she just looked at him, contemplating his face. Elongated shape with a pointed chin, sky-blue skin, eyelids dabbed with purple paint and pale lilac-grey eyes that looked at her with such love as she was not used to from people outside her family. Ophelia smiled softly. "Yes."

~**~

The next day, Ophelia and Tysess stood side by side in the shuttle hangar and looked at the coffins lined up in front of them. The previous evening, after some time, Tysess had broken away from her to fetch the first aid kit from her bathroom and, as promised, had dressed her wounds.

The rest of the evening consisted of lying in each other's arms and letting out the grief and fear in the form of tears, so that now there were no tears left to shed.

During the memorial service, Tysess held Ophelia's hand tightly in his and only let it go once during the whole two hours of listening to speeches, when Ophelia gave her speech for Maira.

She was nervous and grieving, however, she brought out the words she wanted to get rid of in a way that was worthy of Maira. In the end, she turned to Maira's coffin, only temporarily, as her faith demanded to be buried without a coffin, and gently placed a sunflower wreath on it, which she had woven herself that morning.

They were Maira's favourite flowers and she had loved it when Ophelia had made her a wreath out of them.

Like a queen's crown.

"May you find your peace, dear friend," was all she could whisper before she fled back to Tysess, who held her in his arms. Discretion no longer interested him, nor did some of the astonished looks they received.

At the end, Janeway stepped forward and gave her farewell speech, which brought tears to Ophelia's eyes again and Tysess pulled her closer. Together, after Janeway stepped aside, they watched as the coffins were carefully placed in transporters and then flown out into space to be delivered to the families of the deceased.

Gradually the gathering dispersed until only a few were left. Noum stepped briefly towards Ophelia, who was still standing there nestled against Tysess, and spoke briefly to her before he too took his leave.

"Do you want to go?" Tysess's voice was calm and composed, grounding Ophelia somewhat, at least enough for her to nod. Before they finally left, however, Ophelia was held back by the call of her name. She turned and saw Admiral Janeway coming towards her. Ophelia gave Tysess an assuring look, whereupon he let go of her and stepped back a little, but remained just within earshot.

"Admiral." "Lieutenant Commander Zubira. I wanted to offer my condolences once again. I understand you and Commander Baqri were close." Ophelia felt another lump forming in her throat. "Very close, ma'am." Janeway sighed slightly. "If it were up to me, I would like to postpone the whole thing and give you time to grieve, however, regulations require that I do so as soon as possible." "Admiral?"

Janeway raised her hand, silencing Ophelia before standing up at attention, prompting Ophelia to do the same.

"Lieutenant Commander Ophelia Celeste Zubira. You have served Starfleet for several years now and have proven yourself to be a trustworthy, responsible and talented officer. We have suffered many losses, including our Chief Engineer, who will be sorely missed by us all. Nevertheless, I cannot leave this post vacant." Janeway reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a gold pin, causing Ophelia's eyes to widen.

"I am aware that the circumstances are not ideal and under others this would have been done in the presence of the other bridge officers, however that is almost impossible at the moment. Yet, I have a feeling that the most important ones are here."

Janeway's gaze flew to Tysess who was looking at Ophelia proudly and full of love at the same time. "Lieutenant Commander Zubira. It is my honour and my greatest pleasure to hereby promote you to the rank of Commander and Chief Engineer of the USS Dauntless. Do you accept the promotion?"

Ophelia's breath stopped as she looked wide-eyed at the gold pin in the Admiral's palm. She was torn. For one thing, this had always been her biggest tram. Being Chief Engineer had been the reason for her to join Starfleet and if that meant getting promoted, she wouldn't fight it.

On the other hand, it felt wrong somehow, like she was trying to replace Maira.

Her gaze flew to Tysess, who looked at her encouragingly, as if to say 'Whatever you want, I've got your back' and had to smile. No, she would never be able to replace Maira. Nor did she want to. However, she could uphold the reputation of her best friend and ensure that the ship she had loved so much could be in the best condition possible.

"I would be honoured, Admiral." Janeway smiled at her and took the blank Lieutenant Commander pin from Ophelia's collar, but paused and held the new, gold one out to Tysess then.

"Commander, would you care to do the honours?" For a moment Tysess looked surprised, but quickly stepped towards her and took the pin in his hand. His eyes fell on Ophelia and that one look said more about his feelings than words ever could.

"It is my privilege to promote you to Commander." Gently, he pinned the pin to her collar, smoothed out her uniform and took a step back, pride flashing in his eyes. "You deserve it."

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@indignantlemur

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Tues 28 May // Day 244 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Six Feet Under (rw) 2x10 The Secret

Lisa apologizes for her outburst in the store but requests she have full custody of her and Nate's child. David and Keith begin to argue again. Brenda attends an orgy with Melissa. Claire considers attending an arts college. Ruth helps return Nikolai to his apartment.

"I want you to know something, Brenda. I love you. I love you, because you are so independent and spirited… and you make no apologies to yourself. And you know you can't smother someone or you'll lose them. You accept Nate as he is, and that is beautiful. I don't know how to do that. Not at all. Maybe that's why I resented you so much. But now I don't. Now I admire you."

High School 1x02 Shock to Your System

Sara continues to withdraw from her family, especially her mom; she and Tegan make progress with friends at their school and are invited to a party; as Tegan begins to make friends of her own, Sara realizes how important Tegan is to her.

The Pro: Getting to learn more about a fictionalized version of their mum, Cobie Smulders. :)

The Con: Them putting their mum, Cobie Smulders, in very distressing situations. :(

Star Trek: Prodigy 1x16 Preludes

A Starfleet admiral digs into the past of the Protostar crew. Meanwhile, the Diviner recalls his life's mission.

I'm Murf, belching happily while listening attentively as people I care about are telling me about thier lives.

[sshbpodcast]

We have to go back, Martok! Back to the future!

By Ames

This week on A Star to Steer Her By, there’s no time like the past! We’re looking at time travel episodes in Star Trek, and there are so many that it’s a wonder the Department of Temporal Investigations can make time to examine them all. Unless they’re literally making time for them… hmm.

Time travel episodes prove to be some of the best conceits for their plots in Star Trek, allowing our fearless leaders to experience the past and provide commentary on it, go back and witness how small actions can have huge ramifications, or at least act as your classic fish out of water for comedic effect. It may not have felt like it as we were watching through the series in real time, but the good time travel stories largely outweigh the bad. And there are just too many of them to list them all here, so to save time (pun!), your SSHB hosts are breaking out our classic Top 5 / Bottom 5 format.

Hold on to your chronitons as we near 88mph. Check out all our many favorite time travel plots and the handful of clunkers that should have stayed in the past, and listen to our timely discussion on this week’s podcast (set your coordinates to 1:15:34 for the chatter). You’ll have the time of your life.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Top 5 Time Travel Episodes

There is just such an abundance of good time travel episodes that we didn’t  end up agreeing on many. Which is great for you because it means a wider swath of episodes for us to highlight, and great for me because I get to find all these great screengrabs!

“Time Amok”: Chris Let’s start off with an episode I wouldn’t call strict time travel, but it’s just so good that it gets a pass. Instead of going forward or backward in time, the speed of time becomes variable for the different crewmembers of the Protostar and it’s just so clever and heart-wrenching you’d never think this was actually a kids’ show. Have we mentioned how much we love Prodigy?

Star Trek (2009): Caitlin Hey Trek fam, we hear you like Leonard Nimoy. Well JJ Abrams can hook you up in the first of the Kelvinverse movies. What better way to include Nimoy in a film that already has a younger, shoutier Spock in it than through employing a little time travel? Happily, this movie uses this casting fanservice better than something like Generations (see our bottoms list below…).

“Trials and Tribble-ations”: Chris When Deep Space Nine throws a party, it really throws a party. So the writers’ love note to The Original Series for its 30th anniversary comprises all the best things about Trek: a fun and funny time travel story that’s still smart and interesting and just campy enough to evoke the original “The Trouble with Tribbles.” What a fitting way to celebrate!

“Tapestry”: Jake With a little help from Q, Jean-Luc Picard gets to explore the road not taken and ends up not liking what he sees. “Tapestry” is one of those time travel stories that uses its medium to perfect effect: bringing the viewer along for the ride of a lifetime while always remaining accessible, thought-provoking, and notoriously human. Live life with no regrets!

“Visionary”: Ames We have a special (if not sadistic) appreciation for the “O’Brien must suffer” episodes. Here we get to watch O’Brien die not once, not twice, but thrice! And that’s not even the best part of this genuinely fascinating time travel motif. Think about it too hard and it loses you, but the pacing and intrigue of watching Miles trying to fix the timeline and failing keeps you swept up.

“Yesterday’s Enterprise”: Chris “Yesterday’s Enterprise” was cool even before alternate timelines got big. It’s not only a good way to see how different actions would create entirely different realities (better than the mirror universe, but that may just be me), but it’s also a great redo on the death of Tasha Yar. This is the meaningful departure her character deserved. Sorry about the whole Sela thing…

“Before and After”: Ames A couple more nerdy examples just from me. Having the temporally displaced Kes experience this story in reverse is so clever that I needed to include it on this list. You don’t get to see a lot of unusual storytelling devices pulled off this well in Star Trek, and this episode was smart enough to naturally let it unfold over time. But backwards. Unfold under time? Unfold before time?

“Relativity”: Ames I gushed about this episode probably too much on this week’s podcast episode, but I think it’s just so clever in how the story is told. Like in “Before and After,” the plot reveals itself at the proper pace without either coddling the viewer or confusing them in the moment. And credit to Seven for carrying this episode. Someone get that woman a permanent Starfleet uniform!

“Children of Time”: Caitlin, Jake Good time travel ideas will naturally force the characters to make hard, controversial decisions. In this case we see another alternate timeline that makes the DS9 crew decide which timeline they will follow: one in which their descendants populate a remote planet or one in which they make it home again. Alternate Odo saves everyone that decision… but mostly saves Kira.

“The City on the Edge of Forever”: Caitlin, Jake Another classic episode that makes the characters decide who should live and who must die is one of the very best from The Original Series. Though her intentions are the most pure and also Kirk has put his mouth on her mouth, Edith Keeler’s death is the lynchpin that allows for the progressive future that we see in Star Trek, as heartbreaking as that revelation may be.

“The Visitor”: Chris, Jake Another episode that is among the best of its franchise, if not all of Trek in general! One of our clear favorites from DS9 is also another time travel episode, using the medium to tear-inducing perfection. You try keeping from choking up watching old man Jake Sisko change time itself to bring his father back from the white void of subspace. I dare you!

First Contact: Ames, Caitlin Most (though not all, as you’ll see in a second) of the Star Trek feature films that employ time travel end up topping our favorites list, and First Contact has all the ingredients! The time travel in the movie is to an era in our own future but the world is still recognizable and the effects are historically impactful. The whole movie really takes us on a magic carpet ride!

The Voyage Home: Ames, Caitlin, Chris, Jake But the example that we all agree on is the one with the whales, which got pretty much everything right and used time travel to superb effect. Setting the movie in roughly contemporary times lends to the inherent comedy of the plot, which is balanced expertly with the adventure, action, and drama of this incredibly accessible movie. No dumbasses here, double or otherwise!

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Bottom 5 Time Travel Episodes

When time travel episodes are at their worst, however, they are mostly confusing or heavily convenient. And when Star Trek fails to stick a landing, it can be a running gag (especially on this podcast) at best and permanently scarring at worst.

“Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night”: Ames I’ve got to throw some shade on this Deep Space Nine episode in which Kira goes back in time just because Dukat was making some “yo mama” jokes. It’s a really really convoluted reason to whip out the orb of time that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. And I’ll say it: shame on Sisko for foolishly letting her do this. Someone needs his emissary status revoked.

“Time’s Orphan”: Jake Speaking of convoluted episodes. The messaging is all wrong in how one should treat a person who has gone through as much trauma as Molly O’Brien in “Time’s Orphan.” While it’s heartbreaking to watch Keiko and Miles deal with their feral daughter, it’s also excruciating to see how she’s treated and how she’s ultimately to be released into the wild like an animal.

The Temporal Cold War arc: Chris We haven’t gotten to Enterprise on the podcast yet, but even I know about the fandom’s general hatred of the whole Temporal Cold War arc. The whole thing just seems like a waste of time, pun very much intended! It also gives us the future ship, the Enterprise-J, which we’ve shit on before in our starship design blog series, so that’s more points off.

Generations: Caitlin, Chris An even bigger waste of time is getting Captain Kirk into the TNG movies. In a plot so forced they had to ruin a perfectly good Excelsior-class ship design, Kirk is jammed like a square peg into the round hole of the future and then, to add insult to idiocy, barely used and then killed off! Come on people, if you’re going to introduce the Nexus, use it for more than ten minutes!

All of Picard season 2: Ames, Jake We felt very personally let down by the whole of the second season of Picard because it had so much potential. Time travel, as we saw above in our tops list, opens up so many possibilities, but the show simply squandered them. Or worse: started plot threads and didn’t bother to pay them off. Sanctuary districts, anyone? ELNOR, ANYONE?!

The Red Angel arc: Ames, Caitlin I must admit: I had trouble following most of season two of Discovery because there was just too much going on and it failed in its pacing and explanation. This mind-boggling Red Angel storyline wraps up in a sensory overload of a finale that leaves the viewer not experiencing what should be the climax of the season, but feeling lost, stupid, and exhausted.

“Time Squared”: Caitlin, Chris, Jake Not as lost, stupid, and exhausted as the second Captain Picard in “Time Squared” however! This episode is a different kind of confusion: a confusion in what the writers thought they were trying to accomplish in the first place. Why does killing Picard2 break the cycle? Why does flying into a vortex work? Why did the writers make such an interesting timeloop concept so boring? 

“Time’s Arrow”: Ames, Caitlin, Chris, Jake Even Chris, who you’ll remember loved “Time’s Arrow, Part I,” can agree that “Time’s Arrow, Part II” is tedious, repetitive, and increasingly obnoxious. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many more times: Mark Twain is the most annoying character in all of Star Trek. Without him, this might have been a better time travel episode, but alas.

“Assignment: Earth”: Ames, Caitlin, Chris, Jake But the worst time travel episode of all is also one that we all agree on and agreed was one of the worst of all of The Original Series, and that’s because it wasn’t even an episode of Star Trek. “Assignment: Earth” is a sneaky backdoor pilot that Gene sneaked past us, and even its time travel wrapper is infuriating. Why is the Enterprise even in the past? Because they simply felt like it? Talk about irresponsible!

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Welcome back to the present! We hope you didn’t cause any bootstrap paradoxes or become your own grandparent along the way. Over on the podcast, our time with season 5 of Voyager is quickly running out, so make sure you’re caught up for next week’s season wrap up over on SoundCloud or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also sync up with us on Facebook and Twitter, and we’ll see you next time!

[fate-motif]

i’m a huge sucker for the “dal has Q genetic material” theory but at least three of these aren’t exactly as coincidental or fortunate as they look on the surface

we know dal was stuck at tars lamora for a significant amount of time, enough that nandi made it all the way to the edges of the gamma quadrant on her own after selling dal into slavery (we don’t know how far into the delta quadrant tars lamora is, or whether nandi made use of the borg transwarp matrix that’s been the root of a lot of kazon activity expanding across the galaxy, but i think it’s a safe bet that it took at least some years to make it there). more importantly, he’s also apparently been there long enough that gwyn’s made note of him and has spoken to him in confidence for long enough that he’s told her all about his time with nandi and about the window of dreams. so i don’t think it’s happenstance that he managed to find the protostar - that’s an extension of how dal is one of the few people in tars lamora that never gave up on the idea of getting out, as zero said so themselves later on, meaning that if anyone was going to try something weird and reckless that accidentally landed them deep into the asteroid so they’d happen upon the ship, it would probably be him.

while the odds of vice admiral janeway herself being the one to lead the search party to find chakotay are up for discussion (i’d say that they would be pretty high, given her extreme devotion for anyone in her voyager crew), once the protowarp came back online it was only a matter of time that starfleet would come looking for it. it wasn’t coincidence, even if it had been the diviner at the helm of the ship, starfleet (and most likely janeway at the helm) would have come looking because the ship went missing and now the alarms are going off. in fact, that was the whole point of sending the ship back to starfleet - so that other ships would connect and the living construct would spread. so whether or not the kids had wanted to find starfleet, starfleet would have come for them either way.

i’d also argue that the odds of finding a borg cube in the delta quadrant are not particularly low given the amount of episodes where voyager ends up facing them, but it sure is pretty ridiculous that they found their first one right as they were pondering what to do about the living construct. maybe the writing would have come off as less contrived if the kids had mentioned in the dialogue that they’d seen those before, janeway had warned them to stay away, but now might be a good moment to actually engage considering their new problem of genocidal proportions.

no explanation for the nandi thing, though. that was just luck of the q, or maybe just lazy writing.

Anyways, rewatching Prodigy, what I notice is:

Dal-R'El wants a way off of Tars Lamora and immediately stumbles by coincidence upon a fancy abandoned starship

Dal-R'El wants a family and immediately stumbles by galactically improbable coincidence upon his old mother figure, DaiMon Nandi

Dal-R'El wants to find someone who knows how to get rid of the Living Construct, and so the Protostar immediately stumbles by (again) galactically improbable coincidence on a hibernating Borg Cube

Dal-R'El wants to contact Starfleet and so immediately stumbles (by a rather large coincidence) on the real Admiral Janeway

All of which seems rather contrived. However, in "Masquerade" we learn that Dal is a composite of genetic material from many different species, including the Q (presumably harvested from one of the occasions upon which a member of the Q continuum assumed human form).

Now, we know from TNG's "True Q" that, even when Q renounce their powers, their Q-ness is genetically heritable; and, in Amanda Rogers's case, powers started to manifest during adolescence in the form of just having things that she wanted spontaneously appear for her.

So basically, all of the contrived coincidences on Star Trek: Prodigy happened because of Dal's latent Q powers.

[spacerockband]

birthday gift for @cowboysolange of their dnd character anansi! 

[stra-tek]

Star Trek Starships as Girlfriends

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (TOS)

Solid. Dependable. Maybe a little Plain Jane. She showed you the ropes and you're never going to forget her.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Everyone says she's the most beautiful of them all, and she knows it.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D

Sensuous, curvaceous... and highly unstable. Say one wrong word and it's warp core breach time.

U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205

Squat. Stubby. Completely. Fucking. Insane. Even look at her the wrong way and she's chasing you with pulse phaser cannons blasting.

U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656

She seemed nice enough. You had a date lined up but she got lost on the way. There were search parties sent out and everything.

Enterprise NX-01

A lot older than she looks. She'll only give you the bare basics, but she does them well.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (Kelvin Universe)

She's big all over, you kinda suspect she's on steroids and HGH. Loads of fun to be around, but every night out is a catastrophe ending with her in hospital and hundreds of dollars worth of property damage.

U.S.S. Discovery NCC-1031

She's got a nice big booty, but she's into hallucinogenics, keeps popping up in completely random places and seems to change personality every year.

La Sirena NAR-93131

Smol and covered in tattoos, gets knocked down but always gets back up again. Carries lots of emotional scars.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (SNW)

She reminds you of someone else you loved dearly, and it's complicated because she's definitely nice but you're not sure if it's her you want or if you'd just do anything to have your ex back.

Oh, and before you ask? The U.S.S. Protostar is too young for you.

[purplelupins]

Pluto, Virgo, and Protostar!

Pluto- If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would you meet?

There are so many….For so many reasons. But the one that comes to mind is the late Robin Williams. Not many deaths have affected me so much, and I think his hit me so hard because I was raised on so many of his films from childhood to adulthood. From Flubber to the Dead Poets Society to Night at the museum. He felt like a second father to me. I would love to tell him how much he means to the world, and just know him.

Virgo- What do you value the most- artistic ability/creativity, musical ability, athletic ability, intellect, or work ethic?

In myself: artistic abilities/creativity. I come from a very artistic family so I’ve always pushed myself to do better artistically.

In other people: work ethic (be that artistically, athletically, professionally etc) I’m a hard worker and I really appreciate it when I see another person who has a method that works.

Protostar- Give a random fact about yourself.

I’m surprisingly strong for being twig! It’s a great party trick to be able to pick up a big guy like he’s nothing.

[glowingstaranon]

Glowing Star Anon Master Post

This is an archive of all of the RPs done on the blog up until this point in chronological order. Some of the older RPs that are linked in this post are best viewed either on the tumblr website or on mobile - if you try to view them on glowingstaranon.tumblr.com, it only shows Star's side of the RP and not the full thing. Please keep this in mind. If you're on desktop and you want to see the full context for the older RPs, click on the "Open in Dashboard" button in the top-right corner (it should look like an eye if you don't know what it looks like.)

I'll update this post with any new RPs over time.

The Very Beginning

(Star interacts with Lem for the first time on "true anon" (i.e., before the creation of this blog.) They help him while he's sick and also meet Minus in Lem's basement for the very first time on true anon.)

Star helps out a sick Lem after meeting Minus

Star goes back down to the basement to check on Minus

Star explaining to Minus that he's free now (no Dashboard button required if you're on desktop, this one only has one reblog from Star)

Star lets Lem know that Minus is ok

Star goes fishing with Minus outside

Star Almost Killing Neo

The inciting incident (and the first instance of Star glitching on the blog)

Minus telling Star who Neo is

The horrifying reveal that Star is an eldritch entity, and the first appearance of Plus

The Aftermath

Star checks on Minus and tends to the wound on his chest with Lem's help

Star explains what happened and what exactly they are to Minus

Star reconciling with Pie (a ship got teased here I think but it never went anywhere lol)

Introducing Beta/Pulp

Star meets Skid and Pump for the first time after the two of them find Pulp

Star convinces Skid and Pump to give Pulp to them so they can take him back to Lem's place (no dashboard button required for desktop)

Star takes Pulp back to Lem's - Pulp gets startled by Lem

Star helps Lem and the others take Pulp to the hospital (continued in this post, where Dr. Senpai is introduced)

Minus is Missing Saga/Saving Minus Event

Introduction - Minus and Star go bug hunting together, all the while something is watching them

Holy fuck, Minus is missing

Proto!Neo is introduced - Proto helps Star go to the monster hunter base

Star busts Minus and Flesh out of the monster hunter base

Post-Saving Minus - The Beginning of ProtoStar

Part 1: Star keeps up their end of the bargain and cooks fish for Proto

Part 2: Star and Proto go to the Midnight Monster Market

Pack-Mates

Minus finds out that Star joined Proto's pack

Star convinces Proto to join a big pack with them, Minus and Lem (Minus also checks out Star's new room afterwards)

Small stand-alone(ish) RP

Star checks up on Pulp and meets Lila

ProtoStar Confirmed

The ProtoStar ship sets sail

Establishing the Cuddle Pile Trio

Part 1: The Plus Arc

Part 2: Gee, Star, how come you get to date two monsters?

Minus and Star go on a date

Post-Hibernation

Star really missed Minus and Proto

Minus and Proto explain that they were hibernating

Minus, Star and Proto go to a restaurant together

The Notes Era

(All of the RPs in this section take place in the notes instead of the reblogs to reduce clutter. If you're on desktop, you'll have to enter the notes, scroll all the way down and read up to follow along.)

Reconciling

Star finally reconciles with Neo

Small RP: Proto doesn't know what Halloween is

Backrooms Saga

Star meets Plush and learns about The Backrooms

Small RP: Big cuddly guard dogs

Small RP (plus OOC discussion): Star finds out that Static is dating Neil

Plush gives Star a key to The Backrooms (extra info in the notes)

Mini saga involving Patch:

Minus and Star meeting Patch

Saving Pirate event (featuring a SUPER unexpected plot twist)

Tupperbox RPs

All of the RPs that took place via Discord through Tupperbox, leading up to the ProtoStar Wedding (and foreshadowing events in Neil's Halloween Party):

RP 1: Pack Names

RP 2: Wedding Prep with Pie and Plush

RP 3: Star's Nervous About Talking to Neil

RP 4: Star and Neil Become Friends

RP 5: Backrooms Tour Offer (Preface)

RP 6: Halloween Costumes (Preface Part 2)

RP 7: The Big Reveal

RP 8: Making Amends

Important Info Between 8-9

RP 9: Neo and Proto Receive a Backrooms Key

RP 10: Minus and Pie Get Backrooms Keys (feat. Plus)

RP 11: Backrooms Double Date (ProtoStar and RadioStatic)

The ProtoStar Wedding Event

The Main Event

Arin Arriving to the Wedding (Starts here, continues in the notes here)

Right Before Star Leaves the Wedding

After the wedding

Domestic Wholesomeness (wedding epilogue kinda???)

Neil’s Halloween Party Arc

The Halloween Party (featuring a MASSIVE plot twist involving Plus)

Minus Leaves the Pack (further establishing Plus)

Minus Leaving, Part 2: Minus Moves In

More Tupperbox RPs

Plus Gets a New Body

Swimming with Patch (Plus’s New Body part 2, kinda? Featuring some angst)

Neil and Star’s Collab - The Buildup (featuring an epilogue with Plus - takes place before Neil’s Halloween party chronologically)

Neil and Star’s Collab - The Payoff (Introducing the concept of void tongue)

Void Tongue (Properly) Introduced

Star Gives Plush a House Tour

Napping with Plus Outside

The Eyes of the Universe Arc

The First Appearance of The Eyes of the Universe

Proto's First Void Tongue Lesson

The Eyes of the Universe - Main Event

The Eyes of the Universe Event - Epilogue (establishing VoidSlug)

Even More Tupperbox RPs

Introducing Proto to The Eyes of the Void

Patch Gets Evicted

Star Rekindles Their Friendship with Minus

Introducing HD Lemon

Proto and Star go Hunting

[askappos]

Arcshuan Cosmog line

Arcshuan Cosmog

Nebula Blot Pokemon

Psychic

Dex Entry 1: "Cosmog seems to gather in places of light. It's theorized that this variant of Cosmog comes from the same place as standard Cosmog but adapted differently." Dex Entry 2: "It's born with less light, so it sits and absorbs light rays. The pitch black part of its body seems capable of blotting out any light source as a result."

Notes: Found in a post-game side quest where you track down cries of a mysterious Pokemon. It joins your party at Lv. 5 with Teleport and Fake Tears. Evolves into Arcshuan Cosmoem at Lv. 43.

Arcshuan Cosmoem

Protostar Pokemon

Psychic/Dark

Dex Entry 1: "It is absorbing very little light at this point. Instead the light rays it gathered as a Cosmog is beginning to coalesce around the black body inside." Dex Entry 2: "Cosmoem is oddly cold to the touch. This is because if it didn't gather enough light before evolution, it begins to draw in heat to fill in the gaps."

Notes:  Evolves into Eclisuchus at Lv. 53 in either game.

Eclisuchus

Eclipsis Pokemon

Psychic/Dark

Dex Entry 1: "In ancient times, it was known as the Beast That Blots Light. People depicted it with Solgaleo or Lunala defeating or overseeing it, as they believed letting it roam free in illustration will bring misfortune." Dex Entry 2: "Despite being fully capable of producing its own light, it always remains darkly colored unless it goes into its Total Eclipse form. It's theorized to be an adaptation to avoid Necrozma."

Signature Move: Sundark Slash or Moondark Wave Dark Physical or Special A peculiar move that infuses the user's attack with the darkness from blocking the sun or moon. It changes based on the time of day.

Notes: Its form while using Sundark Slash or Moondark Wave is known as the Total Eclipse form. If fighting online or in the Battle Frontier, it uses the version of its signature move from the last time it was put in the PC. Unique ability is Unblockable Blot, which is a clone of the ability Infiltrator.

Inspiration: Arcshuan Cosmog is inspired by a dark nebula, which blocks out light. Eclisuchus is mostly inspired by Apep in Egyptian mythology, although in general by how snakes and eclipses are both seen as ill omens, and it partly derives its name from the constellation Ophiuchus.

Shinies below

[missingjackklinehours]

when tomorrow comes 🌳

good gods i know it's ship day but this is solely a gen michael & lucifer & raphael & gabriel fic :')

Inspired by Sam & Dean's S.W & D.W carvings on Baby. Who's to say the Archangels weren't first in that idea?

Rating: G (Gen Archangels fic)

Special thank you to my beta!

Playlist & Fic available on AO3. (it's also under the cut, if you prefer that!)

Heaven's lush hills always seemed greener and livelier when all four archangels lay against them. A rarity the occasion was, a trivial shard of diamond in the cascading abyss. It always seemed that Heaven needed an archangel here, there, everywhere at once; It made familial bonding far more complicated than things used to be.

However, a special day plucked from each year never failed to offer the archangels plenty of time together. A day of thanks, a day where Heaven displayed gratitude for their eldest brothers—Michaelmas, the Feast of the Archangels.

Morning sun rays highlighted soft violets and dusk plums of aster flowers, a humble gift for the very firsts of their species. By nightfall, bright angel-made clusters of heat-producing hydrogen and helium littered the black sky in the name of each archangel. Fledglings flocked to watch the fiery protostars burn in the cosmos.

While Lucifer happily revelled in the praise, Michael hid his jittery hands by tucking them behind his back and flashed a polite, yet photogenic smile to his newest siblings. Raphael, seemingly indifferent to the holiday, remained by Michael's side, occasionally shooting their brother a subtly reassuring look. Jovial, yet also graciously wanting to include others, Gabriel mingled in the crowds with the fledglings to watch the protostars, enthusiastically explaining to Heaven's children how the young stars would eventually grow to become massive beacons in the night.

By the time the thick, yet routine night fog had clouded the view of the protostars, the flocks of angels had dissipated. It was their cue to leave; The archangel hideout awaited. Or, as Lucifer liked to call it: the Badass Lair.

The refreshing air genially accommodated them, the chilled wind carried their wings as they flew. There was always a sense of thrill around the Autumn Equinox, nearing Michaelmas—perhaps it was the comforting thought of familiarity, a high from nostalgia of sorts. Whatever the seed, it didn't matter; Focusing on the blossom of a sibling’s love and appreciation was much easier.

Raphael's garden always seemed to flourish increasingly with every rare gathering the four indulged in. Even midair, as they descended upon the immense greenery below, Michael had already begun to muse about how the banyan trees had expanded since his last visit. Raphael quietly, yet blithely soaked in the adoration from their archangelic brothers.

The softness of the grass, however, always remained the same. Lucifer was the first to land, being the quickest flier of the bunch. He cracked an astonished grin as he surveyed his younger sibling's growing garden, slightly pivoting to catch the vibrance of Raphael's indigo feathers amongst the blackness of the sky.

"Not bad, Raph!" The Morningstar loudly called out, adding more quietly with a snicker, "For a kid."

The thunderous sound of strong, flapping wings echoed behind him, prompting Lucifer's playful smirk to widen.

"I'm literally only four hundred years younger than you," Raphael's familiar voice remarked, and Lucifer turned once again to meet his sibling's deadpan expression.

"And despite the age difference, Raphael has created far better things than you have, brother," Michael offhandedly commented as he silently landed farther away from the pair. Lucifer's face contorted into a pout, and Raphael fought to contain their own appreciative smile at the eldest angel's words.

"Woooow, Mi! I'm hurt!" Lucifer faked offense.

The heavy fog of nightfall seemed to become almost pellucid at the very presence of Heaven's firsts. Peeks of sheer luminosity from the protostars of Michaelmas seeped from the impervious midnight clouds. Even the banyan trees seemed to lean into the comforting presence of archangelic grace.

Lucifer squinted into the elegant cloak of the night sky. "You think Gabe's gonna break his neck when he crashlands?"

Raphael turned their attention to the sky in search of the youngest archangel in question. "He's been getting better at landing. He'll do fine."

Lucifer hummed in response, brightening slightly when he caught sight of Gabriel nearing the garden. "Mn, doubt it. Wanna bet? Loser has to listen to Michael's fifty page manifesto on why ducklings are Pop's best creation."

Raphael blinked, looking over to Michael in bemusement. "Your-... your what?"

Michael's eyes darted to Lucifer to glare daggers at him, who only sniggered in response. A gust of wind washed over the trio, and frantic fluttering of golden wings broke Michael's glower. Beside him, Gabriel was close to landing—or rather, close to failing at landing. It was really more similar to falling, with his limbs flailing all about and eyes squeezed tightly shut in preparation for impact.

Michael sighed hopelessly at the sight, extending one of his grandiose fuschia wings low to catch his younger brother. Upon the soft sensation of Michael's velutinous feathers, Gabriel's eyes reopened in surprise.

"Hey, no fair! You interfered!” Lucifer huffed at Michael, who merely rolled his eyes and helped Gabriel to his feet.

“I almost made it, I was so close!” Gabriel whined, furrowing his brows as Michael thumbed a smudge of leftover party sweets that was stuck to his cheek.

“Next time, bug. You’ll get it next time,” Raphael reassured, and Gabriel’s grace seemed to relax at his older sibling’s encouragement.

Lucifer yawned, and the twinkle of the protostars above them began to reflect the dew on the grass. “M’kay, new bet. Last one to the tree has to listen to Michael’s manifesto.”

Gabriel perked up curiously and cocked his head at Michael. “What manifesto?”

Michael shook his head and stubbornly huffed. “I was two hundred years old, Lucifer. The duckling phase of my life is over.”

“Oh? So you’re saying ducklings aren’t the greatest living creatures?” Lucifer pried, exaggeratedly leaning his ear towards Michael to hear his response. Raphael and Gabriel eyed the two bickering brothers and exchanged amused glances.

Michael shifted uncomfortably in place in an attempt to keep in his passionate ramblings; He ultimately failed. “I never said that. Ducklings are the epitome of absolute goodness and commendable purity in the universe. The best traits of all of creation can be found in their small yet mighty little bodies. Not only do they bring togeth--”

“Blegh, no more lectures! Lulu, your bet’s on!” Gabriel groaned, spreading his sets of still-developing golden wings.

"'Atta boy," Lucifer impossibly brightened, his grin quickly returning. "On three! One... "

With one singular number down, Lucifer watched in incredulity as Gabriel mischievously laughed, a flash of golden feathers passing them all by. After the initial shock wore off, Lucifer briefly hummed, nodding in approval.

"Touché, little brother, touché," The Morningstar muttered to himself, before theatrically shrieking into the night, "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, GABE!"

Gabriel's boisterous bursts of both elated and happily frightened screams in the distance elicited an endeared smile from all three of the older angels. With a whistling streak of vermillion wings, Lucifer chased after his youngest archangelic brother.

Michael and Raphael observed them in comfortable silence, the illumination from the protostars just bright enough to see the vivid colors of their wings against the midnight sky. As the breeze audibly raked through the trees, Raphael slightly swiveled to curiously peer at Michael.

"I'd actually like to hear about these ducklings," Raphael calmly stated, gesturing with their head towards the specific tree that Gabriel and Lucifer were headed for.

The blinding look of pleased excitement on Michael's face was enough to bring a smile to Raphael's lips.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

In contrast to the vivacious growth of much of Raphael's garden, the Badass Lair retained all of its youthful glory.

The haphazardly-built abomination of a fort from sticks and logs stood distinctly adjacent to the veiny streams of the garden. Across from it dwelled a meager hill of lush grass and florid lilac petals of asters—A place where Michael taught all three fledglings to fly, a place where Lucifer created his first defective star, a place where Gabriel grew the lavender flowers as a gift to Raphael. It was their safe haven, a site of alleviation and bliss.

In the center of both dear venues settled a special banyan tree— their banyan tree.

Against the smooth, grooving bark of their tree, Michael’s ginger fingertips almost seemed to purr. The swaying aerial roots that veiled the intricate trunk wavered joyously over his head, and in a sense, their tree looked overjoyed to see Michael. Behind him, Raphael sincerely watched at the way their older brother’s fingers reverently traced the markings on their tree.

“You know… it’s not just gonna disappear, Mi,” Raphael’s voice was soft, a kind whisper carried by the midnight wind. Michael’s hand never halted against the tree bark, marginally turning his head to look at Raphael with a sad smile.

“That’s true,” Michael’s gaze fell back to the etchings on their tree. “It just seems like it was yesterday when… You three have grown too fast.”

Raphael sympathetically tilted their head, stepping forward to place a soothing hand on Michael’s shoulder. Up close, the carvings on their tree stood out boldly, a beloved memory held close to all of their hearts.

Under the then-small aerial roots of their banyan tree, each fledgling archangel had carved their names into the young bark. Something to hold onto, Michael had stated, a bittersweetness as Heaven had first begun to flourish; The eldest had an inkling that duty would steal time spent together—And he was right.

Raphael could still make out the places where Michael had once helpfully guided Raphael’s shaky hand, the spelling mistake in Lucifer’s name, the heart that Gabriel had drawn after his name, and Michael’s near-perfect handwriting, even in carving-form.

“Lusifer?” Gabriel, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, squinted as he approached the base of their tree. Both Michael and Raphael struggled to repress a thoughtful smile as Gabriel sounded it out again.

“That’s how my name should’ve been spelled!” Lucifer called out from above, and his siblings gazed upwards to catch him resting against an exposed branch. “Lucifer with a c… ridiculous! Looks like luck-i-fer.”

Michael’s rapture remained as he lightly shook his head. “Brother, you are just stating this because you lack efficiency in spelling.”

Lucifer playfully stuck his tongue out at his older brother. Michael scoffed in good nature, and Gabriel giggled at the sight. Raphael’s attention wandered outwards to the perched hill, a peaceful silence enveloping the archangelic siblings.

The argent light from the protostars shone divinely upon the lucid green and lilac of the hill, an invitation of sorts. The sifting breeze was cool, a grateful lullaby to its archangelic inhabitants. The night was the epitome of perfection, though not because of nature—rather, because of the familial love that radiated energetically from each of their graces. A comforting peace, a cherished silence of nostalgia lingered between the four… until Gabriel’s reticent, yet hopeful voice proposed a profound request.

“I wanna stay with you all forever,” His voice was dreary, a sweet innocence embedded into his tone. It prompted all eyes to shift to him. “Let’s stay together no matter what, okay?”

A beat of tranquility followed, their banyan tree leaned in to listen. Michael was the first to react, tugging Gabriel into a tight hug, a sentiment that few were blessed upon. Gabriel’s toothy beam was evident in his quiet giggles as Michael held him close, before the eldest pulled back with a gentle smile of his own.

“Of course,” Michael assured, crystal emotion brimming in his eyes.

A rapid flash of vermillion flared from the top of the tree, and both Gabriel and Michael’s squeaks of surprise induced a jump from Raphael. Lucifer, who had quite literally deliberately plummeted from the tree, now held both of his brothers in a deathgrip hug, a wide grin across his face.

“You’re a real dumbass if you think you’ll ever be able to get rid of me,” Lucifer sniggered lovingly, and Gabriel leaned into his brother’s embrace. Michael lightly elbowed Lucifer for the profanity, yet his delighted simper lingered on his face.

Raphael shuffled closer, eyeing their brothers with absolute admiration. Their hand moved to lightly ruffle Gabriel’s hair, who turned his cheery beam to his sibling. Raphael’s brothers observed them with a giddy sense of euphoria, the aura resonating a promising hopefulness in anticipation for their response.

“Without a doubt.”