#rocket being a dad is the greatest

[happylittleshrub]

THEY ARE FATHER AND SON YOUR HONOR

And whoever's idea it was to give Rocket dad reading glasses deserves a raise and a promotion and a Presidential Medal of Honor.

[enquire]

Gizmo Stardust!

Okay... it's Yamato's time to shine. I'm pretty happy with him! He was fun to draw and pretty easy to pick colors for... I do think maybe he could use a gear bag, or a vest, or something of that nature. I've been trying to only add accessories or clothing when it serves a purpose, so waffling a bit on that here... oh well. Maybe later.

Gizmo Stardust is a prolific inventor who lives in Canterlot with his father and sister. He's also heir to his dad's company, Stardust Industries, which recently became a lot more successful thanks to his inventions. Gizmo's hoofwork is present in many of the technological advancements in Canterlot and beyond.

One example (that brought Stardust Industries to where it is now) was Gizmo's most well-known creation; the airship. The introduction of a new form of flight to Equestria revolutionized the transportation and shipping industries. The airships Gizmo designed elegantly mesh together the mechanisms behind Equestria's balloons and trains, but require very little fuel thanks to sails which function in much the same way as pegasi wings.

Gizmo's also has a family friend, Thrift Twinkle, who he and his sister have known since they were little, thanks to their fathers being friends as well as business partners. Thrift and Gizmo are still pretty close, thanks to being friends when they were foals, and the fact that they got their cutie marks practically together.

This happened while Gizmo and Thrift were working together to save their respective family businesses. It was Thrift's business savvy and creativity which kept them from going under, and Gizmo's invention of the airship which brought both of their companies flying back into success again. Thrift helped Gizmo's inventions get off the ground, and worked to keep him funded until he finally completed his work.

Naturally then, the rebranded 'Phoenix Goods' was the first company to support and benefit from Stardust Industries' latest and greatest invention. And so, they managed not only to save their parents' crumbling businesses, but rocket them into unprecedented new highs.

It was during this process, through creating and helping each other, that both Gizmo and Thrift got their cutie marks. And more than proved their mettle to their parents at the same time. Both of them were overjoyed (and a little relieved, because they were blank flanks a little longer than most, and far longer than Gizmo's sister was)

When the two of them were younger, Gizmo had cheered on his sister when she got her cutie mark. When he got his, she responded in kind, throwing him a huge party and inviting practically everypony she knew to celebrate. It was during this bombastic party that Gizmo met Saber Frost.

He stumbled across him while taking a break from the chaos out on the balcony, where Saber had spent most of the night away from the light and revelry inside. Surprised to find somepony he didn't know awkwardly standing on the outskirts of the gathering with nothing but a glass of punch and a stony look on his face, he struck up a conversation. They hit it off, and Gizmo convinced the other not to leave the party, instead inviting him to join the two siblings for a quiet walk after the celebration concluded.

They may live far apart, but that doesn't stop them from seeing each other pretty often. For one thing, Thrift has reason to visit Canterlot on company business fairly frequently. And whenever he does, he makes sure to set aside time for the trio to hang out.

It was on one such visit that Gizmo introduced Thrift to Saber. They didn't click at first, but Gizmo and his sister, as usual, brought their friends together without too much trouble. Since then, three became four whenever Thrift was in Canterlot.

And when Saber was reassigned, Gizmo helped encourage him to request the region of Equestria where Thrift lived. Knowing his friend would be there to look out for Saber made him a lot less worried. Even though Gizmo knew it was for the best that Saber left Canterlot (and in fact had been trying to encourage and persuade Saber to accept the reassignment for a long time) he still misses their weekly chats over coffee and tea.

I love that I have enough ponies done to start weaving their stories together now. Also here's what he looks like without the hat or goggles:

[exhuastedpigeon]

you're the cream in my coffee

Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz Explicit 8.6k

Buck loves making good coffee. He honestly to god really loves making a cup of coffee so good that you want to just sit and enjoy it. He loves being a barista and he really loves owning his own coffee shop. 

What Buck doesn’t love that some people don’t think being a barista is a “real job”, mostly because people who say that shit are just classist fucks who think sitting at a computer all day for work somehow makes them better than people who work service industry jobs, but whatever. He tries to not let those kinds of dickheads ruin his day - most of the time it works. He never bothers telling them that he owns the coffee shop, he’d rather they give him the attitude than his team. 

Plus, for every shithead in a suit that comes into FireHouse Cafe there are at least five amazing people who smile when they order or actually look up from their phones to chat. He loves his regulars, loves getting to know people. He’s a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person by their coffee order and his favorite regulars all match their drinks. 

There’s Bobby - he’s a fire captain who comes in before his shifts for a drip coffee with so much cream his drink is closer to white than black and just a little sugar. Buck knew he was a midwesterner long before Bobby told him he was from Minnesota. He also knew that Bobby was kind even though he’d clearly lost a lot in his life. 

And there’s Bobby’s wife, Athena - she’s a police sergeant with a love of iced mochas with an extra shot of espresso, but Buck was sworn to secrecy on that one. Like her mochas, Athena is bold and packs a punch, but can be extremely sweet and cares about her people. 

Then there’s Hen, a doctor who comes in at least once a week for a tahini latte and a story about something crazy at the ER. Hen marches to the beat of her own drummer - she was a paramedic before going to med school and she never fails to put a smile on Buck’s face. Every so often she’ll come in with her wife, Karen. Karen’s an iced Americano lady and an actually fucking rocket scientist.

Occasionally, there’s Chimney. Buck wasn’t actually sure what Chim did, but at least once a month he came in, ordered 6 shots of espresso and worked on his laptop from opening until closing. Buck kind of thought he might be a hacker, but he has no actual idea. 

Then there’s Buck’s favorite customer, not that he’d admit that. Actually, Eddie Diaz was maybe Buck’s favorite person. He owns a tattoo parlor that’s in the same building as the coffee shop and for the last three years had been slowly driving Buck insane with how fucking hot and competent he is. 

Not just competent with tattooing, which of course he is, he owns a tattoo parlor. He’s also a veteran and has, on more than one occasion, helped with first aid in the coffee shop. One time he helped a  customer who had managed to slice her hand open with a butter knife while they waited for the paramedics. Apparently, he had saved the woman’s life, not that Eddie would accept any praise about it. 

Eddie also has the world's greatest kid. A kid that Eddie trusts with Buck. A kid that has spent more than a few afternoons doing homework at the coffee shop while Buck plies him with hot chocolate and baked goods. 

Chris always loves hearing all of Buck’s random facts and then telling Eddie about them when he comes to pick Chris up. Today, Buck had spent his three hours with Chris in the shop chatting with him about different kinds of coffee beans between customers. 

“Dad, did you know there’s a coffee that’s made of poop !” 

“It’s not actually made of poop, bud,” Buck grinned, handing Eddie Chris’s backpack. “It’s partially digested cherries. The cherries actually ferment as they’re being passed through the civet’s intestines. They disinfect them and everything before they’re consumed.”

“Yeah! That! It’s called copy loo-wake”

“Kopi luwak.”

“Uh huh!”

“I take it you had fun with your Buck today, huh?”

“Bucks the best dad!”

Continue on Ao3

[ssadumba55]

5-4-3-2-1 (Cassie Lang x Sibling!Reader)

Request: Would I be able to request a Cassie lang (older version in the newer films in MCU, if ok?) where R is her adopted sibling who gets over whelmed easily and has social anxiety - and Cassie is protective and supportive of them, especially when Cassie starts to become a hero and R worries about her?

“Breathe in… and out… in… and out…”

Cassie sat against the wall with you, hand resting gently on your back right between the shoulder blades. Every once in a while, she’d rub comforting circles into the spot. She was used to dealing with situations like these. Anxiety attacks were a frequent occurence in the Lang-Van Dyne household. Your anxiety disorder really kicks your ass sometimes and having an entire family who is super in some way, constantly running around in situations that could get them hurt…

Today was the latest in a recent spout of them. Ever since Cassie herself had started becoming more independent and interested in heroics, your anxiety sky rocketed. There were so many ways that being a superhero could go wrong; just look at people like Iron Man or Black Widow. The greatest of the greats who’d lost their lives fighting a cause bigger than themselves. The stress of potentially seeing your sister one day on the screen in one of those memorials was eating at you day by day.

“Hey, if the breathing isn’t working, we can try the senses?” Cassie’s voice shocked you back into reality, back into what was happening in the moment. She was trying to ground you as best she could.

You wanted to tell her that the senses wouldn’t be necessary, but you couldn’t bring yourself to force the words out from the place they were lodged in your throat.

“Five things you see.”

“You, the ground, the sky, my feet…. dad.”

“Four things you can touch.”

“You, the ground, the wall and my sweater.”

“Three things you can hear.”

“Screaming, your voice and police sirens.”

“Two things you can smell.”

“The air… That perfume you insisted on wearing this morning…”

“Hey! I’m trying to help you here! One thing you can taste.”

“Blood…. I think I bit my tongue.”

Now that the grounding exercise was over, everything felt a lot more clear. Like the world was a television with the colours and sound muted that had once again been turned up. Only this time, it was less overwhelming, especially with Cassie’s hand on your back.

“That was really stupid, you can’t just ignore me when I’m giving you instructions. You could’ve been seriously hurt. You’re not like dad, mom or I, you have to leave when things get too much.” Cassie’s bossy sister voice had returned, now that she was sure you were okay. Gently, she prodded at your mouth, asking without words for you to open your mouth so she could take a look at what had happened with your tongue.

You didn’t respond, letting her inspect your mouth for a moment before she sighed and gave the all clear.

“Are you even listening to me? When I say get to safety, get to safety…” She stood, pulling you up with her. She was right.

You hadn’t been born into this family, you’d stumbled your way into it by accident and as a result you weren’t as super as the rest of them. That didn’t really matter, not in the ways that counted anyway. At the end of the day, dad would still praise you for a job well done on your homework, mom would ask you what you did over a nice homecooked meal, Cassie would fight with you over things that all siblings fought over, your grandparents would spoil you…

But deep down it felt like you couldn’t fully connect with them all unless you were super too. It frustrated you, they could go on adventures together, change the world. You’d always be stuck going to school, living the life of a mundane regular person. Anyone who wanted to be your friend, not that there were many, would only do so because of your connection to the Avengers. It was a personal hell for your social anxiety.

“Are you even listening to me?” Cassie repeated, getting annoyed at the lack of response. She had a job to do.

“Yes! I- Yes! I’m sorry! I’m just…” You fought the urge to tear up. Cassie probably wouldn’t think much of it, you get overwhelmed a lot. In that regard, you were a polar opposite to the rest of your family. They could handle things under pressure. You could not.

Cassie looked over her shoulder at the battle still taking place and sighed, reaching up to cup your face in her hands.

“Hey, I know you’re disappointed and worried. I know what we all do is dangerous and you worry, especially about me… But I’m okay. I promise. I’ll always come back to you in the end and you know that.”

Your fears were being realized, Cassie knew deep down what you were thinking. About the parents you’d lost in the war against Thanos, innocent bystanders who had been killed as the result of carnage they weren’t apart of. The memory of their death, of finding out you were an orphan was still seared into the back of your mind. It reminded you every day that all of this was fleeting. An intergalactic war had taken your family once, and it still could again. No one was infallible. Iron Man…

“You can’t promise me that.” You whispered softly and her expression changed to a softer one as well.

Her hands moved from your cheeks down to your shoulders and she squeezed. “You’re right.. I can’t promise that. But I can promise to keep you safe, at least. As long as I’m around nothing or no one will hurt you. I can’t protect you though, if you don’t get somewhere safe when the fighting starts. I know you’re worried we’re going to get hurt but I promise you, we can handle this. I can handle this.”

You met her eyes, the determination there was fiery. She had always been very eager to follow her dads footsteps into battle. To be a hero just like him and it was charming to see that she was starting to become that hero, that she could learn to fight with the help of the man who had inspired her in the first place. You knew deep down that nothing would happen to her as long as dad and mom were around anyway.

“Alright… I get it…” You smiled weakly.

Your worries weren’t completely dissuaded, but she was right. She was no use to anyone if she was sitting on the ground comforting you while the battle raged on.

“Go home. We’ll be there soon.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. You’re not going to be left alone this time.”

You reached up to squeeze her hand one last time, then the two of you split. You in the direction of safety, her towards the next battle. A distant memory of Cassie telling you that anxiety and mental illness were brave battles to fight and that you were just as much of a soldier as her passed through your mind as you ran, feet slamming down on the pavement hard.

It was nice to have a sister who understood you so well, even if she could be a little bit of a pain in the ass sometimes. She was your sister, and she always would be.

[nityarawal]

To Northwestern: @northwestern @northwezt @harvard @harvardbusinessschool @harvardseas @harvardfineartslib @harvard-art-museums-prints

My cousin James Mahoney was headhunted by US army Berets because my father was in charge of psych department and my families homes were since robbed in WW3. My father says I'm greatest psychologist he's ever met. James is an alcoholic like his atty dad. So add that filter to equation! It's a severe case of anti-jihad. Jame's mother has always been really jealous of my famous Persian princess mom who looks like Cher. I never had a mental health problem nor anyone in my family. Please stop spreading slander. James was headhunted by match.com hooker Cathy Goodwin. Militia from US Army have raped my kids. We want to move to Italy and open a museum to honor my grandfather work. I have an art degree and studied with him since I was a child. My art collection he left me was stolen by Shane Stewart of Idyllwild Realty. It needs to be returned.

Grandpa went to Harvard as did my doppelganger Natalie Portman- her family is also attacked by hookers.

James step son Decklan was pimped to Army schools and he's sold as a rockstar gigolo. It's really gross Army hires our own families to sabbotage us in name of 9/11 Jihad BS.

My brother is digitally printing Rockets for Mars and my son is greatest genius of our era. Why do men rob & rape moms? Still need to turn in Shane Stewart so I can go home. How many moms murdered there? Not one covid death was true.

Could you please help us square up with military rapists so we can move on? We feel James is sold out to military and no one else in my family would take a contract like that. Our cousin Cameron Travelli was suicided off Golden Gate Bridge too in 2007 because his dad is most famous nuclear Physicist Armondo Travelli. Lmk what you can do to defend our family from military rape. 36 times cops violated kids and I. We're From Iowa amd are concerned Trump just spread syphalis there.

Thanks for your kind response despite my court contentious family. Mahoneys are generic products of divorce. They don't know anything better than selling out celebrities in their own family. It's gross. My dad even married James there at Northwestern but he has no respect for family. His military wife is lazy and the kids are drugged comatose malnourished. She's aggressively terrorised me as a Goodwin and sent a Goodwin Marine hooker from Texas with disease. It's not syphalis- but similar covid strain. Anyways- thanks for being kind and adding my father's name to the records- since he's the greatest John Joseph Davigo Atillo Huntley on planet. I love him and am concerned he and my mom are tortured in 6 year estrangement. Lmk if you can help get my father some respect. He's had Army shots terrorising him his whole life and we don't take any benefits. We were very disappointed James took a contract to hurt tm.org where my parents have been enlightening Chicago from for 50+ years. Really maybe you could give my parents an award for the thousands we taught in Midwest? Thanks again! I love that college! Lmk if you need help with the George Huntley Estate. My Aunt's have many etruscan vases and artifacts that should be stored appropriately in my new museum. Do you want me to build one there too? My best friend Diana Danneman Cohen is a famous rockstar from Northwestern and is now Dean of students at University of Arizona. I'll see if she can offer an Italian art collection in my grandfather's name too. The Cohens opened a Waldorf school inspired by my kids villagefarmschool.org we built. (:

All Blessings & love,

Encinitasbeachhome.com

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal

[plutonian-ambassador]

[2005. pluto's planethood is about to be in jeopardy. a man, neigh, alien from four million years in the future- who also happens to be pluto's ambassador- crash lands his ship in the middle of the woods in ann arbor, michigan with one goal. keep. pluto's. planethood.]

hello! my name is bora. i was born at the age of zero in soyuz colles of the tombaugh regio on pluto, but to you that doesnt exist for another 20 years.

no... hm.

hello! my name is bora. i was born at the age of zero in detroit, michigan in a hospital that no longer exists.

thats better.

i enjoy writing avant-garde music, and comedy shorts! (my parents would rather me focus on my studies, though.)

i love ethnic food, especially when i cook it. my right inner ear rings at a high b flat. i'd know, being a musician and all.

being the ambassador of a whole planet of people is hard, i've got no say in the matter though. i have a secret band. the greatest on all of pluto. my dad might kill me if he figures out that i, the ambassador, the son and grandson and great grandson of the ambassadors that came before me, the quiet child, the rocket scientist, is the front man of the planets most popular avant-garde jazz metal math rock band. the whole planet's gonna be shocked to find out it's me, im supposed to be their poster child.

it doesn't matter now. im revealing myself at our last show and im bringing it to earth. when i get to earth, and sign the peace treaties and beg for pluto's planethood- its practically a suicide mission. theres no way for me to get back home. my old life and my loved ones lives are in jeopardy if these treaties and pluto's planethood dont stay in place.

what i know about earth, especially america's history- im scared. i hope those weird government agents can help me look more earthling-like and assimilate into their every day culture, wherever in michigan i end up.

[dukeoftheblackstar]

Cue long review because this fic is a must read ♥ Thank you @yellowocaballero ♥♥♥

OH MY GOD. I HAVE NEVER SCREAMED SO MUCH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE BECAUSE DUMB KIDS BEING DUMB KIDS IS GIVING ME SO MUCH LIFE.

“Just don’t get 3321 decommissioned,” 3390 said. “I’d tell them to decommission you.” “Yeah,” 3385 said. “You’d be the one who flunked.” “Sooran ni’jagyc,” Boba said.  “Suck your own dick,” 3385 said.

Boba being a sassy lil bitch with his sassy bitchy vods. Like, yes. That is the Fett way my sons. Be little shits to each other because this is camaraderie ♥

“Are you dying?” “N - no, sir -” “Then you should be in class.

(Context is Boba had pretended to be a clone and comes across a very grouchy Dad who has to train cadets and wait for an update on whether Boba has been found and has no time for absolute foolishness).

THIS. OMG. UGH. JANGO. BABY, DARLING, LOVE OF MY LIFE, MY MOON AND STARS, MY GROUCY SON OF TRAUMA, JASTER'S LITTLE SHIT BOY TEACHER'S PET FAVORITE SON. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE. 100000/10 WOULD SAY THIS. LIKE. ARE YOU STABBED? NO. OKAY, TRY AGAIN. ARE YOU SHOT? NO, OKAY TRY AGAIN.

OH GOD, I SWEAR. I SAID IT BEFORE, I WILL DIE WITH IT. THE FETTS HAVE NO FUCKING CHILL. BUT LOOK AT HOW COMPOSED AND PERFECT MY HUSBAND IS. LIKE SIR, IF NOT PERFECT, Y DIE?

Sometimes, when Dad had been gone on a mission for a really long time, Boba stood in front of the mirror and stared at himself. All three little unique things about Boba. Scar, tooth, callous. And he would mouth the name ‘Jango Fett’ really quietly, just to himself. As if all the little things that made him Boba could be magically transformed into ‘Jango Fett’, and he could be perfect. He could earn Jango Fett, if he just tried hard enough. One day, when he looked in the mirror, he’d see Jango Fett staring back at him.

JUST END ME PLEASE. I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO DIE RN BECAUSE OF HOW PRECIOUS THIS IS AND I BET YOU MY HEART AND SOUL, HE STILL DID THIS POST-DEATH. LIKE ANYTHING THAT WOULD SHOW HIM HIS UNMASKED REFLECTION IS A TRIBUTE TO HIS FATHER. LIKE SON, YOU ARE PERFECT, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE LIKE JANGO (Well, technically he is you in all forms, but you know what I mean, my sweet baby girl). YOU ARE PERFECT BOBA AND I APPRECIATE THIS SO MUCH BECAUSE NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HOW MUCH BOBA LOOKS UP TO JANGO.

LIKE, BESTIE LISTEN. THIS MAN WOULD NOT HESITATE TO KILL HIMSELF IF JANGO ASKED HIM. IF BOBA FELT THE NEED IT WAS NECESSAY AND THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY. HE WOULD NOT HESITATE TO OFF HIMSELF IF IT MEANS KEEPING JANGO ALIVE AND I SWEAR TO YOU WITH EVERY BIT OF MY EXISTENCE, JANGO WOULD DO THE SAME BUT WOULD HESITATE.

HE WOULD HESITATE BECAUSE HE CANNOT RID THE IDEA THAT BOBA IS STILL A CLONE. BUT HIS. HIS BABY. HIS SON. LIKE HIS WORLD PROLLY TURNED TOPSY-TURVY THE DAY HE GOT TO HOLD THIS PRECIOUS TUBBIE AND HIS LITTLE, ITTY, BITTY, FINGERS SQUEEZED DAD'S FINGER AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. AND THIS JUST MAKES ME SO DUMB I HATE/LOVE IT.

Dad

FINALLY. I AM SWEATING. I AM HYPERVENTILATING. I AM ABOUT TO PASS OUT.

This is the sweetest that I have read. Boba and the author addressing him as dad and occasionally throwing his name like it didn't matter. And it doesn't in this context. Dad is just Dad. Not Jango the greatest bounty hunter, not Jango who trained cadets to perfection, not the PRIME, not the TEMPLATE, not the OG CLONE, not BIG DADDY J, just 'Dad'.

It's so pure I could feel the sin and wanton desire for all my fictional daddies get cleansed. I might have cried a little out of sheer excitement because the implication of how fluffy this gd fic is is too much.

This has instantly sky-rocketed to my top ten favorite fics in the whole damn galaxy.

Star Wars ficlet: Boba Has Baby’s First Identity Crisis & Jango Plays Hungry Hungry Hypocrite

Sometimes, when Dad had been gone on a mission for a really long time, Boba stood in front of the mirror and stared at himself. All three little unique things about Boba. Scar, tooth, callous. And he would mouth the name ‘Jango Fett’ really quietly, just to himself. As if all the little things that made him Boba could be magically transformed into ‘Jango Fett’, and he could be perfect. He could earn Jango Fett, if he just tried hard enough. One day, when he looked in the mirror, he’d see Jango Fett staring back at him.

It was like he could see Dad’s spirit in himself. It was in his body, and it was what made him great. The others had bad bodies and that’s why they couldn’t be great.

But sometimes Boba just felt like a body. And sometimes that made him feel good. And sometimes that made him feel bad. He couldn’t decide.  

Boba Fett plays a prank on his dad, which does not backfire whatsoever. A legion of identical small children play a prank on their educational system, which they definitely don’t blame on Boba. A loyal and dedicated unintelligent army spend another routine day learning to serve Jedi. And Boba Fett, Jedi-killer in training, really does learn that he’s very special and important after all.

In which Jango is the father with a thousand faces. 

Short 7k thing beat out in threehours under the cut. Blaming this one on resident Boba Fett fanatic @bobafett, although you can blame the fact that it’s about children acting like idiots and contemplating the nature of self on me.  

Keep reading

[420technoblazeit]

With Quackity who would the exes be? Assuming based on DSMP we get Karl, Sapnap, Eret, Schlatt. But we need more. Gogy, they were partners in crime at least. Dream is the remaining feral boy I guess. Bad would be funny but he is canonically Sapnaps dad. But someone has to be Pilgrim. Hmmm.

Oh my god. Callahan. /j

i think the seven exes would be as follows:

karl who cries the whole time i think

sapnap tries to commit light arson on las nevadas

eret actually doesn't care that much he was just legally obligated to come because of the pact he made with schlatt and the others

schlatt who flirts the whole time and calls quackity his sugar pumpkin. he gets blasted off like team rocket and in the distance you can hear a faint 'flatty pattyyyyyyyyyy'

george is supposed to show up but just. doesn't

bad shows up but he's just mad at big q for breaking up with his son. he gets defeated pretty quickly and has to sit on the sidelines afterwards and just watch but then you have

skeppy, who ends up being the greatest challenge of all. he's not even that upset with q and sapnap breaking up he's just mad that quackity beat up bad

quacktiy is ramona flowers and wilbur is scott pilgrim

[revolvius]

UnderWAR Casts Re-Design #3

The Seitazea Family

The Seitazea is one of the most important families in the empire. With an Ex-Royal Scientist, Ex-Leader of the Royal Guard, Current Leader of the Royal Guard, Elite Guard, and the current Royal Scientist all occupying the higher-ups of the imperial structure.

Zero Seitazea

The daddy of the family. He was the Royal Scientist back when Frederick was committing rebellion against the old emperor. Knowing how bad he was treated by the old one, he supported Frederick in overthrowing the old emperor using his inventions.

After years being the Royal Scientist, he now left it to his step-daughter Rollin to take care of the department. Now, all he does is playing games, looking at memes, and becoming an internet sensation. He's often nicknamed "Bone Daddy" by many in the AU.

His powers are the usual bone and hand plates. BUT, he has the ability to control dust and manipulate it as he wishes. Something he learned years ago...

Rollin Seitazea

She was taken in by Zero and Violet when she was just 2 years old. She's the eldest of the Seitazea siblings, with 3 years difference between her and Torch. Her IQ and genius are on par with or even surpassed Zero's.

She is the current Royal Scientist after Zero stepped down. Her career rocketed due to Zero's teaching and influence that she became a Royal Scientist by the time she was just 20. She created EXO when she was 18 and invented the Powered Soul to empower it.

She's a grumpy, tsundere, and passionate scientist. Her powers are in her intelligence and strategy, not on the battlefield. She's currently in a relationship with Justika.

Torch Seitazea

Torch is the middle child of the Seitazea. He inherited his mother's weaker but more wild pyrokinesis and his dad's osteokinesis. His motivation led to him being one of the Elite Guards of the empire, which is led by Azuro, his brother.

Torch and Azuro were trained by Hikari who's one of the greatest pyrokinesis in the AU ever since they were little. And ever since the death of their mother, he's filled with hatred and vengeance towards the demons and wanting to annihilate all of them. This gave him the title WARMONGER.

He's currently in a relationship with Kaosu, the mercenary that the empire often hired for intel purposes. He has immense hatred for himself and all Sanses and Non-Sanses kind.

Azuro Seitazea

The youngest of the Seitazea, Azuro is the golden child having inherited his mother's more powerful and focused Blue Inferno, and his dad's osteokinesis and KARMA magic. He topped the Royal Military academy and Hikari's training above his brother and became the youngest ever General in the Empire's history.

Azuro wished to avenge his mother's death. But unlike his brother who was taken by hatred, he wanted to give freedom to the AU more than the demon's extermination. He's a very positive, energetic, and adaptable person and General.

Despite all of that, Azuro is often stressed out by the gigantic responsibility of being a General of the entire imperial military. His friends and family often reminded him to take a break at least once a week.

Violet Seitazea

Zero's wife and the mother of the Seitazea siblings. She was the Leader of the Royal Guard before her death by a demon invasion trying to protect her children. She was a human with the power of pyrokinesis and has helped the rebellion in the past as well, where she met and got closed to Zero.

Her death had affected the entire family as a whole, Zero being undoubtedly feeling empty inside, Rollin trying to cover it up with the workload, Torch being filled with hatred against demons, and Azuro overworked and stressed out trying to protect everyone just like she did in the past.

===

Next Casts

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UnderWAR belongs to me @revolvius

[themaresnest-dumblr]

Since It’s Coming Up To Halloween, A Good Time To Repost And Update This - Your Handy Goth-U-Like Reference Sheet!

Readers! Have you ever been stuck with trying to think of a Goth band your Gothophobic friends might like and thus give a chance at Halloween?

Here’s your handy cross-reference sheet courtesy of your super soaraway Mare’s Nest!

The Cure: People who still watch ‘Bagpuss’, play the American McGee’s ‘Alice’ series, think Tim Burton is the greatest animator of all time, 99.99999% of all Cosplayers, and people who like eating toast.

Sisters Of Mercy: Politics undergraduates, Guardian readers, people who when they get drunk will defend General Woundwort in Watership Down as a ‘misunderstood victim of events’, people who deny being Goth dusk till dawn.

The Mission: Harry Potter/Worst Witch/Doctor Who fans and weekend pagans who like cosplay. A lot. Those who think The Hobbit movies were better than the Lord Of The Rings ones even if they were less canon, and Captain Campion was a better Chief Rabbit of Efrafa than General Woundwort anyway ...

All About Eve: Fans of My Little Pony, The Chalet School/Mallory Towers/St Claire’s, essential oil baths with scented candles, and buying Amazon rainforest sized amounts of quaint writing paper which they never get around to using.

Die Laughing: See All About Eve and The Mission.

The Cult: people who like heavy metal but could do without the whole Dungeons And Dragons or pretending to be teutonic knights vibes. Also people who like tassles. Lots of tassles.

Merry Thoughts: Sisters of Mercy and Cult fans into Pokemon.

Fields of The Nephilim: ‘Sandman’ comic book fans, people who binge watch ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’, theology students, Spaghetti western fans, adrift prog rockers thinking ‘oh well, suppose it will do,’ actual pagans that haven’t gone down the all-out-and-listening-to-Fairport-Convention route yet.

Killing Joke: Science and Engineering students who read a lot of old school SF but regard the fanbase as boomer stoners. Those who fancy Geordie. DC Comic fandorks who only like them because it entitled their favourite Batman story. Star Wars fans who only like them because Mark Hamill played the Joker in the tortuous ‘film’ version of said Batman story.

Bauhaus/Love And Rockets:  people who insist that all original classic horror movies in black and white are far superior to their colour remakes.

Rosetta Stone - Miserylab: people who insist all original classic horror movies in black and white are far poorer in comparison to their colour remakes - even the remakes done by Hammer Horror.

The Horatii: those who like old school New Romantic videos with yachts and marigold glove monsters.

Aurelio Voltaire: They Might Be Giants/Pinky And The Brain fans.

Marilyn Manson: David Bowie fans who wished he’d gone more hard rock.

Dronning Maud Land: Fields Of The Nephilim fans who liked the Monty Python movies and post-Python spin offs better than the TV series.

Forthcoming Fire: Retro 8-bit computing fans.

London After Midnight: rubber and silk perverts and people who still believe villains on TV/in film should talk in a silly croaky voice and cackle loudly at the end of every sentence.

Siouxsie and the Banshees: Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker era Doctor Who fans, people who like hanging around big f**k off sized museums, punks, anyone who likes the Beatles or their copycats. eg. ELO, Oasis. Also your parents and grandparents. Just keep them away from the ‘Join Hands’ album.

The Damned: Those who will defend to the death every single Addams Family reboot, no matter how ill conceived in plan or execution. People who think Captain Sensible is ‘funny’. Harry Potter fans who think Rat Scabies would have made a better dad for the Weasleys in the movies.

[damsel-loves-machines]

Parenting Shell-don with Donatello would Include:

Author’s Note: This took freaking forever when it shouldn’t have and I, for the life of me, can’t comprehend why. I would like to thank @aceing-it-spaceing-it​ for recommending this prompt to me. Just a reminder that I am not accepting requests at all at the moment. Everything that I usually write is all based on inspiration, but I couldn’t pass this idea up.

Here is an excerpt from my Interested in Donatello’s Tech writing, the piece that has started it all. Since it’s my piece of writing, I can copy and paste it without guilt.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.? He’s your son now. I don’t make the rules.

Donatello programmed him to call you ‘Mistress Y/N’ until his brothers somehow managed to reprogram the A.I. turtle behind his back (once again) to call you ‘Mom’. After chasing his brothers with his rocket hammer and fighting down the sheer embarrassment, Donnie didn’t bother with changing it back. The damage was already done.

A part of him liked it, too, but he is taking that secret to the grave.

Donnie does enjoy the fact that you treat and take care of Shell-don like a son just as much as he does. You make sure to keep track of Shell-don’s coolant to be changed thrice daily so that it doesn’t overheat and scratch behind all 8 of his favorite places whenever you have time.

You even decided to freshen Shell-don’s metal coat with polish every once in a while as a treat for working so hard.

He dubbed you ‘his favorite parent’. Donnie is only partially offended by that.

What a lovely introduction. Anyways-

Shell-don is baby. To you, at least.

“He is not an infant, Y/N. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. is a very intelligent artificially-created being with a well-crafted independent personality that I have concocted-”

“He is also two-and-a-half months old. HE. IS. BABY.”

“....don’t you mean, “He is A baby?”“

“Don’t sass me, mister.”

“Mom, Dad. Please stop fighting.”

At first, Shell-don couldn’t...compute the reasoning why you were coddling and spoiling him like this. He wasn’t complaining, but he was very confused as to why you insisted he’d rest his hard wire for the afternoon while you took care of the rest of the chores he was assigned.

Shell-don confronted Donnie about this and his creator said:

“They have always had a great fascination with all of my technological inventions and achievements. However, the second you called them ‘Mom’, you completely won their heart. Even though the primary goal for that remark was for my embarrassment, but you made Y/N happy nonetheless. You’re my greatest creation and they acknowledge that. They love you just as much as I do, bud.”

Cue robo-tears.

If Shell-don isn’t scurrying around the lair or resting at his charging station, you’re carrying him around in his arms like how Misty carries Togepi all around Kanto.

While Shell-don goes for Donatello for basic things and physical guidance with topics revolving technology and the sorts, he goes to you for emotional support and chill times.

The warmth and softness of your body hits differently against his metal body when in your embrace, something that Donatello’s reptilian physique somewhat lacked in. Shell-don fully understands why Donnie always tries to “subtly” cuddle up to you whenever he can.

Shell-don is, at times, emotionally stunted with a hint of dead-pan snark. He gets it from his father. -_-

So whenever some sort of argument would ever erupt between the two violet turtles, you do one of three things:

1. You try to sit them down and talk to them both.

2. You pull the “I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed.” move.

or 3. You threaten to call in Dr. Delicate Touch.

So far, nothing failed as of yet.

You hound the two of them to teach you binary code. You can’t tell what kind of conversation they are having when they communicate in 0′s and 1′s and you hate being left out. They always seem to love watching you pout about it and continue with their aimless banter in a playful manner.

Once Donnie constructed a body for Shell-don, you made it your mission to make matching clothing for the two.

*enter The Clothes Don’t Make the Turtle music segment here*

Everything felt sweet until Shredder infiltrated the lair.

You were stuck at the lair during the tragic mishap, along with April and Karai. You ran to enlist Shell-don to aid in the fight to meet up with the others...

...until you saw the tech lab completely trashed.

You called out for the violet tech-terrapin. The only noise that answered your calls were sounds of broken static underneath debris and mechanical parts.

“...M..bzzt..m...mo...glitch..om?”

You knew that so long as his memory chip is free of damage and/or corruption, Shell-don could be rebuilt with his memory intact.

But the sight of your son’s tremendously damaged tech anatomy only made you shed your tears harder.

You reunited with Donatello later on, with help from April and her bike.

The violet-cladded terrapin took one look at Shell-don’s chip laying tenderly in your grasp before crushing you in a hug of his own, desperate in trying to find comfort for the both of you.

*Fast forward to after the Finale*

Donatello manages to rebuild Shell-don once the Sewer Fam managed to safely settle back down into their home with massive clean up and renovation.

You guys ever seen the ending scene of Big Hero 6? It’s basically that.

“Did I do well?”

“You did awesome, buddy.”

“We are so proud of you, Shell-don.”

[vegetafan72]

Thoughts On If T'Challa was Starlord

The Marvel What If series is a brilliant concept. We’ve all wondered how different things might have been had a character made a different decision or if another won instead of losing or vice versa. There’s a million scenarios we could experience. Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter was a great first episode, but I wanna talk about the second episode: What if T’Challa became Starlord?

Now, I wasn’t expecting much from the episode. I’m not a huge T’Challa/Black Panther fan. Before you grab your pitchforks, I don’t dislike T’Challa and I only have the deepest respect for Chadwick Boseman, may he rest in peace. I just never got interested in the character or specific plots or stories that revolved around him.

On the flip side, I’m the biggest Guardians of the Galaxy fangirl. That’s not an exaggeration. Guardians Vol. 2 is my third favorite movie of all time and I went to see it in theaters 13 times, I kid you not. I have two posters in my room gifted to me by someone who worked on the films (I won’t say who) and one of them is signed by Micheal Rooker (Yondu), Sean Gunn (Kraglin/Stand in for Rocket), and Chris Sullivan (Taserface). The characters in these movies are so dang funny and entertaining and I love them very much.

Having T’Challa take Peter Quill’s place seemed like an odd choice, but I was willing to give it a chance. After all, it would still be more Guardians content and would give us more Yondu (which is a very big deal to me because he’s my favorite Marvel character). So, I gave it a watch and… I just...I can’t believe it, but I kinda like this universe better than the main timeline. I still adore our Guardians, but this new take is incredible. Let me just break it down:

(Spoilers for Marvel's What If Episode 2)

1- T’Challa is a better Starlord than Peter Quill

This really is why this version of the story works better. I’ve seen a lot of people sharing this sentiment, although I didn’t realize there was so much hatred for Peter Quill. I mean, I understand it. I like main timeline Starlord; he’s a dumb goofball who makes stupid jokes and has slick dance moves, but sometimes he makes really bad decisions that just irritate me (and apparently a LOT of others too). This is because Peter is very emotional and sometimes it clouds his judgement. You don’t get that with T’Challa because he’s a much more stable person. He has emotions, but he doesn’t let them control him. Most of the time, he is level-headed and rational, so he makes better choices. He also has a natural charisma which, combined with his intelligence, allows him to have his voice heard. People take his words to heart and this is the greatest power T’Challa holds and is why this timeline is so good.

2- Yondu is a better dad

Yondu was already ‘Best Dad’ for me, but T’Challa makes him an even better one. Peter was probably a little bit of a handful, although it makes sense. The poor kid had just seen his mother die and then got kidnapped by scary aliens. Most people would be terrified in that situation. T’Challa isn’t because he has an explorer’s heart. His curiosity overrides any fear and so he would have been much easier to take care of. He also would have wanted to learn all he could so he’d listen well to what Yondu told him. That compliant but adventurous spirit drew Yondu in and made it easier for him to be affectionate. We know Yondu and Peter’s relationship was rocky and it seems like it was because they were both too stubborn and Peter just acted like a dumb teenager who didn’t understand anything. T’Challa knows how to be diplomatic and can convey his arguments calmly, logically, but passionately. This led to his and Yondu’s relationship being much better. Yes, Yondu lied to T’Challa about Wakanda being destroyed, but I assume it was after he’d spent enough time with the kid to get attached. Plus, he did it to protect him because he’d probably been told by T’Challa about how he wasn’t allowed to explore the world and Yondu didn’t want him to be trapped in a place where he couldn’t be happy. It doesn’t excuse taking the kid away from his real family, but Yondu made the choice because he thought it would be best for T’Challa. He just wanted him to be happy. Parents don’t always make the right choice and it's not like T’Challa’s dad, T’Chaka, didn’t make bad parenting decisions too.

Also the “Ain’t no way in hell I was leaving here without my kid” line? I tell you I clutched my heart, fell back, and screeeeeamed. Yondu is always best space dad.

3- The Ravagers become better people

Yondu is not the only person who softens because of T’Challa, though. He manages to convince the Ravagers to go from regular thieves to thieves who steal for a good cause, meaning they take from the rich and share the money and resources with the poor and those in need. This is probably because, once again, T’Challa is charismatic and can make logical, persuasive arguments. He wouldn’t have gotten on people’s nerves by being bratty or whiny, so the Ravagers like Taserface would have actually liked him. Yondu calls T’Challa the ‘soul of the ship’ and that had to be more than just how he saw things; the crew saw him as their center too. T’Challa earned their respect and loyalty like Peter never could and with that came the ability to lead them into a new way of life, the Robin Hood way.

4- Korath gets redeemed (and gets to be a proper character)

An unexpected redemption was Korath, Ronan’s lackey. While it was hilarious for him to recognize T’Challa Starlord compared to his reaction to Peter Starlord, it was really odd to see him acting so overly excited. It seemed out of character but, then again, he didn’t really have much of a character before so this was an improvement. You’ve gotta have the plucky, funny character on the team and he fit the bill quite well.

5- T’Challa redeemed Thanos

The biggest shock of the episode easily comes from Thanos making an appearance, not as a villain, but as a changed man. Well, somewhat; he still believes his plan of killing half the universe would have worked, but he’s put it on hold because T’Challa convinced him to. It's almost comically OP that T’Challa alone could stop Thanos and by not even fighting him, but it makes sense when you think about it. Thanos wanted to help save the universe from overcrowding. He’d seen firsthand what it could do to a just a planet; he didn’t want that to happen to the whole universe. However, his solution is not ideal or morally correct, even if it's random (I swear, whenever I hear someone say ‘Thanos was right’ or ‘Thanos did nothing wrong’ I want to explode). T’Challa was able to talk to him and explain other solutions to the problem that Thanos hadn’t realized. Thanos was worried about resources? The universe is vast; there’s a trillion different fuel, food, and power sources and such out there. Worried they’ll run out? There’s things like solar energy and eco-friendly transportation which, with the technology out in space, could work even better than what we have on Earth. T’Challa has made it his mission to make sure everyone in the universe has access to proper resources and money to be able to support themselves, taking down the rich and corrupt upper class who wouldn’t allow it. That was something Thanos could get behind. He still must have attacked some planets, which is why he knows his idea works too, so Thanos isn’t entirely innocent, but he is making an effort and it’s a start.

6- Nebula gets to be happy

We love to see a queen thriving. Nebula looks and sounds so much better and we are all so happy for her. She still must have had a rough past since Thanos still took (kidnapped?) her as his daughter, meaning he must have attacked her planet, especially since she is bitter towards him. Also, he may have still given her a cybernetic enhancement she didn’t want on her eye and I think she has the hairstyle she does so she can somewhat hide it. But she also flashes it a little when talking about her debt with The Collector so maybe she got it from him? It’s unclear, but I assume it’s from Thanos and she didn’t end up with more cybernetic parts because T’Challa stopped him in time. I’m relieved to see that she didn’t have to go through all that torture and became the best version of herself.

7- The main timeline Guardians get to be happy (maybe)

Nebula isn’t the only one living her best life. We have a cameo in the episode showing Drax, who reveals that T’Challa saved his planet and so his wife and daughter are still alive and well. He is the only Guardian (aside from Peter) we see in the episode so we can only guess about the others. I like to think T’Challa stopped those people experimenting on animals before they could do anything to Rocket so hopefully he’s out living a normal trash panda life. We don’t know anything about Groot’s backstory in the MCU so we’re even less sure about what happened to him. Again, I hope he’s happy wherever he is. Gamora is a tricky one. Main timeline Nebula was given enhancements to her body every time she lost a fight against Gamora, but since she only has one, maybe Thanos was stopped by T’Challa before he attacked Gamora’s planet, therefore she grew up perfectly normally. However, there’s a scene in one of the promos for the What If series that shows Gamora standing next to Starlord T’Challa, both looking ready to fight something or someone. This scene was not in this episode which means we aren’t done with this timeline (YAY!). I don’t know if Gamora didn’t end up with the happy life we’d have expected or something had recently forced her to become a warrior, but we’ll have to wait and see with that one.

Flaws

Now, I know nothing is perfect. While I love this version of how things could have been, there are some big things that are… not ideal. But some can just be open doors for more episodes to dive into (and if the show won’t do it, hopefully someone will write fanfics of it).

Korg and possibly Captain America are dead

I wish to be in this timeline so I could beat the shit out of The Collector for even touching my precious rock boy, Korg. Him being dead is a stain on this timeline for sure; that’s just not ok. The Collector also had Captain America’s shield so he may have killed Steve? Or he just stole the shield while Cap was frozen in ice. I like to think it's the latter, but it is safe to say The Collector did kill Hela. Ain’t no way he got that helmet from her without killing her, which isn’t a big loss, she was evil as heck. There is a hammer on display next to Captain America’s shield that looks like Mjölnir, but I don’t think it is. Wikis and articles say it is or provide reasons for why it can be the case, but I don’t believe it. I think it’s a hammer that looks like Mjölnir, but isn’t. Why? Because in the same promo that showed Gamora with Starlord T’Challa, Thor was standing with them holding Mjölnir. Could it just be that The Collector stole the hammer and Thor got it back after T’Challa defeated him? Maybe, but I think it’s more likely the hammer in Tevhan’s collection was fake. Also, hey, we know Thor isn’t dead! So far, it seems like the only casualties in the timeline are Hela (no great loss) and Korg (the biggest loss).

What is Ronan going to do?

He’s probably not gonna take Korath’s career change well. Also, he hasn’t been properly stopped yet. He probably wanted that Infinity Stone for himself so he could wipe out the Nova Corp. since he won’t be getting it for Thanos. This would be a fun continuation of this timeline as another episode in What If. How would Starlord T’Challa defeat Ronan? He doesn’t seem like someone T’Challa can talk down and he can’t do what Peter did and beat him with the Power Stone. However, Thanos could hold it. Maybe he could land the final blow to Ronan? Anyway, it’s an idea for an episode and if we don’t get it, there’s always fanfics.

Ego might take over the universe (key word: MIGHT)

The biggest issue here is that Peter was left defenseless on Earth so Ego can get to him with no problem which might, like The Watcher said, ‘result in the end of the universe’. However, the key word here is ‘might’; there is still a chance to defeat Ego. The Celestial’s glowing eyes in the end scene were for show; he wasn’t activating Peter’s powers right then and there. That is something that can only be done on Ego’s planet. Maybe he was projecting his memories on Peter to prove he was his father or was doing something to knock him out or brainwash him, but he wasn’t going full universal wipe-out mode. And even if he took Peter to his planet and did activate his plan, it would only kill people down on the planets’ surfaces. People in spaceships would still be fine. What if T’Challa and his crew were in their ship when this happened? They’d be safe from destruction, find out what happened, find Ego, and fight him. But I hear you asking what the point would be? There’d be even less people left in the universe than when Thanos did the snap. Well, that’s because they can undo his damage with the Infinity Stones! Ego’s power wouldn’t be strong enough to destroy them. After all, the only things strong enough to destroy them are the stones themselves. Thanos may still have intel on where the stones are so they could gather them up and give them to Thanos since he’s the only person on the team who could handle that amount of power. Basically, Thanos gets to do the snap but instead of wiping out half the universe, he’s bringing back the whole universe and only dusting Ego. Wouldn’t that be cool? If Marvel doesn’t give us this episode, I’m relying on you fanfic writers to come thru. I mean, I’m a writer, I could write it, but I don’t want to. To tempt me, don’t make me. Give us this dang episode Marvel… just don’t kill Yondu. I can’t live through that pain again.

[stewblog]

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings more or less immediately became one of my favorite movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Some of this is due to it being one of the best American-made martial arts movies I’ve ever seen. Some of this is due to it delivering some incredibly cool moments and imagery, the likes of which we haven’t really seen much of in the MCU, much less in American filmmaking in general these days. But it’s due also in large part to the fact that the movie is consistently fun, funny, brimming with exhilarating action scenes and moves like a rocket. It’s just a genuinely great time at the movies and I found myself grinning from ear to ear for most of its (just over) two hour runtime. There are more than 20 MCU movies, and while I highly enjoy most of them, it definitely felt like it was time for Marvel to deliver something different than yet another costumed superhero outing. And that’s precisely what’s been done here with Shang-Chi giving audiences a straight-up kung fu adventure film.

In a way, the excellence of Shang-Chi as an action movie is bittersweet. The action scenes were designed and shot by Brad Allan, a brilliant martial artist who spent years as a member of Jackie Chan’s personal stunt team. He had truly come into his own as an action designer and choreographer but met an untimely death about a month before this film’s release. What he delivered here alongside director Destin Daniel Cretton is some of the most impressive hand-to-hand action I’ve seen in an American action film.

Marvel movies have had plenty of exciting and fun action scenes but, as is the case with so many Western films, the performers simply lack the training and capability to convincingly pull off what is shown off with aplomb in many Asian films. That is absolutely not the case here thanks to the exceptional skill shown off by the likes of Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh and nearly every other actor who throws hands (and feet). Allan may be gone, but he left a heck of a legacy on-screen here and it is absolutely exhilarating to watch. Capable, highly trained actors being filmed in wide shots without an excess of editing to cover up their inadequacies makes for exciting cinema. Who knew?!

Though it is brimming with excellent action, the heart of Shang-Chi is actually found in the familial drama driving the plot. Shaun (Liu) is a fairly typical 20-something in San Francisco. He’s mostly content to work his day job as a parking valet with his best friend, Katy (Awkwafina) before spending their nights carousing and doing karaoke. But after Shaun kicks the living tar out of a group of henchmen, including a guy with a literal sword for an arm, on a bus, Katy demands to know who her lifelong friend actually is. Turns out his real name is Shang-Chi and he’s actually the son of a history-defining warlord who’s been alive for thousands of years thanks to ten powerful, magical (possibly alien) rings who trained Shaun since childhood to be an assassin. Ya know, normal stuff.

Shang-Chi’s dad, Wenwu (Leung), thinks he’s found a way to enter the mystical, ancient city his wife hailed from. Though she died more than a decade ago, Wenwu is certain he’s heard her voice calling to him to set her free from captivity. Though he’s willing to fight and kill to do so, Wenwu mostly just wants to reunite his family, and he especially wants his son to take up the mantle of leading the Ten Rings, his millennia-old crime organization.

Shang-Chi is, as expected, not too hip to his abusive father’s plans, but there still clearly resides in him a desire to be loved and accepted by Wenwu. It’s that push and pull between the light and dark within him that drives Shang-Chi’s emotional journey as he slowly comes to realize he can’t ever fully run from or hide his lineage, try as he might.

Liu has been acting for the better part of a decade (I really need to check out Kim’s Convenience) but this is without question his breakout performance and he handles leading man duties well. He’s handsome and funny, and though his charisma is somewhat low-key, he’s able to project enough stoic gravitas that you can always get a sense of what he’s feeling. If nothing else, he’s primed for a string of action roles based on how superbly he pulls off each fight scene. It’s always thrilling to watch a performer pull off their own stunts and fight moves, but Liu brings a very visible energy to his combat.

The real treat here, though, is watching Tony Leung make his Big Hollywood Debut. Leung is one of China’s biggest movie stars and he’s given more than enough incredible performances in truly amazing films to cement his status as one of the all-time great actors. But there’s something uniquely fun seeing him not just let loose in a big budget blockbuster, but to do so and not water down his trademark intensity. Leung’s greatest skill has always been his ability to communicate so much with just his eyes, and that intensity and passion is on full display here. Whatever shortcomings the script might have barely matter because Leung tells you everything you need to know about Wenwu with just a look.

If there’s a major shortcoming here it’s that there are elements of the script that feel notably undercooked. In particular there’s a moment before the big finale where Shang-Chi is brooding over his father’s treatment of him as a child, questioning whether or not he’s still just the assassin he was raised to be. It feels like something from a different version of the script where that self-doubt played a much larger part than what made it to screen.

And, as seems contractually obligated in these movies, the climax culminates with a lot of Typical CGI Nonsense. Though at least here that Typical CGI Nonsense is delivering a look at some mythical beasties and imagery that we don’t often get in these sorts of movies.

None of those frustrating elements (not even the often horribly glaring use of green screen composite shots) detracts enough from the experience to make this anything less than a total blast to watch. I’ve come to accept that most Marvel movies are simply going to have frustrating or undercooked elements to them in one way or another. But even grading on that curve, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings still manages to feel like a complete, thrilling package, one that I can’t wait to watch again.

Author’s Note: If you walk out of Shang-Chi jonesing for some more Tony Leung, check out The Grandmaster if you want more of him doing kung fu. Watch In the Mood for Love if you want one of his best, most internalized acting performances. And watch Hard Boiled if you want to see him co-star in one of the greatest, most over-the-top action movies ever made.

[catxsnow]

AFTER HOURS chapter two

Summary: Enemies to the public, friends to their close ones, friends with benefits between them. Rival companies and an attraction that can’t be ignored. 

Tim Drake x reader

Warnings: swearing, mature content, smut, 18+ only, mention death of parents, car crash mentions.  

A/N: Chapter twooooooo it shall be getting more interesting next chapter😏 

Word Count: 3.6k

It seemed that her life seemed revolve around business meetings. Nine in the morning, another at eleven, two at noon but there was no way to attend both, a final one at three. Meeting after meeting, and for what? To hear the same things over and over again? Some people choose to do this for the rest of their lives.

There was something about the busy Gotham streets that always caught her attention. Maybe it was the sound of the horns, or the people yelling within their cars. Gun shots or screams. There was always something to distract her from whatever meeting she was forced to listen to. Maybe it was because she didn't want to listen to it at all.

Of course, running this company was important. Without her parents, she had to take control of it. It was an important company too, just along side WE, they worked to make Gotham, and the world a better place. That didn't mean that she wanted to here about the statistical analysis of it all.

Not to mention that the weight of her parent's anniversary was heavy in her mind. Four years since they had been gone, four years of blaming herself. They went to Gotham to visit her, if they had just stayed home, they would still be home. Car accidents happen all the time, but that didn't make it any easier.

The second that the final meeting was over, she couldn't seem to get out of that room fast enough. She just wanted to be in the privacy of her own office. The door nearly slammed shut as she closed it. Back against the wall, heavy breathing as she tried to hold herself together. It was always hard on that day of the year.

A bright bouquet of flowers was on her desk. With a shaky breath, she headed over to see who they were from. It wasn't rare for her to receive flowers. Gotham's greatest bachelorette - more like people wanted her for sex and money. Without that company, she wouldn't have been idolized like that.

The bouquet was grand: flowers of every color and kind poked out from it. Whoever this was, they had spent a lot of money on it. (Y/N) picked up the small card and read what it said.

For your parents. I know days like these aren't easy, I'm sorry. - T.D.

"Those are pretty."

"Ms. Vale," her jaw clenched at the sound of the voice behind here. Great, this was the last thing that she needed to deal with today. Vicki Vale had a tendency to show up on her worst days. "What do I owe the pleasure of today and who let you into my office?"

"I let myself in," she said. Vicki Vale stood tall and proud. She had a large purse over her shoulder which surely held a plethora of notebooks and pens. Always ready to catch a story and always eager to stir up drama within the city. "Hope you don't mind. Just wanted to ask you a few questions about this new business deal that you're about to make. But, now I'm curious about the flowers, who're they from?"

"Why don't you tell me?" She sat in her chair as Vicky sat in the one across from her. "You do enjoy making headlines about me and my, as you say 'promiscuous life'." There had been many titles about (Y/N) - between her risky clothing, the second that she were talking with a man outside of business, or her attempts for normal dates - she was there.

Vicki casually reached her perfectly manicured finger tips towards the card from the flowers. Before she could even come near, (Y/N)'s palm slammed down on the desk. She pulled the card towards herself and out of the reach of Vicki. The last thing she needed was for the reporter to put two and two together to realize T.D. was Tim Drake-Wayne.

"Another hopeless lover of yours?" She raised an eyebrow. There was no answer. "I just wanted to ask you what you thought about Wayne Enterprise's attempt to stop the progress of your new development? Mr. Drake - sorry, Mr. Wayne, had lots to say on the matter, I hope you do as well."

"As a matter of fact, I don't." WE's attempt to stop the development was futile. Even Tim had told her that. There was no reason for them to try and stop it when in the end it would benefit both companies. They just wanted their name on it rather than hers. Everyone in both companies knew that.

It was for namesake that there was disagreements about the development. She was lucky enough to have beaten Tim to it first. This was going to a be a massive break for the company, one that would sky rocket sales and put you neck and neck with Wayne Enterprises once again.

"Mr. Wayne is your biggest competitor, aren't you worried?" She continued to pry. (Y/N) had gotten skilled over the years of not letting the curiosity of others get to her. She was able to keep her face straight and her mouth shut - even when she had lots she wanted to say. 

"Mr. Wayne has always, and will always be my biggest competitor. Unfortunately for him, I was the one to give the statement first about this new addition to the city. I will become Gotham's biggest economic resources, just as I have always tried to do in the past - and just as Mr. Wayne has always done in the past."

"So, you're saying that you public enemies?" Vicki pressed. She had always known about (Y/N)'s vendetta against the WE, but there had never been a statement that she tried to take the company down so hers could thrive. That was never her intention, they could co-exist always.

"I'm saying, Ms. Vale, that Timothy Drake-Wayne is a smart man. He knows when to push through fights, and he knows when he is losing. This time, he's lost. The next time, I won't be so lucky. Those who are fighting for the same cost are never enemies," she firmly stated.

"Will you be attending the Wayne Gala?" Vicki continued. Of course, there always had to be questions that weren't related to the company. She wanted anything to see (Y/N) with a man, just to make a headline for the decade. In all these years, not once had she been caught in the dating scene.

"No. I've made a donation, but I will not be attending," She answered. The tag from the flowers seemed to burn the skin of her hands. Tim sent those flowers because he worried, not because he wished to impress her. "Don't you have some better reporting to do rather than finding strings to cling onto of my personal life, Ms. Vale?"

"That'll be all for today."

><

Tim's bouquet of flowers felt heavy in her hands. The weight of having to visit her parent's graves was always a hard task to do alone. As time passed, it seemed easier to go visit them. Years of working hard to make them proud, years of showing them how much the business they started thrived.

There was nothing more that she wanted than to make them proud. Even as a child - working hard in school, playing sports, everything that would have brought a smile to their faces. In death, it felt like she needed to work even harder. Then again, as time passed, she forgot the sound of their voices, the crinkle by their eyes as they smiled, she forgot the warmth of their hugs.

As time passed, she forgot that she could be happy.

Work consumed her in the past four years. Late nights at the office, early mornings, weekends even. She lost friends, disconnected from family, deterred everyone away. Running this company had changed her life, and not necessarily for the better. The responsibility of it all was almost too much to handle on her own.

"Mr. Wayne's son bought these for you," she spoke to her parents graves. Tim's flowers sat on the grass, bringing some brightness to that gloomy day. "Surprising, I know. He's very kind, I think you guys would like him if he wasn't running Wayne Enterprises. At this point though I think you would like any man that I talked to.

"I miss you both, a lot. I'm securing a new development in the company, it's really going to pull us ahead this time. Dad would have thought it would have been a risky move, but I did it. I beat them for once. I hope you guys are proud of me up there, I'm really trying to make this city a better place in your name.

"Happy anniversary mom and dad, I love you," she sighed once more before heading back to her car. The walk back seemed long. Her shoulders hung low and she furiously wiped away the hot tears that threatened to spill down her eyes.

To her surprise, Tim was there, leaning against his own car right next to hers. He was reading something on his phone, but as he heard her footsteps, he looked up. "Mr. Wayne, thank you for those flowers, they were beautiful. What are you doing here?"

It wasn't often that they met up in public without there being some sort of business meeting along with it. Tim shoved his phone in his pocket and gave her a smile filled with sympathy. To be honest, he was visiting his own parents. Their chat the previous night had edged him to go visit their graves.

It just happened to be lucky timing that she was there as well. Tim didn't want to disturb her, but he did wish to speak to her. He always wished to talk with her - not just about business. He liked being with her, she was refreshing in his life of darkness. Without evening knowing much about it, it seemed she understood him more than anyone.

"I was in the area," Tim vaguely answered. He knew that he could tell her that he was visiting his parents just like she were but he felt deterred from doing so. Besides, upon seeing the redness in her eyes, he didn't want to worry about anything besides her. She had been crying, it was evident for someone like him. "I'm glad you liked the flowers, they used to be mother's favourites."

"They stirred up quite the fuss with Vicki Vale today," she tried to joke. Tim rolled his eyes at the sound of her name. He wasn't her biggest fan, in fact he was far from it. Vicki had single-handedly meddled into his life and forced him to live an entire year with a fake spinal injury and crutches. He had gotten off of them just before meeting (Y/N).

"She came to see you too, huh?" Tim shuddered at their meeting that afternoon. Question after question about his involvement with Ms. (L/N). Vicki was sure that there was something going on between the two of them - and for once she was right. "The new development or your latest hot date?"

"Considering my latest hot date is non-existent, it was the development. But, she was pretty eager for me to say something about you," She half-smiled. Tim shook his head, of course. Vicki was always trying to start a turf war or make the two of them fall in love. "I know you just came over last night... but I could really use a distraction from today."

A distraction. That seemed that was all he was to her. Nothing more than something to get her mind of the life she was thrown into. Of course, that was what it was all about at the start. Fucking to forget. He knew it, he went into their benefit relationship knowing it but as time grew...

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break from work," Tim changed the subject a little too quickly. In the four years he had known her, she had aged. Worried creases were around her eyes and scattered on her forehead. Dark circles always under her eyes. It worried him. "I'm not saying leave or anything, but you can have fun every once in a while. It's a Friday night, why not go to the bar with your friends? Let loose and live a little."

Tim was right. She wasn't the young eighteen year old anymore that would have been chastised for having a drink. It was legal for her to go out and have fun, maybe tonight was the kind of night that she deserved. Her parents wouldn't want her to sulk over their deaths, they would have wanted her to live her best life.

Going out was exactly what she needed. Not a distraction, not something that would keep her mind busy for a couple hours just to fall back in her pit of despair. She needed a genuine change in her life, and maybe that started with connecting with old friends and making some new ones.

As no words came out of her mouth, Tim took the time to realize that it was his moment to leave. She was obviously deep in thought with his words. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it before getting into his car. "I hate when you call me Mr. Wayne," he told her.

It was true, not only did it make him feel old, but it also made him feel like they didn't know each other at all. That was far from the truth, they both were far closer to each other than they would like to admit. Tim knew of her desire to keep their relationship business - and emotionless sex. They were after all, public enemies.

><

For the first time in years she woke up with a hangover. Pounding head, upset stomach - it was a feeling that she didn't miss. It wasn't rare for her to sleep naked in her own home, but it was to feel a heavy arm across her waist. Dark hair, muscular back - for a second she swore it to be Tim, but this man wasn't nearly as broad as he was.

Aside from the thumping in her head, memories of what happened the night before started to resurface. She had taken Tim's advice and called up her friends to go get a drink. One drink turned to two, which turned to shots and getting plastered. It had been so long since she had seen them all that letting loose was almost too easy.

She knew that she shouldn't have gotten that drunk, but having fun like that for the first time since she started working at that company was exhilarating. Unlike she had thought - her friends accepted her right back in. They knew that she was under a lot of pressure and that making time wasn't easy. They were just thankful for that night.

So, with a small reunion at the front of the bar, they headed in and got hammered. She treated her friends round after round - partially because she easily could and partially for an apology. It didn't take long for them to become a laughing mess while catching up and remembering the old days.

By the time the night was coming to an end, her friend pointed out the man that had been eyeing her up for hours. Whether it was the alcohol, the need to continue her good night, or to show her friends that she was just as fun as ever, she went to the man. Minutes later, they were walking out of the club and into a taxi.

Now, he was asleep in her bed and she had no idea whether or not anyone outside of her friend group knew what had happened. The man stirred. He pulled himself closer towards her as he woke. Warm brown eyes met hers, a genuine smile. What was his name? Jacob.

"Good morning beautiful," his voice was hoarse, sexy. Her mind raced between the option of soaking up some more moments of fun or getting back to her usual self and kicking him out. She went with the first one as he glided his hands along the curves of her side before placing his hand at her jaw.

It made her falter. This man... as good looking and as sexy as he was, he wasn't Tim. He didn't please her like Tim did. He didn't make her feel as good as Tim did. Even the sound of his voice didn't bring her the same amount of excitement. Why did she feel like she betrayed him? They were allowed to sleep with who they wanted.

She pushed away the feeling. Tim was the one to tell her to go out and have fun. Let loose from the burden of running a company and just the kid that she was. Sleeping with men, getting drunk, that was all part of her teen years that she missed out on. Tim wanted her to have this.

"Coffee?" She asked. Maybe that would stop the ridiculous headache she had. Or maybe she was using it as an excuse to get out of bed with him. Jacob nodded. He pulled her in for a long kiss, lingering against her for just a moment too long. The two of them grabbed whatever scattered clothes they could before going to her kitchen.

As the smell of coffee beans filled the air, she checked her phone for the first time that morning. Unlike the endless abundance of emails that she had gotten - there was a plethora of missed calls and texts. This was far from usual. Her eyebrows furrowed as she opened up the one from her closet advisor.

A picture of her and Jacob leaving the club, pictures of them kissing, her taking shots and drinking with her friends. Is she really mature enough to run this company? Black bold letters stared back at her. This was exactly what she was trying to avoid. The media had taken her one night of fun and turned the city against her.

"Fuck," she breathed out.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked. Genuine concern was in his eyes for why she was suddenly upset. She was frozen in her spot, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen. Jacob stood behind her, hands on her shoulders as he glanced over the article itself. "Oh." He never assumed that the media would do this.

In the bar, he knew who she was. Everyone in Gotham knew who she was, however he never expected her to be that beautiful in person. His friends had been hyping him up all night to go talk to her, but he knew it would never be a success. So, when she came to him, he couldn't say no.

Now, he worried that in one fowl swoop, he had tainted everything that she had worked so hard for.

"I think you should go," she told him, not trying to be rude. This wasn't his fault, none of this was. It was her fault for agreeing to her friends to go after him, it was her fault for agreeing to Tim's idea. Tim. This wouldn't have happened if he hadn't offered. Was this a ploy to get her company to fall so he could come out on top?

"I know it doesn't really mean much from someone like me, but... No matter what Gotham has to say about you, I think you’re the only one keeping this city somewhat sane," Jacob told her. He genuinely thought her to be a good person - not just some chick with a nice ass and easy access. There were people in Gotham that wanted to see her succeed, regardless of her age.

It was a hard idea to get through her head - people believing in her for her brain, not her body. So many articles, just like the one she read this morning, forced her to a life that made her weary of trusting people. She wanted to be seen as powerful, influential - not as a little girl who ran around sleeping with people.

"Thank you," she smiled. "If it means anything, I did have a great time last night." Jacob chuckled, but agreed. He waved a final time and left her home. Reluctantly, she went through the rest of the texts that she had gotten over the night. All of them were the same - reminding her that she was still an immature kid.

The board of directors, her friends, advisors - everyone seemed to have seen it before she had. It was the text from Tim that stood out to her the most. I see you took my advise, hope you had fun last night. Don't worry to much about the paps.

Don't worry? Don't worry? The great Tim Wayne had nothing to worry about, ever. Her on the other hand? She was constantly under scrutiny. In the eyes of society, Tim was the perfect candidate to take over WE. He was smart, cunning, he had a way with the people. It seemed that there was never anything bad for someone to say about him.

Her life on the other hand? She fell under Gotham's microscope and was picked apart until there was nothing left beside the mistakes she had made. This was another mistake, another mishap that would push her back and make her fall under the hand of Wayne Enterprises. The same man that tried to convince her that this was the best thing that she could do for herself.

This was Tim's fault, and she was furious.

@julia-and-comics @unknowntoanyone @willieoo @kindashittywriter @subtleappreciation @yandereforyou @pricetagofficial @because-icanhide @magicisabluewish @hyp-oh-critical @littleredwing89 @boy-georgina @sparkleofpizza @craptainlou @timtimmersdrake @hauntingsonofrobin​ @anothertimdrakestan​ @idkmanicantenglish​ @vvipgot7be​

[sylph-feather]

Title: Ectoplasmic Fossils

Summary: "Actually, Dad?  I wanted to be a paleontologist."

Prompt: Prompt is the same as the summary. Prompter is gaunttwister, team halfa. 

Wordcount:  2453

Notes: Can you tell I was a dinosaur kid.....

For a Danny in familiar world, his first positive thought after becoming a ghost and learning ghosts existed (after, of course, a litany of terror), was as follows: imagine the new world I could explore. He considered this while staring into the swirling portal that lead to places unknown, and in his mind he compared it to the vast and beautiful unknown of space.

This Danny, in this less familiar universe, was less impressed by the portal itself; of course, he was in awe of it from a technical perspective, but nothing that deeply riveting, that personal spark of exploration— not from its wrought metal or whirling green center, that is. No, this was his thought, in replacement of the other spark: if ghosts exist, what things have been made ghosts over the years? What old life could be discovered? 

Danny, you see, did not desire to explore space in this universe. No. He was fascinated by paleontology. Star books were replaced by compendiums of dinosaur species, models of rockets and stations replaced by scientifically accurate models and bones, diagrams of ships replaced by diagrams of feathery, toothsome things. You get the picture. 

Where these obsessions came from… who was to say? Why one fixation over the other? Did this Danny latch onto his parent’s obsession with the dead and translate it into this, rather than translating it into the more vague idea of exploring the unknown? Or was it as simple as an exposure to different things; a cartoon with scientifically inaccurate dinosaurs rather than a ridiculous sci fi premise, or perhaps watching Jurassic Park too young rather than Star Wars…? The child’s mind is prone to flights of fancy that stick— that’s the  the final conclusion, no matter the exact cause of specifics. 

Regardless, his parents engaged in it; provided him with aforementioned objects— models, posters, etcetera— and generally encouraged his interests. The most annoying was when they tried to sell him on ghosts by using dinosaurs as a sort of bribery; they talked of the possibilities of discovering undocumented species and anatomy with the ghost forms of creatures from long ago, a sort of tempting what if, to lure Danny to their side. 

Up until today, when a portal had electrocuted half the life out of him, Danny didn’t believe it. 

Sam, Tucker, and Danny were all reclined in Danny’s bedroom— all fully human, though Danny still felt a bit… simultaneously charred and charged, which he supposed made sense given he’d just been fried by a nasty shock (to put it lightly). 

His two friends were sending him worried looks— also sensible, given not half an hour ago Danny was significantly ghostier, and significantly panic-ier. Now, though, while Sam and Tucker sent each other concerned glances to communicate wordlessly, Danny was simply considering the possibilities. Gooey species of jellyfish and slug-like creatures that hadn’t been preserved! Confirmation of the placement or use of bones, especially controversial ones like the hollowed crest of the Parasaurolophus or the gastralia of many beasts! Behavior that could only be guessed at via anatomical features! The degree to which feathers coated their body! Colors! 

...And so on and so forth. It was all enough to bring a wide grin to Danny’s face— which was a bit creepy given he’d just died. 

“Dude,” Tucker grimaced, snapping Danny out of his reverie, “are you, like, coping well—“ 

“We have to go into the Ghost Zone,” Danny cut him off with excited urgency. 

Sam blinked at him owlishly. “Now? Why?” 

“Not now, I guess, necessarily,” Danny brushed off, filled with excited energy. His eyes were shining when he turned them to his new friends— “imagine what ancient things we could find as ghosts.” 

Tucker facepalmed and groaned. “Of course the first thing you’re thinking of is dinosaurs.” 

Sam eased a bit, brushing off her initial assumption that Danny had some weird, ghostly pull to the green portal. “Well, at least you’re seeing the bright side,” she huffed sarcastically. 

Danny crossed his arms in a pout. “I’m not just thinking of dinosaurs.” No, he was thinking of other eras of ancient things too, of course. 

Tucker shot him a look, but broke it with a laugh and didn’t prod further. 

  xXx

  It was, of course, a disappointment when the first ghosts that came through were too formless to tell what they had been, if they were anything but raw emotion. It was an even bigger disappointment when the first fully-formed ghosts were largely human-shaped. With the exception of dragons— which Danny definitely did not count— there was nothing that bore any resemblance to extinct creatures. 

On top of this, Danny had sort of let go of the go find dinos in the Ghost Zone NOW mentality, because… well, despite insatiable curiosity, he didn’t know his way around the place at all. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, or if he was even expecting it to be easy to begin with, but going into a directionless green abyss where orientation did not exist… well, needless to say that Danny knew he could not find his way to whatever ancient beast ghosts were there, if they did even exist in the first place. And he certainly didn’t want to risk his life knocking on doors of who-knows-what, or drifting around ghostly islands in the middle of who-knows-where. And that’s not even touching that technically Walker wants his arrest for a reason Danny only sort of remembers because it was so dumb. 

And so, for the first handful of months of his existence as a halfa, Danny contents himself with theorization. It’s hard to think too much about dinosaurs anyways, because it’s hard to think too much about anything— despite being a teen and thus being prone to sleep deprivation, the ghost fighting combined with high school has lead Danny to a new level of exhaustion, one that he is still adjusting to. His grades hurt for it, as do his passions. 

Slowly, though, he does adjust— enough to be confident to go in the Zone, and enough to have actually smart thoughts without his brain fizzling out. 

In the moment where Phantom and the Red Huntress found themselves in Skulker’s lair, Danny was largely scared and exasperated at alternating points. It wasn’t until that situation was… resolved (and thank goodness both hunters didn’t pulverize him) that Danny was slapped with a marvelous idea of tangential connections.

Skulker is a hunter. The Zone’s greatest hunter, he claimed, though Danny didn’t know if he believed that much. Still. The point still stood that it was a reasonable bet that Skulker was into rare and dangerous prey, if his arsenal and his fleet of pelts were anything to go by.

All this to say that Danny thought that maybe, just maybe, Skulker would know about dinosaur ghosts. That miniscule spark of hope was enough; Danny felt he deserved to see what he’d always so desperately wanted to see after the thought of dinosaur ghosts entered his mind as a believable thing. 

Danny had to ask— even if there was a high chance Skulker didn’t know or did know but wouldn’t tell, and the fact that asking Skulker was at great risk of being at best, involved in their typical scuffling, and at worst, captured. Danny only had dinos on the brain, though, and maybe he wasn’t awake enough to consider the full consequences of the impulsive thought. 

So he enacted his plan as a teen enacted anything: rashly, suddenly, and without much forethought. Even calling it a plan alone was generous; all the half-ghost did was float into the Zone in the general direction of Skulker’s island, foolishly calling out to Skulker as he floated through. Naturally, he came prepared— not with weapons, or maps, but with a bag containing his phone, a journal, and his comprehensive dinosaur book… just in case he did end up seeing any. 

The mechanical suit showed his flaming mug quite close to his island. Bright, solid green eyes blinked, and Skulker— who had not had the time to pull up hs egotistical Ghost Zone’s greatest hunter speech in his shock— said in a surprised tone, “don’t you have other things to do?” 

Danny did. He did this in favor of an important English essay on 1984 that he had— Danny had tried wrapping his mind around thought crime and contradictions, and once he put the book down he immediately decided I can think on all that and, I’d much rather find dinosaurs. So here he was. 

Skulker shook himself out of that surprise, and levelled a laser that popped out of his arm at Danny. “No matter! Prey is prey, and you are good prey!” 

“Wait!” Danny barked, confident enough (and strange and out of place enough) to give the other ghost pause, making Skulker lower the laser just slightly, a modicum of movement to say go on, or at least indicate curiosity. “I want to see dinosaurs,” Danny said authoritatively, simply. 

Skulker stared, weapon still whining slightly. His slightly slack jaw and slumped arm just screamed huh? 

And thus began a ramble— “I’ve always wanted to see dinosaurs, and once I realized ghosts existed, I figured ghost dinosaurs had to exist, right?” Not waiting for an answer, Danny ploughed ahead. “And I thought of all the ghosts I’ve met, you seem like you maybe, hopefully know where any ghost dinos are, with the whole hunting schtick—“ 

Skulker cut off Danny’s rambling with honesty: “I’m not sure if I should be amused, flattered, or honored, ghost child.”

“As long as you’re not violent?” Danny said slowly, tipping his head, still assessing Skulker as though to try to suss out whether he was a threat still or no 

Skulker himself was still trying to figure out the answer to that question— did he want to be a threat, want to hunt Phantom? Or did he want to pause and take a moment to indulge the bright, sparkling curiosity in his eyes…? 

Skulker gave an awkward cough, a sort of choked harumph sound. He started slowly, unsurely, “I suppose.” He added hurriedly— “to reward you for being such good prey.” 

Danny huffed. “Way to make it weird,” the halfa grumbled— but he wasn’t able to keep up a petulant persona for long, because the excitement shone through too brightly to conceal. Because dinosaurs. “That means you know where to find them?” Danny’s voice was approaching something that could only be described as a squeal. 

Skulker once again paused for contemplation, because those islands were one of his prized hunting spots… the dinosaurs regenerated (as most strong, full ghosts did), but they still were a great joy to hunt. Among the dinosaur-ridden chunks of land, there were also significantly less interesting hunts— the cambrian period areas, for example, didn’t have much that provided a very thrilling chase… they just sort of scooted around. Then again, it was clear the ghost child cared not for the hunt, so Skulker supposed he could share. 

Skulker made a gruff noise, internally considering that of course he would hunt down the halfa anyways, and Danny didn’t regenerate like full ghosts— so it wasn’t like he had to share for long. Granted, it wasn’t like a hunter to lead prey into anything but a trap, but Skulker didn’t have much to argue against that thought, so he just… didn’t think about it, justifying it with a vague “honor” tangent in his mind.

To answer the question after much internal debate on sharing, his own softness, etcetera, Skulker simply said, “yes, I know where to find them. Follow me.” 

The halfa was lost in excitement, doing flips in the air and going on a ramble that the mechanized ghost utterly drowned out as they jetsetted through the Zone at rapid speed. 

I could skewer him right now, Skulker thought over the whine of his jetpack. The thought had no heat to it, though, especially when Skulker took a pause to look at the exuberant teenager. 

It wasn’t long to consider thoughts of said skewering, anyways. The Ghost Zone was a strange place; once someone had been somewhere and knew the way, the green abyss would fold out of its own way to get them there again when they wanted it. Skulker had long stopped questioning it, if he ever questioned it in the first place, but Phantom was quite in awe of the quick travel, and the way their scenery had subtly compressed then stretched into a new horizon around them as they flew— only now was he realizing the complete change in surroundings. 

Skulker just hovered and watched as those luminous green eyes darted from unfamiliar door to unfamiliar door until they settled on the main attraction: a vast set of islands, incomprehensibly expansive and swirling around each other in a compressed way special to the Ghost Zone’s laws of space.

Danny’s eyes widened, and he let out a sound of pure, concentrated excitement. “This is it,” he said, and it was partially a question but mostly seemed to function as a statement to convince himself. 

Danny shot immediately to the nearest island, a chunk of land covered in a swampy rainforest and thick ferns. From the brush, a large thing burst forth, chittering and cawing. 

Danny took in the huge, feathered raptor— feathers of blue and green, as with all ghosts, but otherwise so… different. It was so different, seeing it in the… well, not flesh, ectoplasm, but the point still stood. Danny hovered above that island, frozen with awe, and the creature stared back at him with eyes that were not slit and were observant, and it clicked its lizard-like mouth around its sharp teeth and flared its feathers with some degree of fright… and Danny could think of nothing better than that moment of pure, extreme joy and awe and sheer wonder. 

Skulker saw all that on the teen’s face and thought again, this time with heat: I could skewer him right now. Their little agreement was over, the debt of providing a good chase repaid, and now it was time for the halfa to become prey once again. A laser charged up—

Beep, beep, beep. The laser cut off with the notification, and Skulker gave a surprised grunt. 

Danny made a noise. “You scared it off,” he groaned, but even that couldn’t get him down, because he went plummeting off towards the fern forest with a joyous laugh. 

Gorilla feeding time, Skulker’s suit informed him in the meanwhile. 

“No,” he barked uselessly, already jetting away, “I thought I’d gotten rid of this—!” 

The last thing the mechanical ghost saw was Phantom, plunging into the underbrush, crowing with laughter, dinosaur dreams fulfilled.

[fallenfurther]

Homecoming - Together

Chapter 4 - The boys visit their father

Chapters 1 , 2 and 3.

A short one from Jeff's point of view. Enjoy!

*******

His whole family was relaxing in his private garden. Scott and Virgil sat beside him at the table, a pack of old playing cards between them with a game of rummy pretty much abandoned. It was a good thing they weren't keeping score as almost all their attention was on Alan. It was Alan's turn to share what had happened over the past eight years and he was currently standing before them, full of enthusiasm, as he recounted his mission to Europa. Gordon was perched on a cushion with his legs crossed, occasionally butting in with his own comments. His youngest still radiated energy, just as he’d done as a child, and Jeff could see the joy in Gordon's eyes when talking about the Pendergasts. He was going to have to look them up later to see what all the fuss was about, just as he'd done with Cavern Quest. Alan started to build up as he reached the climax of the rescue. Jeff had yet read the report for this rescue so wasn’t sure how much was being exaggerated, and although he knew they would be okay, his heart still raced at the drama. The sense of relief that washed over him when Alan informed them of their safe landing was immense. Alan really did remind him of himself, and brought back the memories and thrill of his own first trips into space. It hadn’t helped that Alan threw his arm into the air to show off their trajectory as they’d burst through the ice, face full of excitement. He'd hoped the young man would go to college, but with his eyes set on space and with access to a rocket, it might be hard to convince the boy otherwise. There was a round of applause and a bow at the end of the story, before Alan settled into the floor next to Gordon.

"So, Gordon, did you ever get to join WASP or did you go straight into the family business?"

Gordon had once had his eyes set on WASP after finishing his Olympic career. Jeff regretted that he wasn't there to see Gordon take gold, but they had shown him the footage. Gordon had been pulled into a hug as tears of pride fell from Jeff’s eyes. He'd re-watched the footage multiple times since, as well as the other home footage they had supplied over and over when he felt alone in his room. The boys had been his motivation to survive and they were still his biggest motivation now. They had all turned into respectable men despite his disappearance and he was so proud of them all.

"Actually, I did. Only for the training year though. They did say they would welcome me back if I ever got bored of International Rescue. It was definitely the right thing to do. WASP taught me so much when it came to the sea, currents and challenges of being in an underwater craft. That training set me right up for piloting Thunderbird Four, helping me work as a team and focus on learning the best ways to rescue people. They're a really cool bunch of people and I'm still in contact with them."

"That's good to hear, son."

Jeff wanted to place a hand on Gordon's shoulder, but he was on the wrong side of the table. He'd always worried about Gordon, who'd struggled with paying attention at school. Jeff had spent hours trying to convince him to study and do homework. If it didn't line up with his interests, Gordon never wanted to do it. The school teachers always compared him to his brothers, who had all been good studiers and never needed prompting, yet Gordon would always surprise them when given free rein on the topic. If he could make it about the sea, he would, and that was when Gordon would shine. The diorama of the coral reef and pollution levels had surprised his teachers, especially when Jeff had confirmed that Virgil had only helped by giving Gordon verbal painting suggestions. Knowing Gordon had still pursued WASP meant everything to Jeff. He'd only wanted the boys involved with International Rescue out of their own desire, and not pressured by a feeling of duty. Gordon had joined WASP, seen what it would have been like to work for the organisation and decided he wanted to be part of the family business. The man had still stayed true to his own hopes and dreams.

"Hey, Dad, I was…" Scott started before a beep came from John's wrist, who was sitting quietly on the bench in the shade next to their grandmother. The familiar voice of EOS filled the garden.

"Sorry to interrupt, John, but there is an emergency that requires International Rescue for the greatest chance of success."

"What's the situation?"

"A building site explosion has caused some steel framework to collapse against the skyscraper across the road. There is a high probability people are trapped and there is a risk of further explosions as the cause of the first is currently unknown. Further explosions could lead to more damage to the surrounding buildings. I believe Thunderbird One and Two are both required."

"FAB, EOS." John turned to the group, determination on his face. "Ready to go?"

"What are we waiting for?" Alan jumped to his feet, fist in the air. "Thunderbirds are go!"

The scraping of chair legs filled the air and Scott placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Duty calls, Dad. See you soon."

Jeff’s boys were running back into the facility with a wave goodbye over their shoulders. The pounding of their feet slipped away leaving the air still and the garden eerily quiet. Neither occupant spoke, waiting for the rumble that they knew would follow. It did just that. The roar of those great engines had faded in Jeff’s memory over the years, just as various other sounds of Earth had slipped from his mind. They were things he was experiencing again. This was Jeff’s chance to live again. Yet his boys couldn't stand down International Rescue when they visited as a family, so they always landed the craft in the field beside the facility. The downdrafts created by Thunderbird Two swept over the facility and his wind chimes clattered as the ship came into view. The quieter Thunderbird One was beside the green giant. Thunderbird Two picked up speed while Thunderbird One turned and sped away with a bang in the opposite direction. The green craft was soon out of sight, her roar fading away to nothing, and the slowing chimes and empty chairs the only evidence that they had ever been there. The rough scratching of a chair moving closer to him made him turn away from the sky before the space elevator came into view.

"They'll be back, don't you worry."

The smile on his mother's face was warm, familiar and filled him with comfort, even if it didn't chase away his worries. His boys were gone again, barely recovered from their last rescue. They had all been here. It still felt like such a rare treat, just as it had ever since Scott had left for the Air Force.

"It was never meant to be this way." Jeff sighed. His mother placed her hand on his and her cool blue eyes met his.

"This is your dream. Your boys are flying the Thunderbirds and saving people."

"Not like this though. I never planned for International Rescue to be needed as much as it is."

"Well, you couldn't have predicted just how successful and necessary International Rescue would be. They've risen to the challenge amazingly, Jeff."

"I know, Mum, but at what cost?"

Jeff ran his hand through his hair as he leant back and gazed at the sky. There was a small black dot that he believed was the elevator whisking John away. That's what the world did now. They called on International Rescue and snatched his boys away. Before, the rescues had been a few a month, leaving them plenty of time for relaxing and being together, especially when Alan and Gordon were home from school. He could see the exhaustion in his sons, the fact that there never seemed to be enough hours in the day for them to sleep. Alan seemed the least affected and appeared to have the most spare time, but Jeff had heard the yawns when they played Cavern Quest together.

"A cost they are willing to pay. Now, let's see if you've still got it in you to beat the master at Blackjack."

A bag of tokens landed on the table as his mother slid the discarded cards into a pile up and started to shuffle. Jeff smiled, though not entirely happy at the obvious distraction tactics, as he tipped the familiar coloured tokens on the table.

"If I remember correctly, you're in my debt at the moment, sure you want to deepen it further?"

There was a glint in his mother's eye as she met his own and her lip curled up.

"Just put the usual million on the table and we'll end the day with you owing me."

Jeff started stacking the counters into the required piles, happy to accept the challenge though he did wish his mother would let him listen in on the rescue. Hearing their voices would settle him a little, though Mum probably thought their daredevil antics would be too much for his old ticker. His heart worked fine. He'd just wanted his boys.