#Danny doesn't know how to tell them his parents are part of the problem

[twoidiotwriters1]

Until The Very End -(WITS Sequel)

A/N: I love my little children everyone is so precious -Danny

Words: 2,271

Masterlist

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2008

Reg can't wait to go home. He's tapping his foot so much that his friend has to hit his knee with her quidditch magazine.

"Stop it! You're driving me mental!" She scowls.

"Sorry," Reggie replies, briefly glancing her way before sinking further into his seat.

"Tsk," Penny shakes her head, resuming her lecture. "You're squirming like there's a niffler in your pants."

Penny and Reg have been friends for a year and a half. They met during their first potions class and have been inseparable since. Penny is a Slytherin, and she reminds him of Mel a lot. She was the only kid who stood up for him when McLaggen started to harass him. 

Penny's a muggle-born, so she didn't understand why everyone was so intimidated by David's last name and had no problem telling him off. She's obsessed with becoming a head girl one day, so she has no patience for arrogant people. Sometimes, when something upsets her—like right now—it's very hard to look her in the eye. She's got the darkest eyes Reg has ever seen. It's scary.

He loves her though, they're similar in many ways. Penny likes to tease him saying that it's the Black blood in him, but she doesn't joke about that often, Reg doesn't find it very funny.

"You know, you have no reason to worry," he says, knowing that's part of her current grumpy mood. "My family will love you more than they love me."

"Tsk," Penny clicks her tongue again and wrinkles her nose. She's not a talkative girl, but she's very straightforward when she talks. "Don't be daft. Your family worships you."

Reg grins. His face is much lovelier when he smiles, or that's what the classmates who have a crush on him always say. "Well, your family worships you too, so you have no right to mock me."

Penny says nothing, but she smiles a little. She was adopted two years prior to finding out she was a witch, and her muggle parents received the news pretty well. Reg's met her parents, and they treat her like she's made of angel dust.

"Don't try to cheer me up by being condescending, that's what I'm saying. I'd appreciate it better if you were honest."

"I'm being honest," he raises a brow. "You underestimate how my mum and sister feel about strangers. But you'll know what I mean once we—"

The door to their compartment opens and Reg's guts tangle as soon as he locks eyes with David McLaggen. The boy is looking at him with a lopsided smirk.

"What?" Reg scowls.

"Just came to drop a dung in its rightful place."

One of his friends drags forward two smaller forms, Reg's blood boils as soon as he spots the kids behind the older Gryffindors.

"Layla!" Penny gasps. "Finn!"

"What did you do to them?" Reg stands up and elbows the older kids out of the way to examine his friends.

"We didn't do anything," David snorts, already walking away. "Ask them—while you're at it tell them to never try something like that again, or next time we won't be so generous."

Penny and Reg carry the second-years inside their compartment. Layla, a second-year Gryffindor, is wet from head to toe and smells like she took a dive inside a dumpster. Finn, second-year Ravenclaw, is also wet, but he's more awake than Layla and he's fuming.

"I'm going to drown you in Granpa's pond as soon as we get there, Layla," he growls, pulling the cloak off his body grumpily.

"What happened?" Reg questions.

"This idiot happened!" Finn points at his cousin in outrage. "Layla tried to get your book back!"

Penny and Reg look at the blonde girl with matching scowls. "I told you to drop it," the boy says.

Layla mumbles something, but she's too out of it. 

Penny scoffs and draws out her wand. "Rennervate!"

Layla sits up gasping, she coughs and gawks when the smell around her hits her nose. "I... ew! Is that the dungbomb?"

"You dropped it when David disarmed you," Finn throws his wet cloak at her. "Leon told you to forget it— and yet you went and did it, you absolute—"

"Can someone tell me the whole story?" Reg huffs, pulling the wet cloak off Layla's head. "You! Start talking!"

Layla coughs again, she holds her nose as she explains. "Your mother gave you that book! He has no right to steal it!"

"It's a stupid book," Reg scolds her. "I can buy another copy, it's not a big deal."

"It's a family heirloom!"

Reg rolls his eyes. "Honestly, Lay, that prat's doing me a favour. I bet Mum was half-hoping I'd lose the book, she's too sentimental to admit they're a waste of space."

"Books aren't a waste of space!" Penny argues. "If you find them inconvenient, I'll ask her if I can take some with me before I leave, you're a spoiled wanker."

Finn flushes at Penny's language, but Reg chortles and pats the girl's arm. "Be my guest."

"I just wanted to help..." Layla mumbles in a nosey voice.

Now that the shock of seeing his friends in trouble is over, Reg softens. "I appreciate it, mate, but you're a lousy dueller, you should leave that stuff to me and Finn."

"Precisely what I said," Finn scoffs, trying to dry his pitch-black hair.

"If I don't practice I'll never learn," Layla disputes.

"When we said you should practice, we meant joining the duelling club, you twat!" Finn responds.

"Stop it, she's learned her lesson," Penny sighs. "Right, Lay?"

The girl glances up at Reg with a guilty expression. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

He shakes his head. "Nah, I appreciate the effort. But a book is really not worth it."

Her bright green eyes fill with relief, and then her expression shifts entirely. She turns to her cousin and hits his arm. "You were supposed to back me up!"

"Ouch! How was I—Stop hitting me! How was I supposed to back you up against a bunch of fourteen-year-olds!"

While Layla and Finn bicker, Reg can't help but think of Emily Flint. He really can't wait to get home.

Mel promised she'd pick up her brother from the train station. Somehow the news spread and now there was a whole army of children around her eager to see their friend after six months apart.

"Mel! Mel!" Elizabeth Flint squealed. "Is it true Reggie's bringing a friend from school?"

"Yeah. You've heard of heard, Penny, haven't you?"

"She's a Slytherin like our dad!" Emily piped in, full of excitement.

"That's right," Mel nodded, adjusting little Lily in her arms. "Kids, has anyone seen Harry?"

"Here!" Harry had their twins held one on each side, both four-year-olds were quite squirmish and he was struggling to keep them steady. "Where's Matty?"

Mel glanced around and spotted her two-year-old son calmly seated on the bench a few feet away from them, holding onto Teddy's hand while the oldest Lupin animatedly talked to Victoire and Dominique.

"The train's coming! Mel! The train's coming!" Elizabeth tried to run forward, but Emily caught her by the back of her jumper.

"Calm down, Lizzy, he'll come to us," she reminded her. 

Mel was almost as excited as Lizzy. Her brother was growing at an alarming speed, and although he was no longer the little kid she used to scold for dipping his hair under the faucet's stream, he still was a young boy, and she wanted to enjoy him before he grew up and away from them.

Once the children started to pour out of the train, Mel spotted the auburn tuft of her brother's fluffy hair surrounded by a couple of children. He was playfully holding Finn Maverick's head while the boy kept elbowing him trying to escape his grip.

Layla Bach was orbiting the two boys trying—and failing—to join the fight. They were purposefully keeping her at a safe distance from their wrestling. She reminded Mel of Neville Longbottom, though definitely way more hyper and extroverted.

Reg then looked up and locked eyes with Mel, his face lighting up when he recognized all the children surrounding her and Harry. He let go of Finn and said goodbye to him and Layla, then grabbed Penny and dragged her all the way to where his family was waiting.

"Reggie!" Elizabeth shouted, escaping Emily and wrapping her arms around Regulus's middle.

In a matter of seconds, Reg disappeared under the weight of nine excited children who were beyond happy to have their friend back. Mel laughed at the scene, even her twins had joined the avalanche, hugging their young uncle and struggling not to topple under the strength of the older kids.

"You must be Penny," Harry spoke.

Mel gave a start, the little girl had been so quiet she'd forgotten Reg had brought her along. Harry remembered how he felt the first time Ron invited him to stay over at his place. She was a muggle-born, and meeting a family of wizards and witches was nerve-wracking.

"Hi!" Mel eyed the girl with loads of interest, after all, this was her brother's best friend.

Penny had dark skin, curly dark hair, beautiful dark eyes and was a head taller than Regulus. She was looking at Mel with reverence, which made her a little anxious.

"It's so nice to meet you," Penny was holding her quidditch magazine tightly against her chest. "Leon has told me loads about you."

"He's told us loads about you too," Mel beamed, nudging Harry. "C'mon, Glasses."

He searched in his pocket and pulled out a bag of sweets. "Merry Christmas, Penny. The kids insisted on giving you this as a way to welcome you to their group."

Victoire pushed through and took the bag of sweets from Harry's hands. "Hi, Penny! We're Reggie's friends, which means we're your friends!"

Penny was eyeing the bag with genuine surprise. A second kid untangled from the group hug. "Hi!" Ted Lupin tripped over his own foot and almost knocked over the bag of sweets from Victoire's hand. "Sorry, Vicky! Hi, I'm Teddy!"

"Hullo," Penny cleared her throat. "You're a lot of kids."

"And these aren't all!" Mel replies happily. "You'll get used to it, Penny."

"Let's go get your trunks," Harry suggested, sensing Penny would need a moment to process all the new faces.

"Wait—Where's mum?" Reg pushed his way out of the hug, picking up Matthew and carrying him like a teddy bear.

"She had lots of work at the Scamander Sanctuary, but she prepped my old room for Penny to sleep in."

Penny blushed when she heard this, staying in Mel Dumbledore's former bedroom was a dream come true.

"But she's going to sleep with me!" Reg asked, sounding bossy.

"She can't sleep with you, she's a guest," Emily scowled. "What kind of host are you?"

Reg snorted, poking the nine-year-old's cheek teasingly. "She can if she wants to! I've got no problem with it. What about you, Pen?"

"I want to sleep in my own bed, though," Penny admitted confidently. "I don't like sharing a bed."

Reg frowned. "Is it because Layla said my feet are smelly? That was one time—"

Mel laughed and pushed the boy forward, interrupting their conversation. "C'mon, children, we should get going."

Harry was already in bed, reading through a file from work. Mel jumped under the sheets and snatched the papers out of his hand.

"Hey!" He tried to take them back. "Give them back here, it's work!"

She hit the top of his head with the file. "What the bloody hell are you doing reading awful things before bed? It's going to give you nightmares!"

The young man chuckled, trying to keep her from hitting him again. "It's alright..."

"It's late," Mel dropped the file and then sat on his lap. "Christmas is in two days. Please, stop thinking about work."

She cupped his cheek, and Harry leaned into her touch, kissing her wrist. "Have I told you lately..." he began, pulling her closer by the waist. "That I love you?"

"Flattery won't work, Glasses," she grinned. "You're almost thirty, you should know better."

Harry rolled over and pulled her close under him. "I'm just asking a question!" He leaned in and kissed her neck. "You still look after me... and I love you for it," he kissed her cheek. "And you look after our kids, and spoil the rest," he smirked. "We'll need a bigger car if you keep taking them everywhere."

"I can't say no to them, I love them so much," Mel pouted. "And someday they'll grow up, won't be as adorable—and they only like to come when Reg is here."

Harry lifted himself up to look at her. "I'm glad they all welcomed Penny so easily, she's a nice girl."

"She is," Mel held his face, she kept stroking his beard lovingly. "And his other friends look really nice too. I'm glad Reg's got good mates, I was so worried when he sent that letter about McLaggen, Uncle Lu said that he's constantly harassing him..."

"Reg's a natural leader," Harry shrugged, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "McLaggen's a prat just like his uncle, he probably sees your brother as a threat—"

"My brother is twelve and he's fourteen!"

"David's family isn't exactly the best and brightest, right?" Harry continued with amusement. "And to be fair, Reg acts and sounds way older."

"Well, he grew up surrounded by adults. Reggie was already running around on his own when Teddy was barely old enough to stand. He's used to getting things done by himself, and doing more for others," Mel sighed. "He's a great boy, pestered by the not-so-great."

Harry kissed her forehead. "He can take care of it, so don't smother him."

Mel glared at him, it gave Harry a pleasant shiver, it reminded him of a younger version of his wife, the one he loved to tease just to see that expression.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," she poked his ribs. "I know how annoying I can be—"

"I'm just saying—"

Harry's speech was interrupted by a flying pillow. Mel stifled her laughter, rolling over to escape his retaliation.

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[cookietastic]

DP - 😻🤞🔥🎂🥧🦃🎈🐑

🎂🎈- HC Danny and Tucker Celebrate their birthdays together

This one is just a silly one for me cause again I adore Danny and Tucker's friendship but I kind of like have this cute little HC Danny and Tucker's birthdays are near each other so every year since they were little kind of had a joint birthday and it's either at the Fenton's or at the Foley's. The problem Is Danny is not a fan when it's at his house because he feels something goes wrong or he's ruining the day for Tucker and his Family when Tucker honestly loves it/ the excitement that always happens when it's Danny's houses year to have the little party.

🔥- HC You can tell how powerful some ghosts are by their hair

I mentioned this before in a pic with Ember but I like when Ghost hair goes wild and in a fire when they're doing something powerful/are powerful. This doesn't apply to all ghosts though but if you see like someone's hair flaring up perhaps don't do anything stupid. That's why I like drawing Dan's hair like that and Ember's :'D

🤞- HC Danny is a terrible liar

I don't even think this is a HC this is just fact like 10021% of the time it's Sam Jazz and Tucker covering his ass. His parents catch him in lies too and like the only reason they don't even know about the ghost thing is that you probably wouldn't think you're own son is a ghost so they know Danny is lying about being home late and sneaking out but don't think it's related to ghost just being a secretive teenager.

😻- HC Kitty and Johnny can be chill- when they want to.

Like Johnny and Kitty are part of that group of ghosts that are Kind of chill. They don't really have A I WANT TO RULE THE WORLD KIND OF THING or TAKE OVER SOMEPLACE besides that one episode girls' night out which was Kitty. They're more into each other and their relationship and their episodes are mostly trying to get together or make the other jealous. I can see them easily being chill with Danny one minute and like ready to throw hands next if they bother them/interfere anyway with them or their relationship.

🦃🐑- I was going to talk about petting zoos but I was like met stop ghgheg

[kingofangst]

Alright, despite a long wait here is chapter 3 of TWOAE. This one is a mix of comedy and angst, plus sibling bickering, and a first interaction between the enigmatic Seraph and Stiles.

-Also, I have an AO3 account named Kingofangst_14 and while I do have another teen wolf fanfic posted there, I am putting that one on hold and revamped since I feel that it needs to be better. But this Teen Wolf Fanfic will be my main focus. Enjoy this witty chapter. @rhyslahey @thiamsxbitch @bendystrah @isaac-not-isaac @amatchinwater @phantomraeken

The italics are Seraph’s thoughts whether they are after someone's response or when he is having an internal monologue.

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The Wings Of An Enigmatic

Chapter 3: Non-Supernatural Threat

Seraph’s sleep schedule was off today. Throughout his life, he never had an off sleep schedule. Despite having no purplish bags under his eyes thanks to his supernatural status, he still felt very exhausted by last night’s events, or rather what the nature of his precognitive abilities showed him last night.

The Alpha killing the movie store clerk, along with exposing Jackson and Lydia to the supernatural partially, left them both emotionally and psychologically scarred.

It is a prominent reaction when one is exposed to the supernatural but not fully knowing the entire details of how such bizarre phenomenon happens, especially when all their lives humans are expected to do things in life: completing school, finding the career path they want, and completing their lives. Process of growth.

To encounter a supernatural alpha werewolf as part of their teenage endeavors as high school students? Not part of the life process. Not part of a human’s life process of growth.

Which is why when Seraph enters school for class, it is an odd feeling due to Lydia's absence. The queen bee is usually attending school everyday, signifying her perfect attendance. But the events of last night must have left Lydia paranoid.

Then again, why should he care? It's not his business nor problem, just as it isn't his problem when he witnessed Allison and Scott leave school to celebrate her birthday in the preserve.

Yes, he witnessed the two lovebirds enact a plan to skip school for the day due to it being Allison's birthday. He overheard the Argent heiress' quiet declaration of turning 17, along with and her insistence of not wanting anyone to know about her birthday in fear of backlash from her classmates regarding her age to be older than the typical sophomore. Which isn’t a problem nor a negative term since Stilinski is turning 17 in a few months as well, resolving the age problem.

Sadly, humans tend to have such a negative aspect on each other due to their pessimistic outlook in life and the envy of others. I am exhilarated that I am not human and I don’t have the lenses of a human being to view certain circumstances as such.

Poetic Love. But undisciplined. The parallel to Romeo and Juliet.

Seraph is beside Danny doing an assignment specified from his Chemistry textbook and demonstrating his work and problem solving skills of the questions.

"Just a friendly reminder, Parent Teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a C average are required to attend. I won't name you because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment." Mr. Harris speaks to the class walking through the aisles of desks.

Luckily for me my grade is an A+, therefore such requirements aren't necessary. But for the thrill of it, I want to attend the conference so I can witness and enjoy the reactions of the parents who find out their students have D and F averages.

"Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" Mr. Harris questions, before looking at Stiles with an accusatory look as if the neurodivergent knows where he is.

It is a crime that Mieczyslaw doesn't even know, but then again Scott isn't entitled to tell his best friend every single aspect of their lives and decisions, and I believe that applies to Mieczyslaw too. I hope.

As Mr. Harris’s inquiry of Scott's whereabouts are met with silence, the classroom door opens, revealing Jackson with an aura of dread, anxiety and fear is felt by Seraph. Said male has a scowl on his face while making his way to his seat but that is a mere facade the popular student puts up to hide his exhaustion and fear.

"Jackson," He hears Mr.Harris call out to the other student. "If you need to leave early for any reason, let me know." Seraph raises his eyebrows slightly.

Wow, I am so touched by the generosity Mr.Harris offered to Jackson due to his encounter with the unknown Alpha. He would never do that to anyone else in this school. Bravo, Mr.Harris. BRAVO.

“Everyone, start reading chapter 9. Mr. Stilinski,” Mr.Harris calls out firmly, “try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It’s Chemistry, not a coloring book.”

Mr.Harris’s admonishing tone made Seraph simply roll his eyes. He hears Stiles blow out the cap from his mouth and catch it with his hands. Seraph once again regains his focus while reading chapter 9, until he hears Stiles' quiet voice interrupt his peaceful atmosphere.

“Danny, can I ask you a question?”

“No.” Danny’s terse response made Seraph smirk. Regardless of what class Danny has with him, Seraph finds it amusing how cordial yet curt Danny can be.

“Well I’m going to anyway,” Stiles flatly states head-on. Of course that wouldn’t stop Stilinski, known for his inquisitive nature and wittiness. “Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?” Um, is he freaking kidding me?

Danny huffs out a sigh, keeping his composure. “No.”

“Can I ask you another question?” Stiles inquires again, to Seraph’s disdain.

“Answer is still no.” Danny curtly declines, trying to focus on his work.

“Does anyone know what happened with Jackson last night?” The Sheriff’s son’s question makes Danny pause. Seraph, while reading, is also listening in. He is the only one pretty aware what happened to Jackson and Lydia last night thanks to his precognitive abilities he forgets to simply turn off.

“He wouldn’t…tell me.” Danny hesitantly answers, and Seraph can hear the waiver of his tone despite the lacrosse goalie’s calmness.

“But he’s your best friend.” Best friends aren’t entitled to tell best friends anything if they’ve experienced something completely traumatic, like encountering a supernatural werewolf where Jackson is unable to explain due to how bizarre and unbelievable it’ll sound.

Seraph sighs through his nose at how Stiles implies the statement. As much as Seraph dislikes Jackson, he respects the lacrosse captain’s privacy and gives a hint of sympathy for the chaotic endeavor Jackson and Lydia had to go through.

“One more question.” He hears Stiles ask Danny once more. This time Danny is agitated by being disturbed.

“What!?” Danny’s agitation reaches his limit and he can feel the teen’s annoyance surrounding him, along with Jackson’s dread and fear from the events of last night.

“Do you find me attractive?” That made Seraph and Danny pause simultaneously in bewilderment. Seraph glances to the neurodivergent behind him with raised eyebrows as Danny is just beyond baffled at the question.

“Wow Stilinski, I am astounded by such discovery. While I applaud your boldness to ask such an unclear interrogative riddle to Mahealani, it is an abnormal timeframe for you to question your sexuality and assume you are attractive.” Seraph cleverly retorts. Stiles stammers at Seraph’s response before facing him.

But to be honest, despite his disdain, Stilinski is attractive. If had to rate him between 1 to 10, it'd be a 7. Whereas Danny is a 9.5, Allison is a 9.5 and Scott is a 9. Yes he is aware of his bisexuality.

“I wanted to know if I was attracted to gay guys and I asked him, not you. Is your name Danny?” Stiles counteracts bluntly.

“Your voice is disturbing my presence as well as Danny’s as we are trying to concentrate on our assignments and reading.” Seraph diplomatically responds evading Stiles’ rudeness.

“You were literally ignoring me a few moments ago and suddenly you have the audacity to say something about my questions? You should invest in earplugs then if talking so much as bothers you.” Stiles coldly implies in witty fashion.

Oh two can play at that game, Stilinski. You’ve just met your match.

“Oh I profusely apologize, for the lack of politeness I have to your insignificant question that somehow becomes the puzzle of the day. I also sincerely apologize for being a rude classmate who has to stand by and listen to your nonsensical rambling that annoys your fellow peers. Do you need me to check you out for a psychiatrist in regards to your neurotic confusion? Or perhaps a stomatologist for your endless and unamusing questions? ” Seraph disparages with a wry smirk.

“Are you trying to be funny or are you trying to be a dick, Kingfisher?” Stiles snarks. Seraph shouldn’t be enjoying this but for some reason, he finds entertainment in Stilinski’s boldness and agitation.

“I don’t know, maybe both. Or maybe I would like for you to stop asking your inconceivable questions that tend to be a disruption to my work. As for your Interpellation, try unambiguously experimenting with other males and see if you are attracted to them.” Seraph quips before going back to his textbook. Danny just stares with shock at Seraph’s words while Stiles musters his dirtiest look at the enigmatic teen.

“You are a cruel person, Seraph.” Danny murmurs in befuddlement.

“It’s my default setting, a token of my charm.” Seraph adds wryly as he continues to read through his textbook. Class continues as usual, with the addition of Stiles’ repressed anger. The Sheriff’s son had it coming.

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Parent teacher conferences were here and while he didn’t have to attend due to all of his classes being A+, he wants to view the thrill of parents scolding their teenage children for the below average grade requirements that’s expected of them.

Seraph watches in silent amusement at a parent scolding their son for a F grade in economics, and again as a father is not happy with his daughter’s C- for a mathematics class. Then again, C- isn’t that bad in average standards so he doesn’t understand why this particular father was upset. But then again, it isn’t his problem.

As he walks with his mother and younger sister in tow, they head to the first class to meet his teacher, which happens to be Coach Finstock with Economics.

“So mom, ready for this?” Seraph inquires knowingly as he steps beside the door of the class with a smug expression.

“In all my life that I’ve attended you and your sister’s parent teacher conferences, I already know what I am going to hear so I am not going to be surprised. Literally, both of you never had below an A-, which raises concerns for me as I hope you aren’t straining yourselves for perfection.” Elizabeth implies dryly.

“Sorry mom, it’s part of the–”

“--Family genes.” Seraph and Celes address concurrently with feigning innocent smiles. Their mother rolls her eyes in amusement before waving her hand in the direction of Seraph's classroom.

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“I never had an issue with Mr. Kingfisher here. In fact he is basically the best student I could ever ask for!” Coach Finstock exclaims. “Hands in all of his assignments, no questions asked, perfect attendance, very disciplined, he is just…phenomenal. Better than myself back in high school in English when I bombed over a research paper, or these rambunctious knuckle heads I have as students!”

The Coach’s eccentric behavior and wording makes Elizabeth just blink owlishly, nodding at his words. Seraph sports an amused glance between his mom and his economics teacher while Celes is…simply on her phone not caring.

“Right. So, just how exceptionally good is Seraph in all of his class assignments and milestones?” Elizabeth asks, clearing her throat.

“Like an angel. In fact I have one of his most treasured assignments I will forever use as an example for the rest of my teaching career.” Finstock declares before opening his drawer and pulls out Seraph’s folder and takes out a 16 page economics paper.

“This is Seraph’s economic research paper he did over the break and let me tell you, it blew my mind at how he was able to write about the 2009 recession and goes in full detail and description of the affects, the damages, the cause of it, a counterargument, even numerous evidence pieces from several citations and articles regarding this.” Finstock shows to the Kingfisher trio.

“Well I always had a cynical approach for the recession and how it was caused by undermining events.” Seraph points out while looking at his clean and manicured nails.

“You see!? Your son is a force to be reckoned with! That's why he has a 100 in my class!” Coach Finstock proudly proclaims. Elizabeth didn’t know what to acknowledge: her son’s teacher’s comments about how impressive he is, or the odd but hyperactive behavior of the coach.

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“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Kingfisher. I must say you have a remarkable son with astonishing talents and intelligence.” Ms. Cavendish of his classical literature class compliments while shaking his mother’s hand.

“I appreciate the praise, Ms.Cavendish.” Seraph comments while taking a seat. His sister rolls her eyes at his bespectacled nature. Ironic how he uses his glasses but he has no need for them since his vision, as well as his family’s visions are crystal clear, they can see within a mile radius.

“I can already tell that this review will be satisfactory.” Elizabeth chuckles. Ms.Cavendish nods with a genuine smile while taking out Seraph’s profile folder.

“Let us get started. From the past semester to now that I’ve had with your son, it is anything but bad. Mr.Kingfisher here is advanced and exceptionally intellectual. His keen usage of details, key historical information, his understanding and recognition of political and social philosophy, and his understanding of Greek and Roman Renaissances capitalize his value in this class. He receives As in his assignments and homeworks. He even managed to complete a presentation of epistemology within Ancient Greece and how the “Theory of Forms” by Plato, which is ingrained in the philosophical foundation for knowledge and philosophy within Ancient Greece and how it affects European and American societies in the present.”

Elizabeth nods in acknowledgement. Seraph notices that this presentation he made was a little after the paper on how Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy and the negative impact it has on love and romance.

“I found this presentation very astonishing that I graded a 100 on this assignment, which bumps his grade up to a 100 in my class.” Seraph’s heart skipped a beat, literally.

“Pardon me but did I just hear that correctly?” Seraph questions his teacher while she smiles, with his mother very amused while Celes makes a flat expression at this new information.

“That’s right. Your grade is now a 100 in my class, Mr. Kingfisher and the only 100 out of my students.” Ms.Cavendish restates him and his family. Seraph’s lips curve slightly upwards. FINALLY. This class I have a 100 on and I am feeling over the moon.

“Oh brother.” His sister comments wryly.

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“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs.Kingfisher. I am surprised to see you come along Seraph considering your extraordinary grade average.” Mr.Harris speaks, as Seraph and his mom take a seat on the stools. Celes, for the first time since she arrived at the school, actually takes out a chemistry textbook and sits on a desk to read it.

“I am participating in this event just to accompany my mother and sister.” Seraph implements, cleaning his glasses.

“You could have accompanied Grandma at home, plus our butler is there too.” Celes adds slyly. Seraph rolls his eyes.

“I didn’t want to disturb her while she is gracefully strumming the keyboards of the piano at home, and our butler is preparing large dinner and dessert platters since dad won’t be home until 8pm.” He says covertly and as a matter-of-fact. Elizabeth glances at her children with a subtle vexation in her eyes before looking back at the Chemistry teacher.

“Alright then,” Mr.Harris shakes off the baffled look between the two Kingfisher siblings before making contact with Elizabeth’s eyes. “Your son is honestly one of the very few students I have no challenges with at all. He completes his assignments on time, he finishes his classwork within a class period’s time frame, actualized a few Chemistry projects and laboratory works including an acid-base titration project he formulated and hypothesized a reaction of the chemicals and how the neutralization affects the flow of acids.”

“I can concur with that, as my son here has some equipment he bought from the California Institute of Technology and used for his own projects. One of them was a project called Electrochemical Cell Project. In basic terminology of a breakdown, he demonstrated the principles of redox reactions and generating electrical energy.” Elizabeth explains and recounts the time Seraph did start that project. Seraph watches amusedly as Mr.Harris’ face is a mixture of impression and intrigued.

“That’s quite commendable of him to do and to immerse himself into. To categorize and construct a complicated project within the confines of your home and successfully finish it and have a well advanced understanding of it, enthralls me.” Mr.Harris relays. “Perhaps you can demonstrate one for the class if you are comfortable with it.”

A determined glint shines in Seraph’s gray eyes. “Certainly Mr.Harris, I’d be delighted to provide a replica of the aforementioned project.” If you are willing to add it to my grade for a 100 for this kind of assignment. Seraph thought bitterly, his mind fervent to prove a validated point of his intelligence.

“How completely and utterly unsurprising.” Celes murmurs into her sleeve disguising it as a cough so that only Seraph and their mother can hear it. The dark academia teen knew his sister read his mind from that snarky phrase.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They finish with the rest of Seraph’s classes before walking out in the hallway. Elizabeth of course remains detached from her children as she assesses the school and her environment around them. Celes is on her phone looking through her feed seeing Lydia’s updates on social media, while Seraph has a scowl plastered on his face. He was just fine a minute ago, until he overheard a conversation between Lydia’s parents and one of said girl’s teacher about how her IQ is the highest in this school. His rival’s gpa is exceedingly high, at a 5.0, where he’s at a 4.7 grade point average.

“Why the long face, Raph? You now have 100s in five of your classes, what more do you want, a Nobel Peace Prize?” Celes jests as she glances at Seraph’s scowl. Before she could read his mind, he let out a scoff.

“My academic rival is 3 points above my gpa. She’s now a 5.0 while I have to catch up, otherwise I will never hear the end of it from her if she were to ever find out.” He sibilates, then scoffs as he can hear Lydia’s teasing and covert remarks in his head.

“Oh boy, here we go. I am Seraph and I am sorry that people are jealous of me…but I can’t help it that I’m so intelligent.” Celes mocks, despite the voice portrayal of her older brother being very off. Seraph turns his head at her with irritation.

“Hé, sois tranquille avant de dormir sur la chaise!”

“No, ti taro gettare sulla chaise!”

“Je t’emmerde!” “Fanculo!”

“Stop. Language both of you,” Elizabeth turns around to face them with narrowed eyes. “Stop your shenanigans and comply with each other so we can get home and eat ham or salmon with quinoa, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, biscuits, and tiramisu or blueberry pie.” Their mother tiredly explains.

“As long as there is no asparagus, then I am fine with proceeding for dinner.” Seraph informs, but he catches Celes mock him.

“Celes, stop.” Elizabeth warns, making the girl cease her actions for good. “No, there is no asparagus for dinner. Now come.” The trio walked further down the hall and joined the line of parents walking to reach the double set of school doors. The moment they stepped out, they breathed in the cool winter air of the night. They are glad that they are immune to cold weather and winter in general due to their fiery body temperatures not being able to feel any draft of cool air as they provide excess body heat. They don’t even need to wear coats, but for the sake of concealing their supernatural identities, they have to wear what humans are required to wear. Much to their dismay as the more layers added on, the more heat builds up.

“Allison, answering your cell phone will make discussing the terms of your grounding easier,” a familiar voice speaks behind the trio, making them alert. “Either call me back before your punishment reaches biblical proportions.” Seraph knows the owner of the voice and the repressed angry aura, belonging to Chris Argent. He also felt the other aura, belonging to Victoria Argent. Wie Wunderbar, the matriarch and heir of the Argents are behind him and his mother and sister. Raio!

“Kate hasn’t heard from her either.” The Trio hear Victoria say worriedly, but they move to the side as a familiar presence moves up the stairs. Seraph glances and he sees Melissa McCall, the nurse at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital and mother of Scott, walking up to what he can visualize as confronting the parents of Allison.

“Excuse me, you’re not Allison’s parents are you? I’m Scott’s mom and I hate to say it but he’s not answering his phone either.” Oh god. This isn’t going to end well.

“You’re his mother?” Chris questions, a tone of bitterness and rudeness laced together. That even made Seraph’s mother wince due to the way it was implicated.

“Funny how you say that like it’s an accusation.” Melissa answers back cautiously. Seraph had to smirk, he gives Scott’s mom respect for being kind yet assertive.

“Well I wouldn’t claim it as a source of pride since he basically kidnapped my daughter today.” Chris replies cuttingly. That is not how you consult with the parent of your daughter’s boyfriend, and technically speaking it was Allison’s idea to cut school, not Scott’s. Every child is not an angel.

“How would we know skipping school wasn’t your daughter’s idea?” Melissa counters back. Bingo. He could feel the shift in frustration to anger in both Chris's and Victoria’s aura as he, his sister and mother reached Elizabeth’s car. But Seraph hears the car door open to his far right on the other side of the parking lot and he sees Allison and Scott come out of her Madza.

“My daughter…!” He hears Chris pause as he notices the two teenagers leave his daughter’s vehicle. His aura drifted back to a calm yet composed anger, mixed with relief. “...Is right there.”

“Where EXACTLY have you been?” Melissa interrogates her son, who was sheepish.

“Nowhere mom—”

“Nowhere meaning not in school!”

“Um– kinda…”

“It’s not his fault. It’s my birthday and we were—”

The sound of a rapid heartbeat and smell of fur made Seraph freeze. His mother and younger sister eyed him weirdly until they caught the scent and rapid heartbeats. Along with the paddling of paws running on the pavement. The shrillhe scream of a woman echoes, alerting the trio and everyone else in the parking lot.

Soon more shouts and screams were heard.The sounds of footsteps ran across the pavement along with an apparent growling.

“Stay in the car, both of you.” Elizabeth asserts, before going off to investigate, not waiting for a response.

“What is she doing?” Celes questions apprehensively. Seraph’s eyes widen when he sees his mother pulls out a AutoMag .44 Magnum pistol from the car trunk and holsters it in her coat. He leaves the car with Celes in tow. Exposing their supernatural side is a dangerous and fatal concept, but trying to investigate and defend as a human?

What is she doing!? She is not supposed to get involved!

The sounds of harsh growling echo in the parking lot along with the swift movements swishing by, giving Seraph a stronger scent. A Mountain Lion’s scent.

“It’s a Mountain Lion that's in the lot.” He relays to Celes. While he’s glad it isn’t the Alpha or something else supernatural, but the idea of his mother hunting it down is preposterous when the Argents are here. Then again, the thought of a wild animal harming someone is gruesome.

A car honking rapidly snaps him out of his search and he watches with shock as a white car is heading straight for Allison without a care in the world.

ALLISON—

“Allison!” Scott’s voice rang in the air as he sprinted towards the girl before the enigmatic watch Scott pulled Allison swiftly to safety just in time before the white car could barrel into any of them. At least he didn’t have to see either of his fellow classmates get severely injured or worse.

“Move! Move!” The voice of the Sheriff authorizes the panicking crowd, trying to find the wild threat lurking within the chaotic scenery. Elizabeth is just running towards an open space when she hears a car shift gears into reverse and the tail-lights turn on.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Shouting loudly and with bated breath, Elizabeth rushes forward to push the human authority figure out of the way just in time, but in doing so the silver car hits her with it's rear, making her fall sideways to the ground.

"MOM!!!" Celes shouts in horror as the two teens witness their mother receive a painful impact from a panicking stranger's vehicle. While their supernatural status would make sudden situations such as getting clipped by a car appear minuscule, the action of seeing their mother receive a whiplashing impact instills horror and fear within them. The two Kingfisher teens rush to their mom’s side while Sheriff Stilinski was appalled and shocked that a civilian, no less Mrs. Kingfisher was the one to push him out of a harmful obstacle but faced them herself.

“Mrs. Kingfisher!? Jesus are you alright?” Sheriff Stilinski asks Trepidatiously while Seraph helps her up slowly.

“Yes I am fine. Just searing pain around my waist and hip bone.” Elizabeth breathes out, her discomfort evident despite the healing factor kicking in, which is thankfully hidden in her attorney attire and trench coat. With icy veiled outrage, Seraph looks at the car plates of the silver car that hit his mother and memorizes the license plate numbers to use for a lawsuit he is going to file later on. Pettiness be damned.

“Mrs. Kingfisher, are you okay!?” The voice of David Whittemore, Elizabeth’s fellow attorney and colleague, calls out in worry. “I just witnessed you were hit by a car and–”

Gunshots ring in the air nearby, cutting off Mr.Whittemore. The trio plus Sheriff Stilinski see Chris Argent with his pistol out as small trails of smoke come out of the gun’s muzzle. The panicked crowd gather around where Chris is at and as the Kingfishers come close to the male with the Sheriff on one side and Allison on the other, they see the corpse of a Mountain Lion, on it’s last breath as the silver bullets from the hunter’s gun made fatal hits. Despite it being a predator, Seraph could only look at it with sympathy and pity as he hears the heartbeat inside the animal fade at each beat before it hastily stops.

In a prey to predator world, sometimes the ones at the higher ends or top of the food chain are also vulnerable to danger and the cycle of life and death. This applies for preys and predators, predators and humans, hunters and werewolves, banshees and dullahans, kitsunes and onis, and even divine beings and eldritch beings.

“Let’s return home.” Elizabeth authorizes, her tone leaving no room for objections. Seraph and Celes follow their mother to her car. Elizabeth has to pretend she is injured from the slight car incident, so that there wouldn’t be suspicion of her healing so quickly, especially in the presence of the Argents.

Seraph still gazes at the scene from the passenger window, eyes not leaving from the scene as he observes and ponders, while the car starts and moves out of the parking lot of cars.

Seraph’s father will not be happy when he hears of this incident when they reach home.

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EDIT: So...Seraph and his family...what are they? Plus this will not be the last time Seraph and Stiles interact, albeit not in friendly fashion (at least not yet)

Chapter 4 is this weekend

[the-firebird69]

It says that they could have escaped their earthly ground prison it might be out already and it's what people say that they've seen them and he says it might even be David and Mary or Michelle whoever you want to call her and they were pretty quick at changing and now everyone is but they are evil and he doesn't know if he has a real brother or not and his parents never mentioned it at all and they're really nice people so we're wondering what's really going on and he said if you have something that big and it dissolved then it would be evidence and the truck down and dissolved there would be evidence on the on the floor we know about that too so where and really we know how to check and we're going to check if they're empty then we've got some kind of problem and we checked their DNA and it seems weird a lot of the times his is odd but it's human so we're going to have to get into this a little bit more there's something we can look at now these caverns or below Appalachia and that's where the empire is and they're below us too but the ones that the empire is at you can tell earlier no but it's easier access from the top

Mac daddy

We're going to go up there and look there's this huge cavern that had a horn in it and it's empty and the horns might be at the steakhouse where Trump owned in New Hampshire just over the Massachusetts line we're going to check that too they might not be bullhorns at all it's part insect

Tommy f

This could be David's kids live for Christ's sake it'll be good to know if that one's out and yeah he's the one who's going to take my job who'd be getting rid of me

Trump

That's all fine and Danny but we have to solve at least one question or one mystery and that would be the beginning and it looks like we see them in the future in the near future this is going ahead but what if they're the two who are entombed and they just go back to being entombed that's also very weird and he says they might go to Egypt and escape social stranger it sounds normal

Terry c

We going to get out of this but at least they're in the right direction now

Macs

This is our stuff and we're going to make sure we give you a secret sort of but really they're going to be a very astonished and where are they down below Appalachia okay there might be a small cavern for each but

Olympus

Yeah that's also a very huge cavern and I didn't think about it they're under us too and that's probably $2,500 MI by 300 miles by who knows 300 miles I think and we got to get down there these are the biggest conference on Earth if they're a cavern

Mac daddy

[quirkless-accident]

Honesty is the Worst Policy

Let's hear it for drabble #50! I've been super excited for this one. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate all of you. Your support and enthusiasm makes writing these much more fun, and I'm happy that you all are as excited about these as I am!

-----------

The day had started off normal. Great, even. But he should have known to wait for the other shoe to drop.

It happened during lunch. He had gotten a stain on his blazer, and, well, his parents already didn't like buying him things, and it's not like he could afford another. So he was doing His Best™.

He had been chatting actively with Tucker, Sam, and another one of Sam's new gen ed friends, who had reached over him to slap Tucker, and had used his arm as leverage.

But he hadn't noticed. Nobody had. Not until he had gotten slammed into a wall by Bakugou and his dumb explosions during Foundational Heroics.

"Are you okay?" Uraraka had asked, hands hovering over him.

Yeah, I'm good, is what he had tried to say. What had come out was, "No. My head hurts, I'm tired and I'm pretty sure at least one rib is broken."

That had been more than enough for him to get his ass sent to Recovery Girl. And like always, as the end of the session she asked the same question.

"Anything else, Dearie?"

And he tried to respond with his usual, "Not today! Maybe tomorrow I'll have a concussion for you!"

And then she would swat him with her cane and send him on his way. What came out, however, was nothing like that.

"Not anything you can fix. I'm kind of a biological anomaly that can't be fixed."

He fled before she could ask him questions. She would probably tell Aizawa about it later, but that honestly sounded like a future-Danny problem. Present-Danny was currently trying to get a hold of Sam.

"Aren't you at training?" She asked him.

"Bakugou broke my ribs and I had to get them fixed," he says, and he can't tell if it was against his will or not. "But something is wrong. I can't-the words that I want to say aren't coming out. I just told Recovery Girl I was essentially a freak of nature. And I didn't want to."

"Sounds like Shinjistsu accidentally activated her quirk," Sam replied. She sounds far to calm about this for Danny's liking.

"Okay. Where is she so I can turn it off?" He'll apologize for his snappiness later. Right now he needs to get his brain fixed so he doesn't accidentally spill anything terrible.

"You can't. It has to wear off on it's own. I think she said it lasted a week? Maybe a month? I'll have to double check with her. I think part of it is answering all questions directed towards you, too. Honestly, obviously."

Danny wanted to scream out in frustration, but instead of doing that, he forced himself to take deep breaths. "I'll have to give you my phone, then, just in case," he said. "And I have to tell Aizawa. Maybe if I'm lucky he'll excuse me from class until it wears off."

"Why don't you just tell him the truth?" Sam asked. "I mean, if anybody is going to believe you-and help you-it's gonna be the guy who got totaled by a Nomu for you."

"Because he might tell my parents and they already don't like me. And you know how they feel about Inviso-Bill. I don't really wanna be strapped down to a table and experimented on, Sam."

"Ugh. Right. Listen-I'm super sorry but I have to go. But talk to Aizawa, I'm sure he'll help you out."

-------

Sam is a big fat liar.

He had turned over his phone to her after telling Aizawa who told him he still had to attend class.

"Whatever petty teenager bullshit you have going on isn't important enough to have you skip out on class," he had said.

It wasn't too bad at first. For the first two days he wasn't asked too many questions. Not any that he wouldn't have answered honestly anyway. And when they got back to the dorms, he would hide away in his room and work on homework to avoid a mental breakdown.

Aizawa had notified all of the teachers, but none of his classmates, per Danny's request. The less questions he got, the better. And man, were they good at asking needlessly invasive questions sometimes.

It was on the third day when everything went to shit.

He was walking into class, debating on whether or not he wanted to invest in some kind of muzzle when he was hit with a question by his least favorite person.

"Danny-what bra size is your sister?" Mineta asked him from across the room. His voice carried, and nearly everybody went quiet, but Danny saw red.

"I don't know. I don't care. But if you ask me anything like that ever again," he let his eyes flash a dangerous green, "then I'll punt you into the fucking sun."

"Geez, no need so be so sensitive. Why is your quirk so creepy like that, anyway?"

"Because I'm dead."

The words had left his mouth before he could even properly process Mineta's question. And it was said with such a finality, such a certainty, that even if he hadn't been under the effects of a truth quirk, he's pretty sure a couple of them would have believed him.

"He, yeah, right," Mineta said. Danny could practically feel Mr. Aizawa's gaze on the back of his neck despite the fact that he was hiding behind his desk in his sleeping bag. "Tell us the truth."

"I am."

He's starting to think that maybe he should have let Aizawa tell the class he was under the effects of a truth quirk.

"Oh yeah?" Kaminari asked. "How'd you die?"

"I got electrocuted with millions of volts of ectoplasmic electricity and it bonded to my DNA."

There was a bark of laughter and a couple of applauds from his friends for committing to what was obviously a very hilarious bit. But the more he spoke, the more he could feel Aizawa's gaze boring into him.

But thankfully, he was saved by the bell.

---------

"Class dismissed," Aizawa drawled, but his sharp eyes were sitting firmly on Danny, who didn't move an inch. "Fenton, stay behind."

He wanted to punt Mineta into the sun. It hadn't been a threat when he said it earlier. It had been a promise.

The class cleared out quickly enough. His friends only lingered for a couple of moments before being dragged away by other classmates. The entire time, Danny stared at his desk, unable to look up and face his teacher.

Because Aizawa knew he had been telling the truth. Had known that he couldn't lie. And now he knew he was a freak and he was going to tell his parents, and when they found out they were going to strap him to the table in the basement and-

"Danny, breathe," Aizawa told him, stepping into his vision. Danny squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"I don't need to," he said against his will. "Fuck."

If Aizawa had a problem with his swearing, he didn't show it. Instead, he sat down in the chair in front of Danny's desk and placed a warm hands over his cold, trembling ones.

"Are you okay with answering a few questions?" He asked. And, wow. Danny hadn't been expecting that. He had been expecting a full-tilt investigation into his weird tragic backstory. But Danny could see it. It was the illusion of choice, whether Aizawa saw it like that or not. He could answer yes, and spill his guts. Or he could answer no, and be pestered about it later, and with his terrible luck, he wasn't going to count on that being a time where he was vulnerable.

So he nodded his head yes.

"What did you mean by you being dead?" He asked. Danny just shrugged.

"Exactly what it sounds like," he says. "Sort of. I'm half dead."

"How did-how did you survive?" Danny didn't miss the hesitation in his voice. The uncertainty of the words coming out of his own mouth. And Danny couldn't blame him, not really. If he was Aizawa, even with a truth quirk playing a part in all of this he wouldn't believe a word he said either.

"My parents are ghost hunters and they experiment a lot with ectoplasm. I think a lifelong exposure is the only thing that saved me. Er-well, half of me, anyway."

"So your other half-your Phantom form...That's your ghost form?"

"Yeah. My superpower is dying on command."

"That's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be."

A tense silence fell between them. Danny met dark eyes, but the only thing he could see in them was genuine concern. And...And maybe Sam was right, he thinks. Because the only thing Aizawa has ever done for him is help. Whether it be from a panic attack or a walk to Recovery Girl or giving him harder course work because everything else was just to easy. He helped Danny in any way he could.

Could he help here?

Danny averted his gaze to his shoes.

They were bright red with black laces, and more bulky than the average shoe. There was only one brand that sold half-decent shoes that fit the feet of quirkless people, and they only came in one color. It was a constant reminder that he was different. Even with the power that he had now, he was still different. Because he had things that he didn't need, like an appendix, wisdom teeth, an extra toe joint.

He's seen Midoriya with the exact same pair. There was an understanding between the two, though they hadn't talked about it. Maybe after all this was over he would spill his guts to him. But right now, he needed to spill his guts to Aizawa.

Because if anybody was going to help him it was him.

-------

Aizawa wanted to throttle the people who hurt his kid student. From the beginning Danny's been a twitchy, anxious mess, just like Midoriya, but he had passed it off as social anxiety because he wasn't the one breaking his bones every day.

And he wasn't stupid. He noticed the shoes. He and Midoriya had the same ones. As an Underground hero he's seen more than his fair share of quirkless murders or suicides. Always young. Always powerless.

But these kids have power. Almost too much, if he was being honest. He figured that maybe they just had abnormally wide feet, and needed the extra space. But after hearing Danny's confession-about his parents, about his death, he was cursing his past self for being so ignorant. He should have looked at the signs and connected the dots a lot sooner than this.

And the worst part was that he was telling the truth. There's no way he could tell a lie.

"Why...Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Aizawa had asked him.

"Because I didn't want you telling my parents," Danny answered.

"Are you safe at home?" Fuck, was this kid abused? It happened often with quirkless kids. And he could see it being a super awkward conversation with his parents that he was just a late bloomer. A late bloomer with a quirk directly tied to their profession.

"I don't know," Danny answered. "Probably not. They're not good parents."

The words seemed to slip from him without consent, and Danny's eyes widened, as if he was just realizing this for the first time. It was a possibility-it's not uncommon for the abuser to make their victim completely rely on them, or to make them think nothing was wrong.

"If you elaborate-depending on what you say-I can get you out of their custody by the end of the week."

"Including my sister?" Danny asked. His voice was quiet, and he was suddenly met with wide, blue eyes. They looked absolutely desperate for help.

"Including your sister. So...Do you want to elaborate?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay if I record this conversation? It can be used as evidence later."

"Yes."

"Okay," Aizawa said, starting a recording on his phone. "What makes you feel unsafe in your home, Danny?"

------

They had talked for hours. Long past the normal time for a teacher and a student to be speaking. Maybe he could just pass it off as a tutoring session. It was no mistake that Danny was working on more advanced math and science classes. Growing up in a lab gave you a leg up on some things, he supposes.

He was drained, and all he wanted to do was eat and go to bed. Maybe he could skip the shower and just take one in the morning. He hadn't gotten to gross from training.

He held a hand over his mouth as he let out a large yawn, while his other opened the door to the dorms. It was around dinner time, so the common room was in full swing with students milling about here and there. Danny genuinely enjoyed his time with all of them, but tonight he just didn't have the energy. Maybe he could sneak upstairs and just have a big breakfast. That could work, right?

"Hey, Danny!" Uraraka greeted. "Did your talk with Mr. Aizawa go okay? You were gone for a long time."

"Yeah, it went...Really good, actually. But I'm really tired so-"

"-What did you guys talk about?" Kaminari asked him.

"About how my abusive neglectful parents inadvertently caused my death."

"Wh...Bro, are you okay?" Several others were starring at him now, and-oh, that's right. They didn't know he was under the influence of a truth quirk.

"Not currently, no. I had a really emotionally draining conversation with Aizawa and I'm tired of being so open and vulnerable with everybody."

"Then why don't you just shut up?" Bakugou barked. He got a couple of glares from his friends for his trouble.

"Because I got hit with a truth quirk and now I'm forced to tell the truth. It'll last for another...four days? That's what Sam said, anyway."

"So if we ask you questions you have to answer truthfully?" Sero asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So...You're actually...Dead?" Ashido asked him. She looked like she was about to cry.

This was going to be a long night.

"Half dead," he corrected. "It's why I have so many powers that aren't linked together."

It was strange, hearing these words coming from his own mouth. It wasn't hard to talk about with Sam and Tucker since they were there when it happened, but telling his classmates was a completely different experience. He wasn't stressed necessarily. It was just odd that his normal anxieties about being caught were overridden by the quirk.

And, maybe, there might be a small part of him that was tired of hiding. He trusted his friends. Everyone in this room, with the exception of a tiny purple menace, he trusted with his afterlife. If anybody was going to hurt him over this, it wouldn't be these guys.

"What was your quirk before you died, kero?" Tsu asked.

"I didn't have one," Danny answered automatically, and okay. Maybe things would change now. Because he definitely didn't want people knowing that.

He noticed the way Midoriya and Bakugou flinched, but it was missed by everybody else, who's attention were all laser focused on him.

The class was stunned into silence. The only sounds they could hear was Danny's rapid, panicked breathing. He didn't want this. He didn't want to talk about his quirklessness. It had caused so many problems for him his entire life. Why was talking about his death easier than that?

He would have to answer that question later. Because now, he was too distracted by Midoriya standing up. He slowly walked over, and when he got to be arms length, he held them out.

His arms were littered in self-inflicted scars from his bones breaking over and over, but with his sleeves riding up, he could see the edges of starburst scars and permanent red handprints.

Danny opened his own arms out, and Midoriya crashed into him. His ribs were thankfully fully healed. otherwise the hug would have been painful with how tightly Midoriya was squeezing him.

He's not sure how long they stood there for. It could have been seconds or minutes, but he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was finding comfort with the one other person in this entire school who could understand him.

Because being quirkless in a world full of superheroes was a fate worth than death.

It was abusive parents. It was being berated every day by peers. It was hard fists and brutal kicks in back alleys. It was the threat of death looming over their heads every time they were out and about. It was the ache in their chests when they read an article about another quirkless death. It was the silent mourning as peers mocked the dead the next day and pretending that it didn't bother you. It was starring over the edge of a roof and thinking, maybe today's the day. And, unless your last name was Fenton or Midoriya, it was unescapable.

At least with death, he had been, in a way, set free. Because now, he knew where he was going when he finally passed. The illusion of peace was broken right alongside him when he activated that dumb portal.

Eventually he and Midoriya let go. Unsurprisingly, Midoriya has tears in his eyes, but he's got a small, watery smile, and Danny thinks that, yeah, with someone who understand by his side, this will be easier.

------

The rest of the week is a little rough. The class did not take his death as lightly as he thought they would. Thankfully they had banned Mineta from even being in the room. And they had promised not to tell anybody outside of the class.

And though things were a little weird, it wasn't all bad. Aizawa, as promised, had gotten custody of him and Jazz. Over breaks and some weekends, they would be staying with him. And Hagakure, who's been pestering him about his nonexistent love life since the start of school, finally got him to confess about his crush. Danny avoided her for the rest of the week, and prayed to whoever was in the sky that she didn't spill the beans.

Todoroki was, oddly enough, a silent comfort. Whenever things were getting to be too much he would ask Danny to help him out with something random. In the end, they would just sit in one of their rooms and sit in a comfortable silence, or sometimes they would invite Izuku-because that's who he was to Danny now-and they would talk about shitty fathers with unrealistic expectations.

Danny found the whole ordeal oddly freeing. It was like he could breath properly again for the first time since he got his powers. He hadn't realized how much those secrets sat in the back of his mind, taunting him about his peer's reactions. But now that it was out in the open, there wasn't anything to fear. Not really. The people who knew all cared about him, in their own ways, and he trusted that they would protect his secret.

After all his dirty laundry was aired out, the rest of the week wasn't super terrible. But the best part was when how he found out the quirk wore off.

It was a bright Saturday, filled with a warm breeze and laughing classmates as they all hung out in their various friend groups. The girls were having a picnic, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero were actively trying to piss Bakugou off, and Midoriya and Uraraka were laughing at something Ida had said-and judging by the boy's face, he had no idea what was so funny, which sent his friends into another round of hysterics.

Sam, Tucker, Shinsou, and Shinjitsu, who had apologized profusely, sat with him under the shade of a tree. He was half-asleep next to Shinsou, laying in the soft grass and being lulled to sleep by the sounds of Sam talking and Tucker tinkering.

Hagakure, Jirou, and Momo walk up to them, all looking a little too smug.

"So, we Danny, we were talking about what you said to Mineta a few days ago," Jirou says, and wow, she's not trying to hide her mirth at all.

"Which part?" Danny asked, still half asleep.

"When you said you would punt him into the sun," Hagakure said excitedly. "You were under the truth quirk. Does that mean you can really do that?"

"No, I was just talking out of my ass," Danny said. The sarcasm was more of a reflex than anything, but it was enough for him to jolt upright a moment later.

"Hagakure, gimme a lie."

"Uh, you can't punt Mineta into the sun?"

"I can't pun Mineta into the sun," Danny repeated. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he jumped up. Without warning he picked up Hagakure excitedly. He repeated the phrase, growing louder every time he said it. The attention of his classmates were on him again, more confused than anything.

"I don't see why you're cheering about that," Uraraka tells him. Danny sets Hagakure down and runs over.

"It means I can lie again! I'm more than capable of punting him into the sun but now I can say I can't!"

In all his excitement, he wound up in a jumping circle with all of the girls, save for Jirou and Momo, who had a finger on her chin in deep though.

And after, Danny will be pestered about how he can go to space, unharmed. About how, yes, he doesn't need to breath in his ghost form, he's dead, so he can last long enough to get to the sun. And Aizawa will give him a half-concerned raised eyebrow and makes him promise to not actually commit to such an act.

And later he will also have to go to court against his parents and admit to them that he is no longer fully human. He will have Aizawa and Jazz by his side, as well as Nezu. And he will fight great, wonderful battles that bring the rest of them to their knees, but Danny has always been stubborn, so he refuses to go down. And when the ash will settle, he will stand tall as a glowing beacon of hope.

But that's for future Danny to worry about.

Right now, Present Danny is just excited that he can punt Mineta into the sun.

[masterofthestairs]

Albanian lore inspired DP AU!

Jack Fenton is descended from a line of paranormal hunters which originated in Albania when one of his ancestors killed their Lugat father. Vlad also has Armenian ancestry along with Russian roots, maybe he and Jack bond over that, up to you.

Lugats were vampiric revenants that often returned from the dead to pursue someone or something that they desired in life. Children of Lugats (called Dhampirs) often became supernatural hunters specifically to rid their region of their vampiric parent, as Dhampirs are one of the only things capable of killing a Lugat (the other being wolves). They then pass on their skills to their children.

Dhampirs generally were said to have heightened abilities, regenerative capabilities, the ability to sense supernatural creatures, large eyes, and “untamed dark or black hair” which is a trait the Fenton line kept.

Fast forward to the 1980s when Jack, Maddie, and Vlad are at college. They are studying the paranormal. Vlad gets sick in their senior year. Over the course of his year-long hospital stay Maddie and Jack fall in love and gradually visit less and less. He is pissed. The day after Vlad gets their wedding invitation he dies. READ MORE

Vlad returns from the dead as a Lugat with the goal to pursue Maddie and kill Jack. He does eventually catch up with them and supernaturally seduces Maddie before she or Jack realize he has returned. He erases Maddie’s memory of him and absconds, classic vampire bullshit. He outright attacks and tries to kill Jack a few days later but is unsuccessful, as Jack and Maddie know how to fend him off and protect themselves. They put up wards and protections against Vlad and begin hunting him, but he evades them and stays hidden in the dark parts of the city. He begins feeding on citizens and the missing person cases skyrocket.

9 months later Danny is born and hey, he has the unruly Fenton hair! Yay… When Vlad discovers Danny’s existence he begins keeping tabs on him, interested in his existence as his son but aware of the threat he represents and unable to eliminate him due to the Fenton’s protections. He switches his victims to include children after that.

When Danny is growing up the Fentons begin to notice some of his more Dhampir-esque qualities and piece together what must have happened. It is… a tough situation. They ultimately decide they will do their best to train Danny for the future, but will not tell him the whole truth until he is older. They also start making connections with other hunters and supernatural lineages in hopes of forming alliances and getting more information about the city's paranormal sector. Danny meets Sam and Tucker through these trips! (The Manson Coven and Foley Pack)

Maddie and Jack tell Danny the truth about Vlad when he is 14 after rumors start circulating in the supernatural community about him. He has a Bad few months and basically goes crazy training at the detriment of everything else until Jazz organizes an intervention.

Everyone expresses how worried they've been about him. Sam is angry and asks him if he really thought they would just let him shoulder all of this by himself. Tucker pulls out an honest to god projector and starts a slideshow he and Sam made summarizing an action plan to help Danny manage everything.

Jazz hands him several documents and notebooks including a statistical analysis Tucker made of all of Vlad’s movements/behaviors since Danny was born, a book of new tracking sygils and protection wards Sam has been working on, and a full and incredibly detailed schedule and planner for school/training/self care from Jazz.

Jack and Maddie say that Danny doesn't deserve any of this and reassures him that Vlad is their problem, not his. They never wanted him to ever even meet Vlad in his lifetime, let alone kill him, but they wanted him to have the skills necessary to defend himself in an emergency.

They take Danny to the sub basement where they keep all of their information on Vlad and show him all of their different plans to contain/eliminate him once they track him down. 14 years of work they've already done that Danny was afraid he would have to do alone. He suddenly realizes how silly that sounds, because he was never alone in this and he will never have to be.

Aaand that's the idea, anyone is free to continue this if they like but that's all I got for now.

LINKS:

A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture

https://vampires.fandom.com/wiki/Lugat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhampir#Features

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire#Creating_vampires

[inthememetime]

Horror Writing Tips 3: Be Careful What You Wish For

Master list here

Due to the sheer amount of information, this will be in two parts.

Whether the main genre you like is horror, comedy, romance, adventure, or something else, I can guarantee you've come across a piece of media involving wishes. This part covers a general overview of how wishes usually alter a world or person. The second will go into more detail about what creatures or items can grant wishes, wish cost, and similar topics.

When you're trying to give the audience information about your character, a wish, and how they react to it can tell a lot about them. Maybe their wish is petty and vicious, causing minor or great harm. Maybe your character isn't as over the death of a close companion as they'd like others to believe, and wishes for just 1 more day with that person. Maybe they're kind and generous, wishing for something that doesn't help them at all, such as a 100% free cure for cancer. Or maybe it's more nuanced; a hero wishing that they had more help, or someone bored foolishly wishing for something interesting to happen.

Wishes also come in 4 main effects: "It was all a dream", "Wish reversals", " Paradox", or " Net 0 benefit".

Wish Type 1: It Was All A Dream

Let's look at 'It's a Wonderful Life, a classic Christmas story. The main character wishes he'd never been born, so later on he sees his friends and family living like her either died or just never existed. In the end, the wish granter (the angel) lets him choose: to cease to exist completely or not. Now, as this is a Christmas feel-good movie, he learns not to take the people who love him for granted, and is delighted when he wakes up after his dream to find everything as it was.

Not everything ends as peacefully. Take The Labyrinth where Sarah regrets her wish and learns several life lessons while fixing the problem she unintentionally made, but then isn't sure if she's done dreaming yet or not. Imagine the trauma that probably changed her fundamentally after just one night.

In Inception, in the end, the audience is left wondering if this is still a dream, or if one of the main characters has woken up. Ending with that kind of a mystery can be a great way to infuse a little horror.

Wish Type 2: Wish Reversals

This is the plot of Fairly Odd Parents. Really. In every episode, Timmy (or someone with access to fairies) makes a wish, regrets it, and wishes he never made the wish in the first place.

Cheesy cartoon aside, this can be great for character development. Maybe your character wishes that person in their class loved them, or they're a hero and they wish the powers they have had never come to them. You can put anything here, and it can still make great character development.

In the first example, wishing for love, maybe they come to realize their crush really isn't their type at all. Maybe they're horrified by the realization that their crush's body seems to be moving of it's own accord while the only clue that something is wrong is the terrified look in the other characters eyes.

There's an episode of Danny Phantom in which one of the 3 main characters, Sam, wishes she'd never met Danny during an argument. She isn't serious, just upset. While Sam remembers, the others forget they'd ever met, and this causes a massive butterfly effect. Danny introduced her to Tucker, so both of her friends and only support system suddenly don't know her. Her abrasive personality makes it difficult to make new friends, so she immediately gets off on the wrong foot while trying to talk to Tucker. Because Sam was such a big part of the accident that gave Danny his powers, the hero suddenly forgets he's a hero at all.

In the end, Sam has to remind Danny of who he really is, and make friends with Sam and Tucker. Because Danny is the most genuinely friendly person in their group, it forces her to look at herself and her friends from Danny's point of view; that of a teenage boy who has a lot of trauma but still remains upbeat, friendly, and loyal to his friends. It forces her to put aside the smaller issues that upset her and learn to prioritize by solving the most important problem first while working gradually on problems that just can't be solved in a day. It also helps her learn the courage to talk about and confront what's really bothering her.

Even though the wish was reversed in these scenarios, the wisher learns important lessons. While frequently the wisher is the only one who remembers, Sam admits to her wish and earns Danny's and Tucker's trust again. Having people who were altered in some way by the wish remember can be its character development and can advance the plot.

Wish Type 3: Paradox

This usually involves some sort of time travel. In Doctor Who, there are multiple examples. Using one of 11's Christmas episodes, a family is notified that the patriarch's plane was lost in WW2, and the family mourns him. One of the children wishes for help, and the Doctor comes. However, by helping other planets' species, the mother creates a massive storm that blows planes off course and creates a massive light. The husband follows the light from the storm to safety and lands in their yard on Christmas day. Without the storm, the plane would not have gone off course. Without the light, the father wouldn't have been able to come home. Without the father missing, they would not have wished for help. This creates a paradox wherein the events cannot happen without the wish, and the wish always had to happen.

Wish Type 4: Net 0 or Negative Benefit

I can't remember the title, but there's a short story in which a person wishes everyone they hated would die. At first, their bullies die, which they are morally confused about. However, they become briefly angry at a close companion, and this is close enough for the wish to kill them. They begin to hate themselves, which causes the wish to kill them. This is a negative benefit- it helps no one, hurts everyone, and though lessons are learned, the Fisher either doesn't survive long enough to wish it back, or things are so irrevocably damaged by the end that they ended up making their lives much more difficult.

A Net 0 benefit is an example of what frequently happened in the show Fairly Odd Parents. Timmy never seems to learn any lessons. He wishes things back to normal and for no time to have passed, and the world keeps turning. He is never permanently harmed. While his wish is active, it frequently hurts him and others, and helps him as well, usually either more harm than good or just about even. People besides the fairies never seem to remember anything, so no matter how much good or evil his wishes do, there is always a Net 0.

[cassandras-blogg]

"Swallowing Courage" (Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka ) CHAPTER TWO - I PROMISE THIS CHAPTER GOT DELETED SO I'M JUST REPOSTING IT (: CHAPTER 3 coming soon. - A loud knock at the door was the first thing Danny heard when he woke up the next morning. He slowly shifted around in the bed and felt the weight of another body close to his back. "So it was just a dream??" Danny thought to himself. He looked over at Sam and his back was completely turned away from him. Sam's arms were close to his chest and his knees were closer to his stomach. Danny took this as, "Oh he didn't want his legs or arms to touch me the whole night, so it must have been just a dream." Danny sighed in relief. There was no way it could have actually happened, why would Sam ever offer to help Danny explore his sexuality? There is no way Sam would ever take a risk that could potentially ruin their lifelong friendship. There was another knock at Sam's door, when there was no answer again the door swung open. Josh was standing there in the doorway holding a tall cup of coffee. "Can I have some of that? Please?" Danny asked sitting up in Sam's bed. "Uh-hmm. What are you doing today? Just church or what?" Josh hummed, he passed his cup of coffee to Danny and climbed into the bed to sit down next to him. "Wait, it's Sunday?! How did I forget! What time is it?" Danny raised his voice and this finally woke Sam up. "It's 8:35 right now." Josh said reaching his hand out and taking back his cup of coffee. "Ugh, I have to go. Like right now." Danny had to quickly crawl over Sam's legs and Josh's body to get himself out of the bed. "Dude stop it!" Josh said slowly moving his arms up. "What??" Danny asked, once he looked back at him he could see a few drops of coffee running down Josh's arm. His quick movements almost made Josh spill the coffee on himself, but he caught it quickly before it could make a real mess. "Yeah, seriously. Calm down. Church doesn't start until like 10:00? Right?" Sam asked running his hands through his messy hair. "Yeah, but I have to be there at 9:00 every time to help set up!" Danny said grabbing his jean jacket and his boots he was wearing yesterday. Danny often played the drums in the worship band at his church on Wednesdays and Sundays, sometimes he would also sing when he needed to. He always went to church twice a week and was never late to any form of service. At Danny's church he is one of the top volunteers and is a highly respected student leader in his youth group. He has been very involved in church since his childhood, it has always been a huge part of his life. "My mom and dad are gonna kill me. I don't know if I'm gonna make it on time." Danny heavily sighed quickly lacing up his boots.

"OH SHIT! That's right. Speaking of mom and dad, we got to clean up this house before they get here." Josh set his cup of coffee down and jumped up to run downstairs to the living room. The Kiszka parents and Ronnie had gone to a relative's house last night because they wanted the boys to have the house to themselves for Danny's birthday. "You do realize how fast I can drive right? I can get you there in twenty minutes tops." Sam said standing and throwing on a hoodie. "Really you will??? Thank you Sam." Danny sighed in relief this time, he knew if he drove himself then he would just end up following all the rules and would never speed past the posted limit. Sam followed most of the rules of the road, but he would still speed around left and right if he saw there were no cops around. Danny and Sam jogged down the stairs and saw Jake taking down some of the decorations. Josh grabbed the empty bottles and handed them to Sam. "Here you, smash these bottles outside on the concrete. Then sweep it up and throw all the glass at the bottom of the trash. Jake will cover it up by throwing the decorations and other trash on top of it. The glass won't rip the trash bag, we double bagged it." Josh always was the one who came up with ideas on how to cover up the evidence so their parents wouldn't find out what they were up too. "Ah, I got to take Danny to church like right now." Sam said grabbing the keys to the car that the twins shared. "Hurry up then! Come back right after you are done.” Jake shot him a glare while continuing to pick up trash. "I promise!!" Sam shouted as he ran out of the door with Danny.

` About fifteen minutes later they had arrived. Sam dramatically swerved into the church parking lot and parked right up front where everyone could see them through the untinted car windows. "You didn't have to pull in all crazy like that." Danny said slowly taking off his seatbelt. "You wanted to be on time. Right?" Sam scoffed. "That is true." Danny smiled despite feeling slightly embarrassed because of the few old people frowning in their direction. The older people always showed up earlier and the younger people with families show up right on time. "Thank you for driving me over here, I really appreciate it. Do you want to ditch the twins and come to church with me?” Danny asked. "No problem, and you know what I say every time you invite me to church Daniel. No. Oh, and by the way, take it easy in there when you drum today. Last night I noticed you need to take better care of your hands' dude. You're going to ruin them before you have a shot at becoming a successful drummer." Sam said looking down at Danny's blistered hands that were sitting in his lap. He never ”took it easy” because he had no other coping mechanisms except drumming. "Oh." Danny said. He thought it was weird that Sam randomly started talking about his hands, especially since he had a dream last about them holding hands. Then suddenly Danny felt a tidal wave of anxiety fire through his brain, travel down his spine, and then into his lower body. Why would he start talking about his hands? Unless it really happened. "So, what do you want to try later?" Sam asked curiously. "What do you mean?" Danny asked calmly. "You know, like what do you want to do next? With me?” Sam asked, directly looking into Danny’s eyes. ”Oh wow.” Danny took a deep breath. INHALE. IGNORE EXHALE CONTINUE. His thoughts were shouting at him to calm down, but he still could not stop his body from panicking. Danny’s hand began to tremble. He could not believe this was happening to him. Danny was filled with instant regret, guilt, and shame. He wanted to run away and never look at Sam again. He wished he could take back holding Sam’s hand. At the same time, he couldn’t deny how good it felt to hold hands with a guy, with Sam for the first time. ”Can we talk about this after church?” Danny looked over at Sam, hoping that he would agree. He didn’t even want to go to church anymore, he merely wanted to be alone. ”What's wrong with you?” Sam asked. ”You’re shaking right now.” ”I’m just cold. And I don't feel good. At. All.” Danny said trying his best to stop shaking. He was thankful that it was December so he could use the weather as an excuse. ”Oh, It’s because you need a hoodie underneath that jean jacket. I got another one in the back, no worries.” Sam said unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Sam remembered that he held Danny’s hand that night. He was not that drunk by that hour. Danny was absolutely panicking over it, but Sam appeared to be unfazed by what happened the night before. ”Want me to go to church with you?” Sam asked once he came back from the trunk with an extra hoodie. Danny could not believe his ears. He considered the thought maybe last night when he blew out the candles it had transported him into some parallel universe. Sam was not freaked out at all. Sam wanted to be there for Danny while he could see that he was clearly panicking and wasn't actually cold. He already had Danny figured out, Sam has been there for many panic attacks before this one, and he never left him alone during one. Sam was willing to sacrifice his morning and afternoon to make sure Danny was okay.

”You don’t have too. Jake and Josh will get mad at you later if you don’t go back home now.” Danny replied as he took off his jean jacket to put on Sam’s hoodie, then layered it by putting his own jacket back on as Sam told him to do. ”I want to.” Sam said.” Besides they will get over it if they get mad oh well.” ”Really, thank you.” Danny said looking at Sam with this newfound admiration. ”Of course, like I said yesterday, I would do anything for you.” Sam shrugged. ”Oh and if you want to after church we can hang out and talk about whatever you want.” Danny looked up stared at Sam for a long time. There was so much he wanted to say to him, but he did not know where to start. There were no words to describe how grateful he was to have Sam as his best friend. Danny wanted to give him Sam a really long hug, but he couldn't bring himself to actually do it.

”Okay that sounds good.” Danny smiled. He didn't hug him, but they finally got out of the car and walked into the church together.

-

After the service, they decided to walk down a trail behind Danny’s house. This was the usual spot where they went to rant or talk about people at school, their families, or whatever was going on in their life.

”So. When did you start liking guys?” Sam asked kicking a rock in front of him. There was a brief moment of silence. Danny was unsure how to answer the question. His mind had deeply suppressed the idea of liking guys a long time ago. In the past, whenever he began to feel a certain way about a guy, Danny would always tell himself that it was wrong to think that way.

”I don’t think I like guys. I just know I have these thoughts that I can't control. So I'm thinking maybe if I act on them, they might go away once I see how weird it is to actually ”get with” a guy in real life.” Danny answered. ”Oh. I don't think that’s how it works.” Sam said. He stopped kicking he rock and looked up at Danny. ”But if that’s you think then, okay. I'll still help you out, but what are you gonna do if you actually realize you like guys?” Danny did not want to consider the possibility that he was really gay or anything else besides straight. It was too much for him to handle. If he thought about it long enough, his brain might explode from the mind-blowing possibility that it could be true. ”I’m not gay.” Danny sighed. ”I just need a wake-up call, and you are gonna be it for me. I just need to do this, so I feel more sure of myself, so I can move on with my life. You can back out now if you want too. I know you already do a lot for me, so you don't have to help me do this too. I can find some other guy to make out with and then I can get it over with." Danny silently hoped that Sam was going to back out of it because maybe that would make things easier. If he kissed a guy that was a stranger it might be easier, because then he would not have to think about ruining a friendship.

At first, Sam just stared at Danny, then he looked over at a large rock off to the side of the trail. He walked off the trail and sat down on the rock. Sam leaned back a little and made himself comfortable. "Come here, Danny." "Why?" Danny gulped starting to feel the nerves coming back. "Just come here. I have something to tell you." Sam said. He hesitated, but he still slowly walked over to the rock to sit by Sam. "What is it?" Danny asked scooting closer to his friend. "Yesterday I wanted to tell you this, but I was pretty sure Josh and Jake were going to make fun of me and I didn't want to hear it. I also thought you might make fun of me for even giving you the ring, so I just didn't say anything extra to add on to it. Anyways, last night when I gave you that ring it was not just a symbol of our friendship, it was also a promise from me. It was a promise to be your best friend no matter what happens. I can say a whole list of things, but I promise to always be there. I promise to always hear you out. I promise to never judge you. I swear, I do."

Danny was truly speechless now. “Can I hug you?” He asked. Sam and Danny did not hug very often. They felt like there was no need to hug unless they took a break from seeing each other for a while. Sometimes when Danny had panic attacks then they would hug during or after it happened. ”Yeah.” Sam said, he moved as close as he could to Danny and put his arms around his neck. Danny slid his arms around Sam’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest, practically pulling him into his lap. He began to tighten his grip, digging his fingers into Sam’s rib cage. Danny took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Sam tried to pull away from him, but Danny held him there and didn’t let him move.

”Can we hug longer?” Danny asked when Sam tried to move away again. ”Yeah. If you stop crushing me.” Sam winced. Danny looked down and realized how much pressure he was using in this hug ”Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Danny gasped starting to move away from Sam. ”It's okay. Come back.” Sam said grabbing Danny’s shirt and pulling him in closer to his face. Now they were nose to nose, making direct eye contact. Sam took a deep breath and he placed one hand on Danny’s face. Danny thought that maybe he should back up and move away, but that never happened. There was no way could blink or look away either, Sam had never been this close to his face before. Sam leaned in and Danny had no time to mentally prepare for what happened next. Sam gave him the most gentle kiss on one side of his cheek. He was positive that it was going to end there, but it didn’t. Sam leaned in more and put both his hands on Danny’s face, then he kissed the other side of his cheek. His lips moved up to the middle of Danny’s forehead then he kissed down the bridge of his nose. Sam paused once he reached Danny’s mouth. Tilting his head, he hovered over Danny’s lips, once he moved a little closer it made their lips lightly touch for a moment. Danny was tingling all over. ”Wait.” Danny said putting his hand on Sam’s chest. ”What?” Sam asked impatiently. ”Promise we will still be friends after this?” ”I promise.” Sam said quickly moving one hand to the back of Danny’s head. Once he moved his head forward, Sam finally got the chance to put his lips on Danny’s mouth. Sam let their closed lips stay pressed together for a moment, but not for too long. Then he grabbed Danny’s hair and tugged it just enough to make him gasp. Sam’s plan to deepen the kiss had worked, he pulled on his hair more, and now Danny’s jaw was slightly opened. That gave Sam the chance to lean forward and to slowly work his tongue into Danny’s mouth. Sam could tell that Danny was hesitant about this next move. Every time Danny would try to back up, Sam would pull him in closer. Eventually, Danny stopped trying to fight it, he put his hands on Sam’s back and started to move them up and down Sam’s spine. After he did this he could feel a shift and then more pressure on his lips. ”Mmm.” Sam lightly moaned into his mouth and started using more tongue. Danny’s hands were sending chills down his spine. Once Sam made that sound and Danny felt himself getting more heated by the second. Sam kept both of his hands underneath Danny’s hair so he could protect his head from hitting the rock when he rolled them over. Now they were laying on top of this uncomfortable rock kissing back and forth. Sam was on top of him with one knee on both sides of his waist, he tried his best to not to let their lips disconnect for more than a few seconds. Danny’s desire to keep kissing Sam only grew stronger, even though he could feel all of the uneven ridges of the rock digging into his back. Then suddenly Sam stopped kissing him. He abruptly pulled away and looked at Danny with a wide smile. “So. How was that kiss?” ”I uh, did not think it would feel like that. Better than I thought I guess? Also, that was way more than one kiss.” Danny said breathing heavily. ”Yeah and all those kisses are not for free.” Sam said sitting up and moving off of Danny’s body. Then he climbed off the rock and looked back up at Danny a smile. ”Oh okay, what do you want?” Danny asked. ”Let see. I. Want.” Sam began to cross his arms and look to the side. Danny waited in anticipation as Sam took his sweet time thinking about what he wanted.

”Weed, alcohol, my favorite snacks, and a few new records.” Sam requested. ”Oh okay.” Danny blushed. He thought that Sam was gonna say something sexual, but he wrong. ”Do you think you like guys now or what?” ”I don’t know, maybe you should come over later?” ”Danny!! Dude. You just can't get enough of me huh!?” Sam teased. ”Shut up Sam.” Danny said feeling the sudden urge to cover his face with his hands. ”But will you? Come over later?”

”You know I will.”

- END OF CHAPTER 2. There is gonna be a lot more writing coming up later, so be prepared.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

This might be a more serious question, which most likely will have a simple answer, but... What do you do when you feel like your stories are too "cliched" or trope-y enough that it doesn't let you stand out in the crowd? Or maybe it feels like everyone is doing the exact same thing you are? It's something that's been on my mind recently concerning my writing and I'm wondering if you have any personal tips about it. Sorry if this is too personal a question, just curious about your thoughts.

I write it anyway.

What stands you out from the crowd is very RARELY going to be some blaring new amazing plot idea no one else has ever done, or hasn’t done in forever, or twisting the trope or whatever. Like, things are cliched or tropes for a lot of reasons, and often that reason is simply that the trope is GOOD. People LIKE it. What sets you apart is going to be your characters, their personalities, how they bounce off of each other.  Tropes/Cliches I can tell you exist in my writing right this second:

1. Nate is 100% The Grumpy One is Soft for the Soft Boi 2. Love Conquers All - Nate and Danny GO THROUGH SOME SHIT and loving each other is what brings them back from Alberta, because Nate loves Danny enough to finally break past Abraham’s control over him 3. Love Conquers All - Family Edition: Ryan and Danny’s brotherly relationship is strong enough that Ryan is able to let loose the monstrous half of his bloodline for the first time in his life in an attempt to save Danny from death 4. Found Family - Danny finds his family in Nate and Ryan and Mina, not in his parents. Kauri finds his family in Dustin and Jack and doesn’t go back to his parents or try to return to the life he was living 5. Stoic Victim - Dex 6. Hypersexual Rape Survivor - Kauri 7. Touch-Repulsed Rape Survivor - Danny 8. I Can Overcome My Trauma Just For You - Danny and Nate Those are just a few. Someone with a couple of hours on TV tropes and my stories in front of them could no doubt come up with DOZENS. 

The key isn’t to try to never use cliché in your story, but to understand that you will, sooner or later, do just that. And the cliché isn’t the problem, it’s how you write it. It’s the characters you build and the worlds they inhabit. It’s YOU that makes the difference. 

Example: The Box Boy thing became HUGE on whumpblr. Tons of people telling variations on the story. That’s a trope, now, essentially, because it became such a Thing! Kauri is kind of a cliched part of that whole trend, but my story isn’t really focusd on the Box Boy aspect of it, but rather Kauri grappling with reality as essentially a captive domestic abuse victim who is able to make One Big Stand and get away, only to get out into the world and still have that life hot on his heels, trying to drag him down. And how his recovery doesn’t look like everyone else’s, and he has to grapple with whether or not he’s actually recovering at all.  Dex, Seb, and Peter are all Box Boys, and clichés in their own right - Dex is the Stoic Victim who is actually a fully-realized, intelligent man desperately trying to survive with some part of himself intact. Sebastian is the one who accepts life as it is, and makes the best of things, and appears on the surface to be living a pretty easy time of things... until Karen starts slowly murdering Dex over months and Sebastian has to fight against the realization that going with the flow means allowing the only family he has to die. 

Peter is the Defiant One who manages sometimes to speak up, with a quiet unspoken love for someone he can’t act on, trying to protect anyone and everyone as best he can even when he is, in effect, helpless to do anything more than help Dex sneak out of the house or steal food for him so he won’t starve. 

All of those characters have tropes and clichés built into them. What resonates with people isn’t that they’re NOT cliched, but the personalities, their connections with each other, and the world-building around them and their stories. 

So essentially, this was a really rambling way of saying, WRITE THE TROPE. Write the cliché! Write the story your brain wants to write and understand that what will set YOU apart is going to be the people that live in your story! you got this, I think you can take a cliché and make it resonate. 

Go on.

Go write it! We’re all waiting to see what you can do, because we know you can do something awesome.

[bfnbear]

From the San Antonio Express-News; Texas. June 29, 1998.

Young actor clicks in third try

Deborah Martinez; Express-News Staff Writer

Chris Cardenas finally found his match in Jared Padalecki.

For the past two years, Cardenas has gone to the National Speech Tournament to compete in duet acting. Each time, the 1998 Madison High School graduate went with a different partner. Each time he placed in the top six.

When Cardenas, 17, teamed up with Padalecki, 15, and traveled to St. Louis last week, they were gunning for Cardenas' last shot at a national title.

The pair turned in a tear-jerking rendition of "Dominick and Eugene," a story about a man's paternal relationship with his mentally retarded brother, before a crowd of about 3,000.

The judges awarded them first place, giving the North East School District its first national championship in duo interpretation.

"It means a lot to finally win. It was my last chance," said Cardenas, who plans to go to Carnegie- Mellon University in the fall and major in theater. "It probably does mean more to me than it does to Jared because I have been trying for this the past three years."

The most harrowing moments for the pair came after their final performance. They had to sit through a three-hour award ceremony in which winners in their category were the last to be announced.

Although the partners were poised about their performance, the national title came as something of a surprise.

"I was pretty confident of the scene, and I was confident we would do well. But there's always that little question in the back of your mind," Padalecki said about the stiff competition with the 200- plus teams of duo interpreters.

With two years left in high school, Padalecki said his partnership with Cardenas will help him prepare for future competitions.

"I love the way Chris acts," Padalecki said. "I respect his work. Everything I see him do he's always really good in. All the rest of the audience is really enthralled by him.

"It was a good experience and an honor to be chosen to work with him."

Both actors attributed their success to their coach, Mike Harrison.

Cardenas said his and Padalecki's championship was an emotional climax to four years of hard work in which he sacrificed teen- age experiences such as his high school prom.

"When I look back at the last four years, it's more important than a prom," said Cardenas, who described as a relief the actual moment after he and Padalecki were announced champions.

"It was like a sigh of relief because you're like tense and you're holding your breath and all of a sudden you can exhale," Cardenas said. "After that, you just start freaking out."

Overall, North East had the best representation of any school district in the nation at the 67th annual tournament, sponsored by the National Forensic League, said Diana Schumacher, assistant to the district's fine arts director. The tournament included events ranging from debate to speech and drama.

For Churchill High School, Blake Walker took home a fourth place in humorous interpretation and Danny Lutman placed sixth in the original oratory category, while Aimee Gonzalez took 10th place in dramatic interpretation. High School student Justine Fisher was a triple winner, taking fourth place in extemporaneous speaking, eighth place in policy debate with partner Justin Freeman, and 10th place in the Phyllis Flory Barton Debate Speakers Awards category.

From the San Antonio Express-News; Texas. August 11, 1999.

Teen trades ranch work for appearance on TV

Jeanette McNamee; Express-News Staff Writer

When Hollywood came calling for aspiring actor Jared Padalecki, the Madison High School senior was working on a ranch in Blanco, far from the bright lights of a television or movie studio.

Padalecki, 17, of San Antonio was one of two teens selected nationwide as a winner of Seventeen Magazine and Fox-TV's "Claim to Fame Contest." Patricia Pendleton of Putnam, Conn., was the second winner.

A tall, Matt Damon look-alike, Padalecki won an expense-paid trip to Santa Monica, Calif., to appear as a presenter on the 1999 Teen Choice Awards. The show was taped Aug. 1 and will be aired locally 7-9 p.m. Thursday on KABB- TV.

Winning the contest meant a welcome break for Padalecki from a couple of hot weeks spent building fences, digging holes and cutting trees on a Blanco ranch owned by Spurs chairman Peter Holt.

Padalecki was one of approximately 20,000 teens nationwide who entered the contest by submitting a videotape of themselves to their local Planet Hollywood restaurant. Each contestant had 30 seconds to tell why he or she would be a good presenter. That was not a problem for Padalecki, who had been in numerous speech tournaments and taken drama classes since he was in the sixth grade.

He and his parents, Jerry and Sherri Padalecki, flew to California on July 29 for a five-day stay. Although the show was taped in Santa Monica, they stayed in Beverly Hills.

The Teen Choice Awards recognizes popular teen stars in film, television, music, sports and fashion as chosen by teens across the country who completed ballots found in Seventeen magazine's June and July issues or accessed the magazine's web site to vote for their favorites.

An estimated 1,000 teens were on hand for the filming of the show.

"I thought I was just going to sit backstage and maybe just go on stage a couple of times," Padalecki said. "But, actually, they let me help backstage. They also had me handing awards (which looked like surfboards) to presenters and even sometimes giving them to the people who won."

"They introduced me on the show, too. I don't know if they're going to keep it or if they're going to cut it."

He got to meet such celebrities as Freddie Prinze Jr., Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brandy and Tara Lipinski.

But the most important part of the trip for the outgoing, personable Padalecki was the chance to meet agents such as Rich Beddingfield, manager/agent for Freddie Prinze Jr.

"We're going to keep in touch, and he (Beddingfield) is going to try and send me some audition material," a hopeful Padalecki said. "It's kind of tough living in San Antonio when the main acting cities, of course, are New York and L.A. So, instead of flying you back and forth, they send you the material and ask you to put yourself on tape and then you send the tape back to them, and they review it."

His parents are very supportive of his acting aspirations, he said.

"But it's a pretty tough business in acting, and they want me to have something as a backup. But if it all works out, they'd be ecstatic."

He's hopeful the audition tapes he sends to Beddingfield will lead to appearances in some TV shows or movies.

His mother said she and her husband share their son's enthusiasm for his acting goals.

"We think it's wonderful," she said. "He's been interested in it (acting) a long time. He was always a ham when he was little."

She is a teacher at [...] High School and Jerry Padalecki is an accountant with [...] Corp.

After graduating from Madison High School, Padalecki hopes to find acting roles in Los Angeles.

"I want to see how this next year in high school goes before deciding on college," he said. "If something happens during the year, like I get to be on a TV show or I send an audition tape and they like me and want to put me in a movie, then I'll go into acting. If I can do it, there's nothing else I want to do in the world."

If he finds acting jobs in L.A., he might attend the University of California at Los Angeles to major in theater or communications.

"Or, if this doesn't work out, I'll probably go to the University of Texas at Austin and major in engineering or computer science."

Padalecki has taken speech and drama classes for several years, first at Wood Middle School and then at Madison, where he's won awards in speech and drama competition.

He praises Madison's drama teacher, Mike Harrison.

"Mr. Harrison always told me I was real talented. But he also said it helps what you do in your lifetime. It helps the experiences you have and the way you see things," Padalecki said.

In addition to his success in drama and speech, he is an all-around 'A' student and a National Merit Scholar. He takes honors classes and is in the gifted and talented program at Madison. He also enjoys basketball and football.

His brother Jeff, 20, is a student at St. Mary's University, and his sister Megan, 14, is a freshman at Madison.

Forgot the link. Oops

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I went insane for a few days but I'm better now -Danny Words: 1,830 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Die Trying' -by MICHL

XXXV: This Barbie is Consumed by Guilt

"I don't agree," Lily says firmly.

Malcolm looks at her like he wants to stab her. "Get it together!"

"I can't go with my siblings either," I state.

Percy scowls at us, he's frustrated as well. "What are you two up to?"

I look at Jake. "Tell him."

My friend steps forward. "She has Beckendorf's old notebook."

"What notebook?" I pull it out of my bag and show it to Percy. "Hey, these are the bombs we hid in the bus... and the ones we used for the Andromeda!"

"There's more," I say. "Ten grenade designs, and traps that we haven't tried yet. Beck was hoping not to need them at all, but..."

"So you guys are building these?"

"I have a few ready," I pull my dino bag forward. "But they're not enough. If we want to win, I'll have to loot a few places."

"Alright," Percy doesn't hesitate this time. "Beckendorf's creations were always fault-proof, you can make these."

"You can only take three campers with you, though," Annabeth makes an educated guess as to how many people they can spare at the moment.

"Lily, Connor," I can't take Travis or Michael, they're counselors. Same thing with Jake. "Nyssa, you're coming."

Lily and Connor are exceptional pickpocketers, they can loot a store and get you anything you want without having to break windows or set alarms off. Nyssa and I will make lists of all the things we need, and then we'll build as we go. 

We split into two groups: Connor goes with Nyssa, and Lily with me. Before we leave, I hug my brother. As he leans forward I hold him tighter and whisper to him. 

"I know about Achilles."

"We'll talk later," he says. "I promise."

"You better."

The group scatters, but someone runs up to us before we go too far. 

"Hang on!" Michael searches his backpack and pulls out a walkie-talkie. He gives it to Lily. "If something happens, call me. I'll find you."

Lily shakes her head. "You can't—"

"You're like sisters to me," he presses. "I won't turn my back on you now." 

I take the walkie and hug him, part of me doesn't want to let go. 

"Don't get killed," he tightens his grip around me. "You have a title to gain."

"See you in a bit." 

I step back so Lily can hug him, I lock eyes with Mike for a second, we never talked about the kiss and there's no point in doing it now, so I seize Lily's hand, and we walk away.

Ara's suffering from separation anxiety and she hasn't even left camp. She keeps walking around, looking for a problem that may require her to stay, but she's fixed most by now. Even Jason's cabin has been remodeled and furnished, same thing with Aphrodite's.

In short, Ara discovers she's been doing a great job at the worst time possible. And to make things worse, Leo's still avoiding her. Part of her is guilty because she thought that moving back in with his parents wasn't a big deal, but he seemed pretty upset about it.

"I wish I could go with you," Lily sighs as she arranges her armor. 

Ara snorts. "No, you don't."

Her friend smiles. "Yeah, but I wouldn't hate it, you know? Going to school, attending proms and all that..."

Ara wrinkles her nose. "I won't go to prom."

Lily's shocked. "But it's your first school dance!"

"Percy promised he'd take me, but he's obviously not going to, so..."

The dark-haired girl pouts. "We used to daydream about it, Ara. Are you sure it isn't..." her friend pauses. "You're not worried about not having a date, right?"

"I haven't gone to that school at all this year," she reminds her. "I don't know if I have the same classmates as before, or if they even remember me."

Lily rolls her eyes. "I know a short brunette doesn't sound like a lot, but you're a daughter of Olympus, you draw people in like moths to a flame—"

"Wow, that's flattering."

Her friend laughs. "You know what I mean."

Ara shakes her head. "I don't wanna go, Lils. It wouldn't be fun."

"But your mom said—"

"Don't use that against me..." she whines.

"You love dancing!"

"You know what I love? When you win using the bow I made for you," she pushes Lily forward. "Go get that Flag, civetta."

Lily mutters complaints as she walks onward. Ara's so glad to have Lily, she can second-guess many things in life, but her friendship with Lily is not one of them.

Piper walks up to Ara and nudges her arm. "You're not playing?"

Ara shakes her head with a sad smile. "I miss it a lot, but it wouldn't be fair."

Her sister points in Lily's direction. "She's the one who taught you to be sneaky, right?"

"She's like a ghost," Ara grins. "You're lucky to be playing on her team."

"No joke..." Piper lowers her voice. "I'm sorry Leo didn't take the news well, I think that he was looking forward to spending time with us... and you. He's never stayed in one place for long, this was his first chance to do so."

Ara groans, deeply embarrassed. "I'm usually the one who dives right into awkward conversations, I don't know why I find it so hard with him now."

"Maybe 'cause you care a little too much about what he thinks."

Ara ponders this. "I'll talk to him tonight, I promise."

Piper shrugs. "You don't have to promise me that."

"Right," she blushes. "Well, uh, thank you for talking to me, then?"

Piper hugs her sideways. "No problem."

Ara walks up to Chiron and stands next to him. Usually, she waits with him until the game ends, but now he's got something else in mind. 

"You should take this time to brood on your prophecy."

Ara groans, a bit more dramatically this time. "Chiron, honestly, has that ever worked?"

"Aren't you the exception to most rules?"

Her mind drifts to something else. "You didn't want me to leave camp when the war ended, but you agreed to let me go now. Why?"

"Because I'm not your guardian," he sighs. "I'm an... advisor of sorts."

"Alright, advisor," the girl stares at him frowning. "I'm going home while everyone else works. Is that wise or cowardly?"

"Neither. I call it saving the best for last," he replies. "You are our secret weapon. Just because the monsters know you exist now, doesn't mean it'll stop working."

"Then I'm no exception to the rule," she responds smartly. "I'm your last resort."

He smiles knowingly. "We should always give the enemy a chance to retreat before we attack them with, er..."

"Your worst?" She suggests.

"Our best chance at winning," the centaur corrects.

"That isn't a compliment, is it?"

Chiron heaves a sigh. "A child of Olympus rarely gets compliments while they're alive."

She pouts. "Well, I'll go think about my terrible prophecy then, see you..."

As she walks through the forest, she reminisces about the war, not the prophecy. It feels like it was ages ago. Ara's stuck between wishing she could go back, and hoping to never again be who she was before getting her title.

She draws out her compass and looks at it, the needle is steadily pointing in a single direction.

"I heard Annabeth and Malcolm are activating plan twenty-three," Nyssa mentions. "What's that about?"

"All the statues on the island are automatons," Lily explains. "I've been going over the plan with her and Malcolm for weeks—Haven't slept well since, I still remember Ara's dragon..."

"He's just a little rusty!" I argue, but then I notice the dark circles under her eyes. "Have you been eating properly, at least?"

"No. I gave her an apple this morning though," Connor replies.

"How thoughtful of you," I tease him.

"Shut up."

"How come you never bring me food when I skip meals?"

"You could blow me up in flames if I go near one of your crazy inventions."

"Ara hasn't exploded anything in a year, three months, two weeks, and three days," Lily answers immediately. "That's a thing of the past."

"Speaking of," I smirk. "Did you know the Greeks used to throw apples at people they were in love with, Connor?"

"And if the other caught it, it meant the love was reciprocated," Nyssa replies in the same way.

"Next time I throw something, it'll be my knives at you two," Lily warns us.

Ara shouldn't interfere with the game, but this is the best time to hold a private conversation without interruption. She finds Leo exactly where the compass said he'd be, Ara approaches quietly from behind and covers his mouth so he doesn't alert others. 

"It's me!" She whispers as the boy squirms in her arms. "We need to talk!"

Leo snatches her hand away. "Are you insane?" He whispers angrily. "I almost set you on fire!"

"You've been avoiding me, I couldn't risk you sneaking away!" She argues. "I want a chance to explain myself."

"I'm in the middle of a game—"

"Leo," she gives him her best puppy eyes. "Please? I know you're upset and I don't want you to be."

Leo groans, but the blush on his face isn't helping him. "Does it have to be right now?"

Ara shrugs. "I should wait. I'm not allowed to interfere during Capture the Flag..."

"I'll see you at the campfire," he tells her. "Now leave me alone, your face is distracting me."

She chuckles, eyeing him with a playful gaze. "You look adorable in armor, by the way."

"Go away!" He presses, smoke coming out of his ears.

Ara giggles but obliges. Just as she exits the forest, she spots Janus standing near the forges, looking right at her. Her mouth goes dry. "No!"

The god vanishes in a heartbeat. Ara feels her legs wavering under her and she falls to her knees, severely nauseous. She tries to focus on the coldness of the grass, or the strawberry fragrance coming from uphill, but she's having trouble breathing. 

"A crossroad is approaching," says a voice. An echo of a memory. 

"You're incredible at this," Lily points out. "Although you should wear gloves."

My fingers are covered in cuts, the wire's thin and I'm not gentle. "I thought I had them in my bag, but I must've left them in my cabin."

"Where are you putting all of these?"

I point towards the Empire State.

"Why there? The Monsters haven't reached the city."

"You know why," I say without looking up.

Lily takes a moment to respond. "These are all last resorts, aren't they?"

I nod. "If everything else fails, I'm hoping these will kill enough monsters to give us one last chance."

Lily starts a new bomb but stops for a moment. 

"Do you think we have a chance right now?" I look up, and for a moment I think a bird has pooped on her because she's scowling at the sky, then I realize she's trying not to tear up. "I wouldn't mind dying if I knew the rest would have a chance to survive..."

"Don't say it like that," I reply, now also feeling like crying. "This is just starting. Don't say that."

Lily fixes her posture. "Right. Sorry," she sniffs. "I need you to promise me something, though."

"I'm listening."

"I'll be your second in command once you become General," she says determinately. "Where you go, I go."

"You, Mike, and I forever," I nod. "You have my word."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

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[daresplaining]

    Yes! We would love that too, and we apologize ahead of time for taking this as an opportunity to talk about something we’ve been holding in for far too long-- our issues with the show’s handling of Matt’s origin story. This post has been sitting on the back burner since we started this blog, and we’ve been avoiding it because 1. We like to skew positive here. If we don’t like something, we tend to not talk about it; and 2. We’ve been way too busy blogging about other stuff. But we might as well just get this out there, if only for our own health. 

    Origins are tricky things to adapt, since it’s easy to get bogged down in them and forfeit the opportunity to tell a new story. The Netflix shows have stuck with a formula of relegating origin details to flashbacks, thus getting them out of the way and leaving maximum time for new narratives. This approach makes a lot of sense for movies, which have limited time to begin with (We are, for instance, fine with not witnessing Uncle Ben’s death yet again in Spider-Man: Homecoming). But while this is the third live action DD adaptation, Daredevil is still a C- to B-list superhero, who is not that well known among mainstream audiences and whose origin story is worth repeating. Besides, we’re not talking about a movie, here. The Netflix shows have thirteen hours to play with. 

    The main issue we take with the Netflix adaptation is the shortening of the timeline-- which both alters and eliminates key elements of Matt’s origin story in ways that, we feel, end up removing a lot of its power. And that’s key. Yes, we’re kind of complaining because we’re big nerds with big nerdy dreams for our comics adaptations, but we’re also complaining because the Netflix origin actively weakens the story as a whole. There are ways to cut Matt’s backstory down into its basic components without diminishing its effect, and this isn't it.

    We will say upfront that we like Matt being blinded at nine. We’ve always felt his official comics age at the time of the accident-- fifteen-- was too old, so that’s an element of the Netflix Daredevil Timeline Squish(TM) that we appreciate. However, we completely disagree with the decision to kill Jack so early. This happened in the movie as well, and we’re not sure why it’s a trend, beyond possibly the easy shock factor of orphaning Matt at such a young age. But knocking Jack off this quickly limits the amount of time available to spend on developing Matt’s massively important relationship with his father. The fact that Jack was always there-- through Matt’s blinding, through hardship after hardship, into Matt’s college years-- is part of what makes him such a compelling character in the comics. By making his death a fact of Matt’s childhood, he feels less important-- just another long-dead parent in a world full of fictional characters with dead parents. His murder isn’t even relevant to Matt’s decision to become Daredevil.  

    There’s also the fact that Jack is, arguably, the reason that Matt gets into Columbia in the comics. He’s the one who pushes him to study hard, and to strive for a successful career and a better life. 

Jack: “No, Matt, your homework comes first. I promised your momma before she... before she died... that I wouldn’t let you grow up to be an uneducated pug like me. Now you have to promise me something, son. Promise me you’ll study every chance you get, that you’ll become a doctor or a lawyer... somebody important! Promise me you’ll be somebody I never could...”

Matt: “I promise, pop! You’ll be proud of me! You’ll see...”

Daredevil vol. 1 #164 by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, and Glynis Wein

    Yes, Matt’s a smart kid in his own right, but Jack’s support keeps him grounded and focused amid very difficult circumstances. In the Netflix show, with Matt left parentless and stuck in an orphanage before middle school, he is deprived of that support. We don’t get a lot of details about his life at the orphanage, and we know that Maggie keeps an eye on him in a vague, sneaky kind of way... but we do get this memorable shot of poor Matt writhing in pain, all alone in his sparsely-furnished room (complete with unnecessary desk lamp): 

    This does not seem like an environment that would empower a young blind kid with a tendency toward distraction to get into one of the most competitive schools in the country. College, certainly. But Columbia? Doubtful. If Jack had died later-- maybe while Matt was in high school, like in Miller’s Man Without Fear origin variation, he might at least have found the drive to succeed for the sake of honoring his father’s hopes for him. But that kind of thing can only last so long, and we can’t imagine little Matt managing to stick with that promise, all on his own, for ten years. 

    The one theory we have about the logic of isolating Matt at this age is that it smooths out Stick’s introduction. We’re very attached to Matt sneaking out at night and training behind Jack’s back for years and years, but removing Jack as an obstacle and giving Stick free access to Matt makes the whole situation a little more believable and less complicated. However, even this opportunity is wasted by the fact that Stick doesn’t stick around-- and since no effort is made to age young Matt in the show, we have no idea how long his training actually lasts. When they meet again in the present, in Season 1 episode 7, Matt says that Stick has been gone for twenty years. Matt in the present is in his early thirties, and we know that he can’t have been younger than ten when he first encountered Stick. This means they only trained together for maybe three or four years at the absolute most-- which is certainly not enough time for him to become as skilled as he currently is. If they kept Matt extra young for the sake of allowing him more time to train with Stick, then why didn’t they... allow him more time to train with Stick?

    Orphaning Matt early also deprives us of a relationship that we’ve always enjoyed, and which dmcreif has been good enough to bring up: Jack’s relationship with Foggy. 

Foggy: “Jeez, Creel’s a pretty tough customer, Jack. You think you can take him?”

Jack: “It’s like I’ve been tellin’ Matt all his life. You can do anything as long as you’re not afraid.”

Daredevil: Yellow #1 by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

    Foggy and Jack never will meet in the MCU, which is something we find very sad but which, arguably, isn’t a major detriment to the narrative. However, this also means that Foggy isn’t at Jack’s final fight-- which we do think is a big deal.  

Foggy: “Hey, Matt! Wait up! I wanna read you the sports headline! It’s about your dad! He’s fighting Dynamite Davis tomorrow night in New York! How about that? Wanna go??”

Matt: “I’ve already got the tickets, Foggy... one for each of us!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #1 by Stan Lee, Bill Everett, and Sam Rosen 

    While it doesn’t come up as much as it probably should, the experience of going through this pivotal point of Matt’s origin story together is undeniably a major bonding moment for Matt and Foggy. The one problem with their relationship in the show is that they're nearly always fighting-- thus eclipsing the fact that they are, in fact, best friends. They are in desperate need of more bonding moments, to solidify the basis of their relationship-- and while the flashbacks we do have are wonderful, having this extra vital experience thrown into the mix would have really helped. To address your comment, @dmcreif -- while it’s possible, given that MCU Foggy grew up in Hell’s Kitchen, that he just happened to be at the fight, 1. We don’t think it’s likely, because that seems like something that would have come up in his early interactions with Matt in Season 1; and 2. Even if he was, there’s no way he was there with Matt, which makes all of the difference for us. “Hey, I saw that fight! That was pretty cool” just isn’t the same.

    Not only that... but Matt isn’t at the fight either! He misses out on a key part of his own origin story! This would be like a Batman adaptation where young Bruce stayed home with Alfred while his parents went to the movies. He has to be there!  

Guy: “This is it, Murdock. Just give him an opening and fall down like you should. Think about that boy of yours.”

Jack: “That’s just what I’m thinking about, you bum. I’m thinking my boy is out there-- in the audience-- and I’m thinking about how I told him one thing worth a damn. I told him to never give up. Never. It’s time I showed him his dad may be a loser-- but he’s no quitter.”

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1 by Frank Miller, John Romita, Jr., and Christie Scheele

    And yes, they did manage to fit the most basic component of this scene-- Jack’s Matt-inspired decision to defy the Fixer and win the fight-- into the show. We really like Matt overhearing the conversation at the gym, and the idea of him confronting his father about it directly is actually a neat variation.  

    But this is still underwhelming and weak when compared to the actual scene from the comics. The only reason we can think of for Matt not being at the fight is that, in this universe, he's too young-- yet another reason the timeline squish was a poorly conceived idea.

    So Foggy doesn’t get to attend the fight, Matt doesn’t get to attend the fight... and even the viewer doesn’t get to attend the fight. They skip Jack’s big moment entirely. Why? Budget? Time? We were sad about not seeing Danny’s big origin fight in Iron Fist, but we're also perfectly willing to allow for budgeting excuses for situations that involve dragons. Obviously, that doesn't apply here.  Jack’s victory is such an emotionally-charged and vital part of Matt’s origin that we can’t imagine why the creative team would decide to completely skip over it.

    Our last complaint could technically be its own post, but consolidating seems like a good idea for this sort of thing. It doesn’t involve the condensed timeline, but rather, it has to do with another key element of Matt’s origin: bullying. This is a big Daredevil theme, and beyond young Matt’s reference to Murdocks getting hit a lot-- which could be construed as a hint that he’s being abused by his peers-- it’s never addressed in the show.

Punk: “Come on, Murdock! Try it! What’re you afraid of?

Matt: “I can’t. I gotta read!”

Nate: “He’s gotta read! Man. That’s the Murdock spirit! Don’t hurt yerself turnin’ all them heavy pages, Daredevil! [...] Awww... you gonna cry? Huh? Daredevil gonna cry? Hey, Daredevil! I dare ya to turn around!”

Daredevil vol. 3 #28 by Mark Waid and Javier Rodriguez

    That said, we don’t see much of pre-accident Matt in the show, and it makes sense for much of the bullying to stop after he was blinded. (They tried to make that work in the movie, and it... really didn’t, in our opinion.) And while this early abuse is a major factor in Matt’s childhood for all sorts of reasons, and ties into his relationship with his father and with his academics, his secret-keeping and identity issues, the inherent feelings of powerlessness that his superhero career helps to combat, etc. etc... and is a weird, major omission, we don’t feel it weakens the narrative as much as the stuff we griped about earlier in the post does. Our main complaint is that it messes with Matt’s superhero identity-- his name, in particular.  

    In the final episode of Season 1, Brett sets up the best opportunity for a dramatic code name reveal that a new superhero could ask for, and we were really hoping Matt would take that opportunity and come up with the name “Daredevil” on his own. As it stands, the moment is difficult to parse, since it cuts away so quickly, but all evidence suggests that Matt leaves without answering Brett’s question. There’s no set up for Matt coming up with his own code name, and we are left with yet another boring situation where the press gets to make one up. This happens all the time in “serious” live action superhero adaptations: the hero is handed a label that they consider to be a little silly, and then they get a “well okay, haha, I guess that works” moment, and that’s that. We’re annoyed they went with this in Daredevil, because 1. Excuse you, Daredevil is an awesome code name. (*Cough* And that is a completely unbiased opinion); 2. The “Man in Black” -> “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” -> Daredevil progression they tried to go for in the show feels forced at best. (And if he's still being called “the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” on a regular basis in Season 3, we’re going to start throwing tomatoes at the screen. Honestly. Stop that.); and 3. Matt picking his own name is a major act of self-empowerment.  

Matt: “The neighborhood kids called me Daredevil... but they meant it as an insult! I’ll make that nickname truer than they ever suspected-- and I’ll start in the morning!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #53 by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gene Colan

    Power is a big Daredevil theme. Matt’s decision to step up and take on the Daredevil identity is wrapped up in all kinds of motivations, but a big part of it involves breaking a pattern of powerlessness that he has labored under for most of his life. Because of his father’s strict rules against violence, Matt spent his childhood unable to defend himself against the emotional and physical torment heaped on him by his peers. After his accident, he is forced to endure being seen as a “poor, helpless blind guy” by society, a symbolic theft of power that he cannot stand. But when Jack is murdered by people who are-- when you get right down to it-- glorified bullies, Matt decides to break the promise he made to his father, and to finally fight back. This is all symbolized by his decision to take the name “Daredevil”-- which was used ironically by his tormenters as a disparaging nickname-- and to reclaim it as a symbol of this new, empowered identity he has created for himself. Taking this decision away from him feels wrong. His ownership of his superhero name means something, dammit. 

    *Sigh*

    In any case, it goes without saying that we like a lot of the decisions that were made on the show, and are very excited to see what’s in store for MCU Matt and Co. in future seasons. But we still reserve the right to critique and complain. We do it because we care.

[thingsmk1120sayz]

This day in hockey history, June 5th 1945, Andre Lacroix was born in Lauzon, Quebec. Lacroix is the WHA's all time leading scorer with 251 goals and 547 assists for 798 points in 551 games.

Lacroix was the last of 14 children in his family, and to this day his parents still live in the house in Lauzon, Quebec where he was born. He started playing hockey at the age of 12—late by Canadian standards—and he learned quickly to make every shot on goal count. "My father was an oil deliveryman and never made more than $75 or $80 a week," says Lacroix. "A hockey stick in those days cost one dollar, so I was always afraid to take a slap shot for fear that I might break my stick. You don't break many sticks with a wrist shot. My father used to use tape and nails to hold the sticks together so they would last for a long time."

When he was 18 Lacroix went to Peterborough, Ontario to play junior hockey, leading the Ontario Hockey Association in scoring the first year (1963) and narrowly missing the title the second. He scored 119 points the first year (45 goals and 74 assists) and 120 points the second year (40 goals and 80 assists). His career totals in 97 games were 85 goals and 154 assists for 239 points - the best of any Pete in franchise history.

In both years, he was named the league’s most outstanding player winning the Red Tilson Trophy as MVP, once beating out Bobby Orr of the Oshawa Generals.. He won the scoring race in ’65-66 playing on a line with Mickey Redmond and Danny Grant, both future NHL 50 goal scorers.

But Lacroix spoke not a word of English when he arrived in Peterborough, and he found few people in Ontario who spoke French.

"I used to hang around a bowling alley in Peterborough because the people there knew I didn't speak the language and they were very nice to me," he says. "I decided I wasn't going to sit in my room for two years and stare at the walls, so at night when I came home from practice I would write down 25 or 30 verbs in English and study them. I figured if I could learn the verbs, the rest would follow." Lacroix also lugged around a pocket dictionary, and by his second year in Peterborough he spoke passable English. His English now is impeccable, except for his use of Canada's rhetorical "eh?"

It's incredible that Lacroix went undrafted after such an outstanding junior career. So he turned pro in 1966 with the minor league Quebec Aces where he played for two seasons.

ndre Lacroix only spent one and a half seasons in Quebec, but he was so popular that he was sometimes called "the King of Quebec City." The home crowds at Le Colisée de Québec adored Lacroix's puckhandling and passing wizardry.

When the newly created Philadelphia Flyers purchased the Aces as its farm team on May 8, 1967, the club also acquired the player's NHL rights. Although Lacroix did not crack coach Keith Allen's roster at the start of the 1967-68 season, the Flyers took notice of Lacroix's play with the Aces. It would've been hard not to, as Lacroix had racked up 87 points (41 goals, 46 assists) in just 54 games. He was brought up to the NHL by the Philadelphia Flyers, a first year expansion team.

Lacroix scored on his NHL debut for the Flyers on Feb. 21, 1968, pouncing on a turnover against the Penguins and going to his backhand, one of 79 NHL goals he scored. In 18 games with Philadelphia, Lacroix had six goals and eight assists and helped the Flyers capture first place in the six-club expansion division. He followed that with 24-, 22- and 20-goal seasons for the Flyers, who were not known as the Broad St. Bullies in those days, but his playing style—finesse, not muscle—never endeared him to Philadelphia coaches.

"I know what magic Lacroix can flash with the puck," said Vic Stasiuk, who coached Lacroix in Philadelphia for one season. "The thing is, his magic doesn't work against certain clubs, particularly those that employ a tight checking game. When they do this, all too often Andrè can't play his normal game." Also, Stasiuk had a younger center on his roster named Bobby Clarke, and by the end of the 1970-71 season Lacroix was seeing only spot duty.

Two significant things happened to Lacroix while he was still playing for the Flyers. First, part of the roof of the Philadelphia Spectrum blew off in a windstorm in 1968. Then Flyers President Bill Putnam told Lacroix, "As long as I'm in this chair, you'll be with the Flyers." Brimming with confidence and feeling secure, Lacroix bought a house that year in Delaware County, Pa. and planned to settle down with his new bride Suzanne. But in a matter of months Putnam departed the Flyers' organization, somebody else sat in his chair, and Lacroix was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks at the beginning of the 1971-72 season.

"That was the start of our real-estate ventures," says Suzanne. "We decided to keep the Philadelphia house, which was a good move psychologically. My son calls it his 'blue house' because it has blue carpeting."

Lacroix spent a miserable season in Chicago, scoring only 11 points and writhing most of the season at the end of the bench. He also had to suffer the outrageous barbs of snippy Chicago Coach Billy Reay, who called the 5'8", 175-pound Lacroix "the first small French-Canadian center I've ever seen who can't skate." Quite understandably, when the WHA was born in 1972, Lacroix leaped at the opportunity to join it.

The Quebec Nordiques originally owned the WHA rights to Lacroix but traded them to the Miami Screaming Eagles, Unfortunately, the Miami franchise succumbed before it ever left the ground. Lacroix was subsequently peddled to the Philadelphia Blazers—his third team in a matter of days—and his travels were really just beginning.

Philadelphia owner Bernard Brown gave Lacroix a five-year contract at double the $30,000 he was making in Chicago and then obligingly threw in a fistful of incentive clauses with bonuses for scoring. Lacroix has always negotiated his own contracts and he has shown a remarkable sense of his market value and a shrewdness for fine-print language. By finessing the scoring bonuses from Brown, Lacroix earned himself an extra $20,000 after leading WHA scorers with 50 goals and 74 assists that first season.

"During the past six years I've signed three five-year contracts and one six-year contract," says Lacroix, "and I've never been traded in that time. I've also made it a rule that I don't sign a new contract until the old one has been settled. I've never been shortchanged a single dollar in the WHA." Moreover, as franchises collapsed all about him, Lacroix never failed to come out of the mess with a new contract for more money. Of course, it is difficult to say how many of Lacroix' teams faltered partly because they could not meet his salary.

In any case, the paycheck that Lacroix now receives from the Whalers is covered by funds from the Whalers, the league, Ray Kroc, Ronald McDonald, you name it. "To tell the truth," says Lacroix, "I don't know who pays what or where the money comes from. But every two weeks the money comes, and I don't ask questions."

Nobody was asking many questions during that first boisterous year of the WHA and, naturally, mistakes were made—and millions of dollars were lost. Says Lacroix, "I probably could have owned a franchise those first couple of years. A lot of the owners thought the way to increase attendance was to go out and hire a bunch of goons, which showed how little they really knew about hockey. The wise owners signed the Bobby Hulls and Gordie Howes, and that brought people in for a while. Now the owners are finally learning that they have to bring along the young players from the juniors."

In his own hilarious way Bernard Brown, the Philadelphia trucking magnate who owned the Blazers, was an exemplary WHA first-year owner. "The first time Brown met with our general manager," says Lacroix, "he said he wanted all of the players to report for work at nine in the morning and stay until five each night. He expected us to practice for a while, work around the building for a bit, then practice some more. All he knew was that his truck drivers worked from nine to five, and he couldn't understand why he was paying us all that money to work for two or three hours a day."

When Brown, who also had Derek Sanderson under contract for $2.7 million, lost interest in that sort of goldbricking after the 1972-73 season, he sold his team to buyers in Vancouver. Lacroix, however, became a free agent because of a clause in all his contracts that permits him to refuse to play for a Canadian team. The agreement, he says, is strictly for business convenience. At any rate, instead of going to Vancouver, Lacroix was on his way to the New York Raiders, who became the New York Golden Blades while Lacroix was en route.

The gold paint was barely dry on the blades of the Blades' skates when it became apparent there was going to be trouble. Playing in Madison Square Garden was one of the league's big goals, but when it finally happened it was a colossal bummer. "You could hear people talking all the way across the arena," recalls Suzanne Lacroix. "The Garden was great, but 4,000 people in a building that seats 17,500 was depressing."

Meanwhile, Lacroix had signed a new five-year contract with the Golden Blades, purchased a new home in West Orange, N.J. and begun filling it with furniture. By October the team was in bankruptcy court, and Lacroix had his new house up for sale.

The league abruptly moved the Golden Blades to the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, N.J., called them the New Jersey Knights and asked the players if they would use their own sticks and whatever equipment they could scrounge up until the cash-flow problems eased up. None of the Blades' uniforms, pads or sticks could be moved down from New York without running the risk of having the Knights' gate receipts, such as they were, attached by creditors. "And we were the first big league team New Jersey had ever had," says Suzanne. "At least we called ourselves big league."

"There was no dressing room in the Cherry Hill arena big enough for the visiting teams to use," recalls Lacroix, "so they had to dress at their hotels when they played us. To see Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe climbing off a bus, in the snow, with all their equipment on, made you feel 25 years behind the times."

Which, as it turned out, was right about where the New Jersey Knights were. They finished 32 games out of first place that 1973-74 season, and by the opening of the following season the team had been moved again, this time to San Diego. By the end of the Mariners'—and Lacroix'—second season, in 1976, owner Joe Schwartz was unable to meet the team payroll. For the final month of the schedule and throughout the Avco Cup playoffs the San Diego players competed without pay. "During the off-season, the league had to make up one schedule with San Diego in, one with San Diego out," says Lacroix. "No one knew if there would be a San Diego for the 1976-77 season."

Then Kroc, the McDonald's hamburger tycoon who also owns the San Diego Padres, decided that, after all, a puck looked pretty much like a Quarter-Pounder. He bought the Mariners and signed Lacroix to a new, guaranteed contract for six years and more than $1 million. Lacroix settled comfortably into the Southern California way of life, cruising around in a dune buggy and a van, and his children, Andrè Jr. and Chantal, adopted a cocker spaniel which they named Marina, after the team.

"The first two years we were in San Diego," says Lacroix, "we rented a place because we didn't know how long the team would last. But when Kroc came along, we bought a house with a Jacuzzi and a pool and started looking for schools for the kids. Eight months after I signed the papers on the house, we had to put it up for sale."

When Kroc scuttled the Mariners after the 1976-77 season, Lacroix once again went franchise shopping. "I chose Houston because the Aeros had been around for six years, and I thought that with their new building [the Summit] they would be included in any merger with the NHL. We decided to have a house built for us in Houston. So, of course, at Christmas the team almost went under. When I heard that the team might fold, I didn't even blink. My attitude was, 'So what?' I had tried to choose teams that had a good chance to stay in the league, and that obviously didn't work. So I decided that whatever was going to happen, well, let it happen."

To everyone's surprise, Kenneth Schnitzer, who owned the Summit, came to the rescue. He bought the Aeros and managed to keep them afloat for the remainder of the 1977-78 season. The family's new home was completed last March. By July, though, the Aeros had folded, and the Lacroix house, barely occupied, was up for sale.

Schnitzer eventually sold the Houston players to Winnipeg, meaning that Lacroix was once more a free agent. After consulting with his lawyer, he signed with the Whalers. "They have the most stable organization in the league, eh?" says Lacroix wryly.

[torchturtle]

Okay, so I’ve been reading Danny Phantom and DC crossovers a lot recently and it gave me the idea of: what if the Justice League met Phantom in the Ghost Zone? Like they actually meet him because they got trapped in the GZ and Phantom’s like “Hey, y'all ain’t dead” and helps them home.

They weren’t exactly sure how they ended up there. One moment all the founders were fighting crime together, like they do sometimes, and the next moment acid green portals opened up underneath them and swallowed them whole. Now, here they are. A sky of green surrounded them as they stood on floating purple rocks. With no way home.

To be completely honest, I just started getting into DC stuff. My knowledge right now is what I’ve read in comics (which isn’t a lot, and all Batman), read on my dashboard, and ThePandaRedd’s videos. Along with what I’ve been able to piece together from reading these crossovers. I don’t know crud.

But I want a fic where the JL thinks Phantom is a small criminal at first. Not as in they look at reports of him kidnapping the mayor or robbing that bank, no. I want them to find out that he’s wanted by Walker.

Like okay, the JL somehow ends up in the Ghost Zone with no way out, their communicators aren’t working, stuff just ain’t working in general cause ectoplasm, and ghost noise. IDK. And they can easily travel because gravity doesn’t really exist there, the problem is that they have no idea where they are or how to get home. They definitely run into some ghosts at a point and it becomes clear to them that a lot of them aren’t friendly or want to hang out with unknown living people. Since like the ghosts that’d probably recognize the JL don’t travel through dangerous parts of the GZ.

You can tell I didn’t put a ton of thought into this, I only have one scene in my head that I really want. You can even replace the JL with like anyone, I just chose them because idk. But anyway this is where Danny comes in, he sees them and is like “That’s the JL!” and goes over to see what’s up.

“So you’ll be able to help us get back to Earth?”

“Oh yeah, it’s no problem! I go there all the time!”

And then he realizes that leading the JL out of his parents’ portal might be a problem, especially since he doesn’t know if his parents are home. But he remembers that his friend Wulf can make portals and be totally willing to help. If only Danny knew when to hold his tongue.

“My friend can make portals. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him, but it’s been pretty easy to do a prison break if he’s back there.”

“Um… what.”

During the trip to the prison to see if his friend is actually there, the JL are discussing with themselves if helping with a prison break is worth going home. Phantom totally forgot since he’s in the GZ that the JL doesn't know that breaking out of Walker’s prison is totally fine and reasonable, and that Walker’s rules are totally unfair. Some members are hoping that the friend is in prison for a mostly harmless crime, while all of them are also thinking that’s not the case, why are prison breaks mentioned so loosely.

Everyone’s asking questions like:

“Is there someone else that can make portals?” - “well, yeah, but they probably won’t help”

“Why’s your friend in prison..?” - “I don’t know. I never really asked. Walker’s rules are so dumb.” (They all think about their rogue galleries, while Danny’s thinking about his first offense)

“And Walker is…” - “Ah, the warden, a total jerk. That’s against the rules. Ugh.”

“So… you’ve done prison breaks before?” - “Yeah, it’s become laughably easy to escape.”

“That means you’ve been to prison?” - “Hm? Oh yeah, and if you ask me 1000 years is way too long.” omg what did he do

“You’re over 1000?” - “What? No? I’m 14? Where’d you get that idea?” oh jeez, he broke out of prison

So Danny isn’t really paying attention to his answers, and the JL are just following him going this seemingly sweet child is supposed to be in prison. He’s been too nice for prison, what the heck did he do???

Eventually enough was enough and Batman is the one to ask, “What did you do to get that sentence?”

“Oh, um.. What word did he use… oh yeah, contraband.” And everyone else sighs internally because okay, so this child has done something wrong, but not terribly awful. But this also brings the question of why did he get 1000 years for contraband?

“That’s just Walker for you.” And now everyone is more calm and okay with breaking this kid’s friend out of prison, because now it sounds like this warden is corrupt.

Then the rest of the journey is them getting to know Phantom more and feeling more confident that this child is a well meaning lad. Along with getting knowledge about the world they’ve found themselves in. They finally meet Walker and they just feel like a weight is lifted off their shoulders cause this guy does in fact have dumb rules and is a jerk like Phantom said.

Wulf’s portal shoots them all out in like Metropolis, and then Phantom waves goodbye and heads to his parents’ portal. Batman immediately looks into anything mentioning ghosts, the Ghost Zone, or Phantom since he’s mentioned going to Earth a lot. They are surprised to discover he’s a small hero that fights other ghosts.

They are also suspicious about how many ghosts can easily make their way into Amity Park and wonder if Phantom actually just used them to get his friend out of prison.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: It's family time! -Danny Words: 2,295 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Matilda' -by Harry Styles

XXIX: Not the Reunion You Wanted but the Reunion I Needed

Ara's surprised to see her two parents pick her up from camp. The first thing they do is hug her so tightly that she feels like they're about to break her in half. 

"Guys—the windpipes!" She chokes out.

Sally's crying, and Ara doesn't know what to say to make it better. She wishes she could ease the woman's mind, but lately, words of wisdom aren't coming to her in handfuls.

"S'alright," she mumbles, gently rubbing her mother's back.

"Hi, sweetheart," Paul pinches her cheek lightly. "Ready to go home?"

The trip back is quiet. Usually, Percy and her talk, and their parents listen. Today, all she does is stare out the window while her dad tells her about the school she'll attend next year.

It's hard to come to terms with how weary she is. Life is not simple and she's barely halfway through ninth grade. Things change, you fall for people when you least expect it, and then you build an entire life around... What? The idea that nothing will vary but it won't feel the same way twice?

Sally goes directly to their apartment to tidy up the kids' room before Ara gets there, and Paul asks if Ara can check the car before going up. She feels there's more to this than just a regular check-up, but she stays either way.

The girl opens the trunk and takes a look. "What's wrong with it?"

"The breaks are stiff. No cushion."

Ara stares blankly at her dad. "Cushion?"

"When the car stops it screeches," he rephrases.

"Which side?" Paul points to the left. Ara glances at the tire, then shrugs. "Could be the brake pads or the cylinder thingy."

"You can fix it?"

"'Course I can. I'll take a better look tomorrow," she gives him a brief smile. "Is that it?"

Paul steps forward and places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know you like helping, but here you are our daughter and nothing else. Understand?" Ara nods. "Good. How've you been?"

"Well... I guess I could be better." 

Ara tries to be strong, but she cries as soon as she locks eyes with her father. Paul is the only person she feels is safe to cry to. Sally needs her to be calm, the camp needs her to be brave. But Paul? He just wants her to be his daughter.

They grew fond of each other fast, Chiron always felt more like a teacher and didn't fulfill the requirements to be a father figure. Ara used to think that she would never know what having a dad felt like, but when Paul entered the picture, everything changed.

They had been a beautiful family for a year and a half, and she'd loved every second. Now that Hera has stolen an important piece of them, Ara is angry and frustrated, and the worst part is that she doesn't feel allowed to be, part of her thinks it's her fault.

"We'll find him," Paul rubs her back. "It's only a matter of time, and time moves fast when you keep yourself busy."

Ara hiccups. "I-I don't want my mom to see me like this..."

"I think she needs to see you like this," he retorts. "She thinks you're bottling up your emotions."

"I just don't want her to think... that I'm not strong," the girl sobs.

"You're fourteen, Ara, you don't have to be strong all the time," he guides her into the building. "Let us worry for you."

Tomorrow will be my fourteenth birthday, and today is the first time I'll be a real player in Capture the Flag. Rest assured that I'm planning to win. There's a problem, though, Percy and all of my friends from the Hephaestus cabin are playing against me.

"Hey, Connor," I approach trying to look tough. "Hope your loyalty isn't compromised..."

"What do you mean, Jackson?"

"Lily plays opposite tonight," I raise my eyebrows.

He looks a little worried, maybe he thinks I'm charmspeaking him. I wouldn't do that, but I do think it's fun that he thinks that. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Travis walks past us. "She's talking about your fat crush on Saggio..." 

Connor laughs nervously, his skin glows silver. "That's crazy!"

"Listen, we all know it. Except for Lily. Maybe."

"Don't worry, Birdy," Travis walks past us again. "I'll keep an eye on him. And you."

I snort. "Good luck."

After dinner, Sally enters Ara's bedroom and sits on her bed. "Would you like a bedtime story?"

Ara fidgets with her blanket. "Do I really have to go back to school?"

The woman sighs and rubs Ara's leg over the blanket. "We should be together."

"What if that puts you in danger?"

"Ara, I love you as much as I love Percy, and as your mother, I want you around no matter what."

"But the camp—"

"You can go on the weekends. But you need to attend school, and you need your parents. Chiron agreed."

"Chiron wants me out of camp because of the stupid prophecy," the girl blushes at her own outburst. "Sorry."

Sally continues in a calm manner. "Well, that's all the more reason. I want to spend as much time with my daughter before her untimely demise."

"That's not funny, Mom," Ara makes a face.

"You know what's funny," the woman gives her a playful look. "I don't think I ever heard you ramble about a boy like you did tonight."

Ara groans, falling back on her pillow. "Mooom..." 

"It was like the time you found that bronze dragon, and all you wanted was to—"

"He's called Festus now," Ara informs her. "It means Happy. Leo named him—he also named my lion Pollo. Leo thinks it's funny. He's weird..."

"You like that he's weird?" Sally smiles knowingly.

"A little," Ara blushes. "Don't tell dad."

"He's just sorry that you're no longer a little girl..."

"Well, if it makes him feel better, I decided not to pursue Leo," she replies.

Sally frowns. "Why?"

"Mom, it would be so much work. I don't have time to—"

"Are you marrying him?" Sally raises a brow.

"What? No, of course not!" Ara exclaims.

The woman chuckles. "Dating is not rocket science, Ara. You should try to have fun with it."

Ara stares at her mother. "Like it's a themed park?"

Sally eyes her with worry. "How long has it been since you did normal teenage things?"

The girl shrugs. "I went to the mall a few days ago..."

"The one where you found the lion?" Her mother asks pointedly.

"Okay, fine. I've never had a 'normal teenage experience'. Bit impossible to achieve being who I am."

"Promise me you'll find ways to have a good time, at least," Sally puts a strand of hair behind Ara's ear. "Don't feel pressure to do anything, all I'm saying is, you're safe in the mortal world. Try to enjoy it."

To be honest, Ara's not sure she remembers how to enjoy life.

She believes she's safe here, though. Even now that things got hard, her parents don't blame her for what's happening. She loves them and she wants to be a good daughter, so she's willing to let go of most of her guilt and try to be happy for them.

Yet... she can't stop feeling uneasy. Nothing has felt right ever since she turned fourteen.

Beckendorf made a special armor for his group that works like a chameleon's skin. Silena and Annabeth asked me and Lily to find them.

"Here!" My friend seizes me by the back of my armor, almost choking me. We're a good team, Lily and I.

Luckily for us, the boys didn't hear me dying, they were too focused on the dangers ahead. 

"Myrmekes," Percy mutters.

"Holy Hephaestus!" I stand up from behind the bushes. 

Both boys jump in alarm, Percy knows right away what I'm thinking. "Don't get any closer!" He and Lily say at the same time, both scowling.

"Look at it!" I exclaim in disbelief.

The thing is the size of a refrigerator, all gold with strange ridges on the sides and a bunch of wires sticking out at the bottom. The ants turn it over: It's an automaton's head. I gasp and try to walk towards it, but Percy pulls me back. 

"Easy, Dr. Frankenstein!"

"A head..." I say in awe. "A dragon's head!"

"It's a sign from Hephaestus," Beckendorf agrees in astonishment. "We have to stop them."

"What? Why?"

Before we can do anything, Silena and Annabeth stop us. Beckendorf sneaks away when they get distracted, and the Myrmekes get him. See, if I had gone after the head, this wouldn't have happened, but no one listens to the little girl.

To save our friend, I pull out the metal detector I built a summer ago (Percy and Lily look at me as if I'd planned this from the start) and turn it on. The thing goes crazy right away, there's a huge trail of mud on the side of the hill, so it's easy. We find the rest of the body in less than ten minutes. 

My friends help me get the dragon's head down, and Annabeth says she's not ready to try this out, so Percy replies something pretty cheesy.

"Get out of the way!" I scoff, squeezing between them. Gods! Falling in love distracts people from what's important. 

Annabeth asks Silena for her dagger and opens the dragon's panel on the back of its head. 

"Well, those who don't know anything about machines, step aside," I kneel next to the automaton's neck, eager to put it together. "Hello, baby! Are you ready to come back to life?"

"Ara..." Lily crouches beside me. "Keep in mind that this thing's unstable, okay?"

"It's a machine," I roll my eyes. "Just needs an adjustment and it'll be good as new..."

"There's only enough time to activate it," Percy reminds me.

"Okay, well, you guys are being super helpful," I reply sarcastically. "Hephaestus wanted Beck to find this. We're safe."

I take off my helmet and study the loose wires. Annabeth leans down next to me and helps me where she can. We work together to reattach the head, and our hands end up greasy and bruised.

"It's done?" Lily asks.

I share a look with Annabeth and nod. "Think so."

Percy asks how to turn it on and Annabeth and I point at the two large rubies. Its eyes have to be turned clockwise. My brother makes a couple of sarcastic comments that I prefer to ignore.

"Everyone take cover," without further ado, I turn its eyes.

I watch as the machine comes back to life. The best thing ever created in camp is in front of me, and I finally understand what Hephaestus means when he says that it's possible to build perfect things.

The earth shakes as the dragon gets up, bathing us in the dirt. As a way of celebration, it shoots a column of flames straight into the sky. "Fire!" I exclaim delightedly.

"Well," Percy stammers. "It worked."

The dragon looks at him and comes to sniff us. I'm beyond happy, but my brother looks terrified. I see him grab his sword and I spring into action. "Hello! Hey, cutie!" The creature watches me closely. "Listen, there's a son of Hephaestus in trouble!" The dragon tenses and waits for instructions. I look at the others smiling. "See? He'll help."

"How do you know that?" Silena asks unconvinced.

"I don't!"

"Perfect," Lily groans. "We're letting the crazy one lead the mission. Beckendorf is so lucky..."

We guide the dragon to the ant nest, but I refuse to leave it alone. 

"Ara, stop being so frustrating!" Percy snaps at me.

"I don't want it to get damaged!" I complain.

"I'll stay with her!" Lily offers. "If things get hard I'll drag her ass away from the forest—Go!"

Maybe it's because she's Annabeth's sister, but Percy feels comfortable leaving me in Lily's care, except maybe when it comes to training. Though he can't deny that all the muscle and height I've gained it's thanks to her and Michael.

"Our parents will kill me if you die, so don't!" Percy warns me. 

"Mike's going to kill us..." Lily says grumpily.

We spend the next twenty minutes decapitating Myrmekes (my sword is really good at it) and helping the dragon up the hill. It's a miracle we don't get splashed with their acid.

"You had to obsess over the wild dragon!" My friend yells from behind me. "I'll need a nap after this..."

"You can sleep during my birthday if you like!" If we survive.

After the dragon tears down the roof of the nest and drags our friends out, what I was fearing starts to happen: the dragon melts with the acid the creatures are throwing at it. 

Beckendorf yells at us to get away from it, I do it only because I trust he'll save it. When we're out of reach, he yells a command and lightning shoots out of the automaton, electrocuting the ants around it.

Beckendorf tells me it was a bad idea to activate it and insists that it's too unstable. I'm forced to accept that maybe he's right once the dragon charges at us. I follow Beckendorf to the top of a small cliff and watch the automaton, its behavior feels strange. 

What if it's following us because he's waiting for instruction? Suddenly, to me it looks like a puppy following its owner, excited to play. "Beck..." I start, but he doesn't want to listen.

"Now!" Exclaims my friend, and he pushes me so we land together on the dragon's back.

"Wait!" I urge him. "It doesn't want to hurt us!"

"He tried to toast your brother's face!"

"He's energetic!" I insist. "Can't you feel it?"

Beckendorf seems to understand what I'm talking about, but he still rejects my idea. "It's too unstable, Ara."

"But—"

"We'll come back for him," he promises. "For now, it's better to deactivate it."

I really don't want to, but I trust Beckendorf, he would never lie to me, so I give in. "Ugh!" I yank open the panel. "You do it!"

Beckendorf rips out the cables from inside the dragon's head and I try not to feel guilty as the dragon's eyes turn off and it freezes up in place.

I tell myself it'll be okay. Beck promised we'll come back soon.

Next Chapter ->

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