#Zelya of Eltar

[augment-techs]

What if: What if Skull had come with Bulk onto terraventure in lost galaxy 👀

First thing's first: *instantly kills Professor Phenomenus* Sorry guy; I know you were in the 'I'm a Ranger' civilian call, but you should never have been on Terra Venture, you're like a thousand year's old.

On with the good thoughts.

Bulk and Skull in space--the one year Earth got a break from attempts to take it over.

I would like to take this opportunity to posit the theory that while Bulk and the Professor had jobs as tech originally that got sidelined due to constraints with the staff, Bulk and Skull are basically jack of all trades and could probably present their hundreds of recorded jobs to be able to do literally anything.

Bulk can stay on as a restaurant proprietor; Skull can swap around with assisting in the upkeep of the various biomes when he's not taking the opportunity of free time to better himself with as many musical instruments as he can get his hands on.

They are both Friend Shaped and because I am highly convinced Damon and Maya could never be happy with just the Rangers--Damon because he was never supposed to be on Terra Venture and Maya because all the Rangers were involved in the worst day of her life and thus instantly brought up trauma in the back of her mind--I am going to have Maya stumble into friendship with Bulk, while Skull proves himself to be reasonably interesting enough for Damon to find worth talking to.

Let's keep in mind that the boys probably joined the colony in an effort to move away from how they were in Angel Grove, prove themselves as more than just in the way or laughingstocks or--because I am interconnecting the comics with this, fight me--found themselves lonelier than they thought when literally all the teens they'd grown up with or come to respect (all Rangers) had left without saying goodbye.

Given the opportunity, I think Bulk could prove to be invaluable as a source for Maya to understand Earth's history in a clear and concise way that Kendrix and Kai don't have the time to explain, and Leo, Damon, and Mike just...aren't very good at. Bulk in his position as bartender and chef would be able to feed Maya human food Mirinoi could never fathom: potato pancakes, Pad Krapow Moo Saap, yakitori, Gulab Jamun, sanguinaccio dolce, Qumbe--and then teach her the background on the continents and cultures the cuisine originated from; more than happy to answer any additional questions the woman would inevitably have.

Skull, contrariwise, would most often find himself nearby when Trakeena or Scorpius's Generals happened to teleport in to cause trouble. Being from Angel Grove, he is not at all impressed by the insectoid species constantly interrupting his work. Would eventually being able to straight up just chase off any Stingwingers that would try and mess with his duties, and would gain a bit of a reputation among the staff of Terra Venture's lower staff as the guy to call to work under high pressure. Something Bulk would be incredibly proud of if he wasn't fully aware that Skull still had troubles with anxiety and only had one injection from before the launch that was supposed to keep him balanced for a year.

Damon kind of feels bad for being a little standoffish the first time Skull bails him out of an incident before morphing in the middle of a barely controlled panic attack and ends up requesting Skull as a partner for assignments on the ship.

As a bonus to Bulk becoming friendly with Maya, he also ends up becoming something like friends with Kendrix and Kai who, while brilliant, don't have encyclopedic knowledge of ancient Earth and enjoy picking his brain from time to time; even asking for aid with Ranger Problems when Alpha mentions "knowing" both Bulk and Skull when Zordon was alive--which would bring about a hilarious, confusing, and heartbreaking misunderstanding.

Leo instantly respects Bulk for reasons he can't really put into words except that he seems to be really good for the Team.

Mike, when he returns to the world of the living, is more inclined to...maybe not respect...but enjoy the company of Skull--especially when he finds him after curfew in the park trying out a new guitar.

Also the Lost Galaxy is not going to be misleading. Terra Venture LITERALLY gets lost because of an interdimensional transport accident. The Rangers still have the Astro Megaship, but they are SUPER lost.

Which means lots of things.

Like maybe the Rangers do wind up with Karone, but only because, say, both Damon and Skull got recruited by Trakeena to mess with a machine she didn't understand and they wound up resurrecting the Psycho Rangers as a unit, which means MORE interactions with MORE Astro Rangers.

But Karone showed up to fix the Psychos' brains and Kendrix didn't die--in fact, they wind up KEEPING the Psycho Rangers with the Astro Rangers sticking around for a little to help everyone acclimate.

Bulk ends up with a whole new set of duckies lining up to follow him around juuuuuust in time for Terra Venture to make contact with some Guardians of Eltar that ran aground their ship because the humans don't have a registered charter and, lo, Zelya and the Sentry Force Four come to meet with Stanton and Reinier while negotiating with Trakeena the return of Damon and Skull after the miserable bitch snapped them up again to see what else they can do.

So many possible intergalactic incidences...but so much more fun. Relationships: Psycho Rangers & Bulk; Psycho Rangers & Karone; Maya/Kendrix Morgan; Maya & Bulk; Bulk & Skull; Skull & Damon Henderson; past Zelya/Skull. Additional Tags: Bulk is having a much better time than in canon; Skull is having a so-so time; NEW SKILLS; Big Papa Bear Bulk; Skull Needs a Hug; Past Relationship Trauma; PTSD; Leukemia; Amnesia; Post-Human Weapon ANGST; Trakeen spends three Episodes Flirting with Zelya; Stolen Beauty Episode - Canon Divergence; Skul Confirmed Gay; Food as a Metaphor for Love.

@skyland2703

[skyland2703]

Bingo: Zelya of Eltar

I REEEEEEEALLY don’t know what I did with this. But in my Defense, I barely know anything about her bahaha

[theorangerangers]

Chuck Tingle Ask: Zelya of Eltar; Mighty Morphin Comics

[chucksnerdthoughts]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #66 Mighty Morphin #6

This series never ceases to amaze! Its so great! Everything with Zatrus was so awesome! I'm really excited to see how he's still alive and what he wants with Zordon. Eltar sounds incredible! I cannot wait to see it. I almost wonder if Zelya wasn't telling the truth about it. Like she somehow believes a lie or something. Rocky's breakdown was def the highlight this issue. I'm really glad they're giving great character moments to the new guys. Also Aisha being a realist to Tommy's optimist was perfect! Yeah. I loved everything! Cannot wait for the next issue!

-Chuck

[augment-techs]

Honestly, I never really understood the need for skirt chasing in the og series? Like, yeah, Jason Narvy can get it, but it kinda felt half of like what they were doing with David Yost--which was to detract from the impression that he was probably some version of queer. But the comics thankfully dimmed that idea right out by making sure he REFUSED a kiss from Kim and gave him concrete family trauma. He wants love, but he is not going to BEG for it, and when he gets someone, they're his world...even if it apparently will not last because the writers are not going to let him be happy for any prolonged length of time. Which means if they do this to Spike if we ever get to the Samurai series I am gonna be SO MAD--let this precious child be CHASED and COURTED, not the flirt his dad had to be.

Blankets, hugs, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, someone making sure he's fed...Thank goodness for Bulk Q_Q

From every trace and comic I could get my hands on, they are OFFICIALLY in the Ranger Lineup as of the Charge to 100 mega poster by Dan Mora along with every other Ranger considered Canon in comics or otherwise; with refined, perfected suits, BUT as of now they have no memory of their assignment from Zordon and their Colors have not been transferred anywhere.

HOWEVER, I feel as if Darkest Hour is making, if nothing else, a token effort to set them up for further use down the line as they are currently going through Promethea training via Jason Scott and Taylor Earhardt with Dark Specter breathing down their necks and knowledge that Zelya and Eltar have lost contact. And it kind of seems like Jason is trying to prop them up, like, specifically? Something to hope for, anyway.

wearing their worn shirt to have a better sleep + Skull/dealer's choice (since I'm curious about your preference for his relationship recently due to the Billy/Zack)

@augment-techs Uh-hm. Tbh I don’t have a preference for Skull. I don’t think I ever have lol. Like I’m a multi shipper and for me this is either “I only have three hard nos but everyone else is fair game” or “so there’s like six people I love best with this person” and actually while he dated Jason in my one fic series where Billy ends up with Zack, I think I've just generally kept him single because I can't decide who he'd be with his entire life. In my head he’s dated a lot of people…but I’ll be honest for me he feels like he’s the single dad that fucks. Doesn’t have a life partner.

It’s been easier for me having a hard pairing pre-chosen with him in asks or a hard idea already formed, because choosing for each fic myself straight up would be needing a randomizer lol. I HAVE used a randomizer and I’ll have to do it again as long as I write him lol XD I’ll write him with Billy, Billy’s as fine as anyone else and he's good with Billy. I like him best when they’re both adults or with Matt, in that regard. My one hard no is Candace/Zelya now. But Bulk, Tommy, Kim, Kat, Jason, Trini, Andros, Cestro, Rito, Goldar…honestly I could see him with pretty much everyone his age or, when older, just anyone he interacts with.

Literally every single person I have ever read Eugene Skullovitch with I’ve gone “makes sense to me!” He’s my wild card character. Anyone fits.

But I can definitely whip something up with someone lol.

World of the Coinless Eugene and Leanbow, but not as anything romantic :)

[augment-techs]

A sort of-kind of review for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Darkest Hour #118. Kinda. Spoilers below the cut, because this issue was...kind of impressive. Ish.

Due to @ikindamaybewanthertositonmyface bringing to my attention that I should really read the latest Darkest Hour issue, I have pulled a speed run and...have some feelings...

I'm ALMOST 80% sure that this is Boom!'s way of saying that Coinless Trini is queer, for which we might all give infinite thanks. If she's not an old lesbian, she's at LEAST an old bisexual. Either is good and I will TAKE IT. Even if the implications moving forward aren't great.

On the one hand, the Tommy & Rita team-up is something that does mean that maybe we the audience will get to see Rita grow into Mystic Mother of her own volition; but on the other hand, if Tommy goes down into the road to forgiveness and ACTIVELY tries to bring her into the light, I am going to be sick.

Okay...I am more alright with Slayer Kim still having obvious Drakkon issues if it means Tommy gets to get tossed around like a ragdoll--but like, with good intention. This was kind of funny.

*Deep, Deep Breath* GROW YOUR FUCKING SKIN BACK AND I WILL BE MORE THAN OKAY WITH YOU TWO HOOKING UP. PLEASE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, LET THIS UNION BE COMFORTABLE. Anything is better than going into a marriage because of a roofie. PLEASE.

I'm gonna say it: Trini actually looks really good in red. It FITS.

Also, one million points for giving both Trini/Zack and Omega OT3 shots for those in the fandom that multiship and just LOVE these babies being in shot together. I miss them as a unit. They fill each other out.

....I imagine this is very much what others wanted to alert me to. And when I read it the first time I was over the moon. I made the most stupid fucking noise ever when I got down to Jason saying what these two DESERVE to hear. He's met their Coinless counterparts, he knows what they're capable of being, he is a leader and a shine can recognize a shine. But. Then I read it again. And again.

They are training to back up the Rangers if the fight comes to Earth and the fucking lava zombies come knocking. Zelya has just cast a very dark shadow of doubt and fear in their awareness of the Rangers knowing her and not being able to contact her. Bulk speaks the truth. Coinless Bulk is locked up for who the hell knows why with Scorpina and the others, and Coinless Skull is still missing in action AS a lava zombie.

I am...so scared for them.

[augment-techs]

Hello! I know we haven't really interacted before, so this is kind of out of the blue, but my very dear friend @regaliasonata told me that you do asks for power rangers. I wanted to ask if you had any headcannons for Aisha Campbell. I'm currently planning a MMPR fic and I just can't get a read on her. If not, no worries. She's kind of an unpopular ranger to think about, I guess.

Hello, hello, greetings to any and all who have questions and requests about Rangers.

As it stands, I do in fact have headcanons as well as a general read on Aisha Campbell. Not necessarily the live action MMPR one (she wasn't given nearly as much background and attention as Trini or Tanya) but, ohhhhh, the comic girlie is a BLESSING.

From what I can tell and peg down, she is actually the most assertive and no-nonsense of the Stone Canyon Trio. When Kim was picking and pecking at them for every little mistake, sniping at them when they questioned Zordon and how things were going with Zedd, Aisha was the one who first and foremost called out their shit and was unwilling to stand down at the unfairness of their treatment by the senior Rangers. This earned her a lot more respect from Kimberly than just following orders would have and we're all very glad of it, because Rocky is actually a peace keeper who jokes at inappropriate times when he's EXCEPTIONALLY nervous and Adam is willing to see both sides of an argument and maintain a certain level of submission if it means nobody gets hurt (except for him).

According to comic canon, she's an only child of a single mother household and is also the ONLY person to have ever been paired with Bulk in classes and had nothing bad to say about him about the initial shock of Miss Appleby setting them up as partners. I headcanon that this actually worked out really well because she's a PERFECT Yellow to match against Bulk's (comic) Color of Purple.

Also as a side note to reference an image above, she is very considerate towards Bulk and Skull just...in general? In this universe the writers had the decency to drop the bully thing directly after Matt's abduction to the moon and Putty swap (plus the Blue Ranger/Billy making Skull feel like shit in GGPR #3), but that can't be the ONLY reason. I like to think that she can actually see underneath the underneath to who a person really is. Which is why she saved Sentry Adam's ass in the World of the Coinless when they'd been on opposite sides of a war for the better part of 20 years. Girl is precise, considerate, no nonsense, SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PLACED WITH MATT (I love the boy, but the writers were seriously just bitching out of letting the Trio be an ACTUAL poly), is probably bisexual, and is one of the only Yellow's that actual lives up to expectations. Caretaker, cautious, blunt when needed, too.

I actually like her more than Trini in a lot of ways. Don't get me wrong, the og's actress and Trini in the comic had a longer run/were fleshed out, but this girl has potential.

Additional (basically useless) headcanons:

Could probably be a perfect candidate for Ranger Therapist when she grows up. All these fuckers have insurance and NEED treatment.

Loves her mother, thought she hung the moon when she was little, but is really aware of the fact that she comes from a different generation and is so paranoid about her finding out she's queer--actually more than if she ever found out she was a Ranger (Zordon has a mind wipe gun for that, at least).

Is shorter than Kim, but has more self-esteem, so it levels out.

Has actually started a pseudo-book club with Bulk in the aftermath of acing the shared project(s) they'd had. She recommends more domestic, psychological books from the feminine point of view that he always reads all the way through and it makes her weirdly happy to talk with someone normal about it (bless Adam and Rocky, but unless it's for school, neither of them care much for her tastes). As a trade off, she reads his recommendations of eclectic varieties from authors that never seem contained within one genre and that she'd never have otherwise read. This is good for both of them in a number of ways.

Is not afraid to check out all of her teammates, but is at least subtle about it (reflective surfaces are her friend).

Kind of sort of really doesn't like Zelya. The Eltarian helped save their lives and the planet, but after weeks of walking around town and seeing the missing person posters Skull hung up and what that meant, the woman (and Zelya is a woman, by human standards probably hundreds of years old) kind of gives Aisha the creeps (which Rocky and Adam don't really get, but support her as best they can).

Loves all sorts of Asian foods, but doesn't really like spice? Something to do with a memory of one of her cousins tricking her with wasabi, curry and cayenne and then throwing up so much her mom took her to the hospital.

Does not have much in the way of either boobs or a butt, but somehow has hips? Which is fine, really, given that Rocky has boobs to go along with his abs and Adam has a bubble butt--so everyone's comfortable when they cuddle together.

During the week after the bullshit to do with the Necessary Evil comic arc, she was super jumpy in spite of their success; which lead to her accidentally punching Skull when he was standing behind her in the lunch line because she got spooked--which would have lead the school to put her on suspension, but Bulk spoke on her behalf and Skull was unwilling to press the issue since, "It takes people a while to get used to the monster attacks and the sensory overload. She's not the first person to deck me, she won't be the last."

Reminds everyone to put on sunscreen constantly.

@chanti-leaving

[augment-techs]

[augment-techs]

[augment-techs]

Zedd: I love toxic and rancid homoeroticism.

Zartus: I hate wholesome gay representation.

Zordon: I think queerbaiting is awesome.

Rita: ...

Zelya: ...

Billy, Kim, Tommy, Jason, Zack, Trini, Aisha, Rocky, Adam: ...

[augment-techs]

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹

Hmmmm. Let's go with a sentence per wip:

-1) a Sherlock Hound Anime, Moriarty/Smiley in reference to the crossdressing episode:

The heels of the Italian leather shoes giving Smiley some lift so his ass was perfectly level with the Professor's pelvis as the criminal mastermind took pity on his henchman and helped undo the back of the dress, followed by his fingers carefully unlatching the herringbone clasps and then the stays of the corset.

-2) post-Bulk leaving on Terra Venture Billy/Skull:

"I needed the money to pay for my rent and next meal. After Bulk left on Terra Venture, I don't...all of our money was in a shared account on the ship. We didn't think there was a need to leave anything behind."

-3) for the Power Rangers Prime piece that's my personal middle finger to, well, certain annoyances:

"I don't care. You still need to bathe and get rubble out of your hair while I wash your stained clothes and I get you something less obvious to walk around in. I am feeding you."

-4) another Putty! Matt AU, but DARKER, and with more manipulations:

It was a small wonder he made it a week before he couldn't help but just curl up in a ball as far as he could with Matt's arms still wrapped around him.

-5) What If Skull HAD gone with Zelya to Eltar:

Don't try to say anything pithy or cute when he brings up having placed a missing person's report, which meant visiting coma patients and the morgue when necessary. Even complimenting his devotion is not a good idea, because this was traumatic and he's still not sure how to handle it.

-6) Alternative to Jason wandering off at the end of Drakkon New Dawn, because NOPE:

Jason took in a stuttering breath, arms crossing as his head leaned into Bulk's chest with the man's beard brushing into Jason's black-grey hair as he turned and paced around the palace loft with Jason in his arms. As if the literal middle-aged man was no more or less than one of the many children he'd fostered through the war.

[augment-techs]

So, in Digimon Adventure we have these things called "Crests", which are symbols that represents the most strongest qualities that each of the protagonists had. With that in mind, I was wondering, since there are nine crests, out of Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, Bulk, Skull, Matt and Tommy, which crest do you think goes to each character?

We have the following Crests:

Courage (understanding the stakes and being able to assertively stand up against them for the sake of others) Friendship (being able to trust, connect with, and work alongside others) Love (caring for others and providing them proper emotional support and warmth) Knowledge (inquisitiveness, and a desire to know and understand more) Purity (being true to one’s feelings, simply keeping one’s feelings and intentions straightforward, not being underhanded, and, most importantly, not having malice, acting without any trace of evil or selfish motives) Honesty (doing right on principle – keeping one’s word or promise, not deceiving others, doing things in good faith, an understanding one’s duty to others) Hope (being able to endure hardships and not breaking when faced with impossible odds, holding tight to the bitter end) Light (treasure all life and the right for one to live) Kindness (being perfectly capable of not handling things kindly, but chooses to anyway and understanding when one must take feelings into account and treat things with that consideration)

.....Well, this is something I can play with, actually~

Light: TRINI. It's Trini. There is no contesting this in any universe except the Coinless--and even that Trini, while traumatized a little...not great at sticking to treasuring all life...cares about everyone at least getting a CHANCE at life. *Points directly at Scorpina and Kiya* Knowledge: Billy. But was there ever any doubt? The man collects facts and observes everything and defied Zordon just to SEE if he could get the Green Dragon Coin up and running again. He's a small badass with a brain and we love him. Courage: Jason gets this in any and every universe (including the Coinless, even if he is damaged horrifically because of it). His Primary Color is Red, but this works with Gold, too. It's largely just the rules, but also...he stood up and called his dad out on his bullshit in GGPR. This is his. Honesty: This could have gone either way between Matt and Zack, largely because they both exhibit this trait, but Matt won in the end because of his identity reveal in the Under the Dome Arch in Mighty Morphin. Also it seemed--and still seems--rather important to him in GGPR and most times after that (including this Darkest Hour bullshit). It suits him. Kindness: And moving right along, Zack gets this crest because...well, he IS the Kindest Ranger. In all dimensions, and timelines, he's never been cruel and considers things and people and situations from a very...soft place. And people love him for it--otherwise he wouldn't have seventy-billion acquaintances in Angel Grove. Friendship: Look, I'll level with you, Tommy is a pain in the ass to consider in any way, shape, or form from any dimension or timeline. BUT, BUT, BUT this is his crest. This is his one and only absolute from the second he came into contact with the Power and will probably continue on until he dies. Even Drakkon has a scintilla of this and he's a fucking psychopathic narcissist. *pats the young man with a ponytail on the head* Purity: ....Kimberly is Pink and meets, like, 98% of the above criteria for this crest. Do I really have to going into reasons why? Even Ranger Slayer--if we keep in mind the obedience spell--fits here. Love: *drags out a giant, five story neon arrow and points it directly at Bulk* People can whine and bitch about his og Season 1 bullshit all they want. I do not care. After they get that out of their system, I will simply point to his EVERYTHING involving Skull, the Rangers when he finds out about them, Spike, his personality in GGPR and the rest of the comics and then circle him in shiny gold gel pen ink when I get to the Coinless universe version of this darling man.

Hope: *starts counting off* Probably got dumped by Billy when it became obvious that they were just too different to be close friends anymore, but still tried to look out for him. Steered Kimberly away from making a really stupid mistake after her breakup with Matt. Helped save civilians in a monster attack and gained a (technically fake, but I digress) girlfriend that saw that humanity was worth saving which earned the Rangers an ally. Kept looking everywhere for Candice/Zelya even after weeks/over a month (??). Believes too much in Bulk and Earth to just abandon them when Zelya offered to take him to Eltar. Is trying to improve himself in the aftermath. And this is not including The Sentry Coinless Spy version of himself that survived until the last day before Drakkon became a god--which, by the way, ended with him dying STILL believing in the Rangers. It's Skull.

[augment-techs]

The Ranger Wikia Billy/Skull Introduction:

Skull and Bones is the queer ship between Billy Cranston and Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch from Boom! Comics Power Rangers and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, etc.

Canon:

In the original live action series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers they were often at odds with each other as bully vs nerd, natural enemies; but as the series progressed they developed a sort of mutual worry/tolerance for each other. Throughout the original series and carrying on through over thirty years they were known to constantly be within each other's orbit, albeit often only in passing. During the Alien Rangers series, it was implied that they were friends before reaching middle school, but scholastic and personal differences took them in different directions.

In the Comic series, they were shown in Go Go Power Rangers issue #3 to have been best friends in grade school with the implications being that something went wrong due to Billy developing some sort of superiority complex that Skull wasn't willing to tolerate. Bulk and Skull were prone to throwing water balloons at Billy--but he was not special in this, as they also did it to other Angel Grove students. Billy was a target of other such annoyances, but never absolute violence and Skull was seen on multiple occasions trying to lessen Bulk's provocations and aggressions--even outright trying to talk Bulk out of his targeting Billy so often in the aftermath of the Blue Ranger saving Skull from being crushed under fallen construction debris and commenting that Skull was not "just like a Ranger" when Skull tried to ingratiate Bulk and himself to him, claiming, "Rangers see everything." Which lead to Skull making an effort to change for the better moving forward.

In the World of the Coinless Universe, Billy was taken out by Drakkon very quickly in the aftermath of taking over the world and it was implied that Skull took up his duties as a spy soon after.

Moments:

Skull trying to apologize/excuse his and Bulk's behavior towards Billy after a fight where Billy yells at him about the reasons why Bulk and Skull seem to enjoy humiliating him, with the belief it's because he's smarter than them. Skull rebukes this by claiming it was only because he acted like he was smarter than them.

The Blue Ranger saving Skull from being crushed under debris and the subsequent conversation that leaves the both of them somewhat changed in little ways moving forward.

Coinless Skull being at the old abandoned Juice Bar with the other Coinless to greet the Prime Universe Billy, Trini, and Zack to get them up to speed on what was happening in their dimension after having gotten Coinless Zack out of the palace (possibly) without blowing his cover. He made it possible for the Rangers to rescue Ninjor, despite it leading to his own sacrifice.

Billy observing Skull's introducing Candice Clark (aka Zelya of Eltar) to Bulk as "Kinda my girlfriend...Kinda." With Kim being curious as to what was happening with Billy calling the situation "mutually assured destruction".

Skull performing 'bunny ears' behind Billy's head during a photoshoot for the homecoming dance.

Skull and Billy both being in attendance for Tommy's funeral; both brought to tears.

Billy not at all being surprised when Skull's first canonical girlfriend in the comic series turned out to be an alien spy. Disconcerted, but not surprised.

Children:

In the original series canon, Skull was father to son Spike Skullovitch, mother unknown.

Billy Cranston in the Once & Always special became guardian to Trini's daughter Minh alongside Zack Taylor.

Quotes:

"You're, like, my best friend. And besides...Skull And Bones protect the galaxy, right?" -Pre-Teen Billy Cranston, Go Go Power Rangers #3.

Skull: "Billy, all the stuff we do, we're just...ya know, messing around..." Billy: "Messing around? You make every day of my life a living hell. And why, because I'm smarter than you?" Skull: "...No, it's because you've always acted like you are." -Go Go Power Rangers #3

Skull: "My buddy Bulk and I, we're a lot like you..." Blue Ranger: "Are you? Because Power Rangers see everything." Skull: "Um..." Blue Ranger: "Everything." Skull: "...Oh." -Go Go Power Rangers #4

"Everyone always tells me how smart I am. But you know what comes with being smart? Fear. If there's an undesirable outcome--no matter how minor--trust me, I find it." -Billy Cranston, Go Go Power Rangers #6

Skull: "Hey, Bulk, maybe we lay off of Billy for once?" Bulk: "Is it my fault he makes it so easy? Buddy, if we don't challenge him, who will?" -Go Go Power Rangers #10

Behind the Scenes:

"I wanted to be Billy!! I just wanted to be Billy, that's all I wanted!!" -Jason Narvy, Power Rangers Q&A at ConnectiCon 2015.

Songs:

"The Next Time I Fall" by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant.

Fanon:

It is considered a rarepair by the general fandom that simply coasts by while looking through the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fanfiction or fanart. However, in the comic fandom, it is the pairing with the highest number of fics and does fairly well among fanartists.

Oftentimes, the fandom ships the pair in a fix-it fic, hurt/comfort, angst and fluff capacity. Childhood friends to Enemies to Lovers is a common trope, and when it comes to the Coinless Universe, there is the exploration of the What If scenario of Billy surviving, Haunting as a Grid Ghost, or Resurrection.

People most often claim to have started shipping for them very late into the third season of the original MMPRs or the third issue of the GGPR comic.

-Romantic: Nine times out of ten the relationship is walked into with a slow burn or excited utterance on the part of either Billy or Skull. Consistently is not often found in the fandom at large, except among the writers who advocate for them most often. -Friendship or Family: There have been no family centric works for them, but friendship is sometimes touched down on in Skull making an effort to change from being a bully or Billy finding himself feeling somewhat abandoned by his Ranger friends or out of sorts from his time on Aquitar.

Fandom Fic Recs:

You Stick To Me Like Glue (You Leave Your Residue) by crawfishing

Blow A Kiss (Fire A Gun) You Just Need Someone To Lean On by Twilight_Shadow_Songs 

chill me, thrill me, fulfill me by CampionSayn 

Petals Dipped in Ink by Skyland2704

I Had To Shake It Off, But I Got Stuck! (oh my god) by crawfishing

Considerations and Wishes and Misses by Twilight_Shadow_Songs

(let's keep dancing on the) broken glass by CampionSayn 

Skull and Bones by Danni221B

In the Moment/It's All That Matters by Ajgrey9647

Wingmanning Himself Into A Locker by Twilight_Shadow_Songs

younger in October // sadness comes in May by CampionSayn

The Colour Palette for our Bond by Skyland2704

I Missed You, And Almost Missed You Again by Twilight_Shadow_Songs 

i put that record on just to make a sound by sapoeysap 

Connecting Touches by Ajgrey9647

@skyland2703 on tumblr/AO3

@lordkingsmithlordkingsmith on tumblr/Twilight_Shadow_Songs on AO3

@ajgrey9647ajgrey9647 on tumblr/AO3

@sunflowerpirateart on tumblr

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Trivia:

Billy Cranston started working for Promethea behind his Ranger friends' backs and at one point was almost kicked out of being a Ranger during the events just before the Eltarian War Arc in the comics, which gave off the impression that he was both depressed and willing to take his punishment without much of a fight. This ran parallel with Skull's desperation to find his kind-of-girlfriend, looking into every nook and cranny throughout Angel Grove, despite her actually being perfectly safe and merely bailing on him without any kind of explanation for her actions. Both of them were undergoing new changes and revealing deeper parts of themselves the further into the Arc the comic went.

Skull can play piano and a couple other instruments in both the original series and in the comics. However, in the original series he was ashamed to be known for specializing in classical piano until Adam Park talked him into playing in the school talent show; in the comics it was revealed through the Instagram Alternative Covers that he openly plays where people can see him and appreciated immensely.

Billy created a backup system in the Command Center in the event that Zordon's tube was ever destroyed, which then had him transferred to a robot body he created within Promethea without Grace Sterling's knowledge. This allowed him to fight during the ending of the Eltarian War Arc and confront Lord Zedd (aka Zophram of Eltar) and Zartus of Eltar about a ruse that was the reason the two had become mortal enemies.

In an Annual for the MMPR comics, Bulk and Skull were both given never-before-seen Power Coins by Zordon due to the sage having no other choice but to recruit them to save the other Rangers from a monster that had devoured the entire group. Bulk became the Purple Mighty Morphin Ranger and Skull became the Orange Mighty Morphin Ranger. Their memories were erased without any thanks at all, despite their getting the job done, with the implication that this was not part of canon events for the timeline. However, in the Charge to 100 comic event, the artist Dan Mora featured them in a massive poster of all canon Rangers throughout the television and comic series, which gives alternative implications for many of the Rangers featured.

In the comics, Bulk and Skull are merely interested in maintaining a journalistic podcast of the Rangers in their battles against Rita and have thus far given no implication of wanting to unmask them.

The Coinless Universe version of Billy Cranston died before the age of twenty-one, with Lord Drakkon having either shot or stabbed him right through the heart while Billy was defending the Coinless Trini. Among the Coinless Rangers, only Billy's coin never fell into Drakkon's hands.

Billy lobbied for Matthew Cook to be the Blue Ranger during the Go Go Power Ranger's Infiltrator Putty Arc, and lobbied for Matthew again when he obtained the Green Dragon Coin for Grace Sterling's New Green Ranger.

In the World of the Coinless, Skull was the only spy working espionage within the Red Sentry ranks of Drakkon's army. When Drakkon was banished to a prison dimension, he was moved up the ranks to Brigade Commander, which made him 8th in Command of the entire sentry army.

In the Darkest Hour Arc, Bulk and Skull--as well as Ernie--were some of the few human individuals to sign up for Promethea training to protect Earth in the even that the Rangers failed/were possessed by Dark Specter. They were also allowed into the Command Center, though were never let in on the Ranger's identities in spite of already being involved in fights against invading forces with Jason vouching for them.

I totally forgot I had this on the backburner for @skyland2703 and had it here in drafts the whole time.

[augment-techs]

Thinking about Boom! Comics Arcs and What If scenarios to clear my head.

Shattered Grid:

What if Drakkon went after only RARE Colors?

What if Drakkon decided to collect specific people across timelines instead of just one Ranger from every team?

Putty!Matt:

What if Matt wasn't the only one captured by Rita and replaced with a Putty?

What if the Putty actually got more into the physical side of taking over Matt's life?

What if someone actually noticed and ADDRESSED "Matt's" weird behavior that weren't the Rangers?

What if Rita did more than just mentally manipulate Matt?

Under the Dome:

What If Zedd actually let his efforts to improve Angel Grove continue both to fuck around with the Rangers and Zordon, but also just to see what might happen?

Eltarian War:

What If Skull did go with Zelya to Eltar?

What if Bulk and Skull were recognized by Zelya's handler after Zartus blew up three different locations?

Empyreal Search:

What if the Empyreals took on the forms of the Rangers with Their Colors like the Emissaries?

What if Drakkon's tattoo scars--which allowed him to communicate with the Empyreal (Orange) who left them--had a frequency that was viable to a person that fit for that Color? And same with the other Empyreals?

Necessary Evil:

What if the Stone Canyon Trio were actually really hurt by Kiya?

Drakkon New Dawn:

What if Adam Park lived?

What if someone/anyone protected the Power Coins so Jason couldn't ruin Kim's plan to get rid of Eclipta?

Beyond the Grid:

What If the Rangers (powered or not) on Terra Venture ALL remembered their stay in The Void?

Death Ranger:

What If Jason's dad died instead?

What if Andros knocking the Red out of Jason meant knocking the Gold into him?

[augment-techs]

Made up title: Roar through the Ages, Cry from the Stars.

Title: Roar through the Ages, Cry from the Stars Rating: Unrated Fandom: Boom! Comics Power Rangers; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; Power Rangers. Relationships: World of the Coinless Eugene Skullovitch & Billy Cranston; World of the Coinless Farkas Bulkmeier/World of the Coinless Kimberly Hart; World of the Coinless Trini/Scorpina; World of the Coinless Zack Taylor & World of the Coinless Jason Scott. Characters: Billy Cranston; World of the Coinless Eugene Skullovitch; Matthew Cook; World of the Coinless Farkas Bulkmeier; Eugene Skullovitch; Farkas Bulkmeier; Ranger Slayer Kimberly Hart; Scorpina; Tommy Oliver; Terona Washington; Kiya; Zelya of Eltar; Lord Zedd. Additional Tags: Comic Arc: Darkest Hour; Alternate Universe - Canon; Aftermath of Mind Control; Aftermath of Mind Rape; Unhealthy Coping Methods; PTSD; Fugue State; Dissociation; Disordered Eating; Blood and Gore; Anxiety; Touch Starved; Hyper Vigilance; Insomnia; Rape Trauma Syndrome; Brain Damage from Loss of Medication; Selective Mutism; Emotional Shutdown; No Matter How You Cut it Skull Got Pretty Fucked Over in the Coinless Universe; Billy Tries to Make Peace with Personal Failings; Hurt/Comfort. Summary:

"Were you hiding...?"

Two decades in the hell that had come to the Coinless universe, a world left in the ashes for rebuilding, more than a few alien invasions, possession by a tyrannical lava monster throughout most of the human population, having to trust Drakkon of all beings to do the right thing, fighting through dimensions and space and time AGAIN...

Jason seemed happy, being brought out of his tower into the Prime universe to lend aid when Kim was sealed off in The Void. Zack seemed happy, and relieved, and so willing to make things better once Trini got her hands on him at the front of the line leading the other lava zombies and realized the weaponized White Light really would work, could save everyone...

Bulk and Scorpina, Kevor and Yale were all still missing, held in place by Dark Specter's Generals, but the rescued Rocky and Adam gave reason to hold onto hope that they were not dead, not damned, merely something like security the evil at their door could keep in his back pocket if the time came for a trade.

But Billy was less focused on those dark thoughts than looking in on the only other member of the Coinless they'd found in the bunker, zombie form pulled away, but not registering as important to the others once Zack and Jason were retrieved.

The Blue Ranger had spoken with so many alternate versions of the people he knew and cared about with all of his heart. Had even grown tremendously fond of the version of Bulk that was built like a brick house, bearded, and called the younger all manner of friendly things he never would have in their youth--but he'd yet to even say a single word to this version of Skull.

...Which was maybe not without reason. The Coinless version of Jason flinched at touch, at shadows, at unexpected noises. Hated to be penned in, was clearly claustrophobic and had sensory issues ingrained in with his PTSD. Kimberly had basically had to speed-run her trauma when her younger self broke the Bow of Darkness and she was conscripted by Grace Sterling into saving the world and reality and a dimension completely cut off from the Grid, only to go back and become something like a queen--

But there was something dark and bleak and just...chilling, about the version of Skull that Billy found holed up as far away from everyone else as he could get. Sitting alone in a dark kitchen with just the pale light from the moon shining in on him as he drank clearly cold coffee did not speak well of mental health.

[augment-techs]

If Power Rangers had a reality show, say where the characters each get eliminated after each episode like The Bachelorette or Big Brother which characters would you like to see in it? Putting them all against each other☠️☠️☠️

Can also choose villains and comic characters as well if you want, poisandra is off-limits since she'd be the narrator of the show and host of the reunion episodes😭🩷

....Considering I come from the generation where "reality" shows were proven to be ineffectual and false in every manner, I don't have any kind of fondness for them, like, AT ALL. But--and these is a BIG but--with a certain level of integrity and consideration, I could be inclined to cluster about some Rangers and their collective in an experimental setting. COMIC CENTRIC ONLY, because there is more to work with.

Grace Sterling

Terona Washington

Matt Cook

Kiya

Zelya of Eltar

Trek

The Psycho Rangers

The SPD's A-Squad

Ranger Slayer Kimberly

World of the Coinless Jason Scott

Black Sentry Adam Park

Red Sentry/Coinless Skull

World of the Coinless Bulk

World of the Coinless Zack

World of the Coinless Trini

Trek

Yale

Kevor Vrin

Violet Arias

Astro Ranger Maavi

Astro Ranger Dhaza

Koragg

Udonna

Betty and Ben Burke

Fran

Cam Watanabe

Marah & Kapri

Jarrod & Camille

The Stone Canyon Trio

Bulk & Skull

Devin & Cassidy

Victor & Monty

Xi

Alpha

Anything afterwards isn't worth much thought because I would like to spend a LITTLE TIME outside of the most obvious characters.