#Danny can coup any being

[phantoms-world-and-more]

Danny accidentally soups a JL member

So Danny has to chase one of his routes through the infinite realms and before he realises it he's in the DC universe

This isn't the first universe he passed through so we doesn't care

He soups the rouge and before anyone can blink he's going back through the portal he came from

What he didn't realise was that when he souped the rouge in he accidentally souped someone else

With the whole JL watching...

Their freakingboit because something that felt like the phantom zone just popped into existence and stole one of their members

Danny only realises his mistake when, when he released his rouge. Martian Manhunter also comes out

#danny phantom #fic prompt #danny fenton #daily prompt #dc x dp #dp x dc #funny #dc #Soup time #Danny can coup any being #He just dosent knot it yet #The JL are loosing their minds #Danny feels like the phantom zone #The phantom zone is just a olace in the infinet realme he goes to every once in a while

[britcision]

Okay but listen

The Ghost Zone is vast

Infinite one might say

Almost none of its residents met their new King before he was crowned

So like 99.9% of all the ghosts are very respectful of young King Phantom, he’s done great things, saved us from Pariah, 10/10 would crown

The remaining 0.1% is Danny’s Entire Rogue Gallery

And some of ‘em, some of the less common ones aren’t really sure where they stand now, so they won’t give him a reason to fuck them up

The others? Like Johnny and Ember and Technus and Youngblood and Wulf?

That’s their fucking Babypop

King Babypop if he whines but they’ve known him waaaay too long to give a shit if he’s the king

What I’m saying is the Justice League somehow get to the court of the Ghost King to ask him for something, it’s extremely impressive

The buildings are magnificent, the ghosts are their weird and wonderful selves, and every single one of them speaks of their new liege with wonder and appreciation

They make their way to the throne, he looks young but regal with a blazing blue crown on his head and a council of obviously very powerful beings at his sides

Beside the throne is just a fucking brick shit house in plate-mail with a massive sword ready to cut them down if they breathe wrong to the king

The hall falls to respectful silence when this young king speaks

And then half way through the meeting a fucking rockstar with flaming blue hair leaps in through the window and tackles the king straight outta his chair

This very dignified regal figure they’ve been negotiating with (he’s heard of them, he’s been very accommodating and seems to really want to help) is Under Attack

Is it a coup??? His knight hasn’t even moved, the council just continue on as if nothing’s happening, the king is wrassling like a puppy with another ghost who looks about the same age, both screaming profanity

Before the league can decide to get involved, King Danny gets a foot on Ember’s chest, punts her across the room, screams after her that no one can hear you sing in Soup Jail, and returns to the table

“Any way we can add a music deal to this package?”

Ember takes a seat at the table like nothing happened, she’s clearly not supposed to be part of the proceedings but she’s here now and she’s into it

And about two hours later it fucking happens AGAIN cuz Kitty comes barrelling in through the door and goes for Danny’s throat, once again no one else moves except Ember, who fucking dives right in and screams at Kitty for fucking up her new recording deal

(There’s also shit like “defeat Apokolips, defend the Earth, seal Darkseid in a jam jar or whatever” on the table but Ember only cares about one thing)

#dp x dc #does not matter if your scrungly baby bud grows up to be king #you saw him in metaphorical diapers he’s baby forever #lunch lady shows up sometimes and just force feeds him snacks #especially if clockwork thinks he’s not been taking time to eat #it’s mostly friendly and benevolent but it’s also to keep danny grounded #check he’s not going power mad like pariah #can’t let him think everyone is afraid of him #and it’s danny the best way to do that is wrassle im like a gatir #gator #dp ghost king danny

[jaxon-exe]

Warlock Jason.

So this started with a headcannon:

Anything can become a god with enough time and power. Humans r the rarest gods bc they don’t life long enough. Most ghost can’t bc of their obsessions. A ghost can only draw power from their obsession so the less specific their obsession is the more likely they will become a god. Like clockwork is the god of time bc his obsession with time is broad, allowing him to gain much more power than someone with a more narrow obsession like say box ghost

Halfas however r pretty much guaranteed to become gods. They r alive enough to have changing obsessions and gather power in other ways but dead enough to life much longer than humans.

So that brings the question of what god Danny would be. This line of thinking gave me a cool idea.

Danny would be a protection god and a death god. There is other death gods but non like Danny. There r many gods that r gods of different things but non like Danny. Danny is the first that is a god of juxtaposing things. Protection is inherently preserving life. Death is distorting life. These factors make him a being of balance. He is the embodiment of ‘necessary evil’ or ‘doing bad things for good reasons’.

People that fall into these ‘morally grey’ parts of life become his subjects. As his subjects they r under his protection and when the day comes he will be the one to great them in death.

He has been this for a long time, watching over his people but unable to interfere as is the nature of a god. That is until Jason Todd comes along.

As a man that has been touched by death and now lives to protect Jason is closer to Danny that any of his subjects before. This always Danny to speak with him, to guild him and to protect him. For a long time Jason didn’t even know about this. His only interactions with Danny had been threw dreams or soft words in the back of his mind when the pit got to loud. He thought it was either just the pit or his brain trying to coup with what he has been threw.

Then in a mission one day he has to work with the JLD. This is his first time working with them and upon meeting him they r all rather jumpy. He thinks this is bc of his ‘reputation’ and just decided to let it go. However as things get more and more desperate and they start realising this threat is not something they can deal with alone John turns to Jason and goes:

“Alright, time to call in ur Eldritch sugar daddy.”

“… my what??”

#dp x dc #danny fenton #jason todd #warlock #god danny #ghost king danny #jld

[mutable-manifestation]

"So he pasted on a stoic expression and gave a simple "No.""

Here's where we differentiated because I shifted to Damian's POV and kinda forced the matter. So we could Get Damian's perspective on Danny's cover." After that was the stuff I couldn't figure out because of this spot right here! Danny's answer had to be "no" the misunderstanding doesn't sink as well if it doesn't.

The memory of tests, the pre-established no-codewords *chef's kiss* because it is always going to be safer for Danny to make contact in some other way. With invisibility and intangiblity even more so.

Closing the box cutter like that, perfect. Danny knows better than to attempt to rival Damian, especially when he's under the assumption that Damian is still acting heir. Oof I can't think of any reason getting called back wouldn't spell trouble.

I love the slight implication with the evil billionaires list and tuckers unspoken question, to me it reads like Lex has also tried to clone Phantom. Which I don't think was intended but, it tracks! He totally would!

Tim's questions, Danny looking to Damian for orders. Yes. Just yes, perfection, right there in front of my face but the question didn't even occur to me. Wonderful.

Everything that follows, YOUR TAGS they look like my notes we were on the same wavelength I swear!

Do you have plans to keep going with this? Can we collab if you do?

See I couldn't bring myself to use the Damian POV because in my mind his internal dialogue would just be. Static.

Like, yes, he's a highly trained assassin. And idk too much about batman timeline but I've seen stuff about how he's had character growth and gotten better about things over time. If he came to them at 10 and he's 16 now, that's 6 years for his personal growth. Learning to care about people again.

But outside of missions the batfam are all hot garbage and personal interaction, and I imagine Damian's had enough growth by this point to get to the "people matter to me as more than murder tools/mission tolls" idea, but without any of the understanding of how to deal without a given context.

And with Danny, the context has always been "avoid/ignore."

Danny isn't a classmate. He isn't one of his adopted brothers that he has learned how to squabble/get along with over time. And, most of all, whatever Danny might believe, he is not a League member. Which leaves Damian with no framework for how to deal with him.

Damian had/has a hard enough time getting over his League training, how does he help Danny get over his? Especially when 10 years of it would have been training he did to himself.

How does he interact with someone he was raised to hold at arms-length^2?

So I figured doing his POV would be too difficult because I couldn't think of much beyond static, panicked rambling, and several mock-conversations on how to break it to Danny that the League is gone without him going off on a suicide mission against the coup-people.

Which is kind of a shame, because you could fit a lot of angst in ala grief for Danny's seemingly emotionless state and guilt for forgetting him (which, not Damian's fault the League just sucks, but people don't stop blaming themselves for things just because they know they don't need to. Emotions be cray).

"Oof I can't think of any reason getting called back wouldn't spell trouble"

idk why but this made me think of an AU version where Damian intercepted the letter but the League actually was calling Danny back at the time (no coup), so they try to find him in Nanda Parbat only to find the (fake) dead body to the resulting tune of: Batfam Grief Rampage Time (TM). Except the League called him back because they found out what he was leaving out of his reports (about the portal & tech, not about him being a halfa) so when the batfam go to Amity to talk to the Fenton's about their "dead" son Amity is walled off w/an anti-liminal shield & armed to the teeth waiting for assassins (bc u know the whole town is in danger of being conscripted after bathing in portal radiation for so long. Call that "League of Assassins Park" at that point - sans the whole cult aspect. Unless u count the Phantom Phans).

"I love the slight implication with the evil billionaires list and tuckers unspoken question, to me it reads like Lex has also tried to clone Phantom. Which I don't think was intended but, it tracks! He totally would!"

You know that really wasn't the implication I was going for, but I could totally see Lex trying to clone Phantom. Maybe he heard about the whole overshadowing thing and was like "yo loyal clone to control the actual superman is way better than a second superman that could (did) go rogue! And this one can even be a (former) human!!!"

"Tim's questions, Danny looking to Damian for orders. Yes. Just yes, perfection, right there in front of my face but the question didn't even occur to me. Wonderful."

Am basking in the positive feedback like a lizard in the sun thanks ☀️🦎🥰 

"Do you have plans to keep going with this? Can we collab if you do?"

I thought about making a follow-up, but the stuff others tagged on kinda satisfied the brain itch for me.

But! I could totally see this turning into a fully fleshed-out fic, and I think I'd enjoy writing for it, so if you want to make it happen I'd be happy to collab :)

#dpxdc

[imagine4000]

Malevolent Oppressors of the Blackguard Society

*Hey everyone! Thanks for your support and I hope you're having a spooky Halloween this year. For all those who read my fanfics, this latest one ties with the epilogue from 'Turtle Rush'. Join in as we head to the dark side of the Hidden City and its elite villains. Plot twists at every turn and family issues that go up in flames. What is gained and what is lost? Would you like to know~?

*NOTE: I will also provide COMIC PANELS later on to replace some of the text, so keep a lookout and don't miss out.

Until then...Stay safe, healthy, and in ghostly spirits!

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[HIDDEN CITY, 7 pm...]

Every yokai in the city below the city knows. Hard not to hear from the whispers and coups in the deepest parts of the underbelly. For those who don’t, better pray that they will never come across it on this day of the year. A place secluded on the outskirts of Hidden City.

CREEAAAKK—BAM!

The Malevolent Oppressors of the Blackguard Society (M.O.B.S).

🍺CHEERS!🍺

“Deal me in, boys!”

“No cheatin’ this time.”

“Another refill, my good man!”

“Hey! I asked for medium rare beetles—not raw!”

“In short, all I did was give him a little nudge.”

“Yeah, over the edge of the falls.”

“Cackle/Pfft/Buwahaha~!”

Any and every criminal gang you can think of has arrived. Make no mistakes, though. They know how to party in style. After all, they can’t resist a spacious lobby that rivals a ballroom, a bar to fit twenty with thousands of liquors of their choice, a gambling area for the lucky, unlucky, and dishonest cheaters, not to mention the endless buffet that stretches throughout half of the accommodation. It’s an underworld paradise.

SHATTER!

“...Ugghh...”

For one unfortunate soul, he’s stuck catering to these lethal felons for the entire night.

STOMP...STOMP...STOMP!

“Ahem.”

A giant struts over and points to his empty plate. With an anxious smile, the yokai quickly pours another portion before the latter goes back to the party.

“Yo~ bone-man!”

“Oh, it’s you, uh...Mud Dogs, was it?”

“What up, Hueso!”

The color-coded quartet greets the skeleton in their own way.

“Man, is this place great or what,” Mickey cheers.

“If you mean being forced against my will to partake in this loco fiesta...”

“C’mon, SH, lighten up,” Leonard smirks, “you’re hanging with the big shots. Check it out...”

He points his thumb to the nearest gang.

“We’ve got the Manglers of Battering in our midst. Toughest canines to ever live in the darkest ends of the forests.”

“And way smarter,” Danny implies, “than those Marauders of Brawling. Those gargoyles only think with their muscles as much as they get into trouble because of it.”

“Ooh, don’t forget the Maidens of Balladry!”

Mickey shoots his fin to the stage as the sirens harmonize.

“Their voices can hypnotize anyone to do their bidding.”

“I’d rather take that than hear those Misfits of Bantering.”

Hueso eyes the squabbling birds flapping their beaks away.

“Half the time I’m not even sure they are speaking words.”

“And what about the Miscreants of Belittling?”

“Ugh, nasty little imps. Really know how to put down a man even when he’s at his lowest.”

That’s when Big Green clears his throat, grabbing their attention.

“Over there is the real trouble.”

“Oh...them.”

They stare at the serpents circling near a corner of the bar.

“The Manipulators of Backstabbing.”

“Yes, I heard of their reputation,” Hueso comments, “there’s a reason why they’re called backstabbers.”

“Yeah, and their boss, Rendell, is the epitome of it.”

Leonard scoffs at the murky-colored lizard wearing a western leather hat.

“He’ll use any lowdown trick to worm his way into whatever his scaly hands can get.”

“He’s so confident that he can land a seat as one of the head boarders’.”

“Which he’s never gonna get.”

“A’right, enough about that. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I think I’ll take my fortune at the roulette table.”

“Don’t get wise, Danny! We’re short on cash as it is!”

“Now, hook me up with those pizzas, Hueso!”

“Does this mean you’ve paid your debt?”

“Meh~ halfway. At least we’re trying.”

Sighing, the skeleton gives Mickey a whole box.  

CLANG!

Suddenly, the merriment stopped. All eyes turn to the entrance, where some of the most feared criminal gangs, as well as mortal enemies, make their debut.

The ‘Masters of Barbarianism’, the ‘Makers of Brutality’, and even the crime lord of both cities, Big Mama.  

Clack—Clack/Hiss~/Clunk...Clunk/Th-Thump...

Some take off their hats, bowing, others swallow the lumps in their throats, and the rest scatter from getting in their way. Three of the biggest names now sit at the head table, draped in black décor as a symbol of their rank and authority.

“Well, well, well...”

Rendell examines his knife in one hand, the other tipping the rim of his hat with a scaly claw.

“Fashionably late, as always, old timers.”

“There he goes again,” Danny mumbles, shuffling a new deck.  

“I ain’t in the mood to bare fangs with you,” Bruce huffs.

“Aren’t we behaving like civilized folks. Y’all got a scheme to plot against me and my posse?”

“Ooh~ my scrum-delious-lizzy-poo,” Big Mama chuckles, darkly, “if I had my way, I would turn you into fan-tizy-oso matching shoes and handbags that would be oh-so-grand-tastic. Wouldn’t you say~?”

“So, shut yer trap, kid,” Beverly warns, bitterly, “or I’ll rip it off for ya.”

“Just try it, ya pint-sized hag. Not that those toothpicks ya call legs could chase the fastest criminal in these here parts.”

“How about we ssslice you into lizard shish kebabsss!”

“And~ I shall go refill the punch bowl.”

Hueso runs for the kitchen as an excuse to avoid any conflict.

HISS/GRR~

All the trio’s subordinates give dirty looks, making everyone else feel on edge.

“ENOUGH!”

🔥FLAAARRRRE!🔥

A large ball of green flame crashes down, almost burning the skin, feathers, and fur off the guests. When it dies down, felons gaze upon the crimson dragon at the top of the stairs. His emerald eyes as bold as the fire, the Japanese attire matching his elderly, yet hostile persona, and an aura that defines a powerful superiority far beyond theirs.

“I did not come all this way to hear you complain.”

SHAA!

“Uh!”

SHATTER!

Rendell’s eyes widen, feeling the rush of wind pass as the dragon appears in front of him, his cane stabbed into his glass, breaking it and the ice cube within.

“I may be old...but my days of fighting are far from over.”

The elderly yokai stares back, expressing an uninterested look his way.

“I’d rather not waste my time with someone who only talks his way in and ends up empty-handed. Wouldn’t you agree?”

A drop of sweat trails down the reptilian’s face and his eyes shift to the floor. The elder puffs a breath of green fire through his fangs, then turns his heel.

“Mm-mm-mm...now there’s someone who knows how to take charge.”

“Tell it, sister/You said it.”

The audience is shaken with fear and admiration.

Clunk-Clunk!

SHAA~

With two taps of his cane, a white and black wolf dressed in blood-red suits appear like shadows emerging from the ground. They pull up the red-velvet throne and the dragon sits center of the head table. All the criminals greet him with upmost respect.

“((Head Boss.))”

Also known as the leader of the M.O.B.S. organization.

“Alright, sit down. We got a long night ahead of us.”

They do as he says and listen attentively.

“I see you kids manage to make another mess of the place. Not that I don’t expect much from your rowdy selves getting carried away...”

“We’re being cranky more than usual, tonight.”

“You’re one to talk. Heard you’ve got some trouble of your own. Mind filling me in, boy?”

“Nothing I can’t handle...sir.”

“Woah,” Mickey whispers, “sounds like they got history or something.”

“Oh, right, you don’t know.”

“Uhh, know what?”

Leonard leans closer with a hand up to whisper.

“His WH—MPH?!”

Green covers Mickey’s mouth while Danny shushes him. The eel pushes the giant’s hand away and double takes towards the dragons.

“You mean they’re…”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Wait, does that mean—"

“Yup.”

“…Duuude, that’s heavy.”

“Ya think?”

“Still blows my mind every time.”

“So, head boss...”

That’s when one member raises his voice.

“Not that we don’t enjoy these little get-together’s...but why exactly did you invite us here, for?”

“I find it curious as well, sir.”

“Our usual meeting hardly come this early in the year.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. However, according to my informants, they confirmed the details.”

The elder pauses to collect his thoughts, though hesitant.

“Dahlia Shinzo...my granddaughter...she has made a deal to give herself up to Corvidian.”

*MURMURING/WHISPERING*

All catch their breaths in sheer shock.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Unbelievable.”

“He can’t do that!”

“That bird is plum crazy!”

“Settle down, all of you,” Sr. Shinzo hollers, “this is now a business gathering, so pay attention! I will not repeat myself!”

“Woah, he’s really ticked off.”

“C’mon, you know how much he dotes on the kid.”

“Tell me about it. He bought all sorts of gifts with only the highest quality around the markets.”

“Yeah, well, I saw him at the pub near the docks when he attacked some amateur thugs smack-talking about Dahlia. Nearly destroyed the place.”

“Ooh~ I hope they have insurance.”

“Who—the thugs or the pub?”

“Head boss...”

“Yes, Dastardly?”

The rat stands up from his table.

“I’m sure everyone here, agrees, that to take hostage of a family member of the Shinzo Clan...is an act of war.”

All fall silent and cringe at the notion.

“My gang and I have known Dahlia for some time, now. So, I can understand your concern about wanting to protect her. Heck, even we consider her as family.”

Danny stops flipping the Joker card.

“But I can’t see us winning a fight that we’ll lose right from the start.”

CLUNK!

Bruce slams his drink, scowling at the remark.

“You better have something else to say that won’t cost your sorry tail.”

“Danny, are you nuts,” Mickey panics.

“Bro, this isn’t a good time to be the voice of reason,” Leonard harshly scolds.

Just then, Sr. Shinzo raises his hand to stop Bruce.

“You know that Danny is the only one bold enough to give such opinions, but they have proven beneficial then and even now. All the more reason I value him and his unbiased reasoning with the highest regards. What he says is true. Outnumbering Corvidian won’t be enough.”

“Dad, we have the resources—including every thieving, cunning, cutthroat outlaws from all corners of the city. We have to force Corvidian back before he does.”

“Kenji is right, you know.”  

A snarl escapes Bruce as he turns to the spider.

“He’ll take down anyone,” Big Mama advises, “who even grunts a simple ‘no’. This dim-devi-dismalous contract she’s in is unavoidable. Even I don’t have the firepower to stop his unlimited forces.”

“I don’t wanna hear that from the insect who tore my family apart!”

“Bruce...sit down.”

“Are you serious?! You’re a father—so you know exactly how it felt when Dahlia lost everything that day!”

“And does that give us any right to act as executioner? Is that how you want Dahlia to see you?! Is that what your brother would’ve wanted?!”

“Eli didn’t run from the fight! He did what need ta’ be done!”

“But at the cost of his life!”

🔥🔥FLAAARRRE!🔥🔥

“SAY THAT AGAIN, OLD MAN!”

“YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT!”

No one could speak up as they bare their flames, storming towards each other.

“You weren’t so keen when Eli said he was moving to the surface with Jade!”

“What do you expect?! I’m your father! I was only thinking of my children’s well-being!”

“It was his decision to leave the family business!”

“Yes, but I never resented him for that!”

“Then ya should’ve admitted it instead of shuttin’ yourself away for a year cause of your stubborn pride!”

“As if you’re any better!”

“Like father like sons, aye!”

“I never forced you into being the next boss of the Masters of Barbarianism! So, don’t blame me for—”

“Oh, I can! Don't pretend like you're not to blame! Cause if mom knew the king of gangsters was too weak to—”

THUD/URGH/CRUMBLE!

Kenji pummels his son into a pillar, causing a deep crack line above them as his cane lodges onto his throat.

Clank/Rattle/Clink/Tumble~

All activity stops, abruptly, with tensions rising.

“Don’t you dare...bring your mother into this.”

Despite the dark scowl that makes people cower with fear, his son isn’t fazed.

KICK/SLIDE!

One swift to the gut makes Kenji slide back.

“Bad move, old timer.”

SHACK!

The young descendant draws his sword.

“Eugh—that’s not good.”

“Battle stations~!”

“Take cover/Move it/Hit the dirt~!”

The bar counter, pillars, tables propped, and anything solid are used as shields for what’s about to go down.

CLANG/CLASH!

“URGH/GRR!”

SLASH/CLACK/SLICE/CLANG/CLASH!

WHOO~OOSSSHHH!

Air slices through every strike they blow, strong enough to cut deep marks into the stoned walls and fragile objects into half.

“Maybe we should stop them?!”

“By all means—turn yourself into fried sushi!”

CLASH!

Both dragons are evenly matched, blocking in-between with their weapons. The harder the force, the deadlier their rage strengthens to cause terror for all.

SHATTER!

Suddenly, the dome glass above breaks.

ROOOAAAARRR!

Bursting in is a giant dragon blazing in scarlet and violet flames.

BLAM/WHOOSH/POW!

Kenji and Bruce are stuck by it, causing them to collide on opposite sides of the room.

SCREE~EEECCHH!

The creature does a spiral dance.

🔥🔥FLAAARRRRE!🔥🔥

“Break it up, you two!”

Everyone is stunned as the flames scatter like flower petals, revealing the person before them.

“I’m getting pretty fed up with the same ol’ routine.”

“Well, if that don’t beat all!”

“Is that you, little lady?”

Yes, it’s none other than the girl in question, Dahlia, currently dressed in black tie attire smiling to the crowd.   

“Look at that fellas! The baby girl’s all grown up!”

“Hey, everyone. Still alive? There’s a stash of aspirin and club soda out back for you old timers.”

“You got your mother’s looks and your father’s moxie, alright.” 

“Good to see you, sweetie!”

“Hi, Miss Beverly!”

“Hey, thanks for the shampoo. Great quality for a fair price.”

“Told you.”

“What up, ‘Lia,” Mickey hollers, excitedly, “killer entrance!”

“How’d you do that,” Leonard smirks, sounding impressed.

“Something I learned to help stop the Kraang invasion. A story for another time. Oh, hold on...”

FWEE~EET!

TOSS!

“WOAH/AAHH!”

KA-THUMP!

In a split second, a trio of felons, with insect features, are tossed onto the staircase.

“Hahahaha~! What a rush, aye boys!”

“Let’s do that again, boss!”

“Oh no/Not again/These guys...”

“See? I told you I was right.”

“So, you’ve told me.”

Hovering inside is Donnie, dressed in the same attire with no tie, just an unbuttoned shirt.

“You weren’t kidding about calling them the ‘Maniacs of Bafflement’. I thought it was just a poorly configured acronym.”

“Well, if you knew the kind of crazy, insane stuff they do, you’ll understand why even their peers don’t associate with them much.”  

“No kidding.”

“DAHLIA!”

Bruce regains himself as he dusts off the debris from his suit.  

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Oh, hey, uncle. We caught these guys raiding the kitchen pantry. Not the first time, I’m sure. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t been here before, remember?”

“That was a last-minute thing! Not my fault your dad dumped a three-year-old the same day he was leaving without telling me!”

“You should be lucky I’m here at all. Who else is gonna keep you and grandpa away from tearing each other apart? Again.”

“Yes, yes, we’re very grateful.”

Kenji strolls over with an open arm.

“Now, c’mere, and give this old man a hug.”

Dahlia eagerly runs over and buries herself into his strong arms.

“Buenas noches, Ojii-san.” 

“Oho-ho~ I missed you, my dear grandchild. How’s New York up top treating you?”

“Oh~ nothing I can’t handle.”  

“That’s my girl! And that frontal assault you just did was incredible! You’re a better fighter than my sons were at your age.”

“Hello again, Dahlia.”

“Fang! Shen!”

Dahlia leaps onto the wolves, burying her face in their fluffy fur.

“Still as soft as clouds. You gotta tell me which hair products you’re using.”

“Optimistic as ever, I see,” Shen (black wolf) compliments.

“We’re very glad to see you, too, miss,” Fang (white wolf) chuckles.

Cayden and Callen sweat-drop seeing their boss about to blow a fuse.

“Haven’t seen that face in a while,” someone chuckles.

“Only that girl,” another comments, “can turn that grump into a pile of gush.”

The older dragon notices the purple terrapin waiting on the sidelines.

“Oh, right...this is Donatello Hamato. My boyfriend.”

“BOYFRIEND?!?”

Nearly everyone repeats it in shock.

“Hah! You boys owe me twenty bucks!”

“Augh/C’mon/Aw man!”  

“That’s cheap!”

“Yeah, ya should’ve bet a hundred like we did!”

“Darn it, I was so close!”

“Cough it up, man.”

A few groans of dismay are bellowed as the losers pay the betting teams.

“AHEM!”

They soon shut up when Senior Shinzo gives a stern glare. This makes Donnie swallow the lump in his throat, realizing how important this dragon’s status holds to this community.  

“So, you’re the one she spoke so highly on the phone.”

“Y-Yes sir.”

“I’m Kenji Shinzo. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Uh yes—I-I um...you too.”

Donnie awkwardly shakes his hand.

“I wasn’t sure if my granddaughter would find that ‘special someone’. This puts me at ease, now.”

“Really?...just like that? D-Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s common for parents to have an overbearingness towards their child or grandchild. Not that y-you would be like that, or anything—I’m just saying for the sake of the—”

“Donnie, you’re prolonging a monologue again.”

Dahlia pats his arm to calm his nerves. This makes her grandfather chuckle in amusement.

“Kid, if you got the guts to come all this way to see me in a place like this, then I know my granddaughter has made the right choice.”

“So then...”

“I trust you both to make your own decisions. You have my blessing.”

“YES! I mean...thank you, sir! Phew—that actually went better than I thought.”

“Y’know Donnie brought a 30-page script to read about our lives leading up to this moment?”

“Hey, no—Dahlia, there’s no need for him to know at this point!”

“Like I said,” she whispers, “isn’t he adorkable?”

“Guess he had it bad from the start.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t realize it at first. It was kinda cute.”

“Hey—hey! I know you’re talking about me over there! I can lipread, missy!”

But this only makes the relatives laugh even more. Meanwhile, the youngest member of the Mud Dogs is freaking out while his giant friend pats his head.

“How could I not realize,” he whines, “it was sooo obvious! And I didn’t even get them a gift…”

“Not your fault Mick’. This family carries more secrets than a steel vault.”

“Wait—where did you get that money?”

“Hey, if you’re gonna win a bet, then ya gotta make sure your resources are legit.”

Green shakes his head and Danny facepalms as the ogre counts his winnings.

“Grandpa...there’s someone else we brought.”

Putting her arm out, another figure steps out of the shadows. She holds his shoulder standing beside him in a suit and vest combo.

“This is the boy I mentioned. His name is Casey.”

Kenji takes Casey’s hand in a tight grasp.

“She told me your story. Words can’t describe how thankful I am for what you’ve done. It must have been difficult.”

“...It was...but now I have a life my sensei wanted me to have.”

The couple smiles back in agreement.

“Then you hold on to it, my boy.”

Casey nods with certainty. Dahlia turns her attention to Big Mama and steps forward.

“Big Mama...”

“Dahlia...it’s been quite some time.”

Their associates can sense the heavy atmosphere.

“Man...this has got to be awkward.”

“Why’s that?”

“You never heard the story?”

“Word on the street is that they had a showdown, five years ago. Head boss’s granddaughter burst in destroying her stadium and wrecking her hotel.”

“Big Mama didn’t stand a chance against Dahlia’s outrage that she froze in fear.”

“Woah—seriously?”

“Like a statue.”

“Is that why the Battle Nexus was canceled for months?”

“Believe me, if Dahlia wasn’t from the right side of the law, that girl would’ve been the most terrifying criminal in the Hidden City.”

They didn’t care if they heard the rumors. Both women are fully aware of the truth. 

“...During the Shredder incident, I apologized for what I did.”

Dahlia’s eyes become glossy with a soft expression.

“But you know exactly why I took my anger out on you.”

Even the spider’s lackies knew just by their reactions.

“I’m surprised my grandfather let you stay in this circle.”

Big Mama looks at her reflection on the bottle beside her.

“He thought it best to keep me closely guarded, like a dog, tightly-woundly-leashed from biting the hand that feeds it as a more suitable punishment. Of course I couldn’t go against his orders...but I accepted this of my own free will.”

She takes the last drop of her beverage.  

“So, yes...even I have some regrets I wish I hadn’t caused. Yours was...the unforgivable kind.”

“... ...”

C-Clunk

Trickle~

Dahlia gently pours a refill as if she were on her waitress duty, which surprises the spider.

“This one has a strong bitterness to it, but the aftertaste becomes easier to swallow.”

“...Then I suppose I shall have to get used it.”

A faint smile appears, as Big Mama takes the offer as a sign of bygones be bygones.  

“As for you two...”

WHACK/OW/SMACK/AUGH!

Some cringe at the painful slap she gave to their superiors’.

“I knew you were gonna make a big deal about...this whole situation! That’s partially why I came here in the first place! Not to mention you forcing my boss to cater this charade!”

“Although certain felons,” Donnie scoffs, “whose names I shall not reveal at this moment, would try to take advantage of Corvidian’s deal for a hefty price, wouldn’t you say?”

“Don’t be serious, boy.”

“No one is stupid enough to lay a hair on the head boss’s own grandchild.”

“Unless ya count this walking suitcase.”

“Like I would stoop that low.”

“Exactly, Renny.”

“I warned ya not to call me that.”

“Renny, Ren, Rendy, Rendezlle—take your pick. Either that or I start saying ‘Delle’ every time I have the urge to eat a sandwich. Actually that sounds good right now. Hey, Don, you wanna grab something at the buffet?”

“I think I saw bologna sandwiches fresher than this guy’s comebacks.”

Their nonchalant retorts earn a snicker from the spectators and a growl from the unamused lizard.

FWIP!

CLANG!

Before the knife could take a hit, the fox bellhop appears, catching the weapon in his claws.

“Tch...spider’s pet.”

“Big talk, for an overgrown handbag, lad.”  

The fox looks over his shoulder, nodding to Dahlia and earning her gratitude.

“Look, Renny, I don’t have time for your tantrums. I’ve got a deal to keep.”  

“Out of the question.”  

“Grandpa...”

“No! Not again...”

Kenji gently grasps his granddaughter’s and son’s shoulders.

“Dahlia, when you first came to me, it was like reliving my years raising your father and uncle. I never felt that kind of joy in a long time. Not since my wife...”

“...Dad...I, uh...”

“I know I can be difficult, son...but you two are all that I have left of this family. I’m not losing either one of you because of a past mistake.”

“And you won’t...but for now...”

She takes a step back from them.

“This is goodbye.”  

The yokai stare in confusion when her attitude changes.  

[Wise decision.]

WHIRRRLLL~

A chilling voice echoes, sending shivers down their spines as an eerie black fog rolls in.

FLAP—FLAP!

The audience murmurs in distress, fully alert of the tall, feathered figure behind the girl.

“Holy.../It’s him/He's here."

“YOU...”

Kenji grips his cane as flames spit out of his tongue in fury. Corvidian pays no mind to his presence and looks down at Dahlia.

“Your time is up, my dear.”

He puts his hand out.

“Time to go.”

“Fat chance, stuffed turkey!”

SHWINGE!

“NGH!”

“Son!”

With a flick of a wing, a feather shoots out and wraps itself around Bruce’s neck, nearly strangling him.

“Please...this is between you and me.”  

The magpie exchanges looks between the family members before he complies with her wishes, releasing the dragon.

“Uncle...I have to go.”

“Don’t say that!”

“She has no choice.”

CLINK/CLANK!

Corvidian reveals the hidden, translucent chains on Dahlia’s wrist, ankles, and neck.

“A binding spell...?”

“No magic or weapon can break these shackles. Her soul belongs to me now.”

“You smug—”

PINCH!

“Uh!”

JAB!

“Argh!”

“Boss/Sir!”

With one touch to the neck, the lizard paralyzes Bruce and Kenji, forcing them to go on their knees.

“What do you think you’re doing, Rendell?!”

“My job.”

The Manipulators of Backstabbing stand beside the magpie, with the leader tipping his hat.

“No surprise there,” Danny growls.

“Don’t take it personally, rodent. I’m a payroller who has better benefits.”

“If you’re done playing games, we have an arrangement to fulfill.”

Dahlia stands face-to-face with her blood relatives.

“You two raised me well. I’ll take it from here, now.”

“D-Dahlia...”

“Don’t struggle, boss.”

Fang and Shen support both dragons just as Casey steps in.

“Take me as well.”

“Casey, no, we talked about this.”

“But I’m just as valuable as you are. A person from the future who traveled back in time. I don’t think he could ever turn a better deal like this down...wouldn’t you agree, sir?”

A smirk creeps its way upon his lips.

CLANK!

In a flash, the magpie slaps the same mystic cuffs onto Casey.

“Jones...”

“I’ve depended on you and the turtles my whole life. Now it’s your turn to put your faith in me.”

The terrapin comes closer, his girlfriend giving a somber look.

“Donnie...I know you don’t...but I—”

“It’s okay. I trust you.”

He embraces her as if it was their last.

“I’ll find you, Dahlia. I promise.”

Donnie lifts her chin to capture her lips, as tender loving as the bond they strongly share. Dahlia quickly breaks apart with her hand slipping from his fingertips. Rendell and his team surround Dahlia and Casey as they follow behind Corvidian.

“Aw, screw this!”

CLATTER!

Leonard slams his foot on the table and points his sharp comb towards the magpie.

“If you think you’re gonna walk on right outta here with our friend, then buddy—you got another thing comin’!”

“Yeah—you’re not so special, ya overgrown chicken!”

“Way to show us up, Mud Dogs.”

“Hey, if they’re going at it, then let’s make it a brawl we’ll never forget.”

“Right/Let’s go/C’mon, fellas!”

Every gang member grows a backbone, weapons at the ready.

“...Fable.”

SCHULP—SCHULP!

“Hey/What/Gasp/Huh?!”

With one command, Dahlia’s familiar multiplies countless doppelgangers of his gigantic form to block everyone. The original still in his small stature looks up at Dahlia gently petting his head.

“I need you to stay behind.”

Though inaudible, he hugs her arm, making her laugh.

“Take care of the guys for me.”

With her final words, she and Casey follow Corvidian upstairs, the others helplessly watching.

SHAAA~

As the black mist slowly engulfs them, the last thing they see is Dahlia smiling with one final farewell.

FWOOOOMMM~

Without a trace, the dark mist evaporates into thin air. Everything and everyone in the room is struck with disbelief of the events that have unfold.

“...What...just...”

“I-I...I can’t believe it.”

“She actually...”

In the midst of it all, Danny pushes himself through the familiar’s barrier and walks over to Donnie, staring at the empty void above them.

“As much as I’m upset you let her go like that...I’m assuming you kids didn’t come here without a contingency plan?”

“No...”

Donnie leans over to Kenji and drops the item in his scaly palm.

“They gave us everything we need to start it.”

Cayden and Callen help Bruce up, now able to move his limbs freely.

“That little...I’m gonna yank that cowboy’s tail right off him when...huh?”

Bruce and his subordinates stare at the hair brooch in his father’s hand, nearly speechless.

“Dad...is that...”

“Yes...this is the very same.”

“Artio gave it to Dahlia. She wanted you to see it for yourself.”

Kenji shuts his eyes, clutching the accessory to his chest.

CLANG!

The elderly dragon turns his heel, slamming the cane down.

“LISTEN UP!”

His colleagues stand in attention.

“Scour every corner of Hidden City! The forest, the caverns, the deepest depths of the swamps if you have to! Find the entrance to Corvidian’s lair! I’ll reward anyone who has a shred of information! This time we’re taking back what was stolen from us!”

“YES, HEAD BOSS!”

“Alright, ladies! Back to the lagoons!”

“I got the scent, boys. We’ll show ‘em why we are the best trackers.”

“Ooh-ho-hoo~ this is gonna be fun!”

“Hah! Amateurs...they don’t realize that the skies are the best way to spy on uncharted territory.”

“You tell them, sir!”

The place is buzzing as everyone leaves to carry out Kenji’s orders. Donnie turns around, seeing Big Mama come forward.

“I shall provide the necessary artillery.”

“What’s the catch...?”

“No catch, this time. Take it as payment for saving my Snuggle-Muffin-Beefcake from certain doom.”

“O-kay, note to self: delete all memory data of that nickname which I shall not speak of. Other than that, I’ll take your word for it...I guess.”

“Donatello...”

Bruce grabs his shoulder.

“I’m counting on you. Make one mistake and I’ll use your shell as a hood ornament on my car.”

“Normally, I’d be terrified by such threats.”

Donnie puts a hand out.

“But I’m not called a genius for nothing.”

Smiling, they urban handshake.

“If you have any questions, you can contact me via text and/or email. I hacked into your phones and sent mine the moment I entered the building.”

“Wait, you did what?”

CLACK—C-CLICK!

PSHWOOO~

Using his mystic abilities, Donnie forms his battle shell and sends everyone off with a salute and flies out from the broken roof.

“Heh...nice kid. Like the way he thinks.”

“Reminds me of someone.”

“You better be talking about Leonard.”

From the sidelines, Hueso had come out of hiding and gawks at the chaos before him.

“I should have charged double.”

BEEP-BEEP—BEEP!

While soaring over the underground city, Donnie dials and waits for the caller to pick up.

[Go for Neon-Leon! What took you so long, D?]

“Enough with the quips, Nardo. ‘Operation: Raiding the Raven’ is a go. You are clear to engage.”

[Roger that, Donnie-boy. We’ll see you back at base.]

Hanging up, the terrapin accelerates his speed and heads for an exit above.

‘Just hold on, guys...we’re coming.’

.

.

.

.

.

.

RATTLE—RATTLE~!

Clanking of the chains pull the doors wide open. The teens take a moment to adjust their eyes from the bright light shining through. What they see is beyond anything they’ve ever imagined.

FWOOM!

Corvidian folds all four wings as he gestures to the entrance.

“Welcome...to your new home.”

Dahlia and Casey exchange glances before braving into the unknown, with one mission in mind.

‘We’re not leaving until we find them.’

CREEEAAAK~

CLANG!

‘This. Ends. Here.’

#imagine4000 masterpost #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt #tmnt fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #tmnt fanart #imagine4000 art #tmnt donnie #tmnt oc characters #rottmnt oc character #rottmnt boss bruce #rottmnt big mama #rottmnt fox bellhop #rise of the tmnt fanart #imagine4000 fanfiction #imagine4000 collection

[q-gorgeous]

coupe de foudre chapter 10

ao3

ffn

i suck at actually posting my chapters wowee

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Sam said as she followed Jazz down the stairs into the Fenton’s lab. “It’s been an entire day now and nobody has heard from him. The last thing we knew is that he was hanging out with Dash.”

“But Sam, Dash is missing too,” Tucker pointed out. “If they’re both missing they were probably taken.”

She sighed. “I know. I’m just worried. Danny told us about those hunters that were coming from out of town to claim the bounty on his head. If one of those guys took them, how are we ever going to be able to track them down?”

“That’s why we’re not tracking those guys down,” Jazz said. “Hopefully the GIW have them since they’re the ones who put the bounty out on him. Even if that’s the worst case scenario, we’ll at least be able to find them if they’re being held at the compound.” 

“I hope you’re right” Sam said. “How are we getting in anyways?” 

“Tucker’s going to hack into their systems and find blueprints and see if there’s any info about the two of them being held there so we can start making our plan.”

“I’m thinking we turn the power off and bust our way in,” Tucker said as he typed on his laptop. 

“But if the power’s out how are we going to get them out of the rooms or cells they’re being held in?” Jazz asked. “Don’t they use keycards to access almost every single room there?”

Tucker frowned. “You’re right. What if we sneak in through the air ducts?” 

“Will we be able to fit in the air ducts?” Sam asked as she paced back and forth. 

“I don’t know, we’ll find out once we find the blueprints though.” Tucker was typing away at his laptop. 

The three of them go silent as Tucker started hacking into the GIW’s system. Sam paces back and forth and Jazz anxiously tapped her foot on the ground as she chewed on one of her nails. After a few moments Tucker pumped his fist into the air.

“Aha!” he shouted. “I got into their database. Now I just have to find the appropriate files and see if they’re being kept in there.”

Tucker typed in a few more things, clicking through different folders, and when he found the one he was looking for his eyes widened and his face paled. “Oh no.”

“What?” Sam and Jazz said simultaneously, jumping over to look over Tucker’s shoulders at his laptop screen. 

“They’re both being held at the compound. Which is good, now we know where they are. But the GIW are experimenting on both of them.”

“Experimenting?” Sam looked closer at the screen. “Why would they be experimenting on Dash? He’s not a ghost, he’s just a human.”

Tucker took a deep breath. “They found out what Danny is. They’re trying to replicate the process.”

They sat there in silence for a few moments, dread pooling in all of their stomachs. Jazz opened her mouth to reply but was stopped by the sound of her parents' voices coming down the stairs and into the lab. 

“Hey, kiddos! How’s it going?” Jack asked as he came through the doorway. His face sobered up when he saw the expression on the kids’ faces. Maddie followed behind him.

“Have you heard from Danny at all yet?” she asked. 

Jazz, Sam, and Tucker exchanged glances between the three of them and Tucker’s laptop sitting on the table. Jazz held her gaze on it for a few moments before her expression hardened and she turned to her parents. 

“There’s something we have to tell you.”

“Wait, Jazz–”

“We can’t–”

Jazz turned to Sam and Tucker and threw her hands up into the air. “Guys, this is way out of our league. Sure, Tucker can hack his way into anything and get us all the information we need. But all we are is a bunch of teenagers. If we can go through the right channels, maybe this whole operation will get shut down altogether and nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“Jazz, honey,” Maddie said slowly. “What’s going on?”

“I want to preface this by saying this doesn’t change anything about Danny,” Jazz started. “He’s still your son, my brother, and their best friend. He’s still our Danny.”

Both Jack and Maddie’s expressions look puzzled. 

“Danny’s our boy, Jazz. We love him no matter what.”

“I want you to remember that then.” Jazz took a deep breath.

“Danny is Phantom.”

Jack and Maddie’s eyes widened and they looked between each other.

“Jazz, honey, that’s not possible. You can’t be dead and alive at the same time.” Maddie’s statement contradicted what Jazz said, but she could hear the way Maddie’s voice shook just a little bit. Like everything made sense now but she didn’t want to believe it. 

“It is possible.” Jazz took a step towards them. “That’s why he sets off all of your ghost trackers, why he never wants to get too close to any of your inventions. It’s why his grades have been slipping and he’s tired all the time. Because he’s Phantom and he’s out protecting the city from the other ghosts everyday.”

Jack’s eyes were squeezed shut when he spoke. “Okay, this is. Some news. But can we put it aside for now? What does that have to do with where Danny’s been?”

Jazz took another deep breath. “The GIW have kidnapped Danny and his classmate Dash. We need to get them out of there.”

Maddie stumbled into a chair that was sitting beside the counter behind them. “They have Danny? What are they going to do with him?”

“Experiment on him.” Tucker spoke up. “They plan on making more people like him by either replicating the process that made him like this or creating a new one. We can only assume that Dash is one of their first test subjects.”

“You three have known this whole time?” Maddie asked as Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. “Why didn’t he tell us?”

“Mom, that’s not important right now.” Jazz held her hands out in front of her in a pleading motion. “Please, help us get him out.” “You can bet their sorry asses we’ll be getting our son out of there,” Jack said.

Maddie gasped. “Language, Jack!”

“I think you should let this one slide, Mrs. Fenton.” Sam turned around to look at them. “It’s not anything we aren’t all thinking.”

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” Tucker turned back towards his computer screen. “How are we going to bust them out? Are we sneaking in, blowing the doors off their hinges, going undercover?”

Maddie just stared at Tucker before shaking her head. “What we’re going to do is call the law enforcement and get them to shut this place down. I don’t care if it’s a government facility, they’re kidnapping children and experimenting on them there.”

“Why don’t we also call in a few favors?” Jack said. “Get Vlad to speak about it on the news, that way it can’t be ignored.”

“Call law enforcement, call Vlad, free Danny.” Jazz wrote out notes in a little notebook as she spoke. She looked back up at everyone.

“It looks like we have a plan.”

#gorgi writes #danny phantom #sam manson #jazz fenton #tucker foley #maddie fenton #jack fenton #fanfiction #phic #invisobang 2022

[dungeonegg]

Nilrex guild survival guidelines - part 1

Just a bit of a goofy little thing I've been working on that I thought I'd share. Some of the tips and tricks the guild came up with over the years before the annihilation.

If Aiden says it's a "good" idea....run.

Do not steal Reveka's ice cream. She will pull serial killer from a horror movie tactics in revenge.

If Alouette, Zykelle, and Danny have any sort of Disney marathon before a Dungeon raid, be prepared for quotes, singing, and so on at highly inappropriate times. Zykelle is the primary instigator but the other two will do so as well. Expect no regrets or remorse.

Rowe goes missing a lot. If needed, tell Divondra and wait If Divondra is unavailable, just wait. Do NOT attempt to locate Rowe yourself. Especially do not attempt to search Rowe's room or the air vents.

Aiden's brother, Kaz, is not allowed anywhere near the kitchen. Ever.

What goes on paper plate awards is not to be explained to any source of media. Ever.

Stage a coup Fridays are for Fridays. Not Mondays. Especially not as protests over the weekend being done.

Serious attempts at staging a coup are not encouraged, at any time. Crazy, outrageous ones are king and have a specific day of the week reserved for them.

Danny can make a weapon of pretty much anything. No, you do not need to ask for demonstrations. And no, poking Danny with a chop stick between the ribs is NOT an advisable way to get a demonstration. Or with anything else, any where else. Looking at you Aiden.

It's best to keep ALL sharp objects away from Tallulah when requesting healing. Blunt objects too. Any objects really. Better yet, do not request healing from Tallulah.

Do not ask about Zykelle's "tramp stamp". He will proudly show you.

Don't make Addy cry.

If Alouette is baking, prepare for war. Victor gets the goods. Or hit with a wooden spoon. Depends if she plans to share. (She usually does.)

Any consequences of one's powers are the responsibility of that particular individual. So yes, Aiden, you do have to baby sit when you use yours.

Cornered or surprised Rowe can be a bit...stab happy. Always let Divondra handle.

Yes, some of Addy's "friends" can be terrifying. No, you cannot tell that to her. Or at least, no you should not if you do not want Addy trying to convince you of their good qualities by employing whichever of her friends you fear to follow you around while Addy lists off positive traits of theirs.

Give Tallulah knitting supplies at your own peril.

If Danny is missing, immediately tell Alouette or Zykelle. Space may be all Danny needs but letting Danny stew ends poorly for everyone.

Unless brought up by a member of the guild, it's best advised not to bring up their family situation. The ones who have good family relations will let you know.

While it may be adorable to see, it's not advised to let Addy play with Divondra's drag gear. Not that Divondra has any real problems with it but Addy has actually gotten injured playing dress up with that stuff. Addy is no size thirteen after all.

#ha! I win! #had to fight with tumblr to get this to let me write it x.x #wound up switching browsers for it #dungeonegg #Nilrex guild #ch: tallulah #ch: divondra #ch: addy #ch: rowe #ch: allouette #ch: zykelle #ch: danny #ch: reveka #ch: aiden

[sloshed-cinema]

The Paper Tigers (2020)

If The Paper Tigers got one thing absolutely right, it’s the title.  Writer-director Quoc Bao Tran roasts his protagonists from even the poster, delivering in an odd way, at least in part, the most realistic “getting back on the wagon” action story arc.  Someone who’s long left behind a lifestyle of violence returning to the call, if reluctantly, and rising to the occasion is a staple of action movies.  After an initial failure, the hero finds their resolve and rekindles their skill and passion, maybe with the aid of a training montage or two.  This film gives us a pretty accurate depiction of what a couple dudes who are out of practice could accomplish in the span of a few days.  They kinda suck, through and through.  But after the umpteenth setback or sweaty win on a technicality, the viewer is practically begging for validation on some level.  Either commit to higher stakes and elevate the comedy, giving the characters a sense of trajectory rather than stagnancy, or just say “fuck it” and give us a fun kung-fu farce.  Motivating the characters to avenge their sifu’s murder and setting them up against a hardened killer demands either Hot Fuzz winking respect for the material or Police Academy commitment to lunacy, and we land somewhere in the middle.  There are some laughs, and even some good fight sequences.  But a lot of it feels static.  The film seems to realize that and immediately snaps Danny from a flighty coward into full Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury mode, kaleidoscopic hand-movement and all.  It’s a fun romp and all, but guess we’re having our cake and eating it too.

Perhaps this movie might have been a bit more fun if Danny weren’t, if thought about for more than a few moments, a pretty shitty dude.  He’s given two throwback action arcs to overcome: stop being a namby-pamby pacifist, and stop being a deadbeat dad who’s an albatross around the neck of his ex-wife.  For much of the runtime, he flails in self-serving flatness, having his kid lie to the mom and needing to be dragged around on the 80s action dude route.  To that end, the film is almost mean-spirited to a fault.  It’s less fun to see the puffed-up insult slinger get his ass whooped each time it happens, and it wasn’t that cool to begin with.  The real coup de grace comes in Danny’s final interaction with his estranged family.  Torn between avenging his sifu and healing his relationship with his son, he absolutely sticks the landing.  Talking about lying with his son and ex (literally called Caryn), he completely abdicates responsibility while managing to try and pin her as this shrew bitch while she’s the one shouldering most of the burden of raising a child.  Later he tries to make amends by admitting as much and then telling his son just how hard to punch people.  Sure, it’s supposed to represent his realization that carte blanche Punch Bad isn’t the way to go, but damn.  What an absolute gem of a parenting moment.

It is nice to see a Seattle-set film that can look beyond the downtown core and Capitol Hill.  Opening on a money shot of Smith Tower, this is an ode to the dim-sum restaurants and community centers of the CID.  Absolutely nails the specifically weird vibe they have going on at China Harbor Restaurant.  Can you scream “I’m an 80s movie’s idea of a mafia front” any more loudly?

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says ‘sifu’.

Magicland theme park is mentioned.

Hoodie hoods are raised or lowered.

Empty hype talk.

BIG DRINK

A 1v1 fight begins.

Toupee shenanigans.

#drinking games #the paper dragons #comedy #action #action & adventure #martial arts movies #seattle #quoc bao tran

[running-with-kn1ves]

Yo, waddup, I'm back asking for more Ira content cause I've become emotionally attached to him 😎 what about headcanons where the reader is cosplayer? Up to you who/what they cosplay but I'm intersested in how he would act if you don't feel comfortable doing this just ignore it or change it however you would like

I am SO sorry it took so long for me to reply to this ask;;; Honestly, I love the idea of a darling that cosplays-- whether or not it's against their will ^^

Ira Part 1

TW: Yandere behaviors, threats/violence

--You’d definitely be forced to be in uncomfortable positions, ones that get the best angles for him to take pictures. You’re like Ira's ‘muse’ in a way when it comes to features. He wants to amplify your perfections, everything about you that allured him. He’ll definitely find characters that suit your features, whatever that may be. While you might not think you fit the same characteristics as a certain character, Ira will think the opposite. Of course you’re perfect for any role, but there are special ones he’s just been dying to see you dressed up as.

--Especially when it comes to characters that wear revealing or intricate outfits. He especially likes tight or flowy fabrics, ones that are elegant and make you seem nearly ethereal. Ira will buy a camera specifically for this reason-- well, cosplay isn’t the sole cause. He certainly has other ideas in mind with it too.

--Once he guilts you into agreeing, this man will go ALL OUT. He doesn’t want some shoddy pictures or cheap costumes; no, he’s willing to live off of top ramen and cereal for a little while if it means making his 2D dreams come true. He’s already obsessed with you, with the possibilities; there’s no way to stop Ira when his mind is set on something.

--He’d be very invested, and dare I say he’d go to the point of making some of the parts of the costume himself. For things he couldn’t find on the internet or weren’t up to his standards, Ira would them create himself. He has his own mental image of how its going to look, and wants to make sure it turns out as good as possible. Even if that means going through hours of fittings in order to try everything on and to make it exactly to your measurements, along with alterations.

-- Ira has a distaste for ‘cheap’ characters when it comes to his enjoyment. Yes, he’ll eat cheese straight out of the package but don’t think for a second he’ll fall so easily for a character that has an above-average chest or bulging muscles as their personality trait. He sees himself as above that, thinking you only worthy of characters that match your strength and determination. Though, he wouldn’t mind if those characters also happened to have revealing assets.

--Will make you cosplay iconically attractive characters, especially ones from his childhood that he fondly remembers crushing on. Ones from shitty MMORPGs that he plays daily are not exempt either. Characters like Bayonetta or Danny Phantom are prime possibilities as they fit perfectly for what Ira is trying to achieve.

--Don’t even get Ira started on the coupe cosplays you’ll be forced to endure. He could rant about it for days-- especially all the roleplaying scenarios he wants to capture and the lines he’ll want you to say. At this point, its nearly a production and he only slightly wishes there was a second version of himself so he could do it all at once.

--The shut-in will get increasingly more agitated and frustrated the longer he starts working. The little things like not being able to find a certain fabric or the right make-up products will begin to grow on him even more. It was just a minor hobby the first time Ira suggested it, but the longer you allow him to dress you up, the more involved he’ll become. He’ll get more strict on what you can and cannot wear, along with what you do with your hair or your daily routine. He never cared much before-- just happy that you two were together-- but now he feels the need for control. Especially because you’re so willing when he has a knife to your throat.

#yandere #reader insert #x reader #yandere x reader #self insert #writing #fanfiction #romance #male yandere #male x reader #yandere boy #yandere male #yanderecore #yandere headcanons #yandere imagines #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #yandere x y/n #tw yandere

[mowu-moment]

i feel controversial & i care too much, so here's my des rocs complete tierlist

ranked list & reasoning (ish) under the cut

1. WAYNE: hoholy shit wayne. can hardly put into words how explosive this one is to me. the intro sets a Whole Mood before swiftly (& cleanly) smacking it down into an Absolute Banger and i don't use the term lightly. very hard not to scream along with it. only detriment is that wayne the person is kinda an ass in the mmc video but that's no qualm

2. POS: basically the same thing as wayne (oh both have great lyrics btw, this one more so), only gets points knocked for being 2 minutes long and having 30 seconds of that being intro & outro. go danny give us nothing

3. WHY WHY WHY: there's a theme among my top picks--they're all hard-hitting w/ killer guitar. the lyrics are absolute batshit in a good way, but the chorus is a lil flat & i feel like in general it just needed a touch more spice to score the top spot. or maybe it's just seniority & it'll have a coup a few months out idk

4. DEAD RINGER: similar killer guitar & lyrics but this one is Groovy as Hell. don't particularly like his singing in this one & it's too repetitive if i'm feeling grumpy but there's something so magic about after the bridge. top 10 songs to twirl a flag to

5. NOTHING PERSONAL: the minute long outro irks me & it's a little bit empty but plays into that well. groovy, great lyrics, the Sexiest Guitar Solo of the lot, the screaming's a minus but it does have an emotion there. not entirely sure what one but it's there.

6. LET ME LIVE / LET ME DIE: his first time being all over the goddamn place, history was made. amazing guitar, a little worse lyrics than 1-4 i'll admit, the intro Slays me both in a good and bad way. must be a joy to play live where he can just drag out that intro & bridge as long as feels right. at least i liked it in the digital concert like that. would actually kill me in a physical concert, imagine how much stomping gets going to that beat. bonus points for presumable cowbell

7. PIECES: for once not this high for the guitar & lyrics, they're both kinda basic. idk what's about this one but it just takes me to a separate dimension & i love it so much for that. really fills those earholes. also a bit of personal meaning, heard it for the first time on the day we moved into the house i'm currently split-custody-living in (is that tmi?) & the first music video of his i saw. man i love some spaghetti on the wall

8. SLO: basically the same as dead ringer, but knocked points for a kinda lame outro & the subject matter being a little less interesting to me. still lovely.

9. HANGING BY A THREAD: not my normal fare really & the way that the ends of the verses don't really fit in the pacing of them is bleh, but it's just so reminiscent of the songs my brother puts on whenever we hang out together that it just makes me all warm & fuzzy. it's also nicely put together which is something i'll have to start saying for. the later list.

10. SUICIDE ROMANTICS: this is where i start griping about head voice & higher pitches in general. don't like em so the pre-chorus is a lil annoying. also not my normal fare but it's tender & the ending is awe-striking. imo better live where he's loud on that last line before the final chorus. not enough to bump it up though. shoutouts to love and a smoking gun, i still am dying to hear that one

11. THE PAST HAS PASSED AWAY: my favorite lyrics out of the first 2 ep's. only thing wrong with it really is the bridge getting kinda repetitive. love that last chorus heehoo. same schpeel as the Banger Category

12. MMC: this one's lower than the rest of the Bangers for being pop punk which is something the radio has made me dislike, i guess. that trope with the guitar in the second half of the chorus just kills me so much. improves greatly during & after the bridge, love that lil ragtime piano. generally the same bit as before but i do love him doing something un-romance-related. yeah fuck the establishment!

13. THE DEVIL INSIDE: reminds me A Lot of the electronic-ish cassettes i've got from the early 90's but that's just me. this one will probably move up as i get more used to it, but only a little bit. the first part of the second verse makes me like. genuinely uncomfy? but the second part of it's fantastic. ending's ass though what happened to the instrumence. bonus points for using 'reverie' that's an SAT word (maybe). good singing but returning to the gripe at higher pitches, just a little bit though

14. THIS IS OUR LIFE: feels shockingly generic for a des rocs song tbh but there's nothing really wrong with that. adore the bridge. singing's alright. kinda miffed that he doesn't pronounce the 'f' in the second 'life' in the chorus, but it makes sense here. that sort of thing won't later so i'm bringing it up now. guitar's nothing spectacular but fits nicely into the song, probably one of the most cohesive of his (especially in recent history).

15. OUTTA MY MIND: really lives in the same space as slo and dead ringer do in my head (most likely the 'songs to twirl a flag to' zone), but this is by far the worst of the three for when i'm grumpy. just. Very repetitive. back to great lyrics here but it's kinda hard to pick them out (i've heard the song at least 100 times by now & i'm still missing a few lines). still groovin'

16. RUBY WITH THE SHARPEST LIES: what the fuck actually goes on in this song by the way? not the premise or whatever it's just. so all over the place. the verses are incredible but bringing in another vocalist just for one line kills me. bridge is really cool but that one part i don't remember where it is, the one that alternates basically nothing & an Electronic Piano Chord blaring at ya? ruins it. partially anyhow. also can someone tell the people on genius that it's 'carved it in my skin' not 'crawled down in my skin'

17. GIVE ME THE NIGHT: same repetitive issue as outta my mind but it's not groovy enough to save it, shame. feels like a trial run of all the wackshit stuff he's been doing recently, with the additional vocal bits at the end & the kinda weird lyrics. it still has a place in my heart don't get me wrong but it's just fallen in favor of stuff that Commits to banger or batshit (or actually pulls off both strongly, yyy). oh yeah nice guitar alright singing etc etc

18. USED TO THE DARKNESS: similar story to give me the night. i love it i do, but it's just lackluster nowadays. also remember that under-pronunciation thing i brought up in this is our life? this is where that comes back. rampant i tell you! that second verse he just doesn't finish the words & i hate it!

19. DON'T HURT ME: i honestly don't know why this one isn't in D. the chorus bit where he just cuts it short is irksome. the lyrics aren't anything special. i don't know what i like about it. but i can tell it does exactly what it set out to do if that makes sense. respect, respect. and using missile in an analogy, he's getting creative with the vocab

20. LIVING PROOF: kinda got a vendetta against this one i think? i don't know why i hate this one but i do. it's just kinda, blah. like the perfect sort of thing to nightcore up. sentiment's lovely & i do love the lyrics even if they aren't impressive but like. it bores me to an extent

21. TICK (LIVE): separating the version i heard in the digital concert just to give it some credit, this one was actually kinda nice. another one with a nice sentiment & what he was going for is great. no clue what the second part of the second verse has to do with any of this though. and it also begins our final group, the songs that just feel empty. like there's not nearly enough going on. this one's alright though i was just hoping the studio version would add some flair. you can see where that one is though.

22. IMAGINARY FRIENDS: also got a vendetta against pop. kinda hate the sentiment here (contrast!), the chorus just falls short of what the verses prime me for, head voice is rampant, and yet i still swing along to it. it's infectious props to him. love the outro though, monkey laugh and all.

23. MAYBE, I: another empty one, like it's a four-note progression what is that. love his singing in it, and the chorus parts do round it out, but like. eh? it doesn't even give me much to say.

24. BORN TO LOSE: another flop on the chorus! too smooth i say! and i absolutely Despise the pitch-shifting thing going on. not something i was expecting him to express so points there, lyrics are nothing fancy to my Literary Mind though. initially good singing but the chorus he's just sloppy over it. the instrumental is lovely but the vocals just throw it so hard into the bin which is a right shame. fuck that outro too i hate that gimmick

25. I KNOW: here's where the bad batshit comes in. singing is some of his worst imo, does the other-vocalist thing for that bridge, genre i'm not fond of, just a soup of Stuff I Don't Like. not one i'd kill someone over putting as #1 like i can see where it comes from but. mmmmmhhhh bad. cover does NOT help his case.

26. HVY MTL DRMR: empirically i should put this one higher. but the chorus flops so goddamn hard it deserves to be in the bottom of the barrel. the verses are lovely for what he was doing back then! but then just... nothing!

27. RABBIT HOLE: i was so excited for this name but it's just sad boi hours playlist curated by some corporation you hate. probably the most nothing of them all, genuinely where are the instruments. what happened. was this one just shoehorned in as the final track just to pump numbers up. and i swear he had some autotune or something which only makes his voice worse it's fantastic naturally. also that's not what a rabbit hole is! that's not the idiom! a rabbit hole is when you go on a wikipedia spiral from jennifer lopez to group theory! not when you just have a shitty night's sleep or whatever this is! i'm not just miffed i'm downright annoyed

28. TICK (STUDIO): what the fuck happened des. how did you release this. it sounds like a 3rd grader singing for the school talent show it's so out of rhythm. singing's honestly kinda bad & the instrumental has the same problems i talked about in the live version. the last chorus is fine, i guess, but no i don't forgive him for what he did to tick.

#des rocs #yeah i forgot tphpa on the first pass. it's always at least one #i guess i'm pessimistic on the new album? or i just don't like his new direction? idk i just finished it like. today. #wasn't expecting to be able to rank the songs of my Favorite Musician & be happy with it but here we are #tell me why i'm wrong in the notes <3

[nightmaresart]

𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓮

Don't blame me, love made me crazy

If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right

Lord, save me, my drug is my baby

I'd be usin' for the rest of my life

Don't blame me, love made me crazy

If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right

Oh, Lord, save me, my drug is my baby

I'd be usin' for the rest of my life

Don't blame me - Taylor Swift

𝕭𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖈 𝕴𝖓𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

Full Name: Victoria Penelope Montgomery

Meaning of Name:

The name Victoria is of Latin origins and means "The one of victory"

The name Penelope is of Greek origins and means "Beautiful person" or "Gift of God "

Nickname: Vicky, Victory, Penny

Reason of Nickname:

Vicky: Vicky is a nickname ber parents and friends often use for her as its easier to catch her attention like this if they want her to pay attention for a second

Victory: Victory is a nickname that her parents use to cheer the young woman up when she was younger

Penny: Penny isn't a common nickname for Victoria as people tend to use Vic or Vicky more, however, it is used from time to time by her friends to tease her about her middle name

Gender identity: Cis-Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Hetrosexual

Age: 17, depends on what I write

Birthday: 13-08

Zodiac sign: Leo ♌

Place of birth: Warwick, England

Blood Status: Half Blood

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖊

Hogwarts house: Gryffindor

The wand: Dogwood, Boomslang Venom, 12 ⅓ Inches

Dogwood: Dogwood is one of my own personal favourites, and I have found that matching a dogwood wand with its ideal owner is always entertaining. Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. An interesting foible of many dogwood wands is that they refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy.

Boomslang Venom: Boomslang venom, whether crystallized or in a rarer liquid core, provides a small boost to jinxes and hexes thanks to its venomous qualities. However, when a wandmaker undertakes the dangerous task of working with the raw venom, it is generally with the aim of creating a powerful Transfiguration wand. Whether or not the advantages outweigh the risks is not generally agreed upon in wandmaking circles.

Patronus: Orca

Orca - It’s no mistake that orcas are nicknamed “killer whales.” They are one of the most effective hunters in the ocean. Orcas use teamwork and complex communication skills to hunt and the same cunning to protect their young. With the fierce, calculated protection of an orca on your side, you can rest assured that the Dementors will be no match for you.

Magical abilities: Lycantrophy

Lycanthropy is the state in which a Werewolf finds him or herself: that of turning into a fearsome and deadly near-wolf. 

Boggart:

The most important people in her life looking at her in disgust as they're talking down on her and who she is

Riddikulus form:

Not available, she ran out of the classroom and never got to discover it

Amortentia

What do they smell?

Maple syrup, Freshly cut grass, Warm tea and a Fireplace

What do they smell like?

Sweets, A hint of blood, Lilies and the woods after a storm

Mirror of Erised

Herself and her Husband with some healthy kids, not having to worry about what others think of her and that she is safe with her new family and friends

𝕻𝖍𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Dark Brown

Hair Style: Untamed coup of hair that perfectly represents whether its close to a full moon or not

Weight: 58 kg or 127 lbs

Height: 1,65 m or 5 ft 4

Type of Body/Build: Mesomorph, Hourglass figure

Skin Tone: Beige, warm undertone

Distinguishing Marks: The first thing people will notice are the scars on the left side of her face

Face claim: Phoebe Tonkin

𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞

Overall Personality

An overall calm and collected girl who seems to know more than she shows. She is smart and uses her knowledge for pranks and least harmful ways of creating mischief. She is snarky and can be quite sarcastic, she loves to mess around with her friends and is often the reason they get out of trouble or detention.

Briggs myer type: ESFP

Good traits:

Outgoing, adventurous, caring, talkative, understanding

Bad traits:

Crude, loud, distracted easily, a bit of a dreamer, pushover

𝕬𝖙𝖙𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖊

Towards people they hate

She is cold towards the people she hates, she doesn't interact with them and always gives them the cold shoulder

Towards people they tolerate

She is gentle with the people she tolerates, she isn't as talkative with them as she is with her friends but she doesn't mind talking to them at all

Towards people they consider friends

She is herself with the people she sees as friends, she doesn't hide her personality and if she deems them trustworthy enough she also doesn't hide her lycanthropy at all, even alerting them when the full moon is close so they know she'll react differently

𝕽𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕𝖘

Family:

Father: Matthew Montgomery, a muggle man

Mother: Rosemarie Smith/Montgomery, a full blood woman

Sibling: Timothy William Montgomery, younger brother

Friends:

Teddy Ellison, Galen Stagg @cursebreakerfarrier , Roel Leeuwenhoek @words-and-wands , Gabriel Sapieha, Josie Edwards @slytherindisaster , Tadgh Lynch, Kit O'Sheeran @unfortunate-arrow , Logan Rosseto @demon-twins-and-co

S/o:

Danny Gibson @catohphm

Rivals:

TBD

𝕭𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞

Born in Warwick England, Victoria's mother was casted out by her family for marrying a muggle man and having a child with him. This automatically meant that Victoria was an outcast to that side of the family as well as she wasn't a full blood born child. She never learned about her mother's side of the family as well as Rosemarie refused to talk about them.

Growing up Victoria had quite a happy and normal childhood, she was allowed to do her own things and her parents were there for her if she needed them in any sort of way.

Around the age of seven when the young girl was staying with her uncle she was unfortunately attacked by a werewolf. Distraught the young child screamed and cried herself a sore throat and it took ages for her uncle to comfort her.

After this accident Victoria wasn't the same anymore as she was constantly on edge and scared, she didn't know what to do and neither did her parents. It tookba couple of years to come around and accept it, around that time she also received her Hogwarts letter. Stress was the first thing she felt when she got the letter as she wouldn't have a safe place to transform during a full moon and she didn't believe that the other children would accept her if she told them.

In the beginning of her Hogwarts career she was very closed off, but as time passed she gained more confidence and eventually became one of the many troublemakers Gryffindor and Hogwarts would see in their years to come

After Hogwarts it is said that she disappeared of the radar, refusing to live in a busy city or town

𝕽𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖒 𝕱𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖘

Victoria is quite cautious about telling new friends about her lycanthropy, but once she does tell them its always after she has decided she trusts them enough

She is quite good at transfiguration and its her best subject with Potions being her absolute worst

She is always in a horrible mood a week before the next full moon and will make this fact known to her friends

She will sass you if you're being a complete idiot in her eyes

She loves teasing her friends about their crushes once she figures them out. Ofcourse she never takes it too far

She loves puns and often makes them, cracking up halfway through though as she amuses herself with them the most

She is really good at giving puppy eyes, she uses this to get things from her friends or to get out of trouble, it works most of the time

If you want your mc to be added to her friend or rival list, just tell me and I'll add them!

#harry potter #hphl #hphl mc #hphl oc #hphl moodboard #hphl profile #harry potter hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy #victoria montgomery #she is here! #with an updated profile #jesus christ #gryffindor #gryffindor oc #gryffindor moodboard

[exactlydeafeningdeer]

The Best Drinking Glasses

When it comes to glassware, the sexier vessels — a coupe, a flute, a wineglass — seem to get all the glory. But a simple glass cup (which can be just as appropriate for juice, wine, iced coffee, or yes, a G&T) gets used more than any of those options — and is just as worthy of praise. Whether you’re in the market for a basic, stackable matching set or for something bolder to spruce up your dinner table, the choices are many. To help you in your search, we asked some of our favorite restaurant, beverage, and interior-design experts how they take their H2O (and more). Below, our 19 panelists recommend their favorite water glasses, including a few restaurant-grade styles sold in bulk (that you may want to go in on with a friend or two since you probably won’t need all 72). To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, we’ve categorized their picks by style and size.

Duralex’s Picardie glasses are a favorite among our panelists. It’s easy to see why: They are available in assorted sizes, so you’ll always have the right one at hand if someone wants water, juice, or a stiffer drink. More important, as Tracie Battle, a senior designer at online interior-design service Havenly, says, their “classic look will never go out of style.” She explains that they are made of thicker tempered glass, which “offers more durability and a more expensive look.” Hudson Wilder founder Conway Liao and author (and former Lucky Peach executive editor) Rachel Khong also swear by these glasses, with Khong saying that her set is “still going strong after many many years.” This 18-piece set includes three sizes and six glasses in each size.

Battle also recommends Libbey’s Polaris glasses for their “super-unique shape,” which has a rounded, weighted base that feels hefty while still being sleek. This set comes with eight drinking glasses and eight smaller rocks glasses, offering the best “bang for your buck, at just over $2 per glass,” she says. They’re BPA-free and dishwasher-safe, too.

This set of Dailyware Bodega glasses from Bormiolo Rocco — which includes eight shorter double wall insulated mug and eight taller highball glasses — is interior designer Katrina Hernandez’s choice. She uses the glasses in both her house in the country and her Brooklyn apartment. “They’re perfect for water or a cocktail. It’s a set of two sizes, but both are relatively shorter and more modern,” she says. Hernandez adds that they’re thin, but not “scary thin where you feel they could break in your hand at any moment.” She also appreciates the rounded edge of the lip as well. The Bodega is also a favorite style of Julie Mulligan, the owner and designer of cocktail lounge and restaurant Lot 15, because it’s “versatile and low maintenance but still chic.” She says that it’s “great for all kinds of home drinking and serving” and can even be used for displaying flowers. “They have a great smooth lip to drink from and the price is just right,” she adds.

If cabinet space is limited, shorter glasses may be the way to go. Both Liao and Amanda Spina, the general manager of Williamsburg’s Four Horsemen restaurant and Nightmoves bar, swear by these shorter, stackable glasses by Japanese company Toyo-Sasaki. “I always want precious, delicate, thin baking glassware at the restaurant, but it’s got to be strong enough to fall onto a rubber mat and not break,” says Spina. “And it must be stackable.” These glasses, which are each about four-inches high, tick all those boxes. “They’re a little more unique and contemporary than the ubiquitous Duralex,” she adds, “but just as practical.” Liao agrees, noting their stackable design makes these “perfect for New York apartments.”

Amazon sells Bormioli Rocco’s 12-ounce Bodega tumbler — which is roughly the same height as the Bodega double old-fashioned glass in the brand’s assorted set above — on its own in a 12-pack.

The CB2 Marta glass has a similar feel as the smaller Bodega glasses above, and comes recommended by Athena Calderone, the founder of lifestyle blog Eye Swoon. She likes that they have “clean, straight lines” and are “made of ultra-thin glass.” She also says that “the price is deceiving — they look and feel far more expensive than they really are,” adding that they’re “definitely a crazy-good bang for your buck.” Not to mention:“They look as good sitting around on the table as they do on open shelving, which is helpful because that’s what I have at home,” Calderone says. Interior and event designer Ken Fulk is also a fan.

Mullligan’s go-to “for something clean and classic,” are these tumblers from Duralex. She likes that these glasses are stackable, but more importantly, that “they’ve withstood the test of time in my home, which is no easy feat.” Made in France of tempered glass, they’re also dishwasher-, microwave-, and freezer-safe.

According to Mulligan, Libbey is “an industry standard for style and wearability in the design world.” The petite Esquire side glass water bottle is one of her all-time favorites, and she says that they’re great for the home but also in a restaurant setting. The thin glass, slightly curved shape, and weighted base make it a little more interesting than your standard, straight-sided water glass. Intended for the service industry, these glasses come in a case of 72, which is more than an average household will ever need. But if these appeal to you, consider splitting a case with a family member or friend (or several family members or friends). The cost-per-glass comes out to just a tad over a dollar, which honestly can’t be beat.

Instead of a glass with straight sides, maybe you’d prefer one that has a tapered V-shape. Paul Malvone, a co-founder of Boston Burger Company, says the style is better for stacking. “At the restaurant, we prefer a 9-ounce old fashioned Endeavor rocks glass,” he says. “They’re a little better-looking than a traditional drinking glass, and are versatile enough for water or a soft drink, or even a hard beverage.”

According to Spina, these roughly five-inch goblets “are billed as ‘wineglasses,’ but they’re really not the best for crystal wine glass cup because of their open shape.” What that shape is great for, though, is good-old H2O. “They happen to be perfect for water with lemon.” The shape and the fact that they’re made in Italy make them even more distinguished. (Pictured as a set of four, the price shown is for one glass.)

Shelley Kleyn Armistead, a partner at Gjelina Group who is in charge of the interior design and tableware at all of its restaurants, is a fan of these simple Riedel water glasses. “I love the silhouette,” she says. “At the restaurants, we actually use them for wine because there’s something about them that feels friendly and approachable, a contrast to how wine is so often served.” Of course, they also work beautifully for water. Not too big and not too small, “they feel like glasses that should be used for daily enjoyment,” as Armistead puts it.

Libbey’s highball Impressions glasses hold more fluid than the brand’s shorter Esquire glasses in the section above, but they have a similar curved look and come in a more reasonable quantity (a set of four as opposed to a case of 72). They’re recommended by Decorist interior designer Katy Byrne, who says they’re her top pick for an everyday glass water bottle. “It’s the perfect weight with an elegant detail that not only looks nice but provides the perfect grip spot,” she tells us.

“At home, I use these 12-ounce Collins glasses, which are tall and a handsome vessel for cocktails” says Nick Rancone, the owner of the Twin Cities–based Twist Davis Group of restaurants. While they’re nice enough for serving drinks like a Tom Collins, gin fizz, or even a mojito, Rancone likes these because “they’re multipurpose enough to use for just plain water, too. I like that it can do double or triple duty.”

These highballs from Luigi Bormiolo come recommended by Battle: “This set is minimal in style and works well for several different drinks, whether a simple glass of water or a mint mojito,” she says. Battle adds that they’re also a great choice if you have kids: “They are a more durable option without having to sacrifice the look of glass.”

If you’re looking for something even more durable, Battle says “this is an almost identical alternate to the Luigi Bormiolo Classico glass, but is made of an acrylic that is BPA, Phthalate, lead and latex free.” They’re another great option “if you want the look of glass but don’t want to run the risk of them shattering,” she adds. They’re also available in a smaller “double old fashioned” style and in a turquoise, which she thinks is “great for summer.”

This stackable highball glass is a favorite of Employees Only co-owner Igor Hadzismajlovic for its convenience. “We use the 9-ounce highball glass by Libbey at home, which is stackable, and is a must for a tiny New York apartment,” he says. “It’s actually the same glass we use at Employees Only, too. They’re thick enough to eliminate breakage, which is especially important for a glass that is most frequently used.”

Sustainable-living expert Danny Seo, the editor-in-chief of Naturally, Danny Seo magazine, loves these glasses that are made from 100-percent post-consumer recycled glass — or “the stuff you toss out in your recycling bin,” as he puts it. Seo adds that “the organic texture and shape lends well to pairing them with clean modern dinnerware.” And we think the slightly bulbous silhouette is a little more interesting than that of your standard highballs.

Anna Polonsky, founder of the food-focused strategy-and-design consultancy Polonsky & Friends, loves to set a dinner table with these drinking glasses. “Hudson Wilder really creates timeless tableware,” she says. “They stand out without being too much. The base makes them special, but they’re also hardy enough not to feel too precious.” She owns a set in amber, which you’ll have to wait till September to get. Or snag these with a just as beautiful smoke-color base now.

[bubblegumbeech]

So. I just found your “Wish Come True” story and am kind of in love with it right now!! (Even if I’m late, sorry about that)

Like Pariah’s goal is literally to adopt and raise two orphaned kids with their (in denial about fatherhood) prince dad. Such plan includes destroying the people that have hurt or plant to hurt his now (adoption and marriage pending) family and remove anything that might convince them to leave. I love it!

Maybe I’m reading too much into the conversation but it sounds Pariah is just as taken with Danny and Jazz as Clockwork is. Which is something I really enjoy with this and all of your other stories! I love how it’s heavily implied that if Pariah could leave with Danny, Jazz, and Clockwork he would. But he needs to keep at least Clockwork in the palace walls so that he can slaughter the Observants and ruin any military forces that would follow them. It’s just a fun idea that the only reason the Pariah is planning this coup d’éta so that his future husband Clockwork won’t leave him and their kids out of a misplaced sense or responsibility to a kingdom that doesn’t really need him. (It doesn’t sound like he is first or even second in line for the throne it’s not like he would be missed if he was just going to be married off to a foreign prince/king anyway).

I deeply enjoyed this story!!! I just kept thinking about it and I ended up with a few questions. (Maybe entire prequel scenario is a better term for it?)

I was wondering if Pariah already had Danny and Jazz out of the kingdom safely in the care of his people?

Is that what caused the fight in the beginning and why Clockwork didn’t react as frightened when Pariah mentioned taking Danny and Jazz with them? Had Danny and Jazz gone missing and reports Clockwork heard made it sound like they were kidnapped by the forty thieves? Did Clockwork hear the news and decode to either go out to look for them himself or have someone sent out to investigate (because there was a security risk if they were able to get into the kingdom and leave with two of their child citizens (absolutely everything nothing to do with them being Clockwork’s kids) and the fight happens while Pariah tries to reassure Clockwork in some way that the kids are safe while accidentally revealing that he is the one that sent someone to take the kids? And that’s where the thief accusation came from? Because Pariah stole Clockwork’s children,

Was one of the things that Pariah and Clockwork discussed during their courting adopting or at least taking Danny and Jazz with them if they got married (like Pariah talking about his “kingdom” and subtly bringing up how frequent and respected adoption was and subtly implying that he wouldn’t mind adopting Clockwork’s kids and that was something that made the truth harder on Clockwork when it was revealed? Because he doesn’t know if Danny and Jazz would really be safe even if he went with them he “knows” they won’t be safe if they stay in his kingdom after Pariah takes over.)

Thank you again for the awesome story! Also sorry if how I played with the font is annoying or if some words don’t make sense. I just discovered how to add bold and cross out words and my keyboard needs to be replaced.

Wow okay first off thank you So much for this comment I’ve read it like six times and I love love love it. I’m always thrilled when people like my work but it’s another thing entirely to have someone engage with it like this!!!

As for your questions, (or maybe they aren’t questions sorry) but that is 100% Pariah’s goal!! The instigating incident is honestly something that would be super fun to write from Pariah’s point of view because it basically amounts to him seeing a cute guy (and cute guy’s kids) in trouble and saving him. Very Thomas O’Malley right? Except his “super subtle let me destroy this order of Observants by sneaking my way into the palace so that cute guy and kids are safe and avenged” plan is kinda ruined when That Very Same Cute Guy is The Prince He’s Pretending to Be A Candidate to Marry!!!

As for Danny and Jazz, I wasn’t really thinking of them or what they were doing during the argument (I had it in my head that CW found out in a much more accidental subtle way like seeing a signet ring or an infamous sword) but I like your idea more. So now I’m picturing CW not hearing from the kids, so he starts going out more in disguise to try and find them only to get captured himself by Pariah’s men who .. just. Take him to Pariah. This of course would lead to the confrontation and CW realizing just how fucked his kingdom is should Pariah give the order to invade.

As for talking about adoption. I have this image of a CW that tries to come across as aloof and unconcerned, despite the fact that he clearly cares so much. So while he would take them in and basically treat them as his own… he would never put right mention adoption. Pariah wouldn’t think of it, cause he doesn’t realize it’s an unofficial thing since he was introduced to the fam by CW stepping in to protect them and getting basically tortured for it. However he is Very much playing the kind of divorce dad game where he tries to convince the kids he’s the fun dad and they should be on his side (esp with the coup he’s planning.) but I don’t think he’s taken them out of the kingdom, but he does have “a brand new safer hiding place” for them where the Observants can’t find them. That’s what I picture at least, now that you mention it >>.

And it’s fun to play with font and stuff and makes it a bit easier to read so don’t apologize for that!! Anyways I hoped you like my rambles, any one shot I write is of course 100% open to be taken and ran with if you do have a really vivid idea you want to play with (just tag me so I can see it 👀)

#bumble thoughts #responding #asks #spacespazz101 #thanks so much!!!!

[love-of-fandoms]

Cherry Blossoms (Hanzo Shimada + OC) Chapter 13

Chapter 13 of Cherry Blossoms (Master List)

Pairing: Alpha Hanzo + Omega OC

Word Count: 2422 words

The day after Halloween, an extremist anti-omnic group began a coup in Hong Kong. They had taken control of the airport, and were running through the streets attacking any omnics they came across, and in turn any organics with them. Winston sent a team out.

Danny startled awake at the sound of a ringtone going off. When she cracked her eyes open, she was met with the view of a bare chest. There was some blue ink on the chest, and following it to the shoulder it was attached to she could see it was Hanzo’s dragon tattoo. Upon gaining more awareness of everything, she could feel two strong arms around her waist.

With a squeak, she shot up, looking around. The arms around her tightened in protest, but she broke out of their hold in a panic. Hanzo startled awake at her forcefully tearing herself from his arms, and one hand reached up to rub his eyes to get the sleep out of them.

“What’s wrong, ‘me-” he cut himself off, eyes opening a bit more at the sight of a heavily breathing Danny. Almost instinctively, his arms went back around her, pulling her back down into his chest. “We fell asleep watching the movie, remember?” he prompted gently, and Danny took in a deep breath his scent flooding her nostrils and calming her almost instantly. She sighed happily.

“Y-yeah,” she murmured, nuzzling back into his chest and closing her eyes once more. “C-can we sl-sleep a little longer?” she asked, her lips brushing his chest as she spoke. Hanzo was thankful her face was against his chest and she wasn’t able to see the bright pink flush that had come to his cheeks. “Please?” Hanzo puffed out a sigh.

“I need to answer my phone,” he said, voice low and rough with sleep, and Danny sighed, throwing her arm out to Hanzo’s bedside table, grabbing his phone and holding it above her head.

“Here,” she grumbled, and Hanzo blinked, staring at his phone for a moment as he processed what was happening, and the domestic contentment that filled his chest. He took his phone gently from her hand, going to missed calls and calling back Winston before raising his phone to his ear. The scientist picked up after barely one ring.

“Hanzo?” the archer grunted.

“Yes Winston?” he grumbled, hand absentmindedly raising to stroke through Danny’s hair. She wasn’t asleep, but a small smile was on her face as she rested atop him with her eyes closed. The feeling of domesticity was so pleasant that the passing thought went through Hanzo’s head. It wouldn’t hurt for every morning to be like this. For once, the thought didn’t even alarm him.

“There’s an issue in Hong Kong,” Winston said, and Hanzo’s brows furrowed.

“What is it?”

“Some anti-omnic extremists are running around attacking omnics and omnic-sympathizers, we’re sending a team out,”

“And I’m on this team?” Danny’s head lifted a bit, looking up at Hanzo with a pinched face of concern. 

“Huh?” she mumbled, and Hanzo gave her an I’ll tell you later look, hand still stroking through her hair, and Danny sighed, slumping back against his chest.

“Yes, McCree, Hana, Reinhardt, Lucio, and Tracer are being sent to the airport to take out their central command,” Winston said. “You, Torbjörn, Angela, Brigitte and I are going to take out the smaller groups in the streets,”

“When do we leave?”

“As soon as you all can get ready and down to the hangar,” Hanzo let out a heavy sigh, glancing down at Danny for a moment before raising his eyes to the ceiling.

“I’ll be right down,” he said, before ending the call and putting his phone to the side. Danny peaked up at him with a questioning gaze.

“What’s going on?” she asked blearily. Hanzo sighed again.

“I need to go to Hong Kong,” he said, his hands going to her shoulders and prompting her to sit up. She sighed, sitting up and scooching over Hanzo so she could swing her legs over the edge of the bed. He sighed fondly, large hands falling to her hips and lifting her up. Danny squeaked as Hanzo put her back on his other side, plopping her down and gently pushing her shoulders back down. “You can still sleep,” he told her, standing from the bed and pulling the covers back over her. 

“Are you sure?” Danny asked, though it was clear to both of them that she was going to take him up on his offer whether it was genuine or not as she settled into his pillows with a sigh, eyes already slipping closed. One of her hands grabbed Hanzo’s comforter and tugged it up to her face, breathing in his calming scent of flowers and tea. Hanzo huffed out a chuckle as he quickly changed out of his costume from the night before and into his usual loose robe.

“Sleep,” he commanded softly, leaning down to peck her forehead without really thinking about it. A smile slipped onto Danny’s face as she slipped into that calm, dizzy state that came right before sleep. As such, she didn’t notice the pink that came to Hanzo’s cheeks when he realized what he had done. He quickly slipped out of his room, eyes widening when he saw Jesse McCree standing right outside his door.

“Mornin’ Hanzo,” McCree grinned at the archer, tipping his hat, and Hanzo nodded back, beginning to walk down the hall in the direction of the hangar. McCree followed, his spurs clicking as they walked down the hall. “Have you seen Danny?” the cowboy asked, and Hanzo raised an eyebrow at him. “Just didn’t find her in her room earlier,” he shrugged at the look, and Hanzo sighed.

“She fell asleep in my room last night,” he said, and Jesse hummed mischievously. Hanzo’s lips tugged down into a scowl. “What?” Jesse shrugged innocently.

“Awe, nothin’,” Hanzo grunted, and he could have laughed in relief when they finally reached the hangar. Winston was there, along with 7 others, and he cleared his throat when he saw the final two heroes walk in.

“Alright, gather round!” he called, and began the brief. “Anti-omnic extremists have taken over Hong Kong’s airport, as well as sending out smaller teams into the streets to attack any omnics and omnic-sympathizers they find. We’re going to have two teams: Mercy, Torbjörn, Brigitte, Hanzo, and myself will neutralize the terrorists in the streets, while McCree, Lucio, Reinhardt, D.Va, and Tracer will take back the airport!” Angela’s face pinched in worry.

“Winston, we’re still technically illegal,” she piped up. “Will this be okay?” Winston nodded.

“HKPD knows we’re coming, and the chief said that he’ll be thankful for the help,” he assured her, and Angela sighed in relief.

“Well, at least we know we won’t get arrested, might die, but not get arrested,” Torbjörn cracked, and Lucio grimaced.

“Honestly, I’d rather not go through the whole ‘getting arrested’ thing again,” Lucio sighed, and Hanzo’s brows rose in question, and Lucio backpedaled, sensing the imminent questions. “But uh, let’s go to Hong Kong! Not worry about my record…” the musician chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously. 

“Shit!” Torbjörn exclaimed as a group of maybe 15 anti-omnic extremists rushed towards them. Everyone’s eyes widened when they saw multiple members of the group pulled out small bombs, arming them and preparing to throw them.

“Brigitte!” Winston called, but Brigitte grunted in frustration, shaking her gauntlet frantically.

“My shield isn’t working!” Hanzo’s eyes widened, pulling out an arrow and taking a deep breath. A blue energy began to glow around him, solidifying into his dragons.

“Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!” he shouted as he loosed the arrow, Sanda and Akarui spiraling forward in their mighty forms with his arrow, taking out the group that was rushing towards them. The few stragglers that were left found themselves screaming as the bombs their comrades had armed went off.

“Uh, we got a problem!” sounded through their comms, and Winston held tapped the comm in his ear.

“What is it, McCree?” he asked.

“We need back up, D.Va got hurt in the initial breach and there are way more than we expected,” McCree’s worried voice sounded through the comms, and Winston exchanged a worried look with the others.

“We’re on our way,” he said, before turning to Hanzo.

“Hanzo, you can get there quickest, go and provide support until the rest of us can get there,” the archer nodded, before running and grabbing an awning to swing himself up to the roof of a building. He ran off in the direction of the airport, eyes widening at the huge hole in the side of the main entrance.

“Where are you? It’s a big airport!” Hanzo demanded into his comm, McCree’s response crackling through only moments later.

“Right past the security checkpoint by the main entrance!” Hanzo’s eyes narrowed as he continued to run, soon enough hearing gunfire. Any civilians he encountered on the way, he told to get out of the airport, find somewhere safe.

“Vamos esculachar!” he heard Lucio shout as he rounded the corner, seeing, like McCree had said, the team huddled up by the security checkpoint. A green glow surrounded everyone as Lucio healed them up best he could, and Hanzo’s eyes narrowed as he saw a huge mec suit walking towards them. It had two huge turrets on its shoulders, which began to glow red as they fired up.

“Watch out!” he shouted, firing an explosive arrow at the mec, which barely phased it. McCree turned to Hanzo, seeing where the bow was firing and turning just in time to dive out of the way as the mec began firing. Reinhardt, who had just finished off a small group of attackers, turned to face the mec with a roar-like shout.

“For the crusaders!” he roared as he slammed his warhammer to the ground, a series of cracks lining the ground and rushing towards the mec, who had barely anytime to react before they were knocked off their feet. The person manning the mec let out a scream as they fell, the armor denting enough that it had surely injured the person inside. McCree jumped out from the barrier he had hidden himself behind then, pulling his peacekeeper out and shooting at the weak spots on the mec with deadly precision.

“It’s HIGH noon!” he shouted as the mec exploded, and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the impending threat seemed to be subdued. 

It wasn’t to last however, McCree standing up and beginning to walk forward.

“Come on, we still need to finish them off,” he called, and Hanzo ran over and stopped Tracer from following the others.

“Stay with D.Va,” he told her. “The others will be here soon, until then we can’t leave her unprotected,” Tracer nodded, determination in her eyes.

“Got it!” she affirmed.

Almost 36 hours after the team had departed, they finally arrived back at the base. Exhausted, those who weren’t injured hightailed it back to their rooms, while the less fortunate ones had to stay and be treated by Angela.

Hanzo, only having some cuts and bruises, began to leave the hangar when he saw Danny running towards him. The corner of his lips quirked up in a small smile at the sight of her, and he barely had times to open his arms before she was barreling into them.

“Is everybody alright?” she asked, and Hanzo nodded, wincing when she gave him a tight squeeze. Perhaps his ribs were bruised as well… “Oh! I’m sorry! Are you hurt?!” Danny quickly pulled away, and Hanzo had to suppress the distressed noise that wanted to come out of his throat when she took her warmth and scent with her.

“I’m fine,” he assured her, but Danny narrowed her eyes, a hand raising to lightly prod his ribs. Hanzo let out a hiss of pain, and she sighed, grabbing his hand.

“Come on,” she began tugging him down the hall towards med bay, glancing over her shoulder at the others still in the hangar. “You too, Jesse! I need to look at that arm!” Jesse chuckled, tipping his hat at Angela before jogging to catch up to his little sister and the archer.

“You know how to fix his prosthetic?” Hanzo asked, surprised, and Danny nodded.

“I spent a year on the road with his sorry ass, I picked up a few things,” she grumbled, and Jesse chuckled.

“She’s better at fixing this thing than me at this point,” Jesse said, and Danny rolled her eyes.

“That’s because you only have one hand to fix it with,” she shot back, and Jesse shrugged, an indulgent smile on his face. She swung open the door to the medbay when the reached it, gesturing for her two shadows to sit as she began rifling through the cabinets.

“Where the hell are the biotic fields?” she murmured to herself, letting out a triumphant “Ah HA!” when she finally found one. She turned back to Hanzo, gesturing for him to take off his robe, which he did with only a slight blush. Danny very pointedly avoided looking too much as his toned chest, instead focusing intently on placing the biotic field above his ribs and turning it on.

“He gonna live, doc?” Jesse joked, and Danny sighed, pouting.

“I’m doing everything I can, but I don’t think he’s gonna make it,” she said softly, and Jesse gasped, putting his flesh hand to his chest in ‘shock’.

“Oh no!” he began fake sobbing, and Hanzo scoffed, reaching out a hand to shove the cowboy’s shoulder.

“I’m not dying anytime soon,” he grit out, and Danny smiled, nodding.

“You better not!” she chirped, giving Sanda and Akarui a pat on each of their heads when they peaked out of his tattoo. “Otherwise I won’t get to see these adorable little dragons again!” her voice raised in pitch, and Hanzo raised a brow.

“You’ll only miss the dragons?” he challenged, a small smile on his face as he knew she was only joking. Danny hummed, glancing up at him.

“I mean, I guess I’ll miss you too,” she sighed, and Hanzo chuckled, reaching a hand up to ruffle her hair. Danny pouted, but allowed him to do so begrudgingly.

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” he assured her, and Danny gave him a soft smile.

“Good,”

…

“What am I? Chopped liver? My arm’s sparking over here!”

“Sorry!”

#cherry blossoms overwatch #overwatch fanfiction #hanzo shimada #hanzo x oc #hanzo x reader #alpha hanzo #abo fic #alpha beta omega #missions #fluff #cute #Jesse McCree #Winston overwatch

[fenster-verse]

#BringDannyHome - by Gillian O’Brien

(originally published on Gillian’s blog, here)

I’ve always been interested in the news. Not just in what’s happened, but in how it’s reported and why. I’m interested in the stories that don’t get told, just as much as those that do.  The first piece I had published was about a newspaper, The Northern Star, which was the paper of the Society of United Irishmen. From its launch in January 1792 until it was forcibly silenced in May 1797 the paper championed the radical political and social ideas of the society. The Dublin Castle authorities believed it to have a malign influence on public opinion and for almost five and a half years the paper was pursued by them with a dedication bordering on zealotry. Trials, arrests without prospect of trial, use of informers,  even physical assaults were some of the approaches used by an increasingly desperate administration. Despite the arrest (without charge) of Samuel Neilson, the proprietor and editor, the Northern Star continued to publish until on 19 May 1797 when Crown forces broke into the newspaper’s Belfast office, ransacked the building and smashed the printing presses.

And more than 200 years later administrations around the world continue to attack free speech, continue to try to silence journalists and continue to destroy their means of communication. The threat to journalists and freedom of speech was brought even closer to home on 24 May this year when my friend and journalist Danny Fenster was arrested in Yangon, Myanmar, as he was about to board a flight to return to Detroit to visit his parents. I first met Danny in Dublin in 2005 when he was a student. Even then Danny’s curiosity, his interest in people, his wanderlust and his determination to give a voice to those that don’t have one was apparent. When we lived in Chicago we hung out at gigs and bars and exhibitions and general rambles around the city. Danny was never without at least one book, one notebook and a handful of pens stuffed into his pockets. After years working as a journalist in the United States and later in Thailand Danny is now the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar a weekly publication that is ‘an unbiased voice in transitional Myanmar’.

Danny’s family and the US embassy have had no response from the Myanmar authorities who have ignored repeated requests for information. He is being held in Insein Prison in Yangon, a prison well known for its harsh conditions and the torture of many of those held there. Built over a century ago and designed to house 5,000 inmates it now holds about 13,000. Danny is one of hundreds of political prisoners being illegally held there. Some are foreigners, but the vast majority are locals who have also been unlawfully detained and denied access to lawyers and family members. There is no free press any more in Myanmar, protests have been brutally silenced and thousands have been arrested. Danny, like many journalists who have been arrested, has been charged under the new Article 505(a) of the penal code which criminalises the dissemination of information that could agitate or cause security forces or state officials to mutiny. This is a law created by the leaders of the coup who are desperate to silence all opposition.

I’m most comfortable trying to make sense of the past and sometimes it takes a jolt to remind me to be more present, to see who is being silenced now and why. A free press is vital. Journalists, like Danny, are doing immensely brave work across the world, shining a light on stories that many governments and corporations might rather remained in the shadows. It is vital that the journalists arrested and silenced in countries across the world are not forgotten. They include Danny Fenster in Mayanmar, Roman Protasevich in Belarus, Rabah Kareche in Algeria, Rozina Islam in Bangladesh among many more.

More information on Danny and the efforts to free him can be found here: https://bringdannyhome.com/

[oswincoleman]

Jenna Coleman in the 2010s

Here I will summarize Jenna’s various roles within her last 10 years, in chronological order:

Princess Melia Antiqua (Xenoblade Chronicles)

Xenoblade Chronicles was released in 2010, and Jenna must have recorded her part in either 2009 or 2010. Melia is the daughter of the High Emperor of the Entia, is a mage, and one of 7 playable characters in the game. The Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will be released later this year, and it remains unknown whether any new recordings were done, and if Jenna will reprise her role.

Connie (Captain America: The First Avenger)

In 2010, after finishing her work on Emmerdale, and then Waterloo Road, Jenna auditioned for lots of roles in the USA. She however only managed to get a tiny role in Captain America: The First Avenger, and a part in the short film Corporate Monster (2019, originally filmed as Imaginary Forces). With at least one bad experience, of being asked to attend an audition in a bikini, she has since stayed away from American acting entirely.

Captain America: The First Avenger released in 2011, and Jenna filmed her brief role in 2010. She plays Connie, Bucky’s date at the World Expo.

Annie Desmond (Titanic)

From May 2011 onwards, filming of the miniseries Titanic took place in Budapest. Jenna played the stewardess Annie Desmond, who falls in love with chef Paolo Sandrini. When disaster strikes, she does whatever she can to help others, and survives after Paolo finds her a place on a lifeboat. 

The miniseries was released on the centenary of the tragedy, on the 15th of April 2012, in 86 countries around the world. 

Maria (Maria’s Story)

Jenna filmed a short video for NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) / Childline, portraying a teenager who was sexually abused as a child, and later reached out, and was helped by Childline, and telling their story. She probably filmed it in early 2012. The YouTube video of Jenna’s performance was uploaded on February 7th, 2012. 

Oswin Oswald (Doctor Who, series 7 episode 1: Asylum of the Daleks)

Yes, I will keep Clara’s echoes separate, because they are different characters. 

Jenna had her first surprise appearance on Doctor Who in Asylum of the Daleks, which aired on 1st September 2012. Jenna was first announced as the new companion on the 21st of March 2012, and presumably she started filming  Asylum of the Daleks at about the same time. 

Oswin Oswald is the junior entertainment manager on the starship Alaska, which crashed into the planet housing the Dalek Asylum of all insane Daleks. In a surprising twist it is revealed that unlike the rest of the crew, who were merely turned into puppets, keeping their former appearances, Oswin received the full conversion into a Dalek, because she is a genius. Oswin dreamt up a reality, of Carmen, and soufflés, to hide the truth of who she was. She managed to hack into the Dalek path web, disabled all Daleks on the planet, and deleted all references to the Doctor in the Daleks’ entire database. In the end, she sacrificed herself to save the Doctor, Amy and Rory. 

Susan Brown (Room at the Top)

This miniseries was originally planned to premiere in April 2011, but due to several delays was only aired on the 26th and 27th of September 2012. I have unfortunately not managed to find out when it was filmed, but it was probably filmed in early 2011, before Jenna filmed Titanic. 

Susan Brown falls in love with Joe Lampton, who maintains an affair with both her and Alice Aisgill. Joe loves Alice, but wants to marry Susan, as she is the daughter of a very successful businessman. When Susan gets pregnant, her father insists that they marry, and Joe leave Alice for good. 

Clara Oswin Oswald (Doctor Who 2012 Christmas Special)

The next Clara echo we encountered in Doctor Who is Clara Oswin Oswald in Victorian London. She works both as a barmaid in the Rose and Crown, and as a governess for the Latimer family. She encounters the Doctor, and encounters the carnivorous Snowmen. She convinces the Doctor to fight off the threat, and together they foil the plans of the Great Intelligence. The Doctor abandons his time of living in the TARDIS in the clouds, and gives Clara a key to the TARDIS. But when it seemed as though everything was solved, the ice governess drags Clara off of the cloud, to both of their demise. 

All of this takes place in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, “The Snowmen”, for which filming started on the 6th of August 2012.

Clara Oswald (Doctor Who series 7B-9, the 50th anniversary special, and the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017 Christmas specials)

In the very same episode we see Clara Oswald for the first time. She starts off as a nanny in modern day London, but has great dreams and ambitions. After having met two of her echoes, the Doctor was inspired by their mystery, and searched for yet another Clara. He did meet her once when she was a child, but did not realize it. Only when Missy gave Clara the Doctor’s phone number did they finally properly meet. Clara was swept along to numerous adventures over many years of here life. She encountered many foes, and stood up to them with nothing but her words. She always wanted to learn more, and hone her skills. In her long time on the show she managed to convince the Doctor to save Gallifrey rather than burn it, she persuaded the Time Lords to give the Doctor new regenerations without which his 11th incarnation would have been his last, she outwits many enemies, such as the half-faced man, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Bonnie, and Odin (to name a few). She jumped into the Doctor’s timestream to prevent its corruption through the Great Intelligence. In doing so, she generated all the echoes we saw previously, alongside many other ones strewn throughout all of time and space. Clara faces her fears one by one, learning not to be defeated by them, and becoming increasingly brave. 

She quit her job as a nanny, and got a job as an English teacher at Coal Hill school. There she met Danny Pink, who she got into a relationship with. She was torn between Danny and the Doctor, and the two incompatible lives she was leading. She couldn’t decide, and tried to maintain both. But she couldn’t keep that up for long, and when Danny died in a car crash, she was willing to risk her life with the Doctor as well, for the off chance that his death could be rewritten by time travel. She had however underestimated how important she had become to the Doctor by this point. Danny does return as a Cybermen, as part of Missy’s plan for the Doctor to be more like her. Clara, the Doctor, and Danny however foil Missy’s plans, and Danny sacrifices himself to rid the world of all Cybermen. 

Traumatized by these events, Clara increasingly distances herself from her normal life, to which she was only anchored by Danny. She devotes herself more and more to the life of the Doctor. As ambitious, intelligent, and skilled as she is, merely following him around is not what she has in mind. She learns all she can from him, first imitates him, and finally develops her own style. Clara was never someone who blindly relied on others to help her out if she got into trouble. She learns to fly the TARDIS, seeks out adventures, and does whatever she can to help others, using her innate empathy and skill. Together, the Doctor and Clara form an unbeatable team. Well, almost. Clara sacrifices herself to save Rigsy, her “companion” of two adventures. There is nothing that can be done to stop the chronolock which was intended for Rigsy, and Clara ends up standing her ground while facing the raven. 

The Doctor however cannot live with her death at all, and endures billions of years of torture before returning to Gallifrey, where he leads a coup against the autocratic Rassilon. And all of this, to be able to extract Clara from the end of her time stream, and resume their travels together. Except it of course does not work out as planned, and Clara’s death remains a fixed point. She has to die at the exact time and place when and where the Chronolock countdown ended. In his effort to save Clara, the Doctor himself became a monster. Clara tried her best to get him to return to being the Doctor, but the only thing that works, is erasing all his memories of her. When they both finally feel too guilty because of the damage they have caused each other, they depart ways. Clara has become a second Doctor in this process, with her own TARDIS, and companion. And this is how her arc comes to a close, and her story finishes. She does however return as a hallucination of the 12th Doctor when his memories of Clara are restored just before his own regeneration. 

Jenna Coleman filmed her total of 37 episodes featuring Clara Oswald in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Her final appearance in Twice Upon a Time (2017 Christmas special) was the final scene shot for the episode, so presumably at the end of July, or even later. 

Jenna also portrayed Clara Oswald in the Doctor Who: Lego Dimensions game in 2015. 

Rosie Williams (Dancing on the Edge)

Jenna Coleman plays Rosie Williams, Stanley’s assistant at the Music Express magazine. But their relationship is a bit more than just that. The series takes place in London in the 1930s, following a jazz band and their rise to fame and subsequent difficulties. 

The four-part series aired between 4th February, and 12th March 2013. Once again I am not exactly sure when Jenna filmed her part, but I guess it must have been in early or mid 2012. 

Interestingly, Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes both starred in this series, though they never really had a scene together (they do appear in one shot together, but aren’t talking to each other).

Other Clara echoes (Doctor Who, series 7 episode 13: The Name of the Doctor)

When Clara Oswald jumped into the Doctor’s timestream, millions of copies of her were created, and spread out through all of time and space. Each of them a different person, yet all sharing many similarities with the “original” Clara Oswald. All these echoes work together to nullify the effects of the Great Intelligence on the Doctor’s timeline. Some of them interact with the Doctor at various stages of their lives, but most work in the background, keeping the Great Intelligence at bay, far away from the Doctor. Through these echoes, Clara meets all the incarnations of the Doctor, even one that the Doctor wanted to leave out; the War Doctor. 

All Characters in The Secret Garden

In 2013, Jenna also recorded the audiobook “The Secret Garden”, voicing all the characters in the story (and as always delivering a fantastic vocal performance).

The story follows the 10 year old Mary Lennox, who after the death of her parents, is sent to her uncle’s residence in Yorkshire. There she discovers the titular secret garden that had been locked up for 12 years, as well as her sickly nephew, Colin, who had been kept a secret from her. Mary also meets Dickon, and together, they bring life back to the secret garden, and revitalize Colin’s health. 

All Characters in Destiny of the Doctor: The Time Machine

In her only appearance in Doctor Who’s Big Finish audio collection so far, Jenna voiced all the characters of this audio book. 

In the story, Alice Watson helps Professor Chivers to assemble a time machine. The alien Creevix, and the Doctor however start to intervene before everything is complete. Together, they defeat the Creevix, and Alice goes on adventures with Guy Taylor in the end.

Jenna Coleman (The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot)

Jenna Coleman appeared as herself in the comedy spoof for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. It was released at the same time as the actual Doctor Who 50th special, The Day of the Doctor, on the 23rd of November 2013. 

Lydia Wickham (Death Comes to Pemberley)

This four-part mini series first aired on the 26th of December 2013, just one day after the 2013 Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Day of the Doctor”. In Death comes to Pemberley, which was filmed earlier in 2013, Jenna plays the hysterical, theatrical, and self-centered Lydia, and how she reacts to the other events of the story, most notably the accusation that George Wickham murdered his friend Denny. 

Let’s take a moment to consider that the last 12 entries on this list all occurred within 2012 or 2013. What incredible years those must have been for Jenna Coleman fans!

Marble Statue, Monologue by Jacqueline Wilson (2014)

In August 2014, Jenna Coleman lent her voice to a marble statue in the Manchester Central Library, for an exhibition aiming to bring statues to life, by associating them with text that was read out by actors. Scanning a barcode at each statue started playing the recording.

Bonnie (Doctor Who, series 9 episodes 7 and 8: The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion)

As another character Jenna portrayed in Doctor Who, Bonnie was the leader of a faction of Zygons living on Earth. She copied Clara Oswald’s appearance to infiltrate UNIT, and there managed to annihilate UNIT from within. Could this be the reason why UNIT no longer exists in series 11 and 12? (UNIT does exist in series 10, but that could have been set earlier than The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion). Anyway, in the end Bonnie is defeated by a combined effort of the Doctor and Clara, learns to see the error in her ways, and actually helps to maintain the peace from then on. She changes her appearance to that of Petronella Osgood, to ensure that there are once again 2 Osgoods. 

This two-parter was filmed in early 2015, and aired on the 31st October, and 7th November 2015. 

Katrina Clark (Me Before You)

In a break during the filming of Doctor Who series 9, Jenna filmed her part for Me Before You, at some point between May and June 2015. She plays Louisa Clark’s younger sister, who is also a single mother. She only plays a small role overall, but helps her sister through several tough moments, providing advice and emotional support. The film was released in the UK on June 3rd, 2016.

Queen Victoria (Victoria series 1-3, 2017 Christmas Special)

After her time on Doctor Who came to an end, Jenna landed her first lead role, as Queen Victoria in the ITV and PBS series Victoria, chronicling the life and times of Queen Victoria. So far, series 1-3 have covered the period from 1837 to 1851, depicting Victoria from age 18 to 32. 

The series starts off with Victoria learning of her accession to the throne, following the death of William IV. We see her very strict upbringing, and how she gained independence by being the Queen. At first we see her making many clumsy mistakes, and the scheming of others to control her in one way or another. But she stubbornly gets her way through, and certainly doesn’t lose any confidence along the way. 

We follow along on the journey of how Victoria and Albert grow closer, and fall in love with each other, how their relationship develops, and they marry. Victoria gets pregnant shortly thereafter. Despite loathing pregnancy, and losing the ability to be herself and rule the country, another pregnancy follows the first one in quick succession. And then another. And another, and another .... 

Victoria gradually becomes more acquainted with being the Queen. But alongside that she also plays the role of a wife to Albert, and a mother to her many children. We later see the struggle of being all those roles at once. The series also explores the combination of Victoria’s postnatal depression, her dislike of pregnancy, but also her love for Albert, and her relationship with her children. 

Of course this period in history is also quite interesting in and of itself, and we see Victoria engaging with many events of the time. She manages to make a real positive impact on some problems (like the difficulties involved with the Great Exhibition), but fails to resolve other ones (the Irish Potato Famine). 

Jenna Coleman filmed the three series from late 2015 to early 2016, early to mid 2017, and mid to late 2018, respectively. The three series aired in the UK in August to October 2016, August to October 2017, the 25th of December 2017, and March to May 2019. 

Victoria is on hiatus at the moment, and it is unknown when, and if it will return. Jenna’s work for The Serpent might already be completed, and if not, it probably won’t take much longer. There is nothing publicly known yet of her commitments after that, so as far as she is concerned, Victoria series 4 could be filmed rather soon. But that is still merely speculation at the moment. 

Belle (A Christmas Carol Audio Book)

In late 2016, Jenna Coleman played the role of Belle, Scrooge’s past love, in the audio book of “A Christmas Carol”, which released on the 9th December 2016. 

Baines (Thunderbirds are Go, season 2 episode 1: Earthbreaker)

This episode first aired in April 2017, so Jenna presumably recorded her part for it in late 2016.

She voiced her character, Baines, with an American accent (she also used American accents in All My Sons and Corporate Monster, but those are all different accents).

In the episode, Baines is the head of a research and mining operation who located Scandium ore, but were then attacked by The Earthbreaker machine. It quite literally breaks up the ground, creating a crevasse that Baines and her team fall into. Baines manages to call the Thunderbirds, who in the end manage to save them, and defeat the Earthbreaker.

Joanna Lindsay (The Cry)

In January to May 2018, Jenna filmed her next leading role in the four-part miniseries The Cry, which was filmed in both Australia and Scotland. It is based on the novel of the same name by Helen Fitzgerald, but it does diverge from it in several key points, particularly at the end. 

Joanna suffes postnatal depression after giving birth to baby Noah, and her partner Alistair doesn’t support her at all. He primarily focuses on his personal ambition of gaining custody of his daughter Chloe, from his ex-wife Alexandra, who currently lives in Australia, whereas Joanna and Alistair live in Glasgow, Scotland. The flight to Australia goes terribly when Noah cries the entire time. 

Major spoilers from this point on. You have been warned. 

Noah dies shortly after landing, when Alistair accidentally gave him the wrong medication. Alistair decides that the best course of action is to invent a story that Noah was kidnapped, rather than tell the world the truth. Joanna is too weak to argue, and plays along. Joanna’s despair grows over time, and she loses herself in the media attention, and the constant lies. She gets increasingly doubtful as time goes on, and starts to see through the lies Alistair has even told her throughout. 

When she finally learns the truth that Alistair gave Noah the fateful dose, despite his repeated insistance that she had been to blame, Joanna has had enough, and drives their car off a cliff. Alistair dies, but Joanna lives to the tell the tale. But by now she has become too intertwined with Alistair’s storyline of lies, that she sticks to the story, and wins her case in court. Finally, she returns to Australia, and is reunited with Noah, who was buried beneath a newly constructed house. 

Ann Deever (All My Sons)

Jenna played the role of Ann Deever in All My Sons at the Old Vic theatre in London, from the 13th of April to the 8th of June 2019. This was her first theatre production in 10 years, and her first really professional one. As Jenna has said in several interviews, she had been interested in performing on stage for several years now, but had been looking for the ideal role and play to appear in. 

Ann Deever returns to the Keller household in the late 1940s, having grown up in the house next to it. She intends to marry Chris Keller. But Chris’ mother Kate opposes the marriage, as to her, Ann will forever be “Larry’s Girl”. Larry is Chris’ brother, who went missing in WW2. Throughout the play, we learn more and more secrets that one or more of the main characters had hidden away. Chris’ father Joe turns out to have been responsible for shipping out cracked cylinder heads to the army, resulting in 21 pilot deaths. Ann’s father had been blamed for the deaths, and was incarcerated, while Joe wriggled his way out of being found guilty. But Ann wants to go ahead with the marriage nonetheless. When Kate still opposes it, Ann shows her a letter she got from Larry, in which he talks about his planned suicide following the news of the 21 pilot deaths Joe had been accused of. The play concludes with Joe killing himself as well. 

Ellen (Corporate Monster)

Back in 2010, when Jenna was auditioning for various roles in the USA, she filmed a role in the short film “Corporate Monster” (originally called Imaginary Forces). The initial planned release date passed without any news. But after many years of waiting, it was released on September 16th, 2019. 

Ellen’s boyfriend Robert Turner takes untested drugs aimed at combating his stress after he lost his job. But as a result of the drugs, he starts seeing aliens pretending to be humans everywhere he goes. He becomes increasingly paranoid, and starts fighting the aliens. He tries to force Ellen to take the drugs as well, so that he can prove that the aliens are real. Ellen refuses, and avoids him. After fighting several aliens, Robert shows up at Ellen’s office, kills several more aliens. Ellen takes the drugs in order to stop the massacre. Robert escapes, but gets cornered, and is killed. The film ends with Ellen seeing the aliens instead of humans as well. 

Beattie (Inside No. 9 series 5, episode 2)

Jenna filmed this part in February-March 2019. But we don’t know anything yet about her role, or the episode she will appear in. It will hopefully be released soon. 

Marie-Andrée Leclerc (The Serpent)

From September to December 2019, Jenna filmed her role as the female lead in the upcoming BBC One and Netflix series The Serpent, in Thailand. The series is based on the real life story from the 1970s, of serial killers Leclerc and Sobhraj, and how they were eventually caught. 

Jenna really has done a lot in the last decade! She has portrayed a huge variety of different roles, of so many different personalities. And she has done so brilliantly! In the last decade Jenna Coleman has really made a name for herself, and done incredible work in TV series, films, audiobooks, a play, and some video games. Now on to the next decade! I look forward to seeing all that Jenna will accomplish in the next ten years!

And as a final remark, sorry for the long post!

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