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littlebabyyd0ll · 1 year

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12. christmas shopping, daddy!steve rogers

— while doing some last minute shopping in new york, little!reader finds herself crumbling down. her daddy is the only solution to the problem.

— daddy!steve rogers x little!reader (feat. bucky)

— angst! dd/lg tones. reader cries a lot. panic attack? much comfort, mentions of reader being able to push their hair back and the cold turning their skin red. hyperfem!reader? bucky being an angel <3

— word count: 2000+

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A heavy crinkle and a solid rip become louder than the crowd around you, arm pulled back by the force of someone barging into you in the massive crowd. A small gasp left your lips as your body turned slightly, knocking into Steve, who was right behind you. His hand lay tight on your shoulder, ensuring you don't get lost in the sea of bobbing heads and frantic shoppers. The shove doesn't phase him, completely moving when your weight falls against him. Its not that he doesn't notice, but his head is somewhere else entirely. What with Christmas approaching, it doesn't become difficult for Steve to get distracted. He loves the holidays, always has, but ever since coming out of the ice, his mind has become clouded with frosty memories of the freezing cold.

"S-sorry," you call out, even though whoever ripped your bag most definitely shoved you, not the other way around. Your head drops downwards, hairs framing your face as you study the damage to your bag. Thankfully, all of its contents were still in place, the hole covered from the inside by a thick cable cardigan that you'd purchased for a certain Sokovian redhead.

"You okay, baby?" It's almost as though you can feel the blood rushing through your head, ears becoming tinted in the cold air and at the sudden flush of being bumped into. Steve's voice is hard to hear over the hustle and bustle of New York City. Though familiar, it seems to float in the wind, as though falling further and further away from you.

"Yeah," you murmur sheepishly with a miniscule nod, not wanting to cause any form of upset. You hate the thought of Steve being distressed, and knowing what the holiday season did to him, it seemed a far better option to keep the peace.

His large hand rubs over your pink coat, a silent notion to show that he heard you. It doesn't take much for you to be in need of Steve's physical touch - he can't even count the amount of times that you'd come bundling towards him when he walks through the door, you sweet little 'Daddy!' floating through the air as he lifts you into his arms. All the nights that you refuse to untangle yourself from his arm, all four of your limbs wrapped around one of his. Even in your sleep, you refuse to leave his side. Even when he plaits your hair so gently, you can't help but turn you head and plant a soft kiss against his knuckles. His sweet little girl - always so gentle and needy. He wouldn't change it for the world, which is why when your little mitten covered fingers find his gloveless ones, he can't help but feel a little brighter.

But he can hear it. You might not be able to, what with your lacking in super solider abilities and with the masses around you, but now that he's more aware of what's going on around him, Steve picks it u almost instantly. Your heart is beating quicker. Sure, there's the way that your heart always beats around him; slightly quicker, missing a beat or two in the depths of your excitement. But this is different. Panicked, shakier.

With furrowed brows and shuffled steps, Steve leans down closer to you, bending to try and match your much shorter height. "Do you wanna leave, Bunny? We can go any time you want to."

Still, you shook your head no. "I'm okay, Daddy." The words are quiet and small, causing the captain's concerns to grow. Sometimes you got sheepish in public, and that's okay. But you barely ever call him by his title in front of the other Avengers, let alone in public. reluctantly, he stands back up straight, giving your gloved hand a gentle squeeze. You shiver slightly in the cold, little nose tinted by the snowy air.

For a while, things do seem okay. You mutter quietly as you look around shops, stand by idly as fas ask to take pictures with the one and only Captain America, insist that its your fault when someone stands on your foot. But it all comes crashing down as you step out of a fancy shop.

You're happily murmuring, pleased with the gift that you'd just managed to score for Sam, when someone's form collides right with yours. You slip, falling down the last step and into the icy streets below with a gasp.

"Watch where you're walking, asshole!" the passerby shouts, completely ignorant to the distress that they had caused. They go on their merry way, bumping against more members of the public and spewing out profanities.

But the damage is done. You're already crying by the time that you rise on your wobbly knees, trembling like a leaf and calling out for Steve. He's behind you in an instant, picking up the fallen shopping bags from the floor and thanking those who quickly help. And then he's up, looking down into your shimmery eyes as you whine for him. Rushing forward and burying yourself in his chest, you cry out, "h-hurts, daddy!"

It's a blur, really, how he gets you back to the compound so quickly. Even with you quivering in his arms, Steve works fast and with agility you could only ever wish to possess. He even brushes past Bucky, who had opened up his arms in invitation for you - as he did most days when you returned from being out far too long. The look on his face is twisted, hurt by the lack of notice. But then, as he turns to watch Steve's back retreat into your shared room, it all makes sense. Your little face, flushed and stained with tears looks cold and frightened, eyes glimmering against the warm lights of the Christmas tree, stacked with neatly wrapped gifts underneath. His heart almost breaks at the sight of you, hair dishevelled and lip wobbling, clambering onto Steve with another whine, gloved hands shaking in the fabric of his coat. A sob slips from your throat, and Bucky watches Steve try his best to soothe you all the while walking, bouncing you gently. The shopping bags crash rom Steves hands the second you both pass the threshold. And then, the door shuts.

He tries hard to put you down onto the bed, but you just can't let yourself leave his hold. More cries escape your lips, followed by little 'n-no!'s, hiccuped and rushed. You hold onto him tighter than you ever have before. Steve adores feeling needed as much as you make him feel needed, but his heart aches at the presence of your distress.

"C'mon, baby." He tries hard to coax you, warm hand running up and down your back. "Daddy just wants to help you. Let Daddy help you, Angel." Your tears have soaked into the fabric of his blue sweater. "Don't cry, sweet girl. please don't cry." He speaks again, having given up trying to put you down onto the cotton sheets. "We're gonna make it better, it's gonna be okay, you're okay." He holds you into him, all the while subtly shuffling you coat out of your shaking arms and down to the floor. As your face digs down into his shoulders he makes quick work of your shower, slipping them off effortlessly. "There we go, good girl. Good girl for letting Daddy take care of you, huh? You're so brave, baby, doing such a good job for me."

You twitch at the sound of his praise. His gentle voice aids you out of his shoulder. Steve pushes your hair back, past your ear before his palm lowers slightly, resting upon your tear soaked cheek. The sandy haired man rubs his thumb upon the surface of your skin, looking down at his whole world, all bundled in his arms and seeking comfort from him, only him. Your lip wobbles, "d-doin' good for you?" If possible, his heart breaks all over again at the shake in your voice.

Steve nods wholeheartedly, eyes soft and loving. "The best job, honey. Daddy's so proud of you." Subconsciously, your little head nods, reciprocating his actions without realising. Steve can't help but smile. His skin is tender against yours, tracing the fine lines of your face with his thumb. His ocean blue eyes shift in real time, taking in every ounce of your slowly calming form. You still tremble slightly and your hands are still covered by the white mittens that you put on hers ago, but your tears have began to stop. Sobs haven't escaped your lips for a solid minute, and you've taken to soothing yourself with his thumb. ever so slowly it had crept towards your wobbling lips, and there it settled peacefully. The tiny suckles feel familiar against Steve's calloused thumb, always on offer when the world overwhelms you a little too much. Even as your rapid heartbeat slows, Steve still shushes you gently, pressing delicate kisses onto your cool forehead. Back and forth he sways you both slightly, consoling you in any way possible.

It takes a mountain of effort, but eventually you daddy gets you out of your snow ridden clothes. he laid you down onto the mattress, underwear covered form shivering in the cold, insisting that you hold tightly on to your stuffed bunny. You bring the bunny to your face, burying your nose in the familiar scent of his fur as Steve pulls the pyjama bottoms up your legs. When the matching op comes over your chest, you're already whining to be back in his arms with grabby hands. The sandy haired man cooes, effortlessly picking you back up into his arms where he holds you for what he wishes to be eternity. This time, it's your own thumb that slots between your lips, fist still clenching down on the stuffed animal.

Three steady knocks wrack against your bedroom door. With a small whine you try to bury yourself further into Steve's skin. His hand rubs against your back as he calls out, asking who is on the other side of the door.

To both of your relief, a familiar raven haired man's voice filters through the gaps of the door. "It's Bucky. Can I come in?"

Steve takes a moment, looking down at you. Your tired eyes stare up at him, still sucking at your thumb. "What do you think, baby? Can Bucky come in?" His voice is still so soft with you, knowing full well how deep into the little mindset you are. Steve wants this to be your choice - you're so soft and sweet and vulnerable, he'd hate to be the one to take the settling calm away from you.

Slowly, but surely, you nod your head.

With Steve's verbal permission, Bucky pushes past the doorway. He looks a little disheartened, grey eyes instantly falling on your vulnerable form, all snuggled into your daddy's chest, You look ten times more relaxed than when you first entered the complex in Steve's arms, but he can't mistake the dried tears on your cheeks or the red in your eyes, the way your lashes have clumped together with the wetness. An unconscious pout makes its way to his lips, eyes moving to Steve in silent questioning; 'is she okay?'. The blond gives a subtle nod, his chin resting against the crown of your head as he sways you both.

"Hi, pumpkin. You doin' okay?" You don't say anything, only tiredly blinking and giving a small nod. You're not the best, but things are slowly getting better. "Yeah? Bet you're tired, huh? You've had a long day." He doesn't know exactly what happened, but your tiny nod tells him all that he could possibly need to know. In moments like this he couldn't be more thankful for your close friendship, that he gets to see you like this, gets to watch the way you interact with your one true love. He years for it himself. The way your cheek presses into Steve's shoulder, your legs wrapped around him as tight as possible, your stuffed bunny tucked in close. One day, he'll have something like that for himself.

But for now he settles on spoiling his favourite little girl.

"Made you this." Bucky offers a smile as he presents the mug settled into his vibrainum hand. A little gingerbread house mug, filled to the brim with hot chocolate and pink marshmallows. A Bucky specialty, nobody makes a hot chocolate like he does. It piques your interest, Head rising softly from Steve's shoulder. "Thought it might help calm you down a little. Gave you extra mashmallows." He passes the mug towards Steve, who takes it with a small, appreciative nod. "You call me if you need anything, okay?"

Finally, after what feels like hours, you crack a tiny smile. "Thank you, Buck.' The words are lisped, tainted by the presence of your thumb.

Steve's smile grows at the unprompted thank you. His good, sweet girl. So polite, so sweet.

The raven haired man beams brighter than ever before. "Any day, sweetheart."

#<3 steve rogers #daddy!steve rogers × little!reader #daddy!Steve #steve rogers x reader #little!reader #fluff #angst #abby's advent: Steve Rogers #abby's advent #daddy!steve rogers #Steve Rogers #steve rogers x y/n #Christmas fluff #Christmas angst

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pleaseeeimjustagirl · 3 months

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♡Weekly Chronicles♡

Hey babes! I haven't done a weekly chronicle in so longgg but I have some good updates because I missed you girlies<3 Welcome to my new girliesss!

♡Education♡

The semester has officially started and so far I like all my classes. I decided to do 18 credits worth of classes this semester and I didn't realize how busy my schedule would be until last week lol. I'm trying to find a way to reorganize my schedule because babes it is a lot. I have a bunch of items I need to get a few textbooks I will try and order this week but other than that it has been very simple since it is the first full week of the semester I don’t expect them to do too much. I hope all my college girlies are doing well let's buckle in and get this semester done so we can be hot girls all summer lol. Side note there is this really cute guy in a few classes near me and I see him all the time he is soooo cute lol he's blonde and tall I had a math class with him I believe a year ago never said anything to him and I don’t plan he’s just cute lol.

♡Mental♡

I have been great mentally. So far this year I have been super organized when it comes to my goals and habits so it has made me feel secure knowing I am going down the right path. I need to pay for my refill of my antidepressants I like to call them my happy pills. They have helped me a lot these past 3 months because I remember last year around this time I was so depressed Seasonal depression affected my motivation and goals, so I didn't accomplish much. Thankfully this year is different. Also, I've been working on saying more affirmations I sometimes have a tough time looking in the mirror, especially around the time of my period but I'm constantly reminding myself I'm beautiful self-love is a continuous journey and to be patient.

♡Physical♡

I have been sticking to my diet plan! It has been working I've been seeing major results of course I have slip-ups sometimes but I get right back on and I don't judge myself because I'm human and weight loss will not be linear. I can’t wait to reach my goal I still have more pounds to go but I got this! I've been super strict on my skincare routine and I've been seeing results with that as well my dark spots are slowly fading and I'm super happy. I recently cut my hair so I’m on a hair growth journey now. So if you have any tips especially if you have 4a, 4b, and 4c hair I'd love some tips below, and even if you don’t please share babes<3

♡Hobbies♡

My schedule has been super hectic. So now I'm trying to figure out how to organize my hobbies into my schedule but also trying to keep balance so I don't become overwhelmed. Pilates has been amazing I love the burn it's so addictive I can’t wait to get back into weightlifting in the second quarter of the year! I want to learn how to create flower arrangements so I can keep fresh flowers in my home. I'm still looking into new hobbies so I can have some excitement in my life outside of school. I tried some hobbies during the break and realized certain hobbies aren’t for me and some are. Also, I have been on it with my Italian! By the end of this year, I want to be bilingual. Every time I practice it makes me want to book a trip to Italy just to speak Italian with Italians lol.

I love chatting with you babes and want you girlies to chat back<3 so let me know what you have planned this week and how was your weekend Love you babes we are almost at 200 followers<3

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grifff17 · 20 days

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Audiodrama Sunday 4/7/2024

Lots of stuff to listen to this week. I really need to stop starting these writeups at 11:30pm on Sunday evening.

Loved the new Dear Liisphyra this week. I thought that the sponsor for this episode was really funny. I laughed out loud and looked like to an insane person to some guy I was walking past when they said that every weapon box comes with 50 feet of hempen rope.

Season 2 finale of @backagainpodcast! Man I love the themes of this show. It's such a well written tragedy, the dramatic irony is so good. Also I desperately want to know more about the other Soldier. We know several very relevant details about him but very little else.

New @spoutlore-blog was fun. Billie is such a good character, Jessica plays the "immortal child" trope so well. This show really puts the coolest worldbuilding you've ever heard with the dumbest dick jokes in existence. I still haven't gotten over the spider and the hummingbird.

Speaking of Spout Lore, the new Rude Tales of Magic episode has Abdul Aziz as a guest. He was a great guest, his style of humor fits perfectly with the setting of Piss Harbor. Are all the characters he plays street rats with a heart of gold. Excited to see who they bring on as guests in the future. They had Zac Oyama a few episodes ago, I would be excited to see more Dimension 20 people.

The new @midstpodcast was super interesting! Every episode in this season they've introduced another way that the Trust is incredibly fucked up. Why can't we go back to the Mother's Merciful, they were so nice.

Somehow I fell behind on @storiesfromylelmore. I'm not sure how that happened, I think my podcatcher didn't update or something, because I've been listening to new episodes of this show immediately. The second most recent episode was great, with Rion going through werewolf puberty. The most recent episode had some really good character work, with character development for all 3 main characters. I love this show so much.

New episode of SCP: Find Us Alive. A new Dash Two being created is really interesting, we've only had Dumptruck and Hiway Robbery for so long it's weird for there to be a third one. Where did they even get a bird?

I reached the crossover with Forgive Me in @kingmakerpod. Forgive Me is such a grounded show, especially by audiodrama standards, which tend to be way out there, so it's so funny when they cross over with shows that have such a wildly different tone and premise. The character interactions were on point though.

@camlannpod the fairy world! This show continues to have really cool takes on myths. The idea that you can shed a Name simply by going by something else is interesting. Could some random person start going by Lancelot and gain magical powers? The reveal at the end was great too, both from a worldbuilding standpoint and a character perspective.

Man that really was a lot. Lots of stuff to look forward to next week as well!

#audiodrama sunday #audiodrama #audio fiction #dear liisphyra #back again back again #back again pod #spout lore #spout lore podcast #rude tales of magic #midst #midst podcast #midst pod #stories from ylelmore #stories from ylelmore podcast #scp: find us alive #the kingmaker histories #kingmaker podcast #camlann pod #camlann podcast

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autisticlancemcclain · 7 months

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fic rec friday 41

hello and welcome to fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

Won't you lie with me a while? by notverystraight

When their laughter finally died down, their eyes found each other, the two falling into an intimate kind of quietness. Keith realised their bodies were now so close that his bangs tickled Lance’s forehead, the warmth of their skin mingling, Lance’s every exhale grazing his lips. If he tilted his head ever so slightly, their noses would brush. Lance’s gaze was magnetic. All of a sudden, the air felt much heavier than it had been a minute ago. Keith was hyper aware of the arm curled around his middle, fingers ghosting beneath his shirt. The slow, burning heat that was beginning to pool in his gut was mirrored in Lance’s eyes as they roamed over Keith’s face, his neck, his chest, pausing where his fingers lay against the sliver of exposed skin at his waist. Keith’s breath hitched. - Or, Lance and Keith hang out in Lance’s bedroom. That’s it, that’s the fic.

i LOVE this one. all the little details are so cute. y'all know @mothmanavenue 's recent post with keith and lance's room?? this is like an older fic version of that, almost. the percy jackson poster in lance's room, the bed, the way they're squished together on it.....it's just so sweet and transitory i'm in love

2. In (Almost) Every Reality by notverystraight

When Lance finds himself face to face with alternate universe versions of himself and all his friends, he’s excited to talk to them – who wouldn’t want to see just how different their life could have turned out? However, that feeling begins to sour when Lance notices that, out of all his alternate selves, he seems to have the most underwhelming life. And another unexpected thing. He and Keith seem to be a lot more, um… friendly with each other in the other realities…

early season dynamics when lance is still like fully insisting on the rivalry thing while also being super attracted to keith and mad about it, and then finding out that he and keith are literally soulmates?? like in love in every reality?? ENDLESSLY funny. also lance being a big nerdy fic reader is so so real

3. Speak in Tongues by laidellennt

Lance learns Altean from Coran. Keith's kind of weird about it.

keith getting like lowkey horny when lance speaks different languages is SO real and SO funny 💀💀 like of course this whipped dumbass is just like so hugely attracted to lance in all his strange awkward competency and of course he has no idea how to handle it. of course lance is offended by it. i love early season dynamics

4. 5 things Lance was surprisingly good at +1 thing that should be obvious by orphan_account

5 things Lance was surprisingly good at +1 thing that should be obvious, it's pretty self-explanatory.

i love this one bc its just a way to headcanon lance as being good at random stuff. like yes obviously he can throw knives. of course he can bake. duh he can sing. the world would be a better brighter place if we just talked all the time about how good lance is. also side note but do any of yall remember when clicking the orphan account link on ao3 would bring you to a massive account that had archived every fic to every be abandoned instead of an error page?? bc i do lol

5. Would You Like A Sticker? by delaneym_15

Lance has been working hard these past few weeks. Getting the newly set up infirmary being one of his most pressing concerns. Gone are the days of being put in a healing pod for every little injury. Of course that means someone has to run it, and what better person than the paladin who has been all but officially apprenticing under Coran since the Blue lion first brought him to the castle. If only the rest of the paladins would take him seriously.

i fucking love the medic lance tag. well and truly it is the gift that never ever ever stops giving. he is just so well suited for it!! i love him so!! let him be competent and judgmental and pretty as he does it!! like!!!

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

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formulaorange · 4 months

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2024 Winter Anime

It's here! It's finally here!!! Solo Leveling comes out this season! There's definitely a few others to keep an eye out for but this is the star of the winter season:

Solo Leveling One of my most anticipated series. I'm caught up on the english light novels (8 volumes) and I'm honestly so invested in this story. In a way it gives the same impact as One Punch Man but if the story progressed a little faster toward fame and growth in his power. Easily the best of the season. Noteworthy On Going Shows: Frieren - Episodes 17-28 One of the most mesmerizing and well paced fantasies I've seen. Also one of my 10/10s of all time. Worth looking into if you remotely like fantasy. Shangri La Frontier - Episodes 14-25 Another fantasy game series that honestly just looks like it's a fun game. Explores a lot of game mechanics within this full-dive VR type game that almost puts SAO to shame. Fun action, fantasy and fun for game lovers. Apothecary Diaries - Episodes 13-24 My current favourite drama/romance/medical mystery series. The characters are simple but the show highlights the different dynamics and almost feels like an enemies to lovers plot. New Seasons:

Blue Exorcist - Season 3 This is one of the og shows I watched growing up. It's a mythology school themed show that I loved. It's been 13 years since season 1 aired and I'm stoked to see it come back. It's being done by a different studio since A-1 is busy with solo leveling, so I'm not sure if it'll hit the same but I'll still check it out at least for the nostalgia.

Mashle - Season 2 The funniest anime I've seen in a while. Man muscle brains his way through magic school and the whole show is a meme of harry potter and other magic series. Truly entertaining. Can't wait for this season

Delicious In Dungeon This is a series I've wanted to pick up the manga for for a while. It's about dealing with food and hunger when these adventurers are deep in a dungeon and learn to start cooking and eating what they can find down there. Funny concept but honestly looks like a lot of fun.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer I read this manga and light novel so long ago. (Literal years - link to my manga thoughts and summary). I'm looking forward to the adaptation. I think nowadays this kind of story doesn't catch nearly as much attention as it did a few years ago. An adventurer dies in a dungeon and is reborn as an undead who can evolve as he kills other monsters and he deals with trying to fit in with the human realm again and evolving. I'm still looking forward to it after keeping an ear our for so long!

Mr. Villain's Day Off I recently heard about this series and thought it was such a cute concept. Us with all our villain complexes with enjoy this one. Will likely be a background show for me as there won't be a huge plot, regardless, still fun to watch. Burn the Witch - #0.8 - 30 min Special I think this won't be as exciting now that Bleach has come back and we aren't as depraved of Tite Kubo's work but I really enjoyed the original short series. Hoping for more of this world in the future. Sequels: Classroom of the Elite - Season 3 Tsukimichi - Season 2 (Link to review of season 1) The Dangers in My Heart - Season 2 More Continuations: Undead Unluck Ragna Crimson After going through 20+ shows every season, many with sub-par animations and the same fantasy twists, I've become real picky about which series are even worth trying to watch these days. Here are the ones that deserve at least 2 episodes in order: A Sign of Affection - Gets a special spot since it's incredibly rare to see disability representation in anime and it looks like it's done quite well- A romance between a guy and a deaf girl. Looks super sweet Bucchigiri?! - I honestly can't say this looks appealing to me personally but I've hear the name before and well it's MAPPA. (Give em a break) 'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess - looks well animated and just a fun watch Metallic Rouge - The sci-fi series for this season. I'm not sure I have it in me to watch something heavy like this this season but it looks decent. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic The Witch and the Beast - Here for manga readers - lowkey looks like the manga will be much better and this might be a skip for me. Hokkaido Gyaru's are super Adorable (Ecchi) ALSO - Big reminder: Haikyu!! and Demon Slayer have their movies coming out this season as well (both theatrical releases so keep an eye out!!!) Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training - Feb 2nd 2024 Haikyu!! - The Dumpster Battle - Feb 16th 2024

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elvenbeard · 6 months

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Today's modding shenanigans!

Today I wanted to test out ACM a bit :D I think I'd most enjoy using it as an additional tool for making custom outfits and seeing how different item appearances work together, less as my primary tool to creating custom outfits as such (also, it is a bit buggy for me and I can't seem to export appearances reliably for some reason).

Since you can alter custom appearances with it too, though, you could definitely mod one "base outfit" and then change the colors spontaneously for a different vibe (for example, I could make an apperance for Kerry wearing one t-shirt and then change the shirt decal or color on the fly in game without cluttering his .app file with a dozen different appearances that are virtually the same just different colors!). Wondering though if there exists a resource that lists every item's appearance names (cause some are super specific and hard to guess, like... instead of "black" or "smiley-face" you have appearances like "6th street" or "black_capsules") for this purpose... and if not, I'll probably make one just because I would find it useful to have xD

Also, ACM is really neat for taking off Kerry's jewelry on the fly for certain pics XD Or changing nail colors and things like that! In all these regards this is a super useful resource as is already, but I'm excited where the mod makers will take it :D (also... random sidenote, but can we talk about Dante for a moment? I'm a little bit in love, and I need his shirt not only for Kerry but also for Vince XD).

Then some silly behind the scenes stuff xDD @netcess said that Reed really needs a party outfit with a cool hat, so I put something quick and simple together for her and... I wanted to take a pic and as I went into Photomode, Vince spawned straight across from Reed and looked so disappointed at him partying without him when so many pressing issues are at hand XD Just really fun little moment I wanted to capture, intensified by facepalm XD

Honestly he rocks it XD Might make a recolor to fit his suit when the mood strikes xD

And finally: who wore it better? XD

(giggling and kicking my feet at how his hair and beard match now :3)

No but I actually tried my hand at editing this hair mesh for Kerry, cause it was clipping a bit here and there! This is done super quick and dirty like... In theory I know I could export his headmesh and then fit it exactly to that, but for now this aint so bad already actually! :D No more clipping into the side of his head and the hairline in the front looks better. I left out Johnny's hair cap and all that because I wanted to go for a really really short, very freshly shaved look for this like...

Something he would've done at the end of his tour right before coming back to Night City. Keeping the long hair consistent for all concerts. And as I said, I 100% get why he has that look, like... It has old, seasoned rocker vibes, it's so much less clean and more himself than his 2077-appearance like... natural hair color, not styled at all, embracing himself again with the whole "I'm gonna name my next album "Kerry Eurodyne" and go back to my roots thing, he looks like he just came off stage, sweaty and tousled, so... yes!! I do love it for all those reasons, but idk... I feel like, it's also at the same time something low maintenance that he doesn't have to pay a lot of mind to, escaping into his music and career after apparently losing V. And I think with the tour over and with getting V back so unexpectedly, he'd change things up a bit again. It's a concert/tour look for me. And this style is also low maintenance, while still Kerry, still rebellious, but a little more cleaned-up, in control of his life, if that makes sense?

@pinkyjulien sorry for stealing your tags from my other post, but you put it into words so well, on point!!

Especially your last point, cutting/shaving your hair to mark a new beginning is 100% such a thing he'd do!! So yeah, I think I'll stick with this for his two-years-plus-four-months-later look xD

#elven tries modding cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #phantom liberty #kerry eurodyne #solomon reed #phantom liberty spoilers #just in case

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trashlie · 4 months

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it's good to see you around again, I missed reading your long ILY posts, hope you're doing better too :) if you ever share your thoughts on the latest couple of episodes (including fp) here, I'd be super excited to read them! I'm really curious how you think the timeline is gonna go from here - especially relating to Shin-Ae and Nolan since it feels like they are the last pieces that need to fall into place so everything is ready for the post-timeskip story to go down. like you, I was so sure Nol and Shin-Ae were going to have some kind of reconciliation before he goes to jail but WELP rip 3 day extension. Poor guy though, Yui showing up in his hospital room must have been extremely triggering, it made sense that he did everything to get outta there ASAP. It's worrying me that this series of negative interactions (Kousuke, Alyssa, Yui) could've undone everything positive Shin-Ae Dieter Soushi Nana did, and now therapy during jail time could either have a positive or negative effect, so Nol is a Schroedinger's cat for now.... At least some things got cleared up and Shin-Ae is now starting to understand the root of the problem (= Yui) (and it actually really makes sense that she had to figure it out herself instead of Nol telling her - the boy obviously isn't ready to talk) so we made some progress.... But istg with this upcoming separation arc 2.0 it feels so much like we're gonna be back at ground zero after the first time skip. Fingers crossed they reconcile in whatever way before the big time skip though. we need a somewhat positive conclusion to this arc before season 1 ends, because if not then what was all this build up for, and why now? What about the realizations? the "convince me"? What about "if you won't let me have you"? If their reconciliation is only going to happen after multiple years of "conflict" between them that would be so cruel....

AND SHIN-AE STILL HASN'T GOTTEN HER BANDANA BACK and now he's stealing her lines too SDGDADSF;SDF

Waaaahhhhh thank you, friend!!! As you can probably tell, I'm still trying to get myself back here fully and figure out how to balance everything, which has always been a struggle ;~; I really may resort to telling my friends to ignore me and yell at me until I get certain posts written up so I'll stop procrastinating because there are SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO WRITE ABOUT EPISODES I WANT TO RECAP AND TALK ABOUT!!!! BUT THE ORGANIZING MYSELF!!!! IS THE PART THAT'S SO DIFFICULT!!!!!!!!

One of the great things about the ILY discord server is that we have this very constant, active conversation going on at all times so it's SO easy to be very present and active, but I also find that it means it's more difficult for me to regulate myself, or I'll have that feeling that I JUST talked about something and so when I try to write about it over here, it feels like a hollow echo and I know that's just because I was just having the conversation so that's just something I need to work on dealing with lol

But I want to answer this before we move so far away from when you asked this!!!!! As expected, there are FP spoilers ahead for eps 246 through 249!!!!!

I!!!! DO NOT KNOW!!!!!!! LMAO Like. GOD. I feel like quimchee has thrown us curveball after curveball and when we sit down and think about how long this period of December 21 and the post December 21 arc has been, how much the story has weaved around?! There are so many things that have occurred that I NEVER expected and, like you, it's just everything I thought has clearly gone out the window. Part of it, I think, is the result of quimchee having to change the arrangement of her story, and god I would love to pick her brain about the things that changed, since Nol's injury was supposed to happen at the formal itself, we never would have had this extended period of hospital time, and it seems like everything about Nol and Shinae coming to realization with their feelings would have played out in a wholly different way than what we ended up getting, so on some level I think this is partly that quimchee, too, is sort of throwing herself cureveballs in that there are things she knows needs to happen and she isn't sure where or how to fit the other elements in? But that's just my guess.

On the one hand, I do feel very "WHAT WAS THE EXTENSION FOR IF NOT FOR RECONCILIATION?!" but beyond Stalkyoo, we have gotten a LOT of good stuff out of this period of time. We see Kousuke facing his cognitive dissonance for, perhaps, the first time, and the revelation that Yui has been drugging him (and likely for a long time, given the way Hansuke describe the dosage Kousuke had and that it merely knocked him out), and more than that, making those connections between Nol and Yui and tea, and wanting to face him. I'm STILL proud of him for wanting to go back and see Nol again, even after he couldn't face him, even after Hansuke found him on the floor of a public bathroom hugging a toilet from the remorse and guilt and perhaps shame of the realization of the ways he has hurt people - has hurt Nol! - who didn't deserve it. We have seen that Rand and Yujing are, in fact, working on something behind the scenes, that Rand is facing Yui as a real adversary now, not just someone who has been resigned to endure her for so many years now, but to actually fight against her. The entirety of Nol's birthday celebration could not have happened the way it did had he not been in the hospital, since he would have had to turn himself in, and while maybe the original plan was that they celebrated his birthday with Minhyuk's coming home party, I'm.... not sure if that would have been the case?

But at at any rate, I do acknowledge that despite the fact that it feels like Nol might be back at square one, that he and Shinae are back where they started in 151, such significant events HAVE taken place that I think will still affect the narrative future of ILY. I still feel strongly that part of Nol's trajectory is coming to terms with the fact that he does, indeed, belong here. That he isn't someone who wasn't meant to be, that he doesn't belong here. He belongs, and he deserves love. He is someone, not nothing. I still think one of his greater arcs will involve coming to embrace this, and while the negative events - Kousuke, Alyssa, Yui - feel like they could be setting him back, he is now equipped with knowledge and feelings he wasn't before. It can't hurt him the same. In fact, I think part of why his confrontation with Alyssa went the way it did was because he had had this experience with Shinae, Dieter, and Soushi, it illuminated everything that was so wrong with his relationship with Alyssa, how neither of them really know each other. It's that sense of foiling that allows him to put his foot down and say enough is enough. Even before it was revealed that Alyssa had come with Yui, it was clear that Nol was over the visit. Don't get me wrong - I understand why he couldn't see that Alyssa clearly was not well, that she was uncomfortable, that she had come to him with no one else to go to, much as he'd gone to Kousuke in the past when he lost his mom, and I also understand why he did the same thing Kousuke did and turned her away. But the point I'm getting at is, it feels like there was a shift. That birthday celebration illuminated something for Nol.

So it's kind of like, while it feels like this might have undone the progress Nol made, it can't undone the revelations he's had, and in that same way, it cannot cast shadow on his enlightenment. He is not the same Nol he was a week ago. Too much has changed, he's become aware of too much, and as such, he is going to respond differently to what comes his way, and while he may continue to try what he had originally intended, I think the difference is that he's now been made aware of things that impact the choices he makes.

But largely I don't really know what I expect just yet. I think it's very pointed that the lawyer reminded Shinae that she has his phone number; I don't think that would be called out if it wasn't going to be important in some way, but in terms of how are we going from here to there? Unsure lol. I think there HAS to be a resolution of some kind, whether it's a reconciliation or not, because Shinae is on this momentum swing that isn't going to stop until she crashes into something or she comes into a force of nature that stops her. Nothing, no one, has been able to reach her or get through to her, and I know it's just because of how much she's hurting, but she's lashing out at people and hurting THEM like a street cat swiping at people trying to help her. She's so terrified of losing Nol, especially now that he came back, especially now that she gave him the option to leave and he didn't and it rekindled that hope she gave him an opening to leave when it would have been easier and he didn't which just made it worse, because so much more was at stake. She can't stop fighting she can't stop trying because she cannot bear what it means to lose him for real this time, not when she finally had him back, not when that realization has come to her even if she won't admit it. She needs him, so what's going to make her give up?

Something has to transpire, whether it's a reconciliation or Nol pushing her away and really shattering her heart or something awful like that, to bring her to a halt, because I can't imagine how we would move into our mini time skip to spring/graduation with Shinae like this, right? So I think there must be some kind of resolution. My foolish, hopeless self wants so badly to hope for reconciliation but esp after 249 I am SO torn. I have two thoughts.

a. they reconcile. She can reach him, and convince him, and even though he is so afraid, he is also someone who folds in front of her, he struggles to resist her. He told her to convince him and boy she can convince him and even though he tells himself he isn't sure if these feelings are real because what if it's just because she's NICE to him I think hearing her confess her feelings would tell him how he feels and give him the answer.

b. But the alternative feels like a parallel to Nessa and Rand, because Nessa, too, was hurt over and over by someone who kept getting her hopes up and getting hurt by him. Shinae gave Nol the opportunity to leave and he didn't, he stayed and doing so sparked her hope, made her feel things, they shared these tender, intimate moments together and forced that realization to come to mind, but for him to push her away again, for her safety, to make choices on her behalf even though she's told him she hates that and she doesn't want him to. Imagine her pulling a Nessa and calling him scum lfkjajkfkjfjkfaj ;A;!!!!! Imagine her so angry and hurt and resentful and saying awful things she doesn't mean and GOD I feel like it can go only one of these ways because what ELSE is going to stop her in her tracks?!

And I really want a reconciliation because parting like this sets them up for SO. MUCH. STRIFE. Because we know one way or another Shinae is going to end up taking Yui's offer and if Nol leaves on these terms, he would end up thinking she's following in Alyssa's footsteps doing so, not understanding WHY she's doing, not understanding that this is Shinae's only way of protecting herself, learning to speak Yui's language and play her game.

and idk I know I'm a hopeful optimist reading a webtoon that proves to me over and over that I cannot be a hopeful optimist but LMAO GOD I WANT SHINAE TO CONVINCE THAT DUMBO

I've said it before that convincing him doesn't mean they have to get into a relationship. Just. Reconcile. She's so afraid of LOSING HIM, thinking that once he slips away he's out of her grasp, her sight, for good, that she will lose the best thing that happened to her and I WANT THAT RECONCILATION. I want her to convince him, for both their sakes. So that he knows he has someone he can go back to. So that she knows he's not just throwing her away. So that she doesn't have to fear losing something so precious and important.

Am I foolish and hopeful for hoping for that outcome? Maybe, but it won't stop me LMAO because as delicious and angsty as Shinae and Nol following in Ressa's footsteps with Nol hurting her again and leaving her so hurt and angry is, I want to see them on that same page. I want to see Shinae convince him - convince him why he is so important to her, and that his feelings are real. That's the thing, right, like.... you can tell yourself that your feelings aren't real, but if the person you like confesses to you, your heart will inevitably betray you and respond to the confession. Nol fears for Shinae's safety but important puzzle pieces are falling into place. She has figured what he fears the most - and if she thinks hard enough she'll realize how she can use that to her "advantage", in that Rand has told her Yui will never let her go, that it doesn't matter if Nol leaves or not. It goes back to my oft repeated sentiment of them needing to be on the same page, to be a team, because his absence will not protect her. And between what Rand told her, plus her anecdotes about Kousuke's birthday and how Yui treated her even before the formal, and what Yujing told Nol about Kousuke being drugged by Yui, maybe, just MAYBE that conclusion that wasn't only him all along will finally hit him. I know he can't change over night, that he has so many deeply ingrained fears that won't be easily assuaged, but I have to hope that a confession from Shinae can convince him that the alternative is worse. Convince him to fight along side her ;A;

I go back and forth on this thought but I think this is strongly what I feel right now. That reconciliation could still be around the corner, even if it's just an admission and a promise to not push her away. Shinae is tired of people acting on her behalf, tired of not getting a say, and especially in something that involves her heart, her feelings?

Go fight girl and maybe bite him if that's what it takes ;A;

STEALING HER BANDANA. HER LINES. HERT HEART. THIS MAN DESERVES TO BE LOCKED AWAY

ALFJLFJLFKJLAFKJLKFJALKFJ

#I Love Yoo #ILY Brainrot #ILY Ask #ILY Spoilers #ILY FP #Shinae Yoo #Nolan Oliver T. Lochlainn #Stalkyoo #Aegi #oh you know just me wailing into the night about stalkyoo nbd alkfjjkafjkafjkajfkajfjaf lmao #I PLANNED TO ANSWER THIS AND BE CHILL BUT I DON'T HAVE CHILL and then when i was wailing about Shinae giving Nol the chance to leave and ho #part of why she is so desperate is she can't lose him again not when she almost did not when he came back not when she gave him the chance #to leave and he chose to stay and saw the parallel to Nessa and Rand and it was just ALL DOWNHILL FROM THERE LMAO #AGONY #ANGUISH #PLS PLS PLS LET ME GET WHAT I WANT #lmao #plssssssssssssssssssssss #can you imagine how awful it would be if they didn't reconcile until post time skip?!#jesus christ HOW do you even reconcile after that?!#HOWLS FOREVER

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sugaldean · 9 months

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People say Aziraphale and Crowley are Taylor Swift coded.

Babe wake up they are ABBA. Every song fit them.

Okay so I planned to put 3 or 5 songs but I fell down a deep hole of Abba/Good Omens so yeah have this.

Spoilers for the season 2, even tho not every song is about it

SOS? Every lyrics is them

Angel eyes? I mean come on the title only and it's nothing compared to the chorus

Lay all your love on me? Crowley is the one who told them to write that, he needed a song to express what it felt (re)meeting Aziraphale in the garden

Waterloo? Crowley is a drama queen, they sing this from the bottom of their lungs

The name of the game? Aziraphale. Oblivious lovely Aziraphale (and you make me talk, and you make me feel, and you make me show what I'm trying to conceal?? Yeah my boy wrote that one)

WINNER TAKES FUCKING IT ALL??? Don't talk to me

Knowing me knowing you is the long version of "Nothing lasts forever" and I'm not okay

One of us? You know the scene in mamma mia? Yeah it happened. One hundred percent. Two dramatic bitches crying about how they are the one who's abandonned

Take a chance on me? Both of them. Oblivious Aziraphale and flirty Crowley

Mamma Mia? Both of them. Every one or two century or decade (here I go again, how can I resist you Bla Bla Bla)

Dancing Queen? Is about Aziraphale. It is him

I've been waiting for you? Aziraphale for Crowley. (you thrill me, you delight me, you please me, you excite me, you're something inde been pleading for. I love you, I adore you. I LAY MY LIFE BEFORE YOU Aziraphale literally would declare his love with this exact words)

As good as new? I know this one isn't as known but for season 3 it's Aziraphale.

(I'll never know why I had to go

...

And know look at me standing here again cause I found out that my life is here

Gotta have you here.

As good as new my love for you)

Voulez vous ? About the fact that they keep meeting and fell in love and they do it all again everytime. Meaning all the good but also the misunderstanding?

I HAVE A DREAM?? Aziraphale. "You can take the future even if you fail? I believe in angels??"

If it wasn't for the nights? Change nights with when we see each other (which is basically what the nights are in the song) and it's just them screaming that they live for when they see each other and thank god they are busy otherwise they would turn so mad to not see each other more

Chiquitita? Crowley helping Aziraphale after a bad day. (I've seen you've broken a feather, Chiquitita you and I know how the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving. Yeah Crowley sing to your boyfriend how hard days and works can be and how it pills up to hurt you)

Kisses of fire? No comment on this one. But yeah (not sexual pure emotion). (Touch my lips, close your eyes and see with your fingertips... Hmm yeah sure yep yep no hard feeling with this hand of Aziraphale begging to give in THIS scene)

Gimme gimme gimme? Rare exception here. Crowley is not the one tired of them turning around each other. It's Aziraphale who decide to put on a show.

Money money money? Sugar daddies

My love my life? Oh my heart is just shattered on the ground.

The mirror of your eyes: Crowley's glasses.

My love my life are the words I try to find: Aziraphale stuttering to find his word

But I know I don't possess you, so go away god bless you, you are still my love and my life. Bawling my eyes out, ripping my ribcage open

Super trouper? Just Aziraphale so happy to do his magic show. But only if Crowley is here to watch him. Otherwise why put on a show? No matter who is looking no eyes are dearer than their.

Our last summer? Funny funny. We took our chance like we were dancing our last dance, yeah no idea what chance or dance that could refer to in the last happy moments they gad together hmm?

Me and I is about the duality of feelings in Aziraphale, the fight between what he loves about heaven and what he loves about humanity and goodness + makes me think of him and Crowley being stringer together but we leave the meaning of the song (We're like the sun and rainy weather sometimes we are a hit together)

Elaine is Crowley singing about how Heaven know Aziraphale too well and they will tie him up so he does its will. I'm not kidding. (You curse, you try to scare, but you can never teach them, it's a dead end street, they tied your hands and tied your feet... You come, you stay, you go, it really doesn't matter, you've done it all before, by know they know the pattern)

I do, I do, I do? Crowley stop begging, I'm already crying. (Love me or leave me, make your choice but believe me I love you. I do, I do, I do...)

Hey hey Helen? Crowley is being petty. "So you're free at last and beginning to forget the past, does it make you sad when you think about the life you had?" (tbf I always felt uncomfortable about that song but it weirdly fits

Tropical loveland? To Crowley it's Alpha Centauri, to Aziraphale it's heaven. (Just take my hand, I'll show you everything. The secrets that my paradise can bring. I wanna share it with you)

I wonder? Aziraphale stop trying to convince yourself. DON'T GO

I'm a marionnette ? Okay I know you think it's about Aziraphale. But no. It's about Crowley. Because yes he has free will. At least more than Aziraphale. But up until this scene, he always did what Aziraphale wanted. Never refused him anything. (also this song gives me anxiety)

Honey honey? Well. I really like them as aroace. But I'll give it to you Aziraphale might have thought this.

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captainhattersvoyagerstuff · 7 months

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Caretaker Part 1

Okay, so I just finished Caretaker, the 2 part season premiere of Voyager. It's been a while, so there's stuff I forgot was there. Some of it was good. Some of it was, omg. But let's see if I can post my review, which is a series of notes I made while watching. I hope for more discussion later.

That thingy you're running into means you're screwed, Chakotay

Star Wars Crawl

Okay we start out with words on a screen. There’s this group of federation citizens called the Maquis who didn’t agree with Starfleet’s moronic treaty that are fighting the Cardassians and some say they are heroes and the Federation says they are outlaws. Yay I saw the Maquis on Ds9! I can’t wait to see more of them. (cough)

Scene 1: Maqui Ship. Chakotay and Maquis crew trying to outrun Cardassians. Yay! Chakotay is a really assertive leader here. I’m excited. We have a coherent tetryan beam. I hate those incoherent ones.

Wave hits them and light and we have Voyager credits. Good theme song. Love the orchestra.

Scene 2: Federation penal colony. In New Zealand?

That's right, bitches, I'm here.

Janeway shows up at the penal colony to find Tom Paris who could maybe find the Maquis cause he served with them before they kicked him out just like Starfleet did.

I'm really tough. I don't have Daddy issues.

She tells Tom he is an observer and he whines about being a good pilot. Except for the pilot error that got three people killed, oh nevermind. Just wait five minutes, Tom.

Scene 3 Tom is annoying on the shuttle to Voyager

Okay I have a question. Tom is wearing a Starfleet uniform. Why do observers still wear a uniform? Don’t you need to earn that?

Also: Pretty Betazoid Ensign Stadi (don't get used to her) informs Tom that Voyager has bio-nueral gel packs. They are so much more efficient. Unless there is cheese on board.

Scene 4 Harry is nearly conned for first time on space station ds9. Harry's theory: get con artists off your back by buying everything. Tom saves him cause he's as big of a con as Quark.

Oh, hey, is that Quark from Ds9 that other show you should watch?

Scene 5 Tom and Harry meet the Doctor

The Doc is super bitchy to them. I met he's gonna make stuff hard for Tom.

Scene 6 Janeway talks to fiancee

His name is Mark Johnson. Really. Unknown Truth: Tuvok's real last name is Smith. Anyway, the show has a few minutes to tell us who Mark is and why Janeway loves him. So they talk about her dog.

Nice knowin' ya, Mark

Janeway's dog is named Molly. She is expecting puppies. She likes her doggy bed. I am officially more invested in her dog now.

Scene 7 Junior High mess hall

Doctor and First Officer Cavitt, two of the most nondescript white guys ever (doctor isn't even named), gossip with Harry about what Tom did cause it's junior high and oh no these guys don't like Tom what will he do?

Scene 8 Wonder why it's called the Badlands

Plasma storms, more coherent beams, stuff is fine. What could go wrong? What's that bright light?

Scene 9 Voyager go boom

This is going to take FOREVER to fix!

Ship is transported 75,000 light years to the Delta Quadrant and they hit the breaks kinda hard. The ship is all messed up. So is Janeway's hair.

Where is my HAIRSPRAY?

A couple of shots later:

Seriously? It's hair magic!

Turns out that all command officers (including that pesky doctor and first officer) except Janeway and the entire medical staff are dead. What kind of bad karma does Janeway have? They get scanned and beamed off the ship.

Gonna stop here for a break so it's not so long. Stay tuned next time for Farmville and the evil corn on the cob lady.

#janeway x chakotay #kathryn janeway #star trek voyager #chakotay #j/c #star trek #Caretaker episode #review #You want to leave comments #Tom Paris #Maquis #Delta Quadrant #Janeway's hair

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oblivious-aro · 11 days

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Where the Sky Meets the Sea, Ch 3/3: Wavebreak

Summary: Rewrite of the parts of season 6 of Ninjago (Skybound) that make my blood boil. The main change is that Nya's struggles are respected, and she's allowed to yell at people. Also, Jay isn't a complete tool the whole time abs actually goes through some character development. Follows roughly the same plot line as Skybound. The parts that are unchanged are just skimmed through.

Word count: 7600

Nya grimaced at her reflection. It was slightly better now that the extra arms had been removed, but looking at herself in Nadakhan’s mother's wedding dress made her stomach tie itself in knots.

She didn't have anything against dresses, but Nya liked simple clothes. Clothes that you could easily move around and work in, not bulky restrictive skirts drowning in oversized flowers and unnecessarily showy frills.

And wedding dresses were the apex of pointless bulky dresses. She never understood how people could be excited to wear them, even when they weren't being forced to.

The familiar feeling of her gi on her skin under the dress was a small comfort, but the reflection she saw in the mirror wasn't her.

It moved when she moved, scowled like she scowled, but was still a complete stranger.

The whole situation was horribly surreal.

Tap tap tap!

Nya's attention was pulled from the mirror by a noise at her window.

She looked over and saw the last person she expected to see clinging to the bars.

"Jay?" Nya rushed over to the window.

"Nya!" Jay briefly let go of the bar with one hand to wave to her. "Are you okay? Did Nadakhan hurt you?"

"I'm fine. His goons just stuck me in this stupid thing.” She gestured to the dress. “What are you doing here?"

"Uh, some combination of freeing you, rescuing our friends, and defeating Nadakhan. I haven't super worked out the details yet…but hey, we made it this far, so that's good!"

“We?”

“I put together a little rescue team of back-up ninja.” Jay grinned proudly.

At that moment, Nya spotted a brown blur in the distance being chased by three armed pirates.

“Is that Dareth?” she asked, squinting.

“Yeah…my options were kind of limited.”

Nya watched Dareth until he disappeared behind a barbershop.

“I always forget how fast he can be with the right motivation.” She said “But please tell me you at least brought Skylor.”

“Of course I brought Skylor! Honestly Nya, I thought you said you believed in me!”

Jay planted his feet against the side of the building and gave the bars a good yank.

"It's no use." Nya said "I already tried."

"Maybe if we work together…”

Nya grabbed the bars and tried to push while Jay pulled.

"Ugh," Nya grunted "Still...won't...budge!"

"Keep...going. Maybe…it'll-AGH!"

Jay's foot slipped and he fell down the side of the building, landing in the bushes down below with a crash!

"Jay!" Nya called.

Creeeak.

The sound of the cabin door opening made Nya's heart stop. She turned to find Nadakhan floating at the entrance, leering at her.

Nya made her stance as wide as possible to block the window and smiled as innocently as she could.

"That dress suits you much better than those garish ninja robes." he said, shutting the door and setting his sword against the wall.

Nya bristled at the unwelcome compliment, but at least Nadakhan hadn't seen Jay.

"I've been watching you, you know." He continued.

"You have?" Nya wrinkled her nose.

"Yes." Nadakhan seemed oblivious to Nya's discomfort. "I've seen how you struggle, how you have to work twice as hard just to get the respect the rest of the ninja simply have. You know, if you were to marry me, all your struggling would be over. You could get your every heart's desire without having to even lift a finger. It would be a nice change of pace, would it not?"

Nya gritted her teeth. It took every fibre of willpower she had not to claw this condescending idiot's eyes out.

But as insulting as his suggestion was, she knew their best chance of beating Nadakhan was Jay's final wish, so she had to keep his attention on her and away from Jay as long as she could.

That was why she'd let herself get captured in the first place.

She steeled herself and plastered a doe-eyed expression on her face.

"Really?" she said.

Nadakhan grinned.

"Of course. Once I marry you, I will be able to wish for anything I want, no limits, no restrictions. And naturally, I would be able to give my bride anything she desired as well…" Nadakhan's eyebrows slid up his head as he let his sentence trail off.

Nya pretended to consider what Nadakhan was saying.

"Anything I wanted? That...does sound nice."

"Excellent. The ceremony is right this way."

Nya blinked.

It was that easy? He really believed that she'd changed her mind and wanted to marry him just like that?

She quickly wiped the disbelief off her face.

"You mean we can get married today?"

"Of course. The second I saw that temple in Djinnjago, I knew it would be the perfect location for the ceremony. I had my crew clean it from top to bottom, set out some very tasteful decorations, prepare seating, and to finish, Clancee performed a preservation ritual to keep it in pristine condition for our union."

"Oh wow," Nya looked away bashfully. "All that for me?"

Nya cringed internally. She was trying to fit the demure role Nadakhan had picked out for her in his head, but it wasn't a role that came naturally to her, and she was laying it on too thick. Nadakhan knew that she wasn't normally like this, there was no way he would fall for-

"But of course my dear," Nadakhan cooed, flying closer to Nya. "Any bride of mine deserves nothing less than the best."

Wow.

Nya had never met anyone who thought so highly of themselves. Or so little of women.

She was almost too astonished to be insulted.

"Now come," Nadakhan picked up his sword, "It is time for us to be wed."

"O-Of course," Nya turned her head towards the window. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jay caught up in a fight with two pirates.

…Was that Captain Soto fighting by his side?

“Is something the matter?”

Nya's head snapped back to Nadakhan.

“Nothing!” she said quickly. “It's just…are you really bringing that sword to our wedding?”

"Of course. It is tradition for a djinn king to be wed with the djinn blade.”

“Oh well, that's not really a traditional wedding thing here in Ninjago. You should just leave it here during the ceremony.”

Nadakhan narrowed his eyes.

“For what reason would you want me to leave my djinn blade behind, little ninja?"

Panic seized Nya.

"Call me Delara." she said, surprising both herself and Nadakhan. "I just...want to be close to you. I don't want some sword, or ninja nonsense, or anything else getting in the way of…us."

That seemed to do the trick.

"Well," Nadakhan smiled as he leaned the djinn blade against the wall "I suppose I won't have any need for this once we're wed, anyway. Seeing as I will be able to simply wish for whatever we desire."

Nya forced out a shrill giggle. The sound made her slightly nauseous.

"Come Delara," Nadakhan said as he threw open the door "We have a wedding to attend, as the guests of honour!"

"Yes, and with no ninja or silly sword to get between us!" Nya said as loud as she dared, following Nadakhan to Yang's stolen temple.

She desperately hoped that Jay had gotten the message. She had Nadakhan distracted and unarmed.

The rest was up to Jay and his last wish.

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

When Nya entered Yang's temple, she found it hard to believe this was the same haunted building the other ninja had told her about.

The outside was still a bit decrepit, but the inside was so polished and pristine it almost hurt to look at.

The front entryway had been completely emptied out and filled with pews and colourful floral arrangements. An altar had been set up in between the double staircase.

The alter and pews looked too new for Yang’s temple, but Nya decided against asking where the pitates had gotten them.

Once everyone was situated, a nervous green serpentine with a peg leg read out a long passage followed by an even longer list of vows.

“...through the g-g-good times and the bad, t-t-till death so you part?” he eventually finished, pausing for an answer.

“I do.” Nadakhan smiled, savouring the triumph of the moment.

“And do y-you, Ny- I-I mean…D-D-Delara, t-t-take King N-N-Nadakhan to be your lawfully wedded husband, in s-s-sickness and in health, through s-s-sunshine and rain, whether r-r-rich or poor…”

As Clancee talked, Nya subtly turned her head to glimpse at the shut temple doors.

There was still no sign of Jay. Where on earth was he? Why hadn't he crashed the wedding to use his last wish yet?

A worrying thought crossed Nya’s mind.

Had Jay actually figured out what that wish was going to be? He hadn't mentioned anything about it at the window…

“Erm…D-D-D-Delara?”

Nya turned back. The vows had been said, and everyone was waiting for her answer.

“Oh, um…just…just hold on for a second? I need some time to…you know…think this through…and…you know…”

Nadakhan frowned.

“I thought you said you wanted to marry me, Delara.”

“What?” Nya smiled widely “Of course I do, I just…didn't hear…um…Clancee, was it?”

Clancee nodded nervously.

“Yeah, I didn't really hear what Clancee said. I'm afraid I got caught up daydreaming about married life. Ah, so silly of me! Do you think he could repeat himself?”

“He's asking if you want to marry me.” Nadakhan said curtly “There's no need to waste all of our time with needless repetition.”

“Oh, of course I want to marry you! We’ve clearly established that! I just…think it's important to understand exactly what I'm saying ‘yes’ to before I actually say ‘yes’, right? I mean come on, that's like clicking ‘I agree’ without actually reading all the terms and conditions. Who does that?”

There was a tense beat of silence.

Nadakhan flew closer to Nya, slowly rising into the air above her.

“Are you questioning me, Delara?”

Several audience members flinched. Clancee threw his book protectively over his head.

Nya took a panicked step back.

Nadakhan was running out of patience, which meant she was running out of time.

What on earth could be taking Jay so-

BAM!!

The doors of the temple flew open.

Everyone in the audience turned their heads.

Standing in the doorway was Jay, Nadakhan's djinn blade in his hand. Behind him stood the back-up ninja crew, Flintlocke, and all of the previously captured ninja, armed and ready for battle.

Nya gasped with joy.

Nadakhan’s face scrunched into a mixture of shock and fury.

"What in the name of-"

"Nya! Catch!" Jay called, throwing the Djinn blade in her direction.

Nya caught it and turned to find Nadakhan scowling, having fully processed exactly what was going on.

"You dare double cross me, Delara?" he growled, rising further into the air and glaring down at her.

Nya glared right back at him.

"My name," she said "Is Nya!"

She grabbed the skirt of the wedding dress with her free hand and in one swift motion, sliced it off with the djinn blade.

Nadakhan looked as though he’d been slapped with a cast iron skillet.

Nya only savoured his expression for a moment before hurling the severed skirt in his face.

"Gah!" Nadakhan struggled hopelessly under the frilly fabric.

Nya yelled and swung her blade, but Nadakhan teleported away just before it made contact, the wedding skirt drifting to the ground in a lacey heap.

Nya’s head darted all over the temple, searching for where Nadakhan was going to pop back up.

Poof!

Everyone turned to the front of the temple where an angry Nadakhan glowered at the crowd below.

“What are you all standing around for?” He spat “Seize the ninja!”

Pulled out of their stupor by Nadakhan's command, every pirate stood up and drew their weapon.

The ninja squared up, ready to defend themselves.

“STAND DOWN!”

The booming voice made everyone freeze.

Dogshank stood up from her seat in the front row, her expression daring anyone to question her.

“Dogshank!?” Nadakhan’s eyes were nearly bulging out of his head “What is the meaning of-”

“Flintlocke was right!” Dogshank turned to the rest of the audience, “Nadakhan's no captain! He never cared about Djinnjago or any of us!”

She turned back to Nadakhan, her beady eyes narrowed.

“You may have given me great strength, but you took away my beauty and made me believe that meant I had nothing to offer! For the longest time, I really thought that was true. I thought my ugliness made me worthless, that no one would want me. That's why I joined your crew, because I thought this was the only place I could go. But when Flintlocke spoke out, he made me think about exactly who was benefiting from those ideas in my head!”

Dogshank gestured to the audience.

“You took everything from all of us and convinced us to keep giving you more! You’re nothing but a slimy snake and a coward!”

As Dogshank finished speaking, the pirates in the audience looked at each other anxiously, unsure what was happening or what to do next.

“Sh-sh-she’s right, captain!”

No one expected Clancee to be the first one to speak, but there he was, looking up at Nadakhan with uncharacteristic determination in his posture.

“I’ve never liked the way you’ve always t-t-treated us. You’re nothing but a big b-b-bully!”

Clancee flinched when Nadakhan turned his seething glare on him, but he didn't hide under his book.

“To think, after everything I've given this crew,” Nadakhan spoke through clenched teeth, “That you would have the gall to turn your backs on your captain! I used my power to give you Djinjago! I have been nothing but generous! But…”

Ndakhan’s voice grew dangerously quiet.

“Perhaps you’ve all forgotten how easily my gifts can be taken away. I may not have infinite wishes, but I am still a powerful djinn king who is not to be trifled with!”

Nadakhan punctuated his statement by opening his fists to reveal four bright balls of green fire.

On the opposite end of the front row, Doubloon stood up and drew his cutlass. He looked at Dogshank and his happy face turned to the angry side challengingly.

Money Wretch climbed onto Doubloon's shoulder and started screeching.

“At least some of you still have functioning brains.” Nadakhan huffed.

He thrust out his arm authoritatively.

“Those of you that are still loyal to your captain, take care of these interlopers and ingrates!”

With a puff of orange smoke, Nadakhan was gone.

“Ninja!” Lloyd yelled “Follow Nadakhan!”

“Back-up ninja!” Jay yelled “Keep Nadakhan’s crew busy!”

Lloyd, Kai, Zane, and Cole ran out the door as about two thirds of the audience launched out of their seats.

The remaining third of the audience tried to fight back, but it wasn’t long until the Nadakhan loyalists spilled out into the isle and surrounded Nya and Jay.

Nya raised the djinn blade, ready to fight, but before she could get a single swing in, all of the pirates were knocked out by Skylor and Ronin.

Soto and the police commissioner similarly helped Jay. Dareth cheered then all on from his hiding spot under a pew.

“We’ll handle these creeps,” Skylor said, kicking away another pirate “You two go after Nadakhan!”

Nya looked over her shoulder.

Dogshank was locked in a heated battle with Doubloon by the altar. She was able to block his blows with her thick arm guards, but Doubloon was nimble and kept dodging her comparatively slow punches.

“But what about-

“We’ve got things handled here!” Ronin whacked the pirate he was fighting in the head and turned to Nya “You belong out there, saving Ninjago with your friends. It's kind of your thing, isn't it?”

“Ay! I’ve been itching to knock some o’ Nadakhan’s goon’s heads for years!” Soto declared as he tripped a passing pirate with his peg leg. “Just make sure to give the ol’ captain one for me, eh?”

“You got it.” Nya nodded “Hey Skylor, before I go…”

She held her hand up to Skylor.

Grinning, Skylor gave Nya a high-five, their hands glowing amber when they touched.

“Much appreciated.” Skylor said as she summoned a giant ball of water and lobbed it at a group of loyalists who were trying to sneak up on Dogshank.

“Go Skylor!” Jay cheered “C’mon Nya, we gotta move!”

Just as the two of them made it to the door, three pirates jumped in front of them, blocking the path to the exit.

Nya swung the djinn blade. When the sword struck the pirates, they shrank into balls of light and flew into the jewel on the hilt.

“Wait, you can just hit people with the sword to trap them?” Nya asked incredulously “Why does Nadakhan even bother with the whole three wishes then?”

“That’s what I'm saying!” Jay said before a pirate jumped on his back. He quickly pushed her off and followed Nya outside.

“Where'd that slippery djinn go?” Nya growled as she and Jay caught up with the others.

“There! Up there!” Cole pointed.

Nadakhan could just be made out floating by a line of maple trees on a distant island, high above the one the ninja were currently on.

“Ugh, how are we supposed to get all the way up there?” Kai groaned.

“I do have one idea,” Jay said “But it's kind of crazy.”

“This whole situation is kind of crazy.” Lloyd said “It'll fit right in.”

“We jump across those!”

Jay thrust his hand towards the numerous mine bombs floating in the air between the islands.

There was a beat of silence.

“You…do know those explode when you touch them, right?” Cole asked Jay.

“Well, I personally oversaw Monkey Wretch’s design and construction of those mines,” Flintlocke said “They’re only meant to go off when something big hits them, so I reckon they’re actually pretty safe to jump across.”

“And exactly how confident are we in that?” Kai raised a sceptical eyebrow at Flintlocke.

“According to Pixal,” Zane's eyes lit up as he spoke, “Those explosives are designed to detonate from the impact of an enemy airship, so they should be durable enough to withstand a much smaller impact, such as a single person landing on them. Most likely, anyway.”

“Good enough for me!” Nya declared, running to the edge of the island and taking a leap.

She landed on the closest mine. It wobbled a little, but it didn't explode.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief.

Confident that the mines weren't going to blow her up, Nya jumped to the next mine without hesitation. And then the next one.

“Hey!” Jay called “Wait up!”

He jumped on the mines after Nya. The others followed right behind him.

Bang! Bang!

The ninja turned back to Yang's temple.

A few pirates had managed to slip past the back-up ninja, and were shooting at the ninja with pistols.

“That's not good…” Cole said, eying the mines floating all around them.

“Just keep moving!” Lloyd commanded.

Nya hadn't stopped in the first place.

Between dodging bullets, the drifting of the mines, and the fact that only one person could fit on one at a time, the ninja were progressing towards Nadakhan's island at vastly different rates.

Nya and Jay got pretty far ahead of the group and were the first ones to land on the island.

Nadakhan was waiting for them when they arrived, armed with a slightly weathered cutlass.

“Foolish girl,” Nadalhan gritted his teeth. “I offer you nothing less than infinite wishes, and yet you still insist on being a thorn in my side!”

“Oh I've got something bigger than a thorn for your side!”

Nya charged.

Nadakhan parried her blade with his cutlass. He sliced back at Nya, but she quickly moved behind her sword to block his strike.

Nya was quickly back on the offensive, striking hard and fast.

Nadakhan growled in annoyance, but he deftly countered her every blow.

They continued back and forth like this, the battle so heated sparks seemed to fly from their weapons.

One by one, the others arrived. Once they landed on the island, they stood by Jay, entranced by the fierce dual.

The energy between the combatants was intense. No one dared to interfere.

Finally, Nya spotted an opening and swung, but Nadakhan teleported away at the last second, the djinn blade slicing through orange smoke.

“Ugh! Where'd that slimeball run to now?” Nya growled, panting as her head darted back and forth searchingly.

Nya didn't see the swirl of orange smoke directly behind her.

She didn't see Nadakhan suddenly appear with a maniacal grin on his face.

She didn't see his cutlass raised above her, ready to strike.

“Nya look out!” Jay cried.

Nya looked obliviously into Jay's eyes.

Nadakhan swung.

Bang!

Splat!

“Gah!”

The cutlass dropped to the ground with a clatter.

Nya turned and gasped as Nadakhan dazedly staggered to the ground, a yellowish green stain splattered across his chest.

Everyone's heads snapped to where the bang had come from.

Flintlocke stood with his arm held out in a firing pose, a thin stream of smoke trailing from his pistol.

“I found a strange vial on the floor when I had to clean Nadakhan's cabin.” he said “I had a feeling it was the tiger widow's venom.”

“Nice shot!” Cole cheered “But I thought Lloyd's wish made it so you couldn't aim properly anymore.”

“I can’t.” Flintlocke blew the smoke from his pistol “That's why I aimed for your Delara look-alike. Nya, was it?”

“You what?!” Kai’s eyebrows nearly flew off his head. “You're telling me you aimed the deadly spider venom at my-”

“We don't have time for this!” Lloyd cut in, “Jay, you need to make your wish now!”

“I- what!?”

“Lloyd's right Jay,” Zane said “Nadakhan will overcome the effects of the venom in less than a minute! This is your only chance to make a wish without him teleporting away!”

“I…uh…” Jay stammered “I wish…I-I wish…”

This was bad. After all this time, Jay still hadn’t figured out a wish that would stop Nadakhan. They didn’t have any more venom, so Zane was right about this being their best and possibly only chance.

But Jay couldn’t think of anything!

He was going to let everyone down in the final hour…he really was useless after-

No! It wasn’t over yet!

Jay didn’t want to give up. He was done with giving up.

He still had time! He could still think of something…

‘The wish has to come from the heart!’

As Lloyd’s words played in Jay’s head, his eyes fell on Nya.

Jay stopped thinking and listened to his heart.

“I wish for Nya to have my last wish!”

Nadakhan was too dazed to even utter his catchphrase as the sparkles of wish magic swirled around him.

“What?!” Nya looked between Nadakhan and Jay with a mixture of panic and confusion. “But Jay, I don’t think-”

“Don’t think!” Jay interrupted “Remember what old-Lloyd said! The wish needs to come from the heart! Don’t focus on trying to beat Nadakhan, just wish for whatever your heart’s telling you to wish for!”

The hesitancy on Nya’s face only lingered for a moment before morphing into her signature look of stubborn determination.

“I wish…”

Nya took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“I wish I wasn't wearing this stupid wedding dress!”

“What!?” Nadakhan said as he once again let out a burst of orange sparkles.

The wish magic swirled around Nya.

Her shredded top faded away, leaving Nya standing once again in her maroon ninja gi.

No one moved. The wind rustled gently through the trees, but outside of that the world seemed to stand still.

“You…you imbecile!”

Nadakhan picked himself off of the ground. As his strength slowly returned he ambled over to Nya, his face contorted with rage.

“You had me at the tip of your knife just now! You could have wished for anything…anything in the world! I am just about set to become the most powerful being in all the realm, and your main concern is your clothes?! Foolish ninja!” Nadakhan turned to Jay “I can’t believe even someone like you could’ve been so wasteful! Giving up your last wish to some vain little gir-”

Shwink!

Nya hit Nadakhan with the djinn blade.

His body shrank into a sparkling orb.

The orb circled around Nya, then disappeared into the gem on the sword's hilt.

It was over. Nadakhan was finally defeated.

Nya panted and stared at the djinn blade, her eyes drifting from the gem to her reflection in the polished metal.

The image was distorted and bits of hair were stuck to her sweaty face, but a strong sense of satisfaction washed over Nya.

She looked like herself again.

“You did it sis!”

Nya was pulled from her thoughts by a tackle hug from Kai, which she returned enthusiastically.

“It’s so good to see you again,” Nya looked at the other ninja “All of you.”

“Likewise.” Lloyd smiled.

“Most impressive Nya.” Zane said ”But, if I may ask, why did you use your last wish like that?”

“Nadakhan's a master of twisting wishes to his advantage. The only way to win against that creep was to not play his game.” Nya grinned slyly “But I figured it would really mess with his ego if someone made a wish he wasn't expecting, and in those extra few seconds he was ranting, I remembered another very obvious solution.”

Nya gestured to the djinn blade before sheathing behind her back.

“Also I really didn't want to be in that awful dress anymore. Nadakhan's mother had a terrible fashion sense, and a her waist was definately smaller than mine.”

Everyone started to laugh, but the celebration was cut short when the ground started to shake.

“What's happening?” Cole asked.

“It seems that with Nadakhan gone,” Zane explained as he struggled to keep his balance, “There's no longer anything to hold up the- AHH!”

The other ninja screamed along with Zane as the ground fell away beneath them, sending everyone into a floating free fall.

“Ninja quick!” Lloyd shouted “Call your dragons!”

Four elemental dragons flashed into existence and flew into the air.

Nya didn't summon her dragon. She'd noticed Jay was in trouble.

When they started falling, Jay had wound up in a midair spin that made it hard for him to get his bearings.

“Ahhhh!” he screamed, his panicked flailing not helping the situation.

Nya kicked and dove until she was right next to Jay, then reached out and grabbed his arms, steadying him.

Despite the fact that he was no longer spinning, Jay still continued to scream.

“Ahhhhhhhhh-”

“Jay!” Nya barked, shifting his attention from his predicament to her voice, “You need to focus and summon your dragon!”

“D-Dragon? Right, y-yeah. C'mon dragon…”

Jay's voice was unsteady, and his grip on Nya's sleeves was tight.

It didn't take a genius to figure out Jay was too panicked to summon his dragon.

“Come on!” Nya said more gently “You can do this! We'll do it together!”

Jay looked into Nya's eyes. Her words seemed to calm him down.

A tiny bit, anyway.

It would have to do.

“One…two…three!”

Jay and Nya simultaneously manifested their dragons.

Kah-Krakk!

The other ninja watched in awe as a giant elemental dragon rose into the air above them, both Nya and Jay on its back.

The dragon was a strikingly bright blue, with an even brighter blue energy flowing between its scales. Each thunderous beat of its mighty wings filled the air with a sprinkle of raindrops and sparks.

“Woah!” Nya exclaimed.

“Did we do that?” Jay asked, suddenly full of confidence.

“I think so, but I'm not really sure what we did.“

The other ninja flew up to Nya and Jay's level.

“Did you two just make some kind of fusion dragon?” Cole asked.

“That’s awesome!” Kai beamed.

“Ahhhhhh!”

The fearful noise pulled the ninja's attention from the new dragon.

Two pirates were huddled together on a small piece of land, screaming as it plummeted towards the earth.

Lloyd zoomed towards the pair. His dragon stopped just below the little island, flapping its wings rhythmically to keep in place.

“Hop on!” Lloyd yelled.

The pirates gave each other a quick glance before running to the edge of the island and jumping on the dragon behind Lloyd.

“We have to help the other pirates!” Lloyd called to the others.

“But there's only so much room on our dragons!” Kai said “Even with Jay and Nya’s new giant dragon, there's no way we can carry all the pirates to safety!”

“I got plenty of room over here!”

The ninja turned at the voice and saw Misfortune's Keep approaching. They instinctively prepared themselves for conflict, but then noticed Flintlocke smiling at the bow, Dogshank behind him at the wheel.

“I may not be able to shoot the broad side of a barn,” he said “But I sure as sugar can still steer a ship! I’ve got my crew patrolling around on their own vessels too, so just drop our people off with them and they can unload them here on The Keep!”

“Roger that!” Lloyd saluted before turning back to the group “Listen up everyone! Djinnjago was made by pulling chunks of land directly up into the sky, so that means these falling rocks are headed right for the city! Cole! Zane! You two head down and help everyone evacuate! Everyone else, round up the stranded pirates! Ninja go!”

“Ninja go!” the other ninja repeated before heading off in the appropriate direction.

Kai had to hold on to his hood as the hydroelectric dragon sped past him. It was much faster than any of the other elemental dragons.

Jay and Nya stopped by a falling coffee shop to pick up a group of five pirates.

After some flying around, they found one of the patrol ships Flintlocke had mentioned.

As they were transferring the rescuees from the dragon to the ship, an eerie shadow fell over the group.

They looked up and saw that an island the size of a whale was plummeting straight towards them.

“Oh man,” Nya's eyes widened “That's gonna do a lot of damage when it hits the ground.”

“Forget the ground, what about us?” Jay shrieked “We gotta-”

The hydroelectric dragon suddenly threw its head back.

“Hey!” Jay cried “What's this crazy dragon-”

He was cut off by a deafening crackle as the dragon opened its mouth and let out a stream of black sparking clouds.

The stream quickly grew into a mass of clouds that was big enough to block out the falling island above them.

The clouds warbled as the island crashed into them, but to everyone's surprise, the island didn't fall through.

It simply sat there, nestled above the group in the giant black clouds.

A soft drizzle began to fall on the ninja and pirates.

“Are those storm clouds?” Nya asked.

“I think so,” Jay said, wiping rain off of his face “But how are they holding up the island?”

“It's not just your dragon's clouds,” the pirate piloting the patrol ship said “Look!”

She pointed to a smaller island in the distance that was sitting in a thick cluster of white clouds.

“My wish!” Nya's eyes lit up “Remember? During our battle with Nadakhan, I used my third wish to make it so the clouds would catch us!”

“Guess you've saved us with your wishes twice now!” Jay laughed “Now let's go catch the other islands!”

Lloyd and Kai helped gathered the remainder of Nadakhan's crew while Nya and Jay used their dragon's storm cloud breath to catch as many falling islands as they could.

They missed a few of the smaller islands, but Cole and Zane were there to protect the Ninjago citizens when the islands crashed into the city below.

The city ended up suffering a fair bit of property damage, but thanks to the city's incredibly efficient evacuation protocols, there were no major injuries.

It was far from the worst catastrophe Ninjago City had faced.

Once the dust had settled, Doubloon and Monkey Wretch approached Flintlocke and Dogshank, their heads hung low.

Flintlocke and Dogshank nodded at each other in mutual agreement before Flintlocke walked over to Doubloon and patted him on the back.

“I'd be a real hypocrite if I was mad at you two for being manipulated by Nadakhan.” He said “I think we all deserve a chance to decide where our loyalties are without him looming over our shoulders. In fact, after things settle down a bit, I'm gonna have a chat with Jay about getting the rest of our people out of that magic sword.”

Doubloon's face turned to the happy side.

The chunks of Ninjago City caught in the clouds were still stuck up in the sky, but maintaining their elemental dragons for the entire rescue had taken its toll on the ninja, especially Jay and Nya. The townsfolk were very understanding when they decided to wait until tomorrow to figure out how to get them down safely, even if that meant they'd have to wait a bit longer to go to their favourite coffee shops.

But tonight wasn't about despairing over caffeine withdrawals, tonight was for celebrating!

As the sun set, Ninjago City was filled with coloured lights and joyous shouts. A city-wide party was held to celebrate the defeat of Nadakhan.

Luckily, the ninja's favourite karaoke juice bar was still intact on the ground, so they had the perfect place to celebrate.

After nearly two straight hours of singing her lungs out, Nya had stepped out onto the veranda for a break.

Partying with the group was great, but it was nice to just take a quiet minute to look at Ninjago City, one again at peace, even if it was missing a few pieces.

"Nice night, isn't it?"

Nya turned to see Jay approaching with two drinks in his hands. He held one out for Nya.

“Mango? I got you a purple crazy straw and a little umbrella.”

“You don't need a crazy straw to sell me on mango.” Nya smiled as she accepted the plastic cup.

“You deserve it after saving all of Ninjago.” Jay took a sip of his lemonade. “I gotta say, that’s not at all how I thought you’d use the wish, but I’m still pretty glad I gave it to you.”

Nya swirled her cup uneasily.

"Look Jay," she said "I appreciate you giving me your last wish, but it doesn't change anything. We still aren't going to happen."

"Wait, what?" Jay’s eyes went wide "Oh! No no no no no, that wasn't my intention at all! Did you seriously think I'd use my wish to try and manipulate you romantically?"

Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, that's…” Jay rubbed the back of his neck “Actually a pretty fair assumption, I guess."

"Why did you give me the wish then?” Nya asked, “My best idea at the lighthouse was summoning The Great Devourer."

"Yeah…I am glad you didn't do that."

Jay took a long drink of his lemonade while he thought about Nya's question.

"Well, Lloyd said to wish from the heart, and giving you the wish was what my heart was telling me to do. I've been making so many mistakes lately, especially when it comes to wishes. But you..." Jay looked Nya directly in the eye "It seems like no matter how challenging a situation you get thrown into, you always manage to rise above and come out on top. I knew that you'd find a way to stop Nadakhan, even if I couldn't."

The corners of Nya's lips scrunched slightly.

"I'm not trying to flirt with you! I swear!" Jay said quickly.

"I...yeah, I know.” Nya fiddled with her straw “It's just..."

"You don't trust me." Jay hoped the hurt didn't show in his voice.

"I do! I mean, I trust you with my life, and I trust you to always have my back, but..." Nya bit her lip.

"Yeah, I get it." Jay rubbed the back of his neck "I screwed things up pretty badly the last time you trusted me, huh?”

Jay's words hung in the air as the two of them watched a group of pedestrians go by, singing boisterously at the top of their lungs.

"For what it's worth,” Nya didn't take her eyes off the crowd, “You were an alright boyfriend back then. Which is commendable, since I was a pretty bad girlfriend."

"What? Come on, don't be like that. You were a perfect girlfriend!"

"Jay, I left you for a roomba. And I flirted with Cole while we were still dating. Ugh, I honestly don't even know why I did that. I don't even like Cole like that, nothing about that situation made any sen-"

"You flirted with Cole while we were still together!?"

"You didn't know that?"

"No!"

"Then why did you attack him when Pixal said we were the perfect match?"

"...It...erm...has come to my attention recently that I...may not be the most...secure person in the world...sometimes."

Jay felt a part of him deep inside screaming in terror as he said those words, but he knew they were words that he needed to say.

He needed to stop hiding.

"Oh, you think so?" Nya grinned, but her smile fell when she looked at Jay's face and realized how serious he was.

Jay took a deep breath. The noise of the celebrating crowd slowly faded in the distance.

“It's just…you guys are the best friends I've ever had, and I know it's sappy, but I don't want to lose any of you, and sometimes there's a part of me that scared if you guys knew the real me, the weird me who's afraid and messes up all the time, you wouldn't like me anymore.”

Jay took a quick drink of his lemonade to help with his dry mouth.

“I guess Nadakhan took advantage of that. He used my…I let him use my insecurities to control me. And then I tried to hide it like I hide everything else I don't like about myself. I guess a scaly tail and fangs weren't the only thing I needed to stop hiding to live up to my true potential, huh?”

Jay chuckled.

“But seriously,” he quickly sobered, “It was selfish how I tried to use you to feel better about myself.”

Jay looked back up at Nya.

"Speaking of, there's something else that's come to my attention. About you.”

“About me?” Nya raised an eyebrow.

Jay nodded.

“You have to face a lot of challenges that the rest of us don't, and we don't really help you with that stuff. I don't really help you with that stuff.”

“Oh, you mean what I said at the lighthouse…” Nya looked away bashfully “Look, I didn’t mean to lose my cool like that. There was just so much going on, and I was exhausted, and-”

“But you meant everything you said, didn't you?”

Nya looked back at Jay.

“You get brushed off a lot don't you? And not just by bad guys and sleazy reporters, but by us, the people who're supposed to be your friends. I love how strong you are, we all do, but that strength shouldn't have to come from having to carry things on your own. That sucks. We suck for doing that to you.”

Nya was silent the whole time Jay talked. He couldn't read her expression, but he decided to just keep going.

“I know I broke your trust in a really big way, but I really mean what I'm about to say: from this point on, I'm going to make sure you aren't going through your problems alone anymore. I won’t show up to those PSA shoots if you don’t get called too, I'll hold down those sexist producers so you can punch them, I'll..I'll tell those interviewers I'm dating Cole so they'll stop bugging you about that stupid love triangle thing!"

Nya let out a snort that almost made Jay fall over the railing.

"Uh, I feel like Cole might take issue with that plan," she said "But…thanks Jay."

Despite the smile on her face, Jay noticed Nya's tone sounded a little forced.

"It's okay if you don't believe me right now. I know you've got good reason to not have faith in people having your back, especially me. But I-I really do mean everything I just said. About trying to be better. I really do want to start being there for you. If, you know, you're okay with that…”

Having said everything he had to say, Jay’s eyes fell to his half-drunken lemonade.

He couldn't recall the last time he'd been so open and serious. It was cathartic, but also terrifying.

What happened next wouldn't be up to him.

It was up to Nya.

All Jay could do was wait.

“Hey,” Nya said after a few beats.

Jay looked at her.

Nya held her fist up to Jay.

He smiled and bumped his fist against hers.

Once they pulled their fists away, Nya took a sip of her juice.

The sweet taste of mango hit her like a rainbow after a storm.

It had been a long time since she'd had a mango juice. She'd forgotten how refreshing they were.

"There you two are!"

Jay and Nya turned to see Kai’s head sticking out the door.

“You gotta come inside!” he said “Zane made this giant drawing of Nadakhan, and we're all throwing shurikens at it!"

"Oh I gotta get in on this!" Nya smiled deviously as she moved to follow Kai inside.

She stopped at the door and turned to Jay.

"You coming? If your time as Nadakhan's prisoner was anything like mine, I'm sure you want to throw sharp things at that stupid face as much as I do."

Jay smiled and followed Nya inside.

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"Boom! Take that sucka!" Kai yelled as he threw his fourth shuriken.

The other ninja cheered as it sunk into the Nadakan drawing's previously only shuriken-free arm.

“Whew! You got him Kai!” Cole slurred, nearly falling off his stool as he raised his cup. “That's all his legs!”

"I think that's enough juice for you." Zane said, taking Cole's cup from him.

Lloyd, Nya, and Jay clapped as Kai pulled his shurikens out of the drawing.

"For you sis," Kai mocked bowed as he offered them to Nya "If anyone deserves this, it's you. After being forced to wear that horrendous dress."

"Why Kai, you shouldn't have." Nya returned Kai's bow as she accepted the shurikens.

Jay held out his hand, and Nya gave him her drink to hold.

The ninja watched in eager anticipation as Nya held her hand back and carefully aimed, before flinging two shurikens at the drawing.

Thinck!

Thuck!

The loudest cheer of the night rang out as Nya's shurikens landed in both of Nadakhan's eyes.

"Excellent precision, Nya." Zane remarked once the whooping had finally died down.

"Thank you Zane." Nya grinned proudly “I've been wanting to do that for a while, and with Nadakhan trapped in the djinn blade, I was worried I’d never get to.”

She held her remaining two shurikens out to Jay.

"I imagine you want a turn." she smiled.

Jay blinked.

He's seen that smile. He knew that smile.

Her face was less wrinkled and her hair was shorter, but there was no mistaking it.

Nya was smiling the exact same way she had been in the vision Jay had seen in the maze.

After everything that had happened and how much he’d thought about that smile, there was no way Jay could mistake it.

What did it mean?

"Hey Jay," Nya's smile morphed into a concerned look and the spell was broken "You all good in there?"

"Huh?" Jay said "Oh yeah, I'm good. I'm just…glad we're all together again, you know?"

"You can say that again," Kai draped his arms over Nya and Jay's shoulders "Now take those shurikens and dish out some payback on Nadakhan already!"

"With pleasure!" Jay traded the two drinks he was holding for Nya’s shurikens. "But you know, it's not really Nadakhan I'm getting payback on, it's more like Nada-drawn."

Everyone in the room groaned.

"As the maker of this drawing," Zane said flatly "I would like to request that you do not call it that."

"Fine then." Jay crossed his arms poutily. "Be no fun."

"It's good to have you back, Jay." Lloyd said.

"It's good to be back. Now take this!"

Jay tossed his shurikens.

Zip!

Thunk!

One of Jay's shurikens sailed right out an open window, and the other right through Cole's head into the wall behind him.

Everyone turned and gawked at Jay.

"Um…whoops. Sorry everyone, my bad." he said, gesturing to his eye patch. "Forgot that my depth perception's kind of out of whack."

There was a beat of silence before all the ninja burst out laughing.

"That's not funny!” Cole protested “Jay could've killed me if I wasn't already..."

But even he couldn't keep his face straight for very long.

Everyone continued to laugh hysterically for a while, some combination of the hilarity of Jay's blunder and the relief that they'd all made it out of the Nadakhan situation okay fueling the mood.

Jay finished getting all his laughter out before everyone else, and turned to look at Nya.

After wiping away a tear, Nya looked back at Jay and smiled.

It's that same smile again. Jay still wasn't sure what it meant, but he had a feeling it was something good.

He smiled back at her.

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#lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago fanfiction #jay walker #nya #nya ninjago #my fanfic #my writing #I had a piece commisioned for this but it's not gonna be ready for a bit so I decided to post the chapter just add it in when it's done

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