#at least i think they do. she sacrificed herself out of love for them. made them go to school. gave them a life and some sort of stability | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ratsonastick · 3 months

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Blind Love

Clarisse La Rue x Fem!Reader (happy Ending)

When you return from a mission, hurt and partially blind, Clarisse finds herself growing close to you. But the day you can finally see again she grows nervous that you won't recognize her voice.

Requests are still open

Warnings: Blood, aggression

The first time everyone saw you again, you were bleeding from the eyes, crying hysterically while blindly walking through the camp woods with your friends on your shoulders.

You were a quiet and sweet girl, always with your two other friends, but even though you only had been at camp for a few weeks, you were sent on a quest.

You didn't have time to remember people, to memorize their faces, you hoped to do that when you returned but unfortunately, you were attacked moments before entering the campgrounds for your return.

Chiron ran to you, or at least that's who you thought it was, you couldn't see and all you could do was keep limping with your friend on your back.

There were three of you, but Milo sacrificed himself to give you guys a chance. So you ran with Lila who hit her head, on your shoulders, until something sliced your eyes. You stumbled, screaming in pain and gripping at your eyes as you felt the blood travel down your face.

Whatever did it to you, didn't want to kill you fell on the ground for Lila, throwing her over your shoulders once more and continuing to try and go in the direction of the camp.

You walked to the healing infirmary with two people guiding you and eventually sat down on a bed while many voices yelled in the background.

You felt hopeless. You were hopeless, especially when they called out that Lila was dead.

They covered your eyes with bandages, and you couldn't help but dampen them with blood and tears.

Someone squeezed your shoulder and you only straightened your back and stayed still. “They will heal with the medicine we will provide, but you need to keep them covered … if they get infected then it's over.” A boy with a gentle voice told you.

Holding your hand to help you get off the bed.

They wanted to set you in your bed and allow you to finally relax but you refused. You wanted to sit in the chair on the porch of your cabin, if you couldn't see nature you wanted to at least feel it.

And that's what you did, almost every day. You couldn't do anything else, you wouldn't talk to anyone, too devastated about what happened to your friends to try and make more. Without sight, you couldn't train, walk around, or explore.

So you sat and simply breathed.

But it wasn't till one day when a camper named Clarisse made the wrong choice at the wrong time.

She didn’t know you, not many did, you were quiet before and now you were like a ghost. And talking to you did not sound appealing to her.

So when she was walking past a camper that unfortunately left your cabin she decided to trip them because her siblings next to her dared her to.

But then she heard a deep voice call her, Chiron.

“Clarisse, we talked about this.”

Clarisse let out a sigh and turned around to look at him as her siblings ran off, “About what?”

“About your abuse towards other campers, just because your father is the god of war doesn't mean you have to always prove to him you can be aggressive.”

You didn't know this girl, but you thanked her for saving you from Chiron. Chiron had been visiting you daily to try and convince you to do things, but you always whispered a no.

“You need to be friendlier … help others.” He spoke once more, an idea brewing in his head “Which is why I want you to help Y/n … bring her to the lake”

You let out a sigh, your eyebrows furrowing together in annoyance, now you couldn't say no to him.

Clarisse looked at him annoyed, her arms crossing and she rolled her eyes. Chiron waved her to follow him and she did, approaching you as you sat there.

“y/n, you need to get up. You like sitting in the ocean and it's time to move.” Chiron spoke, he didn't want you to think you had a choice.

“I can't see, why would I want to go to the lake if I can't even see it.” You mumbled looking in the direction you thought he was in. “You still have a few other senses you can use to enjoy yourself there.”

You sighed once more and turned your head away from him “Again. I can't see … how you plan on getting me there.”

Chiron let out a chuckle ‘Well this is where Clarisse will come in clutch.” Clarisse looked at Chiron with anger, she did not want to help you, she had better things to do than this.

Chiron grabbed your arm and helped you walk to Clarisse and gave her your arm.

When he went to leave he placed his hand down on her shoulder “You can't hurt the blind … it's unfair.”

While he walked away he chuckled “Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about being kind, Y/n is a good one.”

Clarisse looked at you, her tongue poking the side of her cheek in annoyance. When she thought you’d say something to her, you didn’t.

“Are we going to move?” you finally spoke up, your arm frozen in her grasp. “Oh…” Clarisse mumbled as she led you down the steps and the dirt paths.

She didn’t mind the silence, she found herself enjoying the company without feeling the need to always be talking.

Every once in a while, she found herself looking at you, how you still moved your head around as if you were looking for things to see, but instead it was only the sounds. She took notice how every once in a while you'd stumble and your grip would tighten on her arm. She noticed all these things and enjoyed them.

When you finally arrived at the Lake, Clarisse picked a good spot and sat you down and then sat right next to you.

She never really liked the water, always finding it aggressive, and not in a delightful way, and she hated how the sand always got caught in her hair. But she took notice of how your shoulders softened at the familiar sounds that you had kept yourself from for weeks, and she found herself smiling.

“You like the water?” Clarisse asked softly, finding herself caring if you were ready to talk yet or not. “Yes … I grew up by the ocean, it makes me think of better times.” You mumbled, your fingers digging into the sand.

You hate the sand, but you still find yourself touching it trying to remember those times you played with it when you were younger.

Clarisse looked away from you and back at the lake, she wanted to hate Chiron for making her do this, but she couldn’t.

After a few moments, Clarisse looked back at you and memorized your face, she wondered what your eye color was and if they matched your personality. “Do you want to … touch the water?” Clarisse thought for a moment, looking around at things to do.

You had been sitting there for a while, soaking in the sun, she wasn't sure if you were bored. You nodded your head and stuck your arm out for her to grab, and she quickly took your hand, pulling you off the ground and slowly walking you toward the water.

The waves were small, making a limited amount of noise, but the scent still wavered in the air. You walked closer to the water, Clarisse held a loose grip on your hand not wanting to hurt you, and then you finally touched the water.

It was refreshing, almost felt like a new start to you, as if you were finally willing to try and live your life instead of sitting around all the time.

You inhaled softly as you stood there, and Clarisse did the same, finally looking away from you and out at the water. Watching the campers row small boats and splash each other with the water. For once she didn't feel the anger she constantly felt, a part of her wanted to thank Chiron, but instead, she silently thanked you.

After an hour you finally voiced that you were done, so Clarisse started to lead you back to your cabin. But instead of the usual route, she took a longer path, wanting you to spend some more time walking instead of going back to your cabin where you would sit back down.

You knew what she was doing, you had noticed the difference in paths and how long they took. A part of you wanted to ask why but you kept quiet.

Eventually, you got back to your cabin and she helped you to the door, you carefully opened it and felt around, following the string some of your younger siblings had set up for you to follow.

Clarisse watched as you went inside, she knew you couldn’t see her standing there, so she took her time leaving.

Every day she would go back to your cabin, saying it was Chiron who was making her help you but in reality, she just wanted you.

You started to open up to her, showing the lively personality that you had lost during the attack, and Clarisse loved it.

Things were perfect for both of you until it was the day to get your bandages off along with the stitches for good. While on your usual walk, you told Clarisse and for a moment you heard silence.

“Aren't you excited for me?” You asked softly squeezing her arm gently and you heard Clarisse hum softly “Yeah –”

“Will you be there for me?” you asked once more and you heard a soft hum from Clarisse again. You didn't think anything of it, but deep down Clarisse was upset. What if you saw her for who she is, an ugly person inside and out?

Later that day you went to the infirmary, sitting down on the bed with your foot gently shaking at how excited you are. Will walked over to you and started to unwarp your face and you heard the door open, figuring it was Clarisse you asked someone “Is Clarisse here?”

Will looked behind him and saw her, but before he opened his mouth Clarisse shook her head at him, staying near the door she waited. She didn't know why she didn't want to stay with you, she was always curious what your eye color was, but she still had that unfamiliar feeling of embarrassment.

“No … she uhm isn't,” Will answered you, and he noticed how your shoulders visibly fell in disappointment. A feeling that maybe Clarisse didn’t like you flooded your mind but you quickly tried to brush it off.

Will finally had the bandages off and started to unstitch your eyes, right before he finished Clarisse had left, not wanting you to see her.

You quickly opened your eyes, looking around, everything was so bright. You smiled and thanked Will, walking towards a mirror and pausing in fright right in front of it.

There were scars left behind, you were disappointed, you felt ugly and all you wanted to do was talk to Clarisse, but you had no idea what she looked like.

“They'll disappear eventually don't worry Y/n” Will comforted you and you only nodded and smiled. When you walked around Camp you asked some campers where Clarisse was but they all either said they didn't know, or it was best if you didn't know.

After an hour of searching you went back to your cabin defeated, it was nearly noon and campers were leaving to go get dinner, but you weren't feeling hungry.

As you grabbed onto the railing, a habit of yours two hands covered your eyes which made you let out a yell.

“Sorry!” the voice responded, and you immediately knew who it was. You turned around and saw her in all her glory, Clarisse.

She was pretty … really pretty. You furrowed your brows together, forgetting why you were upset for a moment until you remembered.

“I don't want to talk to you,” you spoke before turning around and walking up the stairs. Clarisse was quick to follow “Wait!” she grabbed your shoulder and turned you towards her, her hand running down to hold on to your arm.

She stared into your eyes for a few moments, memorizing the colors and the way your pupils changed sizes when you looked at her.

“Stop looking at them,” she looked puzzled for a second “At what?”

“My scars,” you answered as you turned to look away, a part of you didn't want her to see you looking like this, “Why? They look badass” she mumbled, bringing her hands to gently touch them, which for a moment startled you until her fingertips started to feel nice against your skin.

“You weren't there,” you mumbled quietly looking back at her, “I was … just didn't want you to see me.” she spoke softly back, her eyes still memorized by you, “But Will said-”

“I told him to lie,” she responded quickly, her hand finally dropping, leaving your skin feeling colder than before. “Why?”

“I just … was feeling insecure, wanted to look my best for you.” She spoke with a smile, and you took the time to lock away the memory of what her first smile looked like. “And why would you want that?” you asked even softer, allowing Clarisse’s hands to travel down your arms towards your hands.

“Are you blind?” she asked in a bit of an aggressive voice, which startled you for a moment, but you did tell her you wanted to see all of her one day. “I like you.” She admitted shamefully, her hands trying to reach for your hips.

While she waited for a response, she prayed to any god or goddess to help her, she wanted this to work out.

“Do you think I would have stayed around to listen to you tell me about cartons if I didn’t like you.” She spoke up once more which made you smile, and Clarisse took notice of how your eyes and nose scrunched together when you smiled at her.

She liked it.

You both moved closer, not realizing it at first “I like how you aren't disappointed in how I am … or what my hands have done in the past.” she mumbled before she quickly kissed you. Her hands tighten around your waist.

Through each kiss she mumbled another thing she liked about you, trying to convince you more that she liked you.

“You're the person I want to crawl home for.” She admitted as she pulled away from your lips, her hands still in the loopholes of your shorts.

You smiled and brought your hand up to touch her face, and you took notice of how she flushed a darker red at the touch of you. “I like you too Clarisse,” you smiled as you kept your eyes connected to hers.

For a moment you forgot about everything until you heard a voice in the background, it was Chiron clearing his throat, “You ladies best get to dinner.” He let out a soft chuckle as he walked away.

#percy jackon and the olympians #x reader #clarisse la rue #clarisse x reader #wlw #percy jackson #camp half blood #dior goodjohn

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hubristicassholefight · 6 months

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Swordswoman showdown FINALS

Hornet (Hollow Knight) vs Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Hornet

Technically its not a sword but she wields a needle in a setting where swords do not exist and she wields it in an exceedingly swordlike fashion so. She counts; Girlboss demigoddess spider lady. She's been protecting an entire kingdom for longer than many of the other characters have been alive. She systematically kills her siblings for being too weak. She's simply the best.

#im pretty sure hornet can beat like. anyone in a fight.#have you ever fought hornet#its so fucking hard getting past her every time i play hk i go literally insane.

#i remember getting stuck on the first hornet fight on mt first play through and bring likr#''omg the boss fights in this are so hard!!!''#like what. you're not even half way through what are you talking about#you can't even DASH honey. you don't know what's diffcult or not in this game.

So, SPOILERS

but I feel like the "she systematically kills her siblings" part needs a little clarification. See, one of her siblings was used as a living prison for an angry god and that uh. Didn't work out for the sibling in question or anyone else.

This account is itself heavily abbreviated but it's likely that any other sibling Hornet encounters will be trying to take over as the god's new prison. She appears to challenge any sibling she sees to battle, in order to test their resolve against herself and her needle - would they actually have a chance against that god?

We never actually see her kill any siblings, but she does quite pointedly tell one of them that (to paraphrase) "My needle is lethal and I would feel no sadness in a weakling's demise."

Feels like a relevant quote. In any case, if they can't beat Hornet, it seems like her needle would be a far more merciful end than what the god would grant.

Anyway, a bit of additional material for @swordswomanshowdown :

As is the case for any cool swordswoman, it's not just her sword that's lethal, it's her with it. And Hornet's needle was custom made for her - the creators have said that, while other needles exist, hers was made specifically for her to wield, and its construction allows her to use her spider silk better in combat.

And another thing that I think makes her a good swordswoman: she's actually pretty thoughtful about how she uses it. There's a least one instance where she tries to warn someone off before fighting them! At the same time, when she does fight, she seems to enjoy it - during her boss battles, you can hear her laugh sometimes, as if exhiliarated. She's really got it all, as a swordswoman!!!

#HORNET SWEEP CMON PLEEEEEEASE#shes gay. shes the only sibling with a gender. shes a spider named HORNET. look like croissant. whats not to like

Xena

Warrior Princess

She wields a sword and chakram. Just had to submit a biconic swordswoman.

i love her. she made me gay as a kid. Anyway, her weapon of choice is her sword, she is obviously very good with it

#unfortunately i have to choose and i have to choose xena#a) utena had no warcry. b) xena fought gods. c) xena has kickass goofy comic book combat which is my favorite

xena didn’t just fight gods. she fucked up a girl’s life so bad that she (calisto) devoted her entire being to destroying everything that xena loved that ended up with calisto becoming a god in order to destroy xena, which didnt work because xena entombed her in lava. and then when xena and gabrielle encountered calisto in the (christian) afterlife (different from the greek one which they also fought her in), calisto dragged gabrielle to hell so xena became an archangel in order to save gabrielle and then sacrificed herself in order to undo all the harm that she did in calisto’s life and then when not!jesus (played by timothy omundson) revives xena and gabrielle, calisto impregnates xena with the reincarnation of calisto’s soul in order to end the cycle of hate. xena doesnt just fight gods. she creates and destroys them

#this isnt even mentioning her fighting julius ceasar several times#telling brutus that caesar is not his friend#xena and gabrielle’s souls reincarnating across centuries in order to kick ass and fall in love all over again#or the time xena became a god but tbh that ep is kinda ‘uhhhhh…..’ even if they did hire a consultant for it

#I think everyone here knows to vote for Xena. I think a couple people here might have some propaganda for Xena saved already#everyone remember that Xena/Gabrielle is CANON and that's a pretty big deal also#(does anyone have that Xena Loves Trans People interview around because that would also make good propaganda)

I love Xena ❤️ 😍 💖 ❣️

#hornet #hollow knight #xena #xena: warrior princess #swordswoman showdown #poll #official #round 6 #finals

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allysunny · 8 months

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Hello. Can I request a fic with Nanami and the reader? The reader has a toxic family and asks Nanami to be her fake boyfriend at the family meeting. If possible, it could be comforting.

Faking it for the Family | Nanami Kento x Reader

Words: 5.5k

Warnings: Toxic family, mentions of weight (as in, berating and telling someone to watch what they eat), very rude comments from Reader's family, maybe some OOC Nanami? I don't know, you tell me! And please do warn if I forgot something :)

A/N: Aaaa my first Nanami request! I'm so excited about this! I love this man with my whole heart, he's my biggest anime crush of all time! Now, I do warn you, it's been a while since I've touched jjk (it was a traumatic experience, shibuya is my canon event), so if you think Nanami is OOC, then that might be why. But I can also see him being vocal when it comes to someone he cares about, protecting them and expressing his feelings - or at least trying to.

I hope I did your request justice! I'll be honest, I'm very fortunate to come from a very healthy and loving family, and don't quite know the dynamics a toxic one would have. Nevertheless, I did some research, and I hope you're happy with the final result! I also stayed up until like, 2am because I wanted to post this one before I went on a small vacation and stopped writing for a few days! Totally worth it!

“Your what?”

“My boyfriend.” You repeated firmly.

Scratch that, you were scared shitless.

A few days ago, your mother had called you, asking (more like demanding you) to come see her. According to her, only “bad, ungrateful children” abandoned their parents. According to her, you were turning into a “bad, ungrateful child”.

“You don’t call, you don’t visit. It’s like we never did anything for you, is that how you treat the people who brought you up?” She nearly cried into the phone. Victim-blaming was along your mother’s strongest talents, it always had been.

She’d also reminded you that it would be a shame if you showed up single. She gushed about your cousins, how lovely their wives and husbands were, and how you clearly weren’t working hard enough to find a man.

“It’s not like you have much to offer, dear. The least you could do is prove yourself to be useful, make sure you find a nice man and snatch him up. Perhaps if you learned how to cook properly instead of pursuing that silly passion for books… And you need to start putting some effort into your appearance! No man wants a dishevelled woman – look at how well your cousins are doing!” Then, dismissing her whole behaviour, she’d go, “You know I’m only saying this because I care about you, right? It’s for your own good.”

It made you shudder just from thinking of it.

You’d nearly glared a hole into your phone that night, considering cancelling.

You ran all options through your head.

If you pretended you were sick, your mother would just assume you couldn’t take care of yourself and visit you to do that herself.

Hard pass.

If you said you had plans, your father would tell you to prioritize the family who had sacrificed so much to give you a good life, and to stop being so selfish.

Hell no.

No option seemed good enough.

In the end, your parents would always find a way to make you feel inferior and blame you for not being able to attend. You wouldn’t hear the end of it for at least a few months.

That’s not something you wanted for yourself.

You considered your mother’s words.

Going alone seemed like a nightmare alright. But perhaps if you found someone to attend with you…

There was no significant other in your life (the nail in your coffin, just another reason for your parents to berate you, and you it’s not like you could fall in love with someone in a span of 4 days just to introduce them to the family.

And then, an e-mail from a coworker gave you a brilliant idea.

Nanami Kento was one of your coworkers.

You weren’t the closest offriends, but still – friends.

You two went out for drinks after work every so often, sometimes ordering a box of pizza to share while working overtime at the office. God knew how much you hated it, being forced to work longer than expected, but Nanami shared the same sentiment, and it made work more bearable for you.

You didn’t talk much outside of work – Nanami was a private, reserved man, and you never did have the courage to seek him out. So you settled for a few jokes at the office here and there, the occasional smile, and bringing him bread and pastries sometimes. Nanami was quite the foodie. Outside office hours, maybe a “Have a nice weekend”, or if you were feeling brave enough, a meme – it took him a while to get them, but it was amusing to get his reaction through text.

He was smart, kind to a fault, and handsome. Very much so. You knew he was single, and to be fair, you had no idea why. With those lovely, warm chocolate brown eyes and golden hair, he could get any woman he wanted. And God, his physique… You had once tripped and held onto his arm – the man was made of rock. He was a total catch, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t fantasized about your little overtime endeavours to end up with a goodnight kiss, or perhaps something more. In fact, you’d developed a little crush on him, sneaking away during lunch breaks to try and talk to him, catch up, or just know how he’s doing.

That’s why he was perfect.

Your parents would be appeased, and the family gathering would be much more bearable.

“It’ll just be for a night,” You continued, trying not to sound very desperate. You weren’t sure where you stood with him – were you two close enough to ask such a favour? “We don’t have to do anything physical – just maybe hold hands so they can get off my back. I’ll be forever in your debt, please. I need your help.”

Nanami looked at you curiously. You could see his eyes clearly – Nanami had foregone his glasses during lunch break. What was he thinking? Perhaps he was reconsidering his whole friendship / acquaintanceship. Maybe he was simply coming up with a way of politely declining. Nanami had always been to kind to trifle with you or mock you, God, you’re so stupid, why would he go out of his way to help someone he’s not that close with? It was idiotic to ask.

“Never mind that.” You mumbled, quickly shaking your hand, and dismissing the idea. “I’m sorry, I know it’s a weird request and we don’t know each other that well, and – “

“Sure.”

Your eyes must’ve turned as wide as saucers. Sure?

“If it would help you out and ease your mind, I don’t mind it at all.” He replies, the soft lull of his hypnotising voice making your heart skip just a bit. “I do know what it feels like to be surrounded by people you’re not fond of.”

You suppose he’s right. Every year when the company dinner takes place, you find yourself sitting in a corner, hidden from everyone else. It’s the one time of year where you two can actually talk and consider each other more than simply two coworkers. Maybe even relatively good friends.

You beam at him, bowing profusely. There were no words to describe what you felt – this man was willing to be your fake boyfriend for a whole evening?

“Thank you so much! This means so much to me, you can’t even imagine it!”

Nanami simply nods.

“Shall I pick you up at seven?”

Most often, people stared at themselves in the mirror to check their appearance, try on clothes, maybe give them an ego boost. You? You were practicing facial features.

A hard smile for when your mother told you to “Eat less – you’re gaining weight.”

A polite nod for when one father eventually said “You need to give up those silly hobbies of yours – become a real woman, a good wife.”

A dry chuckle for when one of your many cousins gushed about the wonders of marriage, and how amazing it is they got married so young, to fully explore all romantic bliss and life alongside your soulmate – or something. You never made it twenty seconds without appearing bored of your mind and making your way to an empty chair away from others.

You just hoped they’d leave you alone for tonight, or at least stop with the comments. You wouldn’t be able to handle being humiliated in front of Nanami, of all people.

Speaking of, it’s nearly seven, so you grab your purse and make your way downstairs. Your outfit is nothing bland, just like how your parents would like it. A simply yellow jumper and denim jeans – God forbid you wore a skirt too short, or a shirt too flashy in front of your family. You’d be sure to burn at the stake for that one. This outfit was simple and modest and was sure to keep them quiet for a few minutes.

A little ring from your phone broke your line of thinking.

From: Nanami Kento

I’m outside.

You quickly spotted him in his car, and your jaw hung.

He swiftly exited the vehicle, walking towards the passenger’s side and opening the door wide for you.

You don’t know what to say.

So, he does it for you.

“Good evening.” He’s looking extra dashing, with a dark blue polo shirt that hugs his figure ever-so-perfectly, and slacks. His hair is parted as usual, but it seems much more casual, less uptight, less professional. He’s once more refused to wear his glasses, so you can see his beautiful face up close.

His strong jawline, the strong planes of his face, the thin eyebrows that never did much to conceal his eyes – he looked straight out of a fairytale. The fact that he looked so relaxed, out of his business attire and clad in casual clothes, made this vision much more alluring.

“Hey,” You answered, giving him a soft smile. “You didn’t have to do this; I could open the door by myself.”

“Nonsense.” Nanami shook his head, gesturing to the inside of the car. “Shall we go?”

As soon as you buckled your seatbelt, he left the driveway. You’d sent him the coordinates before, so there was no getting lost as long as you followed the GPS.

There was a small awkward silence between the both of you – it was only normal. You and Nanami didn’t hang out that much after office hours, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you would have no topics to discuss.

“So…” You started wearily. Might as well warn him about your family. There was no way you were letting this man meet them without being prepared. “I should warn you in advance – my family is…. Well, they’re not conventional.”

“Hm? How so?” He questioned you, quirking an eyebrow yet never taking his eyes off the road.

“They… They might make some rude comments. Or say things that make you uncomfortable. I know I told you about it the other day when I asked for this favour, but I just want to reiterate it. They’re… Well, they’re hard to deal with.” You finished. There was no other way to describe your family.

Growing up, they’d been all but supportive. Berating you left and right, making you believe you were as worthless as the trash on the street. Nothing you did ever amounted to anything. Your grades were never enough. Your passions were always overlooked – the books you read “filled your head with crazy fantasies”, the music you listened to “polluted your mind”.

If you left the house with no makeup on, your mother would assume you weren’t trying hard enough. Would say you looked sloppy and dirty, and that it was shameful to see you not even attempt to pull yourself together. And when you did leave the house looking pretty and proud of yourself, your parents would break down your confidence once more, assuring you that you’re clearly trying too hard, and that men don’t want woman who paint their faces as if they were clowns and dressed in skirts so short, they barely earned the name.

Your achievements didn’t matter. Not when your cousins earned scholarship after scholarship, brought home successful, handsome men or women, assuring the family they were well off and didn’t need to worry about much.

To your family, all it mattered was your image. To them, you were the black sheep of the family. No partner, no children, no high paying job, no success. Considering their mentality, how they still associated themselves with you was a puzzle.

Not even once did they stop to consider your feelings.

Moving out had been the best thing that happened to you.

Sure, it was hard at first.

You spent too long in front of the mirror, wondering if you looked good enough. While conversing with others, it was difficult to open up about your passions and hobbies, for fear of being shut down and dismissed.

But slowly, you’d regained control of your life. You went out when you wanted, with who you wanted. You wore the clothes you liked, without worrying about your parents’ hurtful remarks.

Nowadays when you looked in the mirror, you saw a proud young woman, as opposed to the scared little girl you saw in your early years.

Which made returning to them ever so difficult. They managed to turn you back into that frightened little girl you once were, always so afraid of saying the wrong thing, of doing the wrong thing and making them look bad. They managed to destroy all of the confidence and self-love you’d built for yourself all these years.

“I’m sorry.”

It was Nanami’s voice that brought you back to reality.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry. Clearly, a family that treats you that way does not deserve you.” He said, matter-of-factly. Like it was the easiest thing in the world, to admit the family that spent years breaking you simply wasn’t worth your time and thoughts.

“Yeah, well.” You mumbled, looking out of the window. What could you say? In theory, you knew he was right. He had to. Other friends who knew about your past told you as much. But it was a completely different story to put that into practice.

For the rest of the ride, a silence fell upon the both of you. None attempted to break it.

“Remember our story, right?” You questioned the man next to him. He stood right next to you, tall as a tower and just as unmoving. You could never guess what was going on in that beautiful head of his.

Nanami nodded silently, turning to you.

“Are you sure you want to do this? We can make up an excuse and leave, if you want to.” He said, and for a while, you considered it. It’d be nice to ditch on your family and spend some time with your coworker. But once again, you knew how this movie ended.

Sighing, you shook your head and gave him a weak smile.

“It’s okay. It’s just for one night.”

He nodded once again.

You took a deep breath and stepped forward, ringing the doorbell.

Almost immediately, the door opened, making way for a woman none other than your mother.

She looked so… so… perfect. Annoyingly so. It made your blood boil. It reminded you of how, in her eyes, you were most definitely not perfect.

Nanami glanced at the woman in front of you. She looked like a perfect copy of you. Or rather, you were a perfect copy of her. But there was a clear difference between the two: While she looked uptight, abnormally prim, and proper, way too polished, you looked, well, natural. This woman looked like her only job was to look good, while you were an effortless beauty. He can only imagine what kind of things a woman like this could’ve told you all your life to make you so nervous back in the car.

“Honey!” She chirps in a voice he can only describe as fake. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” She pulls you win for a hug, mumbling and muttering about how long it had been since you’d last seen her, how unkind of you that was, how you had no consideration for your family. Ouch.

“Hi mom,” Was your hushed answer as you tried your best to hug her back. And then just as quickly, tried to get away from her bone-crushing embrace. “Y-You can let go now.”

And she did, staring right at Nanami.

“Oh.” She very obviously stared at him up and down. There was no subtlety to the way she ogled him, and you felt some strong second-hand embarrassment from her actions. “And who might this fine young man be? Did you finally step up and get yourself a nice man?”

You sighed. This was going to be a very, very long night.

Nanami stepped forward, placing a warm hand on the small of your back, a hand that slowly brought you closer to him.

“Good evening, Mrs.” He said politely, offering his hand for the woman to shake. She did so gladly, showing him a perfect smiled. A perfectly forced smile. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Mom, this is Nanami Kento. He’s… He’s my boyfriend!” The words felt nice in your mouth, natural. It’s like he was meant to be your boyfriend. Boyfriend. That’s nice.

“Boyfriend! Oh! It’s so nice to meet you!” The woman exclaimed, pulling him inside. “Come in, come in! Of course, you’d be late – We were all waiting for you!”

When you told Nanami your family was harsh, he was picturing something very different. Maybe some unwanted jokes here and there. A comment about your major, a joke about your driving, maybe even some embarrassing childhood stories.

He wasn’t expecting this.

“It is such a surprise that our dearest [Y/N] has finally brought someone home!” Your mother announced, sending her daughter what Nanami thought was a rather sheepish smile. “I mean, at some point we thought we would be the family’s spinster, ha!” And then she sent you the most condescending smile, one that made you want to crawl into a hole and cry. Not even after discovering you have a boyfriend (well, a fake one, but she doesn’t need to know), your mother could be supportive.

“Well, I’ve always been full of surprises,” You retaliate bluntly with a tight-lipped line. Nanami slowly brought his hand under the table to squeeze yours, and when you faced him, you were met with a look that meant more than a thousand words. Stay strong. I’m with you, he seemed to silently say.

“Kento – mind if I call you Kento?” Your father interrupted loudly, not sparing you a glance. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a salaryman. I work in the same office as [Y/N].” Was Nanami’s response. You cringed at your father’s attempt to talk more familiarly with Nanami. It felt odd, it felt rigid, and you just knew what question would follow.

“Ah, I see. Well, I sure do hope you’re at least winning more than our [Y/N] here!” The older man blurted, shaking his head in disappointment. “We told her to focus on her studies, make sure she has a nice paying job by the time she finds a husband, but she instead decided to pursue those… hobbies of her, and ended up with a mediocre office job.” Then, as if his rude observation meant nothing, he added, “No offense. I’m sure you’re a hard-working young man, you should aim higher and consider a career in a more lucrative field. Have you tried investing, or finances? If you want to provide a better future for my daughter, you should be prepared.”

Great, now not only was he making rude comments towards you, but he was also making rude comments towards your “boyfriend”. When would this end?

“Dad.” You cut in, scowling at him. How dare he ask such questions?

“What?” He asked, shrugging. As if these types of discussions were as casual as small talk or mentions of weathers. “I need to make sure that this man will provide for you. After all, you refused to go and do something useful with your life – “

“I think what [Y/N] has done of her life is for her, and only her to decide.” Nanami chimed in. “And as her parents, you should be nothing but supportive. It’s not up to you to decide what’s useful or not.” Your cheeks warmed at that. He sounded so clear and straightforward. He managed to do, within minutes, what you had been too afraid to do your whole life.

Your father seemed to dismiss what Nanami had said, waving his hand about and muttering some incomprehensible gibberish.

While your mother fetched the main plate, the room was filled with light chatter. Nanami leaned towards you, lips softly brushing the shell of your ear. It made your heart leap to have him so close.

“You’re right. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it through the whole dinner without throwing a plate at any of their faces.” He mumbled, hand still squeezing yours tightly. This small comment earned a chuckle from you, and Nanami smiled at the response. To anyone else watching, you two looked like a lovesick couple engaging in some light banter and gossip.

“Ah! Here it is!” Your mother gleamed, bringing in pots and pans full of curry rice, udon noodles, miso soup, and some other side dishes you couldn’t see. For all you disliked your family, you couldn’t lie – family gatherings had the best food. You had once tried to learn how to cook from your mother, but after two failed commands (in her opinion) and a whole lot of yelling, you gave up.

“You should try the curry,” you told Nanami, holding your plate securely to pour some of the food on it. “She might be a witch sometimes, but her curry is to die for.” This last part was only but a whisper, and it got Nanami to smile crookedly.

God, you loved to see him smile.

At the office he always looked so serious, so tense. Nanami hated working overtime, and no matter how nice the company you kept each other ways, you could still see the exhaustion taking over him most days, rendering him cold and distant.

Here, though?

He seemed relaxed to a fault. As relaxed as he could be in a situation like this.

“Honey!” There was your mother again. Great, you were starting to miss her unnecessary statements! “Are you seriously going to eat all of that?” She inquired, looking particularly scandalised and attempting to reach your plate.

“Yes, I am. Why? Is there a problem?” You tried to sound brave, but Nanami was quick to notice the shake in your voice and the way your hand trembled in his.

“Oh, well, honey, I just think you should be careful! Don’t wanna put on any weight, do you? I’m sure Kento here wouldn’t want you to gain some extra pounds.”

Ah, this woman clearly made a mistake.

Nanami cleared his throat and made a poor attempt at trying to conceal the anger in his voice.

“I assure you ma’am, that is the least of my concerns.” He asserted and removed your plate from the woman’s hands. “Your daughter looks amazing, and if she’s happy with herself, so am I. In fact, I think she looks particularly breathtaking this evening, don’t you? You must be so proud.”

He’d pushed your parents into a corner, and all they could do was stammer and babble and look around for any help from their relatives – help that did not come.

“I’m quite the lucky man.” Nanami gave your parents the same kind of pretentious, fake smile they gave to him, and dug into his food.

And what else could you do but smile? Mouthing a quick “thank you”, you decided to get to eating as well. Seeing your parents so flustered had given you a kind of confidence you hadn’t felt in years, not in front of them, and it felt good.

For a few godly minutes, everything seemed to go well.

You were enjoying your food, and Nanami was exchanging pleasantries with some of your cousins. It seemed almost normal, the way it was going. Your cousin Ichigo and his wife, who were both ten years older than you were particularly interested in discussing the best kinds of liquors with your friend. Hiroshi tried to rope him into a talk of cars, and Makoto expressed his hatred towards overtime.

It felt too good to be true.

Probably because it was.

After dinner, you were the first to get on your feet to help clear the table. The quicker you did it, the quicker you could get the hell out of that place.

You were loading the dishwasher, distracted by the background noise of the chatter and the news that played in the television, when your cousin Emiko approached. Emiko was her parents’ pride and joy. Unnaturally beautiful, she had no real talent other than looking pretty and finding a rich man. It didn’t matter – the family loved her for it, and you’d spent your whole entire life being compared to her.

“So! ‘Cus, do tell us, how much did you pay for him?” She asked coyly. There was something poisonous laced in her words. You supposed it was jealousy – despite being seated near her husband, Emiko had spent the entire evening studying Nanami, running her eyes through his broad shoulders and sharp cheekbones, no doubt drooling.

You sighed. There was never much you could do about Emiko. You either ignored her words or played into her traps, and both options tested your patience gravely.

“I did not pay him, Emiko. Nanami and I have been dating for a while now.” You replied casually. Somehow, you could still feel tingles where his hand had previously been. On your hand, on your waist. The memory of his lips against your ear elicited a full-body shiver from you. “And I’ll remind you that he’s just next door, so please be considerate.”

“Come on, no one else’s in here, you don’t have to pretend.” Emiko peeked at you. When she saw no visible reaction, she sighed, waving her hand around dismissively and rolling her eyes at you before turning to face the kitchen door. “Come on, lighten up. It was a joke. But you have to understand – you were never something to look at, were you?” She snickered, taking a big gulp of her wine right after. “How’d you manage to snatch up a guy like this?”

You were done.

This comment had been the final straw.

You knew Emiko to be mean, but this? Assuming you had to pay for a handsome man’s company, simply because she didn’t deem you as attractive? As interesting?

Were you simply not worthy of love?

You felt tears prickling at the corner of your eyes, but before you could try to come up with a reply, a familiar voice interrupted you.

“Actually, it was I who managed to snatch her up.” Nanami was standing by the doorframe, casting you the warmest, most lovely, most caring gaze ever. You felt warm to be looked like that, like you were the most precious thing in the world to this man. “I got lucky. When we first started dating, I wondered how the hell such an interesting, beautiful woman would ever look at me.” A small chuckle. “I still do – I don’t feel like I’m worthy of her.”

Emiko was speechless. She just stared from you to Nanami, from Nanami to you, her words somehow losing their power after this confession.

You looked at Nanami and quickly wiped away the tear that threatened to spill. Seeing this, he walked over to you, pulling you closer by the waist.

“I think you’re wrong, Emiko.” He continued, not even sparing her a second glance as his hand lifted your chin up with the gentleness of someone who holds the entire world in their hands. “Not something to look at? I mean… Look at her. How could I ever be deserving of such a beautiful woman?”

You felt heat radiate from his body, and as if it was second nature, you cupped his jaw with your hands. He was so close, so impossibly close. You could make out every single one of his eyelashes, the bags under his eyes caused by sleepless nights working, the eyebrows that were usually furrowed and deep in thought – Nanami Kento was beautiful.

And according to him, so were you.

He searched in your eyes for any kind of signal. A yes, a no. A simply gesture that could change the rest of your night (and perhaps the course of your, well, relationship forever).

It was almost imperceptible when you nodded, meeting his gaze through lidded eyes.

So he dipped his head, and softly caught his lips with yours.

You’d fantasized about this once or twice. But nothing could’ve prepared you for the real deal. Nanami was a good kisser. His lips moved effortlessly around yours, molding like he had been kissing you for years. The hand at your waist brought you close, close, impossibly close, so close that you couldn’t think of getting away – good. Nanami didn’t want you to ever leave his side.

And you kissed him back just as tenderly, afraid to ruin the moment. Your tongue swiped shyly across his bottom lip, and he gave you one of his signature smiles – reserved, contained, but 100% him.

Behind him, he could hear Emiko scoff and leave the kitchen. Perfect. He didn’t want a crowd anyways.

After pulling away for air, Nanami studied your face attentively.

Your eyes were wide and bright, sparkling with what seemed like magic. He wanted to kiss every inch of your face – your forehead, your cheeks, your nose, your lips. He wanted to kiss your soft, plush lips again and again and again. Thank God you’d invited him to be your fake boyfriend. Nanami had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask you out, and while this wasn’t the most conventional date, he was known for being efficient and straightforward.

“Let’s get out of here. You deserve to be kissed somewhere else.” He mumbled in that raspy voice of his that did things to you. You nodded and held his hand as he led you through the corridors.

The goodbyes were ushered, and the promises to call and come back soon were very blatantly fake. Your parents, however charmed by this man at first glance, refused to hide their scowls at this point. They did not like being contradicted. Neither did your cousins – or rather, the ones that had giggled and whispered and made smaller comments at the beginning like “Wow [Y/N], such a miracle, you finally found someone!” and “Oh, Nanami-san, when you get tired of her, please do call us – we’ll be waiting! What? It was a joke, don’t be such a downer!”.

The ride home had been quiet. Peaceful.

You refused to let Nanami go, and he refused to let you go, so you couldn’t find it in yourself to complain when he placed his big palm on top of your thigh as he drove.

Then, as you arrived to your place, he walked you to the door, silently holding onto your hand.

You gazed up at him, and then at the floor.

“So…” Why were words so hard?

You wanted to ask him a million questions. Why had he kissed you? Had he liked it? Did it mean something to him? Was it just a distraction? Is your friendship ruined?

“I hope you know it is not true.”

“Huh?” You met his eyes.

“Everything they said.” Nanami refused to let go of your hand, drawing slow circles with his thumb. “It’s not true. You’re the most fantastic woman I’ve ever known. You’re beautiful, and smart, and talented, and kind, and so many other things that I want to say but can’t find the words to.” He’d never been good with his words. But you thought he was doing a pretty good job.

Then, he shook his head, running a hand through his now slightly ruffled hair. “I wish I was better at this. My point is – you’re remarkable, [Y/N]. The way you care for others, the way you’re so unapologetically you, the way you’re not afraid to speak your mind and be heard. Those are all admirable qualities. If your family can’t see that, then it’s their fault.”

You could just stare at him in awe.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take you out. On a date, an actual date. Not just some simple last-minute overtime office dinner. A proper date, just you and me.”

A date? With him?

“You can say no if you want to. I won’t force you. But I’d like to take you out for dinner. Or lunch. Or anything you want, basically, I –“ He sighed once again. “Point is. I really like you, [Y/N]. I know, I know, we don’t know each other that well, and I don’t expect you to return my feelings, but –“

“I really like you too.” You blurted out without thinking. So, all of this time, your feelings hadn’t been one sided? He too felt the same as you? All those nights at the office, all those small interactions, making the workplace an easier place to deal with, all of the jokes and giggles and antics – he cherished them too? “And I… I’d love to go out for dinner. Or lunch. Or whatever you want, really! The point is,” You gather yourself, smiling like a fool. “I’d really love to go on a date with you.”

In that exact same moment, while you and Nanami smiled at each other like two shy teenagers, the only witness to your awkward confessions being the moon and the lights from the city above you, you didn’t think of yourself as unworthy, as dumb, and useless and a no-good child. The hurtful comments made by your family were far, far away, like they’d happened a lifetime ago.

You saw yourself the way he did. Remarkable. Kind, talented, beautiful, and oh so worthy of love.

A/N: That's it! I hope you liked it! I love this man so much hehe he deserves all the fics! Thank you for the lovely request, I'm so glad I got to finally start writing for Nanami instead of simply reading!

Have an amazing day everyone! <3

#nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you #nanami reader x yn #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami x you #kento nanami x y/n #nanami headcanons #nanami drabbles #nanami x reader #nanami kento fanfiction #nanami kento #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jjk fanfiction #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n

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lilrainbowcloud · 3 months

Text

LAND AMONG THE STARS

Chapter 01 [masterlist]

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Child of Apollo Reader

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 2.6k

"Bring him to the infirmary, we'll let him rest there until he awakes." Gesturing to the very unconscious new demigod, Chiron nodded his head to you as a sign of giving you the responsibility to monitor him.

As the head of the Apollo's cabin, the majority of the injuries that required healing were given to you due to the gift your father had blessed you with. And as always, you never complained. Accepting those in need into your cabin was something that you welcomed as to show your gratefulness towards the ability you held in your hands.

As Percy, the name you heard Chiron greeted him with, laid on the bed freshly cleaned from the dirt and grimes from the night before, you couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the boy.

Words carried through the air told you that his mother was sacrificed to protect him from the minotaur that was chasing them. Unconsciously, your eyes drifted towards the twisted horn on the table. Grover had brought it back with him as a 'trophy' of sorts.

Percy was brave. So was his mother, who was just a mere mortal.

Letting out a soft exhale through your nose, you turned back to the boy. Brows furrowed, the corner of his lips turned down. He must be having a nightmare of sorts. You hoped it wasn't to relieve what had happened last night.

Gently, you ran the pads of your fingers over his forehead, a soft glow illuminated under your palm. A smile formed on your face as you watched his face relaxing. At least you could keep the nightmares away for a little while. You were aware of how dreams may be a prophecy themselves and cannot be pushed away.

A knock on the door made you stand back up, turning as you did to face your visitor.

Of course, it was Annabeth.

The persistent Athena's child stood in the doorway of the room with a sheepish smile on her face. Which you reflected with an amused one of your own, already knowing her intentions of coming. Still, you had the means to ask her.

"Yes, Annabeth?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I know that you have other counselor duties out there..." Hopeful wide eyes started at you as she voiced out her wishes. You knew this already. Happens every time a new demigod enters. "I can help you look after him!"

A giggle escaped your mouth as your smile grew wider by her antics to you to let her observe the newcomer.

"Aren't you also a counselor?"

Stunned, Annabeth's mouth hung open as she couldn't form a quick response. You might as well save herself.

"Alright, alright. You can help me look after him."

Her body stood straighter, jolting upward with excitement? You couldn't tell much of her behavior, but one thing you knew of her, she always gets a way to obtain whatever she wants.

"But~ you have to report to me if anything happens, deal?"

"Deal!" With a firm handshake, though it was not needed to do so but she had held out her hand first, you left her with monitoring duty as you made your way to the said 'counselor duties'.

🏹 Your pov

A few days passed since he first arrived. And the day he woke up you left Grover with him to go outside of camp for more supplies of bandaids, ibuprofen, and other. Sure you had the ability to heal minor injuries in minutes, but for other bigger cases, they would need help from mortal creations to not drain the energy out of you. Added to the fact that you loved to experiment with new medical knowledge that you had read from the books you borrowed from the Athena's cabin.

After your quick run, you went back to camp and into the infirmary to check up on Percy.

Only to be greeted by an empty unmade bed. The horn was still there on the table.

Another patient waking up fine was a satisfaction in your book.

With a little smile on your face, you went to unload your supplies in the storage cabinet and back to work on your checklist of To-Dos for the day.

🔱 Percy's pov

"Is it time to give up? I don't think I'm good at any of this," Feeling dejected and disappointed in himself, Percy couldn't help but feel bad for Luke. He felt like he's wasting his time trying to help him.

"It's useless," he let out under his breath, eyes trailing the dirt under his shoes.

"Hey come one don't give up yet," Putting a firm hand on Percy's shoulder, Luke gave him the same smile he showed him throughout the day. He couldn't understand how he's so persistent and helpful.

A contrast to the previous people that had dealt with him in his life, always giving up and thrown around. But this time, he felt hopeful to have made a genuine connection with someone. Even if he felt guilty. But he swore that he was really trying.

"I have one more thing you can try," Patting him on the back twice, Luke got up from the pavilion's stairs where they were sitting and stood up. Offering a hand for Percy to take. "Come on."

Percy knew the trail here. Next to the Big House, as they called it. The infirmary where he started his day at. What was he going to do here? All his life he had been getting injured rather than being the one to heal injuries.

He gave a look of incredulity at Luke. However, Percy noticed his demeanor change. The way he's holding back a smile that threatens to spread across his face as if not to show excitement, running a hand through his hair. And the way his back straightened before he lifted his knuckles to knock on the door. He was preparing to present himself to someone.

Crossing through the threshold, the place was quiet and calm.

"Yes?" A voice came from another part of the building. From the... kitchen? Which seemed like to Percy as they both filed into the room. The smell of antibiotics was much stronger here. The smell of hospitals and clinics.

"Hey, [Y/N]," Luke greeted the girl who was standing over the counter top in the middle of the room with various pill bottles and a ceramic mortar and pestle in the centre of it.

They both stopped short away from her. Guessing it was to not contaminate her pristine workspace with their dirty air from a whole day of camp tour. But Percy felt like they had already done that the moment they took their first step into the cabin. He almost said sorry out loud.

"Luke! And oh Percy! I'm so glad you woke up," Taking the white latex gloves off of her hands, she gave them a bright smile, one comparable to the sun as the room seemed to brighten up a bit. At least that's what Percy felt. He glanced over at Luke for confirmation but found that he was staring at the girl. The tone of her voice was clear with excitement.

It didn't take a genius to tell that she was a daughter of Apollo. I mean, she's already working in the infirmary. Wasn't that obvious enough?

But now, Percy noticed, her presence was a calming one. He instantly felt gravitated towards her. With what the sun being the centre of the solar system while the planets move around her. He liked her already. Another possible genuine friend maybe?

"I came back this morning to check up on you but you weren't here so I thought you had gone around camp on your own," Rounding the corner of the counter, she stood in front of them with her hands inside of the front pockets of her lab coat before leaning on the counter. The same smile still on her face. She really reminded Percy of a real mortal doctor.

Suddenly feeling shy under her gaze, Percy rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, sorry, I just needed to move right away you know," his eyes kept glancing from the girl to the ground, "from being in bed for days."

Gaze softening, her smile was pulled into a line, "It's okay, all that matters was your well being," Her voice quieted a bit, "I'm sorry for what happened."

The air suddenly felt heavy. But before the grey stormy cloud could form in his mind, she reached out her hand, "My name is [Y/N] by the way. It's nice to finally meet you formally," Percy replied to her saying it was likewise as well.

"Thanks for taking care of me," he added.

"Anytime," she replied.

Luke continued with the subject of why they were here in the first place with a clear of his throat.

"I'm showing Percy around camp today and trying to find something he's good at," Gesturing to him.

🏹 Your pov

"Oh that's nice! How did it go? Do you like it here?" Clapping her hand once, you turned your attention from Luke to Percy.

"I haven't found anything I'm good at yet, but Luke said I could try here," He doesn't sound very confident in himself which amused you. It must have been so tiring for him to go through everything on his first day. You guessed the thirst for achieving glory was strong with this one.

"It's fine, you have plenty of time to figure that out. A lot of us have been through this too, know that."

Not missing a beat, you turned on your heels to the closet at the corner of the room, "Here, wash your hands and sanitize them first," Opening the closet, you search for two lab coats that fit both of them as you heard them do as you ordered.

As you helped to put Percy's coat on, he asked you, "So... What do you do here?" Like it was not clear as day enough, but hey, conversations must start somewhere right?

"She's the head counselor of Apollo's cabin. And she's kind of like our doctor here. Heals people and stuff with her magic," Luke said before you could answer him yourself. Raising your eyebrows at him, you crossed your arms over your torso, a habit you unconsciously did.

"Healer? Magic?," Percy looked between you two with wonder, it intrigued him for sure,"Like a Cleric?" The term was not foreign to you as it was thrown at you a couple of times by the campers that played Dungeons and Dragons.

"Yeah, like that. I heal people with my glowing hands," Holding up your hand and wiggling your fingers, you made the air around them shimmer with a part of your partly divine energy.

Looking up behind Percy, you saw Luke smiling at you. At this moment, he looked like a brotherly figure to Percy. That made your heart full to see him take in these new demigods and made them feel welcomed.

As much as he detested his father, he is a son of Hermes, who welcomed all travelers.

"That's so cool!" His blue eyes widen with new interest. You thought it was endearing.

"Okay," a clap of your hands, "All is clean, now you can help me make this soothing cream from this book I've read last night!"

🔱 Percy's pov

The need to impress her was overwhelming to Percy. He had never been more concentrated in his life since the day he first tried to read the scrambled words in his book.

Speaking of reading, he remembered that Luke had mentioned every demigods has the same problem. Which was why he asked about this to her as she traced the lines of a brown journal that looked like it had been through some stuff with worn down leather cover.

Pulling out a pair of gold wire frame glasses from her lab coat pocket, she handed it to him. "I use this. It's a special glasses made by the Hephaestus kids few years back. Helps with the dyslexia."

Examining the glasses in his hand, the craftsmanship of it was amazing. Not only does it serves its function, but the design of the frame with little gears magically rotating on the sides. He gave them back to her so as to not suddenly trip and fall and break the glasses.

An hour of science experiment later, Percy helped scoop the baby blue cream into a pot with a spatula. He couldn't believe that he actually made something today without failing! Maybe he was good at something here. But was he really a child of Apollo? It does not seem fit to him.

"Great job, Percy! It was a success," Resting her hands on her waist, she gave him a proud look, which was very satisfying for him. He smiled back at her.

"Apollo might just be your dad," Giving Percy a brotherly pat on the back, Luke gave him a reassuring smile.

"I don't think so, I don't have your eyes," Looking at her, Percy referred to the golden ring around her iris. The first striking thing that had caught his gaze the first time.

It was mesmerizing to see it flicker under the light. He realized why Luke had been stealing glances at her this whole time. Talking to her to get her attention just to see those golden eyes of hers.

"Am I doing this right, [Y/N]?"

" How do I do this, [Y/N]?"

"Which one of these bottles has this again?"

Anything really even though Percy knew that her instructions were pretty clear and with everything labeled you can't mess it up. But it was fun to see him being a chaos and her being so calm responding to him.

A little voice in his head was telling him something was up between these two counselors.

Percy started to think that it was more like Luke that wanted to go here for himself rather than helping him out to find his godly parent. But that didn't leave a negative thought in his head if it meant something to Luke.

"Oh this you get after you've been claimed," Pointing to her eyes, "Like Luke said, you'll never know! I would love to have another brother." The way she said it almost made Percy want to be claimed immediately. To be under her cozy comforting wing as a big sister who has a maternal aura to them, who wouldn't want that? Or was it just him missing his mom?

"I'm going to take this to the Ares cabin, they're the ones who requested it. Said something about muscle soreness or whatever. I thought they didn't get those?" Biting on her bottom lip as the realization came to her, for a moment she was lost in her thoughts.

"But anyway, thank you for helping me and," She looked up to him, " I hope you get settled in today. If you want help with anything, you know where to find me." Winking at him, she started to put away the bottles back to their respective places on the shelves.

"Meet you for dinner later?" Stopping before he exited the room, Luke looked back at her.

"Sure. See ya!" Waving them goodbye, they both thanked her and waved back before leaving the cabin.

But one look at Luke, Percy could tell that he was hoping to stay there longer. It was very calming compared to the chaos of the camp activities outside.

Still, he followed Luke outside.

A/N: hello! i hope you guys follow this series well! the reader's relationship with other characters, especially Luke will be explored more after capture the flag in the next chapter!

as always, likes, reblogs, comments, and asks are welcomed! reply here to be in the tag list!

#luke castellan x reader #luke castellan #luke castellan fluff #pjo tv show #pjo #land among the stars🏹🗡️#percy jackson

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helga-grinduil · 9 months

Text

Saw the most insane take on this chapter today, and I feel like I need to say something.

Toga decided to die… NOT because she accepted Ochako’s feelings and her ‘healthy love’. If you were to actually read the chapter with your eyes instead of your ass, this is what you would see:

The structure of Toga’s monologue (and the monologue itself) here mirrors Jin's monologue. The narrative is basically throwing it in your face that Toga is copying Jin, even if unknowingly. Her entire 'sacrifice' is a parallel to Jin, who also decided to sacrifice himself for the people who accepted him (The League in Jin's case, Ochako in Himiko's case) because he didn't really care about himself anymore and didn't think rehabilitation was possible for him. She's not doing this because she accepted the 'healthy' concept of love, she's literally copying Jin's version of love - self-sacrifice.

Toga literally gives us an actual reason for why she's doing it: she doesn't believe (yet) that the world can change for the better and that the society would try to work with her instead of completely supressing her. She doesn't believe that she would have a future if she'd allow herself to be captured by heroes. This entire thought process is coming from the core ideology of the League of Villains. Not believing that the world can change and help them so the only thing left is to either destroy it or die is Tomura's ideology.

(Destruction is the main point. Destroying as much as they can and feel like before they're killed off or before they're left with nothing but ashes is the real purpose behind this entire war.)

And even when Toga speaks about the League creating an easier world for her to live in, the flashback shows them before MVA - alive and well. Twice is dead. Touya (as she thinks) is dead. Compress was captured. Currently, as far as Toga is aware - only Shigaraki (who isn't even Tomura anymore, the last time she saw him), Kurogiri and Spinner are left standing (and Spinner is actually currently laying on the hospital floor, dying). Ultimately, the League creating that world for her is an impossible, unachievable dream by now - and she knows it. It's not something that is going to happen. She gave up on that idea. She doesn't believe that she has a future if heroes capture her, and she doesn't believe that she has a future if the League 'wins' (and she knows they won't).

She believes that dying is the conclusion all of them are heading towards, the League came there prepared to die - that's why she chooses to save Ochako (the person who accepted her and made her happy) and kill herself instead of getting locked up or dying in some other way. Dying on her own terms, dying by saving the only person who actually accepted her (like Twice did) is the only way she can see herself going out happily now. There is no other option left in her mind.

And hey! There is actually another huge factor at play here, which I feel like some people forget for some reason? Toga thinks that Touya is dead. Moreso, Toga thinks that Touya killed himself. Dying on her own terms, killing herself while smiling?

She is following in his footsteps.

That's why she 'asked' Touya if he'd managed to smile/laugh before dying, because *that's* what Touya's entire speech about laughter was about. Dying while having a fucking blast, dying while doing whatever they want and laughing at the world, accepting the fact that they will die, but at least they'll cause as much harm and pain to the world that hurt them as possible before that. Himiko has decided to kill herself while doing what she wants (sacrificing herself to save a person who made her happy) with a smile on her face.

It's not love & justice that lead to self-destruction, it's self-depreciation and inability to believe that things can get better that do.

P.S. She’s not dead btw.

#I know that vaguing is not the best thing to do when you disagree with someone...#But since that person constantly vagues me and my friends I think this is completely justified in this case.#If they're reading this and think that it's targeted at them - yes‚ it is.#bnha #bnha spoilers #bnha meta #bnha 395 #toga himiko #uraraka ochako #bubaigawara jin #twice #todoroki touya #dabi #lov #league of villain

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empressofthesunwriter · 3 days

Text

Change the Narrative

If people knew the truth, they would call her a selfish monster.

But Katara had sacrificed anything for the world, for an ungrateful husband!

This time she would always choose herself first!

Here is a little one-shot of my anger about what happened to Katara in canon.

I want to give her the end she deserves, so I hope you enjoy it!

Katara knew it was time for her to die.

She felt it in her old bones.

Alone she lay in her bed at the South Pole and watched how the snow was falling.

At least she would die seeing the beauty of her homeland.

It was a good death.

The old woman blinked tears away and tried to be positive about her nearing death.

She would see Sokka, her father, her mother and Gran-Gran again.

It was good.

She had lived a long happy life.

Something burning and unsettling spread through her chest as she thought this.

Was it a happy life?

How often did she and Aang argue over simple things?

How often did she beg him not to play favourites with Tenzin? Yes, their youngest was an airbender, but what about Bumi and Kya? They were his children too.

But no!

The Air Nomad legacy was more important than their two oldest children and their pain.

Once upon a time when she was a young girl and fantasized about the man and family one day she would have, she never would have guessed how she became the kind of mother, who didn't fight for her children.

Who didn't call out her husband for his wrongdoings?

However, she had so with Aang. Since she had met him, she always had mothered him, shielded him from things which didn't fit his narrative.

He was the Avatar, the only hope to end the war, with a track record of running away.

They couldn't lose him, so she had protected him the best she could.

And she did so to her children.

No wonder Bumi and Kya didn't even visit her and Tenzin didn't have much of a relationship with her.

Where did she go wrong in her life?

When did she become a shadow of herself in the name of love?

Why did she even choose Aang?

Was it because of Aunt Wu's prediction, she would marry a powerful bender or because she had a feeling Aang...deserved her?

He loved her and had ended the war.

Was it so bad to give him a chance?

Sadly after sacrificing her best years for him and being rewarded to die alone without her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren around her, it may have been the most stupid decision she ever made.

Spirits, was she a bad person to think that?

She loved her family, really she did, but deep down she had to admit...she wouldn't do it a second time.

Katara wouldn't sacrifice herself, her ideals, and her dreams for Aang's dream.

She had her whole life given and given and was now at the end of it rewarded with nothing.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she slowly closed her eyes.

Soon she would join her loved ones...

Just...

If she could...

If the spirits were so kind...

If dear Yue heard her...

She wanted a second chance.

She wanted to live a life for herself and herself alone.

Katara had given in this life all and more...was it so bad that she wished for a second chance to get it this time right?

Was she selfish?

Maybe.

Surely.

But anyone had a point in their life where they had to put themselves first.

Her only regret was that she did not realise it sooner.

Katara closed her eyes and felt the last beats of her heart.

Never noting how the moon was shining brightly down at her...

***

She felt pain in her head.

Katara hissed and touched her forehead.

Why did she get a headache?

Where was she?

She blinked to banish the shadows before her eyes.

Slowly she could see.

Ah yes.

She was outside General Iroh's tea shop in Ba Sing Se.

The waterbender had seen Aang walk out and wanted to join him.

It was high time that she gave Aang her answer about them being a couple.

She had been unsure a few days ago, but now with the war over...why shouldn't she give him a chance?

He was standing at the balustrade watching the setting sun, it was the perfect moment.

As the waterbender made her first step towards him, an avalanche of emotions and vision filled her whole being.

Katara gasped quietly, trying to make sense of this.

It was too fast and also too slow...however, she felt it in her bones...whatever she had planned kissing Aang and getting together with him...it would be the worst decision of her life!

No, she didn't want what she had seen.

How could she sell herself, her principals, and her honour for a guy?!

How could she be together with someone who would play favourites with their children?!

No, absolutely not!

Whether this was a vision from the future to save her from this faith Katara didn't know, but what she knew she wouldn't make the same mistakes twice!

So angry she walked up to Aang and tapped his shoulder.

The Avatar turned smiling towards her. He seemed so happy and hopeful and looked at her like she had hung the stars and the moon.

For a second she flatter, which only made the vision come forth again and made her anger tenfold.

Oh no!

Not with her!

"Aang.", she began. "I don't love you and I never will! Stop pestering me about us being a couple! If you don't accept my feelings I will waterwhip you do your next incarnation, do you understand me?!"

To say he was shocked was the understatement of the century. She could formally see the heartbreak in his eyes and how he tried to speak up, maybe to guilt trip her, however, she wasn't having anything of it.

"Nothing you will say and do will ever change my mind! So don't even try. I will go back with Sokka to the South Pole and rebuild my home. That's where I belong!"

Dramatically she turned around and entered the tea shop again.

The others tried their hardest to seem like they hadn't listened in, yet Katara saw through them.

She sends them all an annoyed look.

"What?!"

No one said anything for a few seconds before Toph snickered: "Oh sugar queen, I hoped you had it in you."

This makes Katara smile.

***

The next months of her life Katara rebuilt with her father and Sokka their home.

The Nothern Watertribe had tried to turn the South into a second North, except Katara was having none of it.

As a war hero, master waterbender and daughter of the chief she used all her power to stop this chances.

She was a force of nature!

No one had a chance against her.

Her family was so proud of her and she was satisfied with herself.

Yes, this was where she belonged.

Helping people and not being the soulless, passionless arm candy of Aang!

Katara was happy.

A voice inside her told her how she deserved it.

***

A year later found Katara as ambassador for her people at the first peace summit.

She was happy seeing Zuko again, they had written to each other, yet seeing each other in person was much better.

He had become her best friend.

And her wall against Aang.

As Avatar he was at the peace summit too. Of course, he tried to talk with her. Tried to sway her, saying he missed her and wanted to be friends again.

She saw right through him. Aang still wanted her.

Thank the spirits for Zuko having her back and distracting Aang.

When they enjoyed together a cup of tea in General Iroh's tea shop she thanked him for his help.

Awkwardly he waved it away.

It was nothing.

He and Mai had broken up and the black-haired girl wasn't happy about it.

Even if she and Aang weren't exes, Zuko knew how frustrating it was to have a person follow you like a shadow and demand to be together again.

In comfort, she petted Zuko's hand and told him he did the right thing to end things with Mai.

If she couldn't accept a no was she a good girlfriend?

A little crooked smile formed on Zuko's lips, and her heart stopped for a second, as he thanked her for her words and friendships.

Then he asked her to join him in the search for his mother.

***

Being with Zuko on a life-changing field trip again was... exciting.

They still worked flawlessly together, like when they had hunted down the murder of her mother, but now they were friends.

It changed a lot of interactions.

They were playful with each other.

Zuko was the only one who ever laughed at her jokes.

They were there for each other.

In the long days when they hunted down one clue after another and Zuko seemed to lose hope, Katara reminded him to never give up.

They shared the workload.

It was amazing not mothering someone and having someone help her around camp.

They were getting closer to each other.

They shared things they never told anyone.

Zuko told her how he got his scar and Katara hugged him, wishing Aang had killed Ozai.

Wishing Ozai was before her and making him pay for hurting her best friend!

Sometimes they just stared at the stars, inventing constellations, their hands inching closer.

Something new was born between them.

Katara didn't know what it was, but she would enjoy it.

It made her feel good.

After weeks on the road, they finally found Ursa.

And also a society of hiding airbenders.

Katara couldn't help but laugh in utter glee.

***

Was it really that surprising that Katara and Zuko fell in love with each other after their journey?

When she kissed Zuko for the first time, it was like coming home.

Warm, welcome, familair, intim.

It was the best sensation in the world.

Something inside her told her this was how it was supposed to be.

After two years of dating and being the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe in the Fire Nation, they married.

All their friends and half of the world were invited.

Yes, even Aang.

Aang was so grateful to Katara and Zuko for having found his people and was busy with the air nomads to rebuild their society, and seemed to finally let go of Katara.

Now they really could be friends.

***

Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, master bender, war hero and Fire Lady became a living legend.

Not only the people in the Fire Nation adored her, but she used the power she wielded to make the whole world a better place.

She was the one who came up with the idea of Republic City, a place where all nations could live in harmony.

She revolutionized the art of healing with her bloodbending.

She installed fountains and aqueducts everywhere she could, so people had clean water.

Statues were built and universities, streets even neighbourhoods were named in her honour.

Katara taught new generations of waterbenders like her daughter Kya and people formally fought over to learn from the Fire Lady.

When their oldest daughter Izumi became Fire Lady, Katara and Zuko retired to Ember Island to live out their twilight years in peace.

They often had visits from their friends and families.

Their son Lu Ten, a nonbender, had married a waterbender named Mizuki and had with her five children.

So the proud grandparents helped their son and daughter-in-law raise the rascals.

It was fulfilling.

As Aang then died and was reborn as Korra from the Southern Water Tribe Katara and Zuko moved to the South to teach the new Avatar.

Korra loved Katara and Zuko like grandparents and loved hearing about their adventures.

After Korra goes to Republic City to learn airbending from one of Aang's sons he had with one of the hiding airbenders, the pair returns to Ember Island.

Zuko died a few months before her.

Katara followed him after the birth of their third great-grandchild.

Both died surrounded by their big and bustling family.

As Katara died, her oldest great-granddaughter, who was named after her held her hand, she couldn't help but feel happy.

She had lived a long and wonderful life.

Soon she would be together again with her beloved husband and her family.

And so the greatest and most beloved Fire Lady died in peace with no regrets in her heart, her story being told for thousands of years to come.

***

The Legend of Katara became a tale which young girls loved.

From a simple waterbender to a master, war hero and ruler over a nation, who changed the world only a few ever could.

It showed all girls, that they could do anything they wanted.

They could reach their goals and go even beyond.

This was Katara's legacy.

As it should have been.

If you liked this one-shot and want more Zutara, a badass OC, personal growth for Aang and the Gaang being amazing check out Yin and Yang!

Click on my profile and leave a comment.

I hope you liked this little One-Shot!

Let’s now scream together in the comment section how Katara deserved better and if it’s not canon we will give it to her in fanon! :D

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catholic-character-tournament · 11 months

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Round 1 - Side A

Propaganda below ⬇️

Abuelita Alma Madrigal Propaganda:

There's a church in the Encanto as well as a priest and given how strong her grip is and how much of a control freak she is, I would very much doubt she'd allow people to believe in other miracles than Pedro's if she wasn't, herself catholic. Also I mean south american turn of the century family they're probably catholic.

Listen at least Alma is!!! The candle!! The importance of the church!!! The vibes are just there!!!! The idea of being a savior by sacrificing yourself (or at least your personality/grief) for your people? That’s SO catholic coded PLEASE

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler Propaganda:

good lord where do i start. in the animated series he converts logan to catholisism and then fucks off basically thats the main thing he did there. i think one time they tried to make him a demon to explain how he looked but everyone hated that. he sold his soul one time to help his friends out after he died. he and logan have a weird little gay thing. he was a priest one time but he was made a priest by a fake bishop from a religion that hates mutants iirc so he just wasnt a priest. like 3 people have written him in a way i like and one of those is my friend just talking about how they view him.

wow marvel loves making catholic characters dress/look like demons

Kurt is a mutant who was born to mystique who looks a LOT like a devil (technically is half one but that cannon truth isn't real go back to bed), his mother dropped him off a cliff when he was born and he was picked up by a Romani group/circus (fuck old comics man) however he then narrowly escaped being sold to a freak show and found himself in a small German town. There he met a kind priest, who showed him God, and he quickly grew attached to the idea- However, it wasn't long before people began labeling him a demon and soon the whole town was against him with pitchforks and fire. Cornered and injured, Kurt thought this might be the end for him- maybe he would see heaven so long after finding it- but he was then saved by Charles Xavier who invited him to the X-Men. AND ITS BEEN SO MANY YEARS AND HE HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH THERE. SO MUCH. SO GOD DAMN MUCH. BUT THE MOST AAAA THING TO ME CONCERNING HIS FAITH HE WHEN HE LITERALLY DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN BUT THEN BECAUSE OF DRAMA WITH HIS FATHER HAD TO BRING HIS FRIENDS IN WITH HIM FROM THE BEYOND. THEN WITH ALOT OF TROUBLE THEY FOUGHT HIS FATHER AND THE ONLY WAY KURT SAW TO STOP HIM WAS IN A MOVE THAT STRIPPED THEM BOTH OF THEIR SOULS AND PUT THEM BACK ON EARTH. SO KURT CANONICALLY HAS NOW LOST HIS ABILITY FOR ETERNAL PEACE, LOST HIS VERY SOUL, TO SAVE PEOPLE- AND ALSO TOLD NO ONE NOT EVEN HIS GAY LOVER WOLVERINE.

Nightcrawler is a mutant vigilante who looks like a classical demon. He can't even go to church without people panicking and trying to exorcize him. Despite it all, he's so full of faith and hope and compassion, and he wants to believe the best of everyone. Also, he's bffs with an extremely angry Jewish sword lesbian. That has nothing to do with anything, but it's important to me that you all know that.

What if you were a devout christian and literally looked like the devil? He nearly became the pope, which was a plot by some supervillains that also involved faking a rapture? There is nothing like comics I swear to god.

A catholic who is half demon I don’t think I can better explain a struggle than that. But his character is so relatable to people who feel unwelcome with their congregation because of something that is a part of them but still feeling a connection to the faith. Kurt actively engaged in his faith and shares how his faith helps him through all the things he has faced in life and how he found a home with those of the church who leave the judging to God.

so they made kurt a priest briefly before deciding to retcon it, resulting in nightcrawler actually being part of a plan by villains to promote him to pope then reveal to the world that the pope is a demon. wild.

I have a side blog and a tattoo about him and i really really want him to win

Wisecracking devil-appearing devout Catholic with the Best superpower (teleportation)? HECK YES

German Catholic circus acrobat who looks like a demon & can teleport through a hellish alternate dimension with a puff of sulfur. Character of all time.

hes catholic and his dad is the devil. what could be funnier than that. also hes my silly little guy.

Nightcrawler is the world’s most fun catholic priest. I first was introduced to this kindhearted teleporting acrobat while he saved a boat full of stowaway refugees from inter dimensional pirates with swashbuckling gusto!

#encanto #alma madrigal #abuela madrigal #x men #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #marvel #cct polls #tumblr tournament #tumblr polls #tumblr bracket

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inkdemonapologist · 7 months

Note

wdym by malice's writing being incoherent

NOTHING IN THIS SCENE MAKES SENSE! Malice sweetie i love u but what r u doin

Why does she have an electric chair party. If her goal is to take apart Audrey on the operating table because she’s A Unique Specimen That Will Finally Make Her Perfect why is she exclusively using death methods guaranteed to damage A Lot of the body when she originally had access to a passed out Audrey?? Why does she want to do a riddle? Why is she angry when you solve the riddle? Like she specifically tells you at the start “yeah, I want to take you apart and use your insides as beauty products, but first we’ll do a little riddle and we can do that other stuff later” so why does she say you’ve “humiliated” her later? You didn’t cheat, she didn’t make the puzzle unsolvable, you just literally did exactly the thing she told you to do.

For the record, Malice is also kinda incoherent in BatIM, but her screaming rage as the elevator falls feels more like her Real Feelings Finally Showing after being mockingly sweet to Henry thus far, while in BatDR she hasn’t really been keeping her cards close to the chest or pretending to be helpful, so it just kind of feels like “and then she loses it and starts screaming, because she’s crazy, of course” logic. Why does Malice have a bunch of loyal lost ones who dutifully repeat their riddle clues with zero additions? Like, this is a tangent, but wouldn’t it be creepier if they were obviously under duress when you speak to them? Why is the logic puzzle not bendy or angel themed in any way, like it was lifted out of a Book O’ Logic Puzzles directly and not even reskinned? WHY ARE THERE BUTTONS THEMED FOR IT, set up in wilson’s retreat????????? how often does Malice run this thing? Malice getting Henry to do her chores at least makes a little sense in that he’s doing things she didn’t particularly want to do herself (tho I agree with Mochi’s suggestion that it would’ve felt less arbitrary if it were made very clear afterwards that you had helped her get everything she needed to do her Boris Experiment), but what does she get out of this? If she’s enjoying making people squirm then there’s a distinct lack of squirming going on!!! Girl go back to unethical experiments that you’re in control of, that’s way more effective!! Her hint of a motive – Audrey is unique, the One That Came Out Right, and might be the key to Malice finally getting the perfection she craves – is ACTUALLY REALLY INTERESTING and works well with the story and plays into everything that’s going on with Audrey discovering her past, and for incomprehensible reasons it’s just kind of not really driving Malice’s actions here?

Anyway, this fun but baffling scene aside, the original reason I felt like Malice was sort of oddly written was the note you find from her:

This is actually pretty compelling. Malice has always seemed Vanity Obsessed and to give her a reason that’s not just “i want to be pretty” but “so many doors are closed to me unless I’m gorgeous, so if I could Just Be Beautiful I could have the things I want most!” is a great insight… into a character who is not in Malice’s situation. You could roll with this – framing it as these feelings being left over from when she was human, and she’s not coherent enough now to logically think through the fact that “doors will open for you if you’re gorgeous” no longer applies to her in Ink Hell. But was that ever Susie’s motivation…? She just wanted to Be Alice. And you could so easily get to her Perfection Obsession through that – I really like the repeated “angels are beautiful” because it gets the closest to that idea, that she’s desperate to fix the dysphoria of Not Really Being Alice Angel, the thing she sacrificed everything for, and she’ll sacrifice and sacrifice until she has it again.

So, this all just feels like….. Like, the way Malice IS is great. She’s great. Her delivery is fun and of course we’re all thrilled about “honey”. But her actions don’t make much sense, and the reasoning and motivation we’re given feels less like “here’s what’s really going on in this character’s head, here’s what’s motivating her” and more like “here’s a motivation that could explain why someone wants to be beautiful so bad”. It’s kind of generic rather than growing out of Malice’s particular feelings and history; it’s just to the left – and overall, this whole thing kinda feels like they did their best to create some scenario to replicate Malice’s vibes from BatIM, rather than really trying to understand her character and what this situation would drive her to do. Unlike BatIM (where she just wanted your buddy), in this game she wants YOU, and it’s a shame they didn’t lean into that more!!

#batdr #bendy and the dark revival #i know you have questions you always do #batim malice angel

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niiine · 1 year

Text

𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑

Character(s). Xiao x GN!Reader, Lumine, mentions of Yanfei.

Synopsis. Lumine never like meddling with other people’s business if they don’t want her to, much less their relationship, but this time, Xiao left her no choice.

Mild Angst & Fluff

Lumine is reader’s close friend 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 come on she can’t always be the one that the reader is jealous of

NOT PROOFREAD, please don’t expect.

Ending sucks because it’s me. I can’t write endings ffs.

Got the idea when I’m re-watching the chasm scene where Zhongli saves Xiao’s life. My (our) hubby looks so fine tryna save everyone sacrificing himself 😳

“They're gonna kill you.” Traveler’s voice earned a wince from the yaksha who are still trying to walk straight after the incident in the chasm. They’ve been stuck for days, if not a whole week, inside the tremendous place and the final act really did took a toll on his body.

He let out a barely audible tsk as Lumine guided his form to sit somewhere comfortable. Only when he’s settled that he voiced out his concern.

“Please don’t tell her” his golden eyes look anywhere but hers, knowing that she had that judgmental stare decorating her small face. “No.”

Her sharp refusal made Xiao snap his gaze onto her, he didn’t hear her right, right? But the looks on her face tells him otherwise. “But they’re going to feel bad about this” he gritted his teeth like a kid, and his companion is reminded how much the Adeptus in front of her loves you so much to the point that making you sad is one of the last things he’ll do.

But if he really wants you to be happy, he must learn how to take care of his self as well.

“Yes. And it’s your fault,” sometimes the traveler’s bluntness hit a certain painful spot.

“So, I’m going to tell them that you almost sacrifice yourself again despite promising that you’ll be careful every.single.time.” The blonde made sure to emphasize her points, and although Xiao appreciate her concern for you, he just doesn’t want to see you crying because he messed up again.

“I’ll let her know myself then” he tried to argue, hoping that he can at least make a little bit more nice in the ears, but Lumine knows that he’ll hide certain facts to protect your feelings—don’t get it wrong, she loves you so much that she also doesn’t want to hurt you, but she’s aware how broken hearted you’ll be if Xiao keeps doing this to himself— so she will do this herself.

“And I will also let her know. You can’t keep hurting yourself without thinking of their feelings, Xiao. What if something happened to you for real? Don’t you know that it’ll send her to an even deeper despair?” Once again, she reprimanded the man, because aside from being your friend she treasures, he also is a dear companion to her.

“I’m gonna tell (name), and you’re gonna listen to everything she says” She huffed, preparing in her mind what to tell you as too keep the damage and worry on minimum. Although all her thoughts left her when she heard Paimon gasped and your sweet voice fill both hers and Xiao’s ears.

Yanfei came across you and told you the whereabouts of your boyfriend, making it easier to find your beloved.

“Tell me what?” Ahh, Xiao missed that sound so much.

“Love,” the green haired adeptus proceeds to reach out to you as far as his damaged body can do, distress and concern flooded your eyes as you run towards him, gentle finger scanning his battered form.

“What happened?” as much as he can’t stand to hear the uneasiness laced on your voice, he also can’t help but to succumb on your touches. He missed you so dearly. Receiving no response from your lover, you turned your head towards your friend, who’s already looking at you.

“And you, too! You look so pale and weak…” You noticed how frail the two of them look and a sob escaped your lips, you were about to speak again when Lumine beat you to it. Saying that she’s fine, and then proceeds to tell you everything that happened. After her explanation, Lumine offered to teleport you and Xiao in the Wangshuu Inn where he can rest comfortably. After bidding her farewell, with a bit of light scolding from you, you then turned towards Xiao who are currently draped in your shared bed, he’s not looking at you direct in the eyes, almost ashamed of what he had done.

“I’m sor—”

“I can’t stand this.”

His golden orbs darted into yours, swirling emotions forming into heavy heartbeat as his chest tightens at your words. No, please don’t say you’ll leave.

“(Name)” he tried to stand up to reach you out, but his body failed him. “I have told you before, Xiao” no, please don’t call him that. Where’s the usual Love? or Dearest? Or Beloved?

His crestfallen face stares at you pleadingly, and on normal occasions, you have give in. But you don’t want him to abuse his self anymore, and if you don’t want him to keep tormenting the both of you, then you must prevail.

“I can stand you being unromantic, or cold from time to time, I understand that you’re not a mortal who do silly things. But heavens, I can’t take it if you’re putting yourself in danger every time.”

He noticed how your eyes glistens from the tears, but his heart breaks at the sight of you standing so far away from him, reminding him that he’s the reason you’re unreachable sometimes.

Mustering all the remaining strength he has, he tried to stand up once again, he can’t have you going farther. His digits caressed your cheeks, and your eyes look up at him, turbulent storms raging at his touch.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I promise. Please don’t leave me.”

“You better don’t. Because I hate thinking that I’m not important for you to throw yourself like that,” you sobbed against his chest “I love you, Xiao. I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever lose you.”

He kissed your forehead, whispering his own affirmations. Archons, he really doesn’t like seeing you like this.

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yasmimkilleruwu · 7 months

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Relationship between Toby and Clock :]

In my stories, Clock doesn't get along with the other proxies, Toby is almost the only proxy who likes her. Slenderman does not allow proxies to have relationships or care about anyone because he sees this as a weakness that can be used against them. Slenderman doesn't like Clock because for him, she is a threat and he became paranoid about her, after a while one of his proxies discovered that she "worked" for Zalgo, and upon seeing that Toby and she were starting to have a relationship, he forbade Clock from approaching his mansion, and gave Toby several missions to keep him away from Clock. {He told Toby to stop seeing Clock, but do you really think Toby would obey? Obviously not, Toby kept seeing her anyway.} To be clear, Slenderman sees proxies as objects, objects that have to be obedient, submissive, responsible, respectful, useful and that don't think twice about sacrificing themselves for him, and if Slenderman sees that a proxy is no longer useful he kills him. The problem is, Toby is none of those things, Toby is irresponsible, he is not obedient and much less submissive to Slenderman, immature, he is impulsive and has no respect. Before, Toby acted like a child, he was happy, fun and made some jokes, but Slenderman gave Toby a little correction, Slenderman may have played with some of Toby's memories and made some small illusions, like making Toby see his sister dying often, filling his head with voices, making him remember the abuse he suffered in childhood and adolescence, making him see hallucinations and other things. After a while, Clock herself began to distance herself from Toby, because she knew that if Toby continued seeing her, he would be punished, and Slenderman was already destroying Toby little by little, as she noticed that he was no longer smiling and seemed more disturbed. They also weren't seeing much of each other because of the large amount of missions Toby was doing, which was making Toby very tired and stressed, and caused Toby's illnesses to end up getting worse. So, for her and Toby's own sake she broke up with him, told him to stop coming to see her and that their relationship wouldn't work. {And really, their relationship wouldn't work out, because if Slenderman's efforts don't go well, he would kill either Clock or Toby, and it would most certainly be Clock who would be killed, if Slenderman sees a problem he just eliminates it.} When Clock broke up with Toby, he felt really bad, he thought he had done something wrong, and with everything he was going through he became totally paranoid and even more disturbed, the voices in his head started filling his head with things Horrible, one of the things that the voices said the most and that hurt Toby the most, was that he would never be loved and that Clock broke up with him because he was just like his father. Toby got really bad and did some things against himself, but Hoodie helped him get over it at least a little. When they were dating, Toby gave Clock flowers every day, gave her little kisses, combed her hair, he always respected Clock's limits, he literally treated her and treats her like a queen, Clock gave him little gifts, took care of him and helped him through some of his crises, honestly, it was a very healthy relationship. They fought, yes, but most of those fights were Slenderman's fault. Toby was the first boy who really treated Clockwork well, who wanted to be with her and especially take care of her, Toby was her first true crush, it hurt her a lot to have to break up with Toby, but it was necessary. I think she doesn't feel for Toby anymore, but Toby doesn't really feel for her anymore, he just sees her as a best friend, someone he can really trust. {I'm using the translator, so there are probably writing errors, so I'm sorry T-T}

#ticci toby #toby rogers #toby erin rogers #clockwork #creepypasta

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andreal831 · 2 months

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Outside of Elijah/Klaus (cause there was absolutely 0 reason both of them died), which character in all of TVDU do you think had the most unnecessary/dumb death?

Honestly Klaus and Elijah aren't even in my top. Yes, both of them dying was dumb, but there are so many other death's that were more unnecessary. At least Elijah and Klaus made it to the end of TO.

Some honorable mentions: Hayley, Tyler, Gia, Josh, Enzo, Jo, Lexi, Sophie, Eve, Jesse, Aaron, Aya, Jackson, all of the hybrids, Carol, Henry, Celeste (first time), Genevie (first time and kind of second time). I'm sure there are more.

But my most unnecessary/dumb death is Cami O'Connell.

There was zero reason for her to die and it was because she wasn't meant to die. I firmly believe she was meant to be the school psychologist in Legacies. It would have made so much sense for her to be there for Hope after Hope lost so much of her family. It also would have allow a woman on the show to have a happy ending that wasn't centered around a man. Her happy ending would have been watching over Hope and helping all of the supernatural children, fulfilling her family's destiny.

Cami still had so much of a story left to tell. She was so young and full of promise. She lost her entire family due to the supernatural world and then was forced into it herself. If anyone in TO is a parallel to Elena, it is Cami. Her family legacy was so entrenched in the supernatural that it was only a matter of time before she herself was pulled into it.

Even her death made no sense. Lucien wanted to hurt Klaus for 'stealing' Aurora from him, but at that point, Lucien had the ability to kill Klaus. Sure, maybe he wanted him to suffer, so why not go after Hope? She was out in the bayou essentially unprotected (let's be honest, what could Mary have done?).

Even if we accept Lucien wanted to make it even by taking away Klaus' love, how did they not save her? Like two days later the entire Mikaelson gang is bitten and Freya just magically thinks of a way to freeze them and save them all? They couldn't have thought of that a little quicker? It's funny how they always manage to think of life saving magic when the plot/Mikaelsons require it, but there's no other options when it comes to sacrificing other characters.

Even if we accept that she died, they really didn't even make an effort to bring her back? Davina was able to be brought back from the dead after her soul was shredded. I know the other side was gone at that point, but let's not pretend the show didn't just bring back characters with very little rhyme or reason. The Mikaelsons didn't even attempt to find a way to bring her back.

And no one even say it was to help Klaus' character development. I hate when women are killed to further a man's development. It was clear in the writing that Klaus still needed Cami for his development. He was just at the brink of trying to be a better person, he was nowhere near done. We can clearly see this in the amount of scenes Hayley becomes ooc in order to be Cami for Klaus. Or Caroline coming in season 5, which made no sense, was clearly meant to be Cami.

Cami was an O'Connell and this meant something in New Orleans. People who claim her character was just a love interest were not watching. Her character was going to unite New Orleans. Not Hayley, not Hope, and definitely not the Mikaelsons. Every faction adored her. Marcel and Vincent loved her and would have done anything to keep her safe. The Mikaelsons each loved her outside of her relationship with Klaus. She would have always been a mother figure to Hope, no matter what her relationship was. Hayley loved her as well. We don't see her interact with the wolves too much but that's because they were largely forgotten in the writing. But every faction loved her and respected her. Her legacy was fixing the war in New Orleans. Which I love the writers just kind of dropped and everything magically go better when the Mikaelsons left, even though the war had been going on longer than the Mikaelsons were there.

The writers had not planned to kill her off but because of the toxicity of the fandom, they killed her off. This is just bad writing. They writers often cared more about ratings than the actual art of story telling and the show suffered because of it.

Thanks for the ask! What other deaths do you all think were unnecessary?

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spacedlexi · 2 months

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Hi Lexi

What do you think of partially blinded Vi? You never seem to draw her that way, and I kind of just wanted to know what do you think of it as a certified Vi lover.

I personally think that while something like this can be "cool" (as in, being beneficial to the character design), it's handled quite poor for Vi and it just looks a bit... ungrateful. Simply doesn't look good, doesn't fit her personality or character (am I missing something?) and it doesn't seem to fit or suit her...unlike Kenny's iconic eyepatch. To me, it has become a pivotal thing in his design to a degree in which Kenny with both eyes seems a bit odd looking. I see it as a symbol which stands for Ken being a martyr and all he's lost and sacrificed. He is all about family and helping those he loved, his loved ones truly were the "apple of his eye". It all makes sense, doesn't it?

But for Vi, it's excatly the opposite. I'm just so sorry to see her like this. 😭😭😭 I don't think it makes sense in any way. Louis losing his tongue because he's so talkative and "won't shut up" does kind of make sense, but I cant help but see Violet losing sight as kind of lazy writing. "We need something bad happening to her!!! suffer the children!!!'- the writers exclaimed.

i think vi losing her eyesight is incredibly impactful on her character and i honestly dont understand why some people say its lazy writing. especially since it was foreshadowed multiple times. vi losing her eyesight i think is even more impactful on her character than louis losing his tongue because at least louis still has his music to express himself and uplift spirits through (and its not like he cant communicate At All. his note still makes clem laugh). the reason i dont draw blind vi very often is because of how sad it is to me. for multiple reasons

violets whole thing is wanting to be able to protect the people she cares about, and feels immense grief and guilt about the times she feels shes failed them (thinks if she had been there with the twins that day that she couldve done something to save them. feels she failed everyone taken by the raiders. is scared of failing clem too "if something happened to you because of me? i cant lose you too. i wont". its why she cant leave minnie after shooting her. and a kidnapped vi attacks clem because she doesnt want anyone else to get hurt. hell it even ties back to her grandma and feeling guilty about not doing anything for her)

so for her to lose her eyesight? she took pride in her ability to fight and now she cant do that anymore. cant protect the people she loves. and as someone who started the season as an isolated loner, it forces her to rely on those around her for help, stripping her of her independence (and her independence is what allowed her to stand up against the group for clem when it came to the marlon situation in ep2). a blinded vi is forced into accepting community, whereas a saved violet accepts it on her own. her and clem turn ericsons into the home violet could never see it as

the other reason blind vi makes me so sad is that it is Directly a result of clems actions. kidnapped vi had nothing and wanted nothing to do with the bomb, and yet shes the ONLY ONE who gets hurt by it. clem choosing to let vi be taken means clem both breaks her heart, and then burns out her eyes. louis and his tongue is between him and lilly and was a choice THEY each made outside of clems direct influence (even if it was clem who inspired him to speak up, it is ultimately his choice to keep talking, and lilly hurts him for it. its sad he gets punished for a character moment, but clem had no direct hand in him losing his tongue. its why hes not angry to see her in the cell. he doesnt blame clem for what happened), but the way vi is feeling in that cell is DIRECTLY due to clems actions. vi feels like clem abandoned her after she had put herself on the line for her multiple times. she always had clems back but clem didnt have hers. clem is the one who planted the bomb and vi gets caught in the blast. clem hurts her emotionally And physically. and vi apologizes for getting upset (she tries to apologize on the beach too before theyre forced out in the cart, so she felt wrong for those actions immediately even tho they were understandable. lilly and minnie used her moment of weakness to get in her head. she just wanted everyone to be safe)

kidnapped blinded vi is just so incredibly sad to me, especially when you compare her to a fully realized violet. a violet who has come into herself, has confidence, has opened up, has stopped pushing people away out of fear and lets herself love again. shes a leader. a fighter. a protector. and those are all things a blinded violet loses

neither vi losing her eyes or louis losing his tongue is supposed to add anything to their characters. its about what theyve lost. both of them have important parts of their identity stripped away from them after being taken by the delta. its supposed to be sad. heartbreaking. regrettable. unfortunate. they have not gained anything by their time at the delta, only lost important parts of themselves to it

#twdg #like idk to me kennys eyepatch symbolizes his descent into madness. its the impact carver had on him #hes 'lost his sight' hes losing his way. becoming a danger to the people he says he cares about #kenny gets waaaay too much forgiveness in the fandom and i cant take it honestly. his motivations dont justify his actions #i dont hate him but god do i hate the way the fandom talks about him #esp when certain kenny stans ignore all the protagonists and hate all the women/anyone who opposes a protagonists views/actions #EXCEPT for kenny for some reason???? like when he opposes lee its fine but no one else can do it #you cannot deny hes a scary man by the end of s2 regardless of his motivations and people loooooove to handwave it away #i hate that 'family is family' crap #have none of you ever had a family member do something so horrible that you cut them out of your life completely?#HES NOT EVEN BLOOD FAMILY like that idea doesnt even apply here!!#the whole point of that phrase is that you cant choose who youre related to. twdg is LITERALLY about choosing your family #s3 is the one that makes a point to address blood relations and what worth they have #ok unexpected kenny rant over sorry but boy does the overwhelming kenny love get to me sometimes. there are other characters #sorry i hope this doesnt sound directed at you personally its just the overwhelming fan opinion i see and it drives me mad #where is the NUANCE??#replies with lexi #plamglam

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the-ninja-legacy-whip · 8 months

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*slams table*

DETAILS. NOW.

pls?

Well thank you for the excuse to dump my brainrot–

This is (a very quick sketch of) Cam. She is Jesse and Cole's daughter. She is the next Elemental Master of Surprise.

...wait, what?

Sometime Post-Legacy!Crystalized, the world is finally free of the influence of the Overlord, meaning that there's finally time for the Ninja for themselves. They all still live at the Monastery together, and train to remain vigilant for the next threat, but eradicating the most prominent source of all evil in the Realm kinda takes the sails out of anyone/anything else, so y'know. Things are calm. For now.

And Cole, now happily married to the "most perfect, most prettiest, most pizazziest, most pinkest person ever" (his words, not mine, and definitely not Jesse's), kind of longs for a kid. We already know he's got the killer dad instinct, is great with children, yadda yadda, it was all only a matter of time. Jesse knew this too, but is terrified of being a parent (although taking care of Miranda + his own inherent paranoia about things has made him rather attentive, if not a touch over-protective). And if Cole's with him, then...maybe it's doable.

So they try to adopt.

("There's so many orphans, Jess. So many orphans. Maybe we could just—" "We are NOT adopting them all." "But the guilt of leaving them all behiiiiiind..." "...oh no the guilt." "How are we both like this??")

("Just pick the cutest one, duh! Or the most talented! And stay away from the mean ones!" "We're choosing a CHILD here, Mira, not a damn pet!" "Can we get a baby though? I kinda want the baby experience." "...and now Cole sounds like he's shopping at a grocery store." "HEY.")

("Are we still going to that meeting today?" "Shoot, I forgot, I've got a show in West Haven tomorrow; I have to leave tonight! What about Friday?" "Can't, that's the day me and the boys are investigating a potential sting operation." "UWAAAAH HOW ARE WE THIS BUSY?!")

...so, uh, that kinda doesn't go well.

("...if we had a kid of our own, what do you think they'd be like?" "...Cole I think we're kinda lacking in the equipment for that—" "Humor me, Jess." "Well, uh, they'd obviously inherit your powers, so probably very strong, and brave, and would love music and art and can't really cook–" "...is there any of you in this theoretical child or are we just making a lackluster clone of me?" "...they could have my smile?" "Jess.")

("Too bad we can't just work a miracle, huh?" "..." "...Jesse?")

("...but what if we could?")

So three to four existential crises and one very heart-wrenching discussion later, Jesse uses Miracle Make to manifest their kid, sacrifices his powers (thinking they've hit a point where he's not really in need of them anymore anyway), and boom, they're parents of a beautiful baby girl now. Whee!

...except with Jesse sacrificing his powers in the very same instance that Camellia Brooke Marvell is born, she becomes "the most unsuspecting individual" at the time, and winds up inheriting the Element of Surprise. Uh, Surprise?

That little unexpected snag-or-maybe-not-a-snag aside, things are great! Cole was destined to raise this child and is utterly crushing it, while Jesse becomes okay with being powerless and a parent and gets excited at the prospect of teaching his daughter all his old tricks. Jesse's still not big on cutesy nicknames, but will call Cam 'our little miracle' or 'sweetpea' from time to time...while Cole calls her a list of fluffy nicknames but his favorite is "my little lily".

Cam calls Cole 'Papa' and Jesse 'Daddy', and while she's got Jesse's habit of catching people off-guard (i.e. seemingly disappearing and reappearing from sight, giving both of them heart-attacks at least once a day) and is also scared really easily herself. So loud sounds are a definite no around her, especially during nap-time (looking at you, Jay).

Jesse's family goes ham on making sure she's well-fed and "getting a well-rounded palate" while Miranda, a high-ranking member of Borg Industries' staff now, becomes the favorite "rich aunt with no kids" that spoils Cam.

("Happy First Birthday to my favorite niece...! Just a little something-something ;) " "MIRA DID YOU BUY MY DAUGHTER A PONY?!" "Nooooo! ....it's a unicorn!" "YOU TAPED A PARTY HAT TO ITS FOREHEAD?!" "Oh stop whining! Look she loves it!" "I'M NOT RAISING A HORSE!" "Calm DOWN I just rented it for a week!" "A WHOLE WEEK?!")

Grandpa Lou also spoils his granddaughter rotten, and very unsubtly tries to encourage her interest in the performing arts.

("Oh, look at how adorable she is in this tutu! I'll have to get express shipping on some ballet shoes for her—" "...Dad you are not about to make a dancer out of my daughter." "But what if she likes it?! We have to find out early! What if she's a born-performer like her daddy? Look, she's pirouetting around already!" "You swinging her around in the air is NOT dancing, Dad...!")

Either way, it's as delightfully chaotic as you'd hope raising a child to be, and Cole, Jesse, and Cam are blissfully happy just as they are.

Cam is only two when The Merge strikes.

. . .

Cam is seven going on eight when "the dragons began to rise", and rumors of the old Ninja Team along with a brand new one begin surfacing. She asks her daddy constantly if that means Papa is coming back, but he never gives her a direct answer. Daddy doesn't like to talk about Papa; only once bitterly mentioned that 'Papa went to fight The Merge when it first appeared' and...then never came home.

Cam doesn't remember a time when The Merge did not exist.

And now her daddy spends the days looking to the skies, waiting for another rift. Aunt Mira has their appearances above the remains of Ninjago City timed almost-perfectly now, and when another is set to strike, Daddy quickly pulls out his old weapon. The crystals it is adorned with have faded back to their natural blue. He curses, and regretfully turns back to his daughter.

("Are you gonna do your magic again, Daddy?" "...something like that, yes." "Yay! I like when you do magic!")

So Cam taps the crystals, feels a small portion of her own power seep into them (despite the lack of her own potential), and watches them change from blue to a brilliant pink. Her daddy thanks her quickly, then swings the wand out, shifting it into a naginata with a single wave. Cam gasps in awe, admiring as her daddy's eyes temporarily glow, and launches himself towards the sky, sealing up the rift with the strongest blast of "surprise" he can manage, even despite the meager amount. He doesn't want to siphon too much power from his daughter, but this isn't going to be enough–!

Suddenly the sky erupts in green and gold—Cam winces at the bright light, but the rift is sealed in an instant. Daddy returns back to the ground with a stunned flourish and sparkles, standing protectively before Cam, as the legendary Green Ninja appears as if from nowhere, eyes shimmering with complication.

But, he addresses her daddy like the old friend that he is.

"Hey, Jess. There's...something I have to show you."

. . .

They're whisked to the Monastery in a near-heartbeat, Uncle Lloyd guiding them up those almost-familiar steps and into a definitely unfamiliar courtyard with equally unfamiliar people. There's a beautiful golden fountain with a dragon and waterlilies that Cam immediately scrambles over to splash around in, if Jesse hadn't scooped her into his arms beforehand.

He and Lloyd have been speaking in very careful, very hushed whispers since arriving, and Cam desperately wants to know what the big dramatic secret is, if it's got nothing to do with Aunt Nya working with the cat-girl on a mech, or the dragon-girl gnawing on Uncle Kai's arm. Lloyd walks pass them all, leading them to the back gardens of the place.

Jesse stops as soon as he sets foot onto the cobblestone path. Lloyd bites his lip, and, as ever, quickly ejects himself from the impeding potentially awkward and/or emotionally charged conversation.

Cam peeks over Jesse's shoulder, watching as a large man in black and orange paces frantically back and forth across the garden, muttering aimlessly to himself and unable to keep himself calm. Jesse curses Lloyd's name under his breath—the other man picks up on the sound, marigold eyes instantly connecting with Jesse's.

"...Jess—" Jesse immediately takes a defensive step back. The other man's voice turns devastated. "J-Jesse, please, you have to hear me out. Just that, nothing else—!"

"...What's there to hear out?" Jesse's words are clipped as he clings tighter to Cam on his back. Cam shrinks under the thinly-veiled fury. "That you, once again, chose to do something reckless and endanger yourself when I begged you not to? That you, once again, left me to think you were dead? That's not something that should be a reoccurring pattern, Cole!"

Cam perks up at the mention of 'Cole'—that's her papa's name! Excited, she starts fidgeting, but Jesse keeps her still. She pouts; he gently quiets her down before redirecting his fury back at Cole.

"...and worst of all, you left me to raise our daughter without you! She...she doesn't even remember you, Cole!" Cole physically buckles at that revelation. "And now you're just gonna pop back up five years later like nothing's wrong?! And you dragged Lloyd into this–?!"

"In Lloyd's defense, he is a little familiar with growing up without a father that would have wanted to be in his life otherwise." Cole tenses, eyes glowing with despair. "So I knew at least he would have understood from the get-go."

That breaks Jesse a bit, giving Cole the opportunity to close the distance between them, just a bit.

"...Jesse, you know that this is the very last thing I wanted to happen." Cole speaks slowly, lest he break down crying otherwise. "And if I didn't help when I did, things could've ended up a whole lot worse. I've spent every single second since trying to navigate this new, crazy, giant, mixed up world to get back to you. And the thought of seeing you, Cam, and everyone again is the only thing that's kept me going."

"...I know." Cam's never heard her daddy sound so broken before. "But the fact that you've done this to me so many times and I know it's never really your fault and yet it still hurts! I'm allowed to be mad at the circumstances!"

"You are," Cole agrees, and Jesse's lip starts to tremble. "And I'm so, so, so sorry."

Things go quiet between the two, with half a decade's worth of more conversation to catch up on, and yet neither being sure of what move to make next. Cole, however, can't help but peek around at the little girl staring curiously right back at him. His heart clenches.

"I-Is...that her? She's...she's gotten so tall..."

Jesse nods, and, after thinking on it a moment, places Cam on the ground and encourages her to introduce herself.

"...I'll let her decide, then." Jesse clarifies, watching as Cole's heart now jumps into his throat. Cole's breathing goes still as Cam looks back with fuchsia eyes full of potential. She trots up to him; Cole crouches down on instinct, lowering himself to her level.

"...hi," he says, holding himself back from being an overly emotional as he'd like. The last thing he wants is a bad first impression. "I—um...it's nice to meet you. You're Camellia, yes?"

Cam nods. Cole smiles, though it trembles.

"Do you...know who I am?"

Cam puts a hand to her chin, wondering if she should voice her hopes. She glances back at Jesse; Jesse gives her an encouraging nod. Thus, she returns Cole's question with another.

"Are you...my Papa?"

Cole nods, curling his hands into fists to ground himself.

"I am, but...only if you'll have me."

Like a light switch, Cam plows into Cole's arms; Cole springs back up, hugging her with all the strength he's got (without snapping her tiny self in half, of course).

"PAPA!"

"MY BABYYYYYY!!!!"

They laugh and cry and Cole can't contain himself as he whispers apologies and promises and a thousand questions into her ear that Cam swears they have all the time in the world to get around to.

Jesse watches them, a little overwhelmed by the sight, until Cole swings in front of him, freeing up a hand to hold out to Jesse. He smiles warmly, in the way that Jesse's missed for so, so long.

"Hey, I missed you too, y'know."

And then of course that's when Jesse starts crying and throws himself into Cole's arms too, the trio hugging as a family for the first time in forever...and then Cam gets to bear witness to her parents having a long overdue kissing session (read: ew).

But then again, she doesn't remember time when Jesse was this happy, either. So she'll let them have the moment.

. . .

Cam then begs to be a ninja and "join the cause" but while both parents at least allow her to train (as they both wished they'd been in the know about their powers when they were younger), she's not allowed on any dangerous missions until she's older (or at least, gets her True Potential). In the meantime, Miranda hooks her up with a bunch of video equipment to become something of an internet idol to "bring the people of all realms together" (as to Cole's somewhat horror, Cam indeed has the blood of a performer and has Jesse's ability to sing). It takes some getting used to (and a lot of hugs and probably therapy to comfort Cole on the fact that he missed five years of his kid's life), but...eventually, things do return to a state of normal.

(...And then maybe down the line they actually do adopt this time, and Cole gets to be around for it this time, and Cam's little brother willingly becomes the next Master of Earth once he's ready)

#i told u it was complicated #ninjago ocs #ninjago dragons rising #oc: camellia marvell #oc: jesse marvell #cole brookstone #info tag #(none of this is necessarily 'canon' to my verse)#(but y'know me i enjoy my indulgence)#it's been on my mind for AGES #aftershockshipping #<- omfg almost forgot the most important tag #cole x oc #oc x canon #next-gen jamboree

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