#currently she's never met anyone from her mother's planet

[tokoyamisstuff]

Breaking Bonds Ch. 1

Glossu Rabban "The Beast" Harkonnen x F! Reader

Synopsis: Many were involved in the forced union of you and the Count of your homeworld - how will you cope; on a foreign planet and trapped with a literal beast? Notes: Arranged Marriage, Lankiveili! Reader, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn Chapter Warnings: Slight Angst A/N: My new friend @cinnamon-mey inspired me to finally start this fic that's been sitting in my draft for an eternity. If you search for a good Rabban short, check out her work right -> Here! ❤

"Amour, amour, everyone wants to tame you. Amour, amour, in the end we're caught between your fangs. Love is a wild beast! You fall straight into her trap. She stares right into youe eyes. Enchanted when her gaze meets yours." - Rammstein

"WHY WOULD MY UNCLE MAKE ME WED THIS LOWLIFE? WHY?!"

Rabban's voice cut like thunder through the strained silence, his shouts being followed by what you could only decipher as the wreckage of furniture.

You were in the room next to his, both you and the slaves flinching with every sound. Still, they wordlessly continued preparing you for the ceremony, harshly tugging on your hair that was so foreign for them to maintain.

His voice was just as you imagined, you thought: As frightening as the man himself, and dripping with intense hate and rage.

There was no way he had only now been informed about this arrangement.

Maybe he did simply hope there'd be another way around, who knows? That'd make two of you.

Reality began to dawn on you as you watched the Harkonnen maids work on you in the mirror. According to their tradition, you were dressed in all black - a fitting theme, for it truly felt like a funeral more than anything.

Another clash from your fiancé's room, followed by screams and someone calling out for a medic.

This man's fury could direct itself against anyone or anything, even if absolutely unprovoked. It was enough to be in his vicinity at the wrong moment...

...the place you were destined to be from now on.

Tears dwelled in your eyes and even though you did not understand their language, they gesticulated for you that the time had come.

You were led to the altar like a lamb to the slaughter, aware of your fate but unable to prevent the inevitable.

Never before had a walk had felt this long yet also agonizingly short.

As you walked down the aisle, your glance wandered aimlessly through the hall avoiding to look at Rabban for as long as humanly possible at any cost.

A pityful attempt to prevent yourself from breaking down right then and there - at least not futile until now.

You couldn't help but notice the lack of anything that might indicate the current celebration. There was no decoration, no music, nothing.

Something to get used to, living with those people from now on.

Many eyes were locked on you, most of them unfamiliar. They were observing you warily, degrading even.

Some of them you had never met before, and still they had decided over your fate - or rather doom - without any remorse, only ever having their own benefit in mind.

Of course your own family was not allowed to attend - the fact that you roamed these halls freely was proof of their desperate measurements.

But in the end, you were just another slave.

A cruel tactic, marrying you off to the man that was tormenting your entire homeworld for decades already.

Well, toying with other people's lives if the end justified the means - that was the fundament the whole Empire was build on.

For a sheer moment, you locked eyes with the Reverend Mother - another player to whom you were nothing more than a mere pawn.

They had raised their hopes of you birthing a gifted daughter, fit to join the ranks of the Bene Gesserit. While you had no connection to the order whatsoever, Rabban's mother had been one of them. So it was not completely impossible for your offsprings to carry huge potential.

Even though being forced to reciprocate with one of this monstrous race terrified you beyond belief, so did the thought of your child being robbed from you right after birth.

Maybe it was better this way - the abomination you'd bring forth with the Beast would grow up to become just as evil as the rest of them.

You also spotted Baron Vladimir among the crowd, first row of course and seemingly very proud of himself. Of course he'd attend, being the one to suggest this alliance in the first place.

The Baron was not particulary fond of the idea that inferior genes would once again taint the Harkonnen bloodline, though he thought of Rabban just as lowy. Most important, it might end the uproars on your home planet and assure them safe trade of the precious whale fur once again.

He couldn't care less about Rabban's future, let alone a heir of his lends. If anything, it would be a nuisance for the Baron's initial conspiracy to help his favoured nephew Feyd take over the lead of House Harkonnen.

Because by law, the firstborn Rabban and his bloodline would be first in order of reign, no matter how much your inferior blood might taint it.

However, the unison between the self-proclaimed Count of Lankiveil and the last remaining native royal house of the planet would hopefully bring about permanent peace.

Settling things like this would spare him the expenses and resources of wiping the rebels out through force.

This was also the reason your family had given you - their only marriageable daughter - away voluntarily, knowing very well what unspeakable terrors the Harkonnens could otherwise unleash onto the remaining populace.

In the end, the Baron was satisfied with the outcome. You were composed and intelligent, yet knew your place. A fitting counterpart for the dull and erratic Rabban, possibly even keeping him from poor decisions that'd be bad for their business.

After knowing what the Harkonnens were capable of, you were sheer too terrified to become an actual threat. You'd gladly accept your role and sacrifice for your people without daring to ever strive for more, he was sure of it.

Everything else could be dealt with later, Vladimir thought.

"Remain as still as a corpse" you reminded yourself as you had reached the destination besides your soon-to-be husband. "Thus is the virtue of a lady."

You gulped harshly, desperate to make your body obey even in the face of fear - in contradiction to your own survival instincts.

However, when Rabban finally lifted your veil you were unable to keep your body from shaking, strangled sobs escaping your throat ever so frequent.

No one seemed to mind your current state of being, though you were certain even the last one among the audience could notice your very obvious distress.

After all, it was no secret that this marriage was fake. A trade in exchange for peace...

...and all consequence that came along with it you alone had to bear.

A firm grip under your chin forced you to look up to the man, and when you ultimatively saw this frightening man eye to eye, the last bit of your resolve disappeared.

You did not care anymore - anything would be salvation compared to whatever awaited you with the monster that was the man you had been promised to.

The Count himself however seemed rather unimpressed by this whole scenario.

In the end he was nothing but the shell of a man with no own will. Even this marriage was just another order for him to follow.

Not even the Emperor would know what kind of inhumane measurements were necessary to break this literal beast into utter submission like that.

Rabban had never cared about politics of some sort - whether he was to be here or slaughter himself through the rows of your people, it did not matter the same...

...though admittedly, he'd enjoy the latter option way more.

It was sheer impossible to know what he was thinking as he scanned your face, keeping an indifferent expression - and yet his stare was burning holes into you.

Even while doing nothing spectacular, his vile aura alone was making you shrink down in fear.

An embassador of the emperor was in charge of the ceremony, however both of you did not pay his speech any mind. You were still frozen on spot, gaze glued on each other like hunter and prey - expecting one to strike as soon as you'd be inattentive.

"I do" he spoke, his relentless eyes still fixated on your face - and only when those words reached your ears you realized that the ceremony was already in full swing.

In huge contrast to earlier, Rabban's demeanour was now all calm and collected - at least on the outside...

...and yet his voice was still boiling with anger underneath. A deep almost-growl, sending a chill down your spine as it echoed against the walls.

"And you, Y/N Årud: Do you take Glossu Rabban Harkonnen to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Cold dread dropped to your stomach like lead, and it took everything inside of you to not faint from the horrifying anticipation.

Remembering the reason you were chosen - the fact that your sacrifice would ease the burden of your folk - gave you just enough strenght to continue this farce.

There was no escaping it either way - this was your cruel, cruel destiny.

You blinked away the burning tears on the rim of your eyes, ramming your nails into your palm to level yourself. Refusing to do so much as look at him again, you took a deep breath and finally wrung out the words everyone expected of you:

"I-I...yes, I do."

----

Årud is a Norwegian reference, meaning something like "river's clearing"

[Chapter 2]

#dune #dune 2 #beast rabban #glossu rabban harkonnen #beast rabban/reader #glossu rabban harkonnen/reader #self insert #marysue #original female character

[emberflame999]

OKAY pop off about your Toppat OCs like the ones you love the most so I can answer YOUR ask (:

I have spent three days writing all this, I hope you’re satisfied

The OCs in order:

Mr. Gold

Silver

Egg

Stitchhat

Rodney

Ales

——————————————————————————————————

Mr. Gold (aka Ethan Gold)

 He/Him | 5’10 ft tall | Late 30’s | Gay

 He was born into the very rich Gold family in London, and his family consisted of him, his younger brother Elijah Gold, and his mother Cynthia Gold. Neither he nor Elijah inherited their mother’s power of being able to summon golden spikes out of any surface. Their mother held lots of power and wealth, even owning a secret vault full of powerful magical relics.  Although to her, her most valuable possessions were her sons and she did all she could for them. Gold lost one of his upper teeth in a mugging incident when he was 16 where he tried to fight back against his attackers, but failed miserably because he is about as strong as a soggy noodle. The lost tooth was eventually replaced by a golden one. When he was 17, his mother was assassinated and another assassin came after him and his brother, but Gold managed to shoot the assassin first. Filled with paranoia, Gold ran away from home, (he took his brother with him), and was on the run for about two months until they were found by the Toppat Clan. He joined the clan as a way to protect himself and Elijah from anyone who wanted them dead. 

 His early life in the clan was somewhat rough, he took up a job as a low-ranking treasurer and ended up getting a surprise promotion to head treasurer after only a year, because the previous one had died and the current chief Terrence couldn’t care a less about who was treasurer. Stressed out by the sudden increase in responsibility, Mr. Gold started abusing his sleep schedule and even his eating schedule, some days even forgetting to eat entirely, desperate to do everything the best he could. The added stress only worsened his already awful anxiety. He first met Tony and Hector when Gold was getting shoved around and teased by some higher ups and Tony and Hector defended him. After that incident, Gold started heavily crushing on them, and eventually somehow managed to summon the courage to ask them out, and (after several years of dating, of course!) the trio eventually got married! 

 Mr. Gold was relieved when Terrence was overthrown, because Terrence had always scared Gold and was also a really bad leader anyways. Gold fully supported Reginald and would be somewhat wary of Henry in the endings where Henry becomes leader. Gold still has problems with sleep and eating, like typically staying up late working as well as almost never eating breakfast because he views it as unimportant, and sometimes he skips out on lunch too. (Tony and Hector try their best to try and help Gold but old habits die hard). Mr. Gold does his best to try and be friendly to everyone, which can be hard because he finds many people rather intimidating. He always heavily worries about saying or doing the wrong thing, or just about messing up in general. He is obsessed with gold, and keeps a hoard of golden trinkets he finds or steals. 

 Mr. Gold has been with the Toppat Clan since he was 17 years old.

—————————

Silver

She/Her | 3’8 ft tall | Early 40’s | Lesbian 

 Silver is a crewmate who hails from the planet Mira. She is the daughter of the Admiral, and used to be a General and Mechanic before she ended up on Earth. Silver’s father died, and her twin brother, Fredrick, ran away to avoid having to become the next Admiral. Silver oversaw her own ship and crew alongside her best friend Nightlock, who was the manager of communications, and Silver’s wife, Amethyst, who served as the commander of the ship. Silver’s crew were all killed by a murderous Shifter (a type of imposter who can shapeshift into literally anything) who had killed and disguised itself as Nightlock. Amethyst sacrificed herself so Silver could make it to an escape pod. Silver’s escape pod landed on Earth, where she was found and eventually taken in by the Toppat Clan. 

 In the first few weeks after being found by the clan, Silver was heavily burdened by her grief and did little but sleep and eat. She started doing jobs like carrying cargo or delivering things to other Toppats. (Crewmates are actually quite strong despite their smaller size!) She eventually started to heal from her grief, but it never went away completely. Silver began to work harder than any other Toppat and ensured herself a place among the clan’s higher-ups. About 6 years after she had joined the clan, Egg was found, and since Silver was pretty much the only other person who could speak Egg’s native language, Silver made Egg her assistant.

 Silver typically comes across as stern and no-nonsense, (do no harm but take no shit) but she always tends to look out for her fellow Toppats and make sure that they are doing well, because she was a Captain once, and it is a Captain’s job to make sure the crew is in top noch condition. She will listen to anyone who needs it, and she will defend the other Toppats with her life. Though Silver does feel some envy when she sees a happy couple, as it reminds her of her deceased wife. Silver still wears her wedding ring, which is a ring made of a back mineral that is not native to Earth. Some nights, Silver goes over to the observatory or a balcony and just stares out at the stars, finding constellations as she thinks about everyone she has lost.

 The ghosts of Nightlock and Amethyst still follow Silver around. And although Silver can’t see them, she is aware that they are there because of Nightlock using his guardian angel abilities to protect Silver. 

 As of current, Silver has been with the Toppat Clan for about 11 years.

—————————

Egg

She/They | 6’1 ft tall | Early 30’s | Aroace

 Egg is a type of imposter known as a Seeker, and she hails from an unnamed remote planet. Seekers are built for hunting down their prey, so Egg has abilities like having an incredible sense of smell, being very fast, having the ability to sense heartbeats, deadly claws, and several more. ‘Egg’ isn’t her original name, it’s more of just a nickname that eventually just became her name over time. Egg has has a slight difficulty understanding English and has an even harder time speaking it, because her vocal cords weren’t really built for speaking in a non-native language, but she tries her best! Her native language is Galactic, which is also a language that all of the Mirans (crewmates) also know and can speak, although Mirans also all use plain English as well. Because of this, Silver typically serves as Egg’s translator. Egg is actually very friendly and curious, and doesn’t always understand how things work on Earth, but she’s always willing to learn.

 Egg grew up in a small farming community, and spent most of her days tending to her family’s farm. One day while working, she discovered a small device (aka a teleporter) and letting her curiosity take over, she pressed the button and was teleported into a Toppat base. After a couple days, some Toppats found Egg hiding in a closet, gave her a top hat, and then she joined the clan, eventually working as Silver’s assistant. Egg was intrigued by the way Earth people make food and would stare at and watch the Toppat chefs before trying out cooking for herself, which she actually ended up being good at, and so she sometimes helps out in the kitchen. She’s also a great listener, and will listen to you vent about your tragic backstory for hours on end. (And she will do her best to comfort troubled Toppats, even if she’s not always sure how to do so).

 Egg has been in the clan for about 5 years.

—————————

Stitchhat (aka Sadie Bonaccorso)

She/Her | 6 ft tall | Early 30’s | Aroace

 Stitchhat was born into the clan to a pair of somewhat low-ranking Toppats. When Stitchhat was pretty young, her parents were killed by Terrence “supporters” (a group of Toppats who carried out Terrence’s dirty work, aka killing off rebels) because her parents were trying to rebel against Terrence. One of them felt pity for the young Stitchhat, and adopted her. Stitchhat grew to love her adoptive mother and her four uncles, and being one of the few who understood that they only “supported” Terrence to protect their own lives. She lived like every other Toppat kid until Terrence’s dethronement, in which one of her uncles was executed. Her remaining uncles and her adoptive mother were punished for what they had done for Terrence and demoted to being the lowest-ranking Toppats, earning minimum wage and typically carrying heavy cargo 24/7. (Which just made them 2x more buff honestly).  

 Despite the hatred to her mom and uncles, Stitchhat still lived a relatively normal life. When she turned 18 and officially became a full Toppat, she wore her birth mother’s hat and began stitching on the name tags of government soldiers of whom were killed by her own hands. (I would like to clarify she did NOT hunt soldiers for sport). Eventually she filled up the hat and no longer took the name tags from dead soldiers. Her hat is her most prized possession. Stitchhat is a pretty carefree person despite having killed so many people, being friendly and having a more enthusiastic demeanor. She pranks people on occasion, as well as giving people a friendly tease every now and then. She rarely refers to Reginald by his actual name, typically just calling him “Twink”. She hides it very well, but she actually holds a teeny bit of resentment towards Reginald for killing one of her uncles. She is always trying to prove herself, even at the cost of her own health, because she feels that she could do more for the clan.

 Stitchhat has been with the clan her whole life.

—————————

Rodney Brandt 

He/Him | 5’11 ft tall | Early 30’s | Bisexual 

 Rodney was born into the clan, and has dedicated himself to being one of the clan’s best fighters. He has fire powers, and after using them he will clean off the ash and stuff the fire leaves behind on his hands and arms. (If he doesn’t clean it off, it’ll build up and become permanent. He once had a colleague who had permanently black hands and arms because of it). His flames grow stronger and bigger depending on his emotions, but never can spread farther than his shoulders. (He is fireproof, his clothes are fireproof as well).

 Rodney’s personality is honestly not too different from Stitchhat’s, but a main difference is that he’s somewhat quieter than Stitchhat, and less likely to use his words to express his emotions.  He’s somewhat of a thrill-seeker, he loves to go on heists or fight enemies, he loves that rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. His best friend is Stitchhat, and together, Rodney and Stitchhat are an extremely deadly duo.

 Rodney has been with the clan his whole life.

—————————

Ales Dahlman

He/Him | 5’7 ft tall | Early 30’s | Pansexual

 Ales was not born into the clan, he and his sister Vera grew up on the streets of a rather rough neighborhood. They were often chased away and treated unfairly because of their strange appearances, which said appearances were caused by the fact that one of their direct great-grandparents had been a Shifter. After Ales and Vera had close run-ins with one too many gangs, they knew they had to find a better place to live. They eventually found the Toppat Clan and finally found acceptance.

 Ales has a somewhat friendly personality, though still gets into shenanigans. And when angered, he can go absolutely apeshit. His fighting style is rather scrappy, and he’s not afraid to fight dirty in order to win. He typically hangs out with Stitchhat and Rodney, and they’re basically like a Toppat Triple Threat. (Silver would be like their Galeforce, and she’s like an aunt to them.)

 Ales has been with the clan since he was 13 years old.

#thsc #henry stickmin collection #henry stickmin #toppat #toppat oc #the henry stickmin collection #thsc oc #among us #Ember answers an ask yippee #Lonk post #Infodump #I spent some of my sanity to write all this #But you asked for it #Silver is an a constant battle with another OC that I haven’t talked about yet for 2nd place of being my favorite OC #I haven’t spoken about my most favorite one either

[snorkling-in-sodasea]

A Thought That Came To Me

You know, I think I came up with two concepts for myself when it comes to character portrayal. The Pink Diamond Effect and the Stolas Geotia Effect. And I'll be more than happy to explain more into that. (Warning, though, if I rant here and there. Kinda of spontaneous as I write down opinions and all that) (Another warning, Stolas lovers should stay out of this one)

So I felt like watching Helluva Boss videos on youtube. I would come across Steven Universe ones, too. And I noticed something kinda peculiar about Steven's mom, especially when I compared her to Stolas. Both the gem woman and the demon owl man are exact opposites in character protrayal.

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond was initially this big force of goodness, who couldn't do anything wrong and was thoroughly, absolutely perfect. The most to mistakes we would hear about is from Greg and, even then, it made Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond more, well, human. (And now that I think about it, did Greg ever find out that he had a child with a diamond? Like, before Steven was born or was it at the same time as everyone else?)

But then the series would go on to reveal how awful Steven's mother was, over and over again. Like I heard from Sarcastic Chorus, was there anyone Pink didn't traumatize when she met them? And really, the main series was already enough to pound in how demonized Pink Diamond is. I'm not sure if much people can keep in mind the good that she did do before being, well, gone for good.

Yeah, Pink Diamond foolishly thought that her family would be discouraged by her death and then be happy that she's gone, had left behind Spinel, and we're not touching all the shit between her and Pearl. But she was the only one to see value in organic life and fought to defend Earth. And the thing is, Earth was her first planet so she likely never saw any planets up close that would still have life on it. So I would like to believe that she's the kind of person who would instantly love whatever her planet is as it is and would fight to defend it. She did it in a way that wasn't rocking the boat too much, up until she did it in a way that ended up overturning the boat. But she at least never realized that and, compared to the other diamonds who just get a weirdly-constructed turn from evil to good, Pink Diamond had a more natural turn from evil to good.

Then there's Stolas. At the start of the series, Stolas was just a closeted gay who discovered a new source of elation and wanted it. Badly. He wanted it so badly that he chose when Blitz was currently being shot at so that Stolas could talk to him. So that Blitz couldn't exactly say 'no' the arrangement presented. Then Stolas gets the bright idea to distract his daughter from the troubles at home by inviting the most painfully physical reminder of the troubles at home as bodyguards and spend a good chunk of the day graphically flirting with Blitz right where Octavia can see and hear it. Even after they made up, Stolas kept focused on sleeping with Blitz (Just because Stolas promised to never leave Octavia for Blitz doesn't mean it can't leave a bad taste in one's mouth if Stolas continues to screw around with Blitz even after his daughter exploding with built-up frustration at Loo Loo Land). And Stolas kept up the baby talk and demeaning names to Blitz until the second to last episode decided that he loves loves the imp for some reason.

Season 2 starts and the show pretends so damn hard that Stolas was never an asshole who just wanted imp dick. Now Stolas is all of a sudden a sensitive, lonely woobie boy who was forced to marry a horrible, abusive girl against his will and has always loved Blitz since first seeing him. And now, whenever anyone tries holding him accountable for anything anymore, it's either by Stella or Striker - antagonists and/or villains who are meant to not be in the right anyways - or by Octavia or Blitz, who are made out to be tragic cases that will resolve itself in an episode's time anyways. In Blitz's case, he'll likely ignore the problem just like how Stolas does, even if it's the opposite way from how Stolas likes to ignore problems. (Although the show itself seems to be doing that. And ironically enough, I would have just been fine with the show if Blitz and Stolas just remained what they were before: mutual assholes to each other, especially if the series was supposed to be episodic)

Long story short, Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond started as an undeniably good person who was beloved by all but then got demonized more and more and more as the show went on. (And seriously, the movie and the sequel series didn't relent on that, either. At fucking ALL). But with Stolas, he started out as an asshole only for the show to eventually start pretending that he never was. And I'm certain the show will keep pounding it in that idea of Stolas being a poor woobie as it goes on

So I'm calling the whole thing, respectively, the Pink Diamond Effect and the Stolas Geotia effect but if anyone has any other ideas, go ahead and tell me. It'll be fun seeing your ideas on what to call it

#helluva boss #stolas #steven universe #pink diamond

[sporadically-writing]

Nyla Sixx

Basics

Full Name: Nyla Sixx

Nickname(s): TBD

Age: 20 in Star Wars: A New Hope

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Appearance

Species: Human

Skin Tone: Tan

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Hairstyle: Loose ponytail

Makeup: None

Build: Brisk and Agile

Height: 5′ 3″

Style: Hiking/Nature/Exploring style clothes that usually coincide with the colors and temperatures of the places she is surveying

Personality

General Personality Traits: Strong Willed, Determined, Adventurous

Strengths: Intelligent, Strong Minded, Tenacious

Flaws: Aggressive, Combative, Prideful

Habits and Mannerisms: She often goes out exploring by herself when she has down time, she has a bad habit of not telling anyone when she is leaving. She always manages to be back in time for anything to happen though; Taps her foot when impatient or thinking; Paces; Has a tendency to yell; Mutters rude coments to herself

Secrets: She would never tell anyone how scared she gets sometimes. She doesn’t want to doubt the work the Rebellion is doing. She believes in it very strongly and for sure wants to see it through, her brain just plagues her with “what ifs” far too often

Regrets: She never looked for her family after they got separated, she might have been able to find them but she had assumed they’d died, she didn’t even look for them (and she definitely won’t now, the rebellion is too important for her to get distracted, but it bothers her)

Skills/Talents: Surveying areas, Survival skills, Stealth, Nature Exploration, Biological knowledge, Theatrics

Likes: Exploring, Quality time with friends, Puzzles/Challenges

Dislikes: Being trapped, Tedious talking, Inactivity

Sense of Humor: Sarcastic

Guilty Pleasure: Hugs

Defining Moment: Deciding to step outside the box of her scout job and actually do some fighting for the rebellion with Luke, Han and Leia when they all first met

Relationships

Friends: Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3P0

Family: K-9S519 or Skip (Dog shaped droid), Rhyssa Sixx (Mother), Sidias Sixx (Father), Javin Sixx (Younger Brother), Rey Skywalker (Daughter - eventually)

Enemies: The Empire, The First Order (eventually)

Lovers: Luke Skywalker (eventually)

Relationship Status: At the time of A New Hope, single

Reputation: She gets the job done to the letter that she is required to do so. She is good at what she does and is nearly a perfect soldier in terms of abiding by the mission she is sent on

Miscellaneous

Current Residence: Yavin 4 (in A New Hope)

Collections: Photos of her family; Small toys for Skip; Maps she’s drafted of various terrains; Surveying/Survival tools; A knife and a sniping blaster

Accent: American

Voice: Raucous and Authoritative

Signature Quote: “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Song: Wolves of the Revolution - The Arcadian Wild

Backstory

The Sixxes were a family that tried to make the best of what they had in the age of the Empire. Things were tough but they made do, living a modest life, trying to keep themselves out of harm’s way. That is, until one day, the empire made that impossible. There was a crack down on their home planet and in the ensuing chaos, Nyla was separated from her family. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she ran somewhere she knew she would be safe, the woods. She knew those landscapes better than anyone, having explored them with her brother practically all their lives to that point.

She waited, all the while beating herself up for her own cowardice, before deciding to return home. When she got there, things were not the same. Her family was nowhere to be found and Stormtroopers were everywhere. She was caught shortly and forced into a mining operation until she and her fellows rose up and found a way to escape. This rebellious activity and the rest that followed, brought her on a few adventures eventually leading to her coming to Yavin 4, the Alliance’s main base. She, given her skill in navigation and stealth, was given the rank of Scout and was sent on many missions for the rebellion like this, surveying areas either for hideouts or to ensure that an empire occupied area was truly deserted.

It was on one of these missions that she came into contact with a droid. She had been tasked with inspecting an abandoned town. The whole place was deserted, all Nyla could find being some leftover supplies the rebellion could use. She was about to leave when she heard some mechanical whimpering around a corner. Nyla cautiously inched toward the area, blaster in hand and ready to fire in case things went south. Instead, she found a small, clearly injured, K-9 droid, one clearly meant to be a companion to a child. It looked like whatever had cleared this town out hadn’t noticed it or didn’t care. Nyla brought the droid home with her, bringing him to someone who could fix him up. K-9 unit S519 is what the collar said. Huh, Nyla thought, that kinda looks like “Skip.” The little droid followed her around everywhere and everyone just assumed the robot was her s at that point, so she brought him with her on missions, utilizing his skills like any other dog’s. They make a great team.

Nyla and Skip were eventually sent on a different kind of mission. They were usually just sent for surveillance or mapping, anything she brought back would be very appreciated but it wasn’t the primary reason she was sent away. This time they were sent for retrieval. See, Princess Leia Organa had given the plans to the Empire’s super weapon to another little droid. The droid, in the chaotic attack on the Princess’ ship, was lost. Someone has to find it before the empire does. So, Nyla and Skip set off on a mission to Tatooine, wholly unaware of the adventure and the people that await them there.

#nyla sixx #star wars oc #original trilogy oc #luke skywalker x oc #luke skywalker x reader #star wars x oc #star wars x reader #original trilogy x oc #original trilogy x reader #sw oc #my oc stuff #oc bio sheet

[holly-fixation]

Tainted Child: Epilogue

Summary: Being from Nibelhiem never made anyone something special. But Claudia Strife knew this was not true. She was always better than her peers. But she used her superior strength and mind for aid. But her son, is overly devoted to her. He only calls her ‘Mother’. And when he speaks of ‘The Great Mother’, she has to worry. So much has happened. Infection. SOLDIER. Cure. and Rebirth. Now what happens going forward?

Based on this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

Please enjoy!

Epilogue

How many years did it take to fall into this new normal, after finally leaving Shinra to live with his mother?

Well, about seven. And by the gods did everything change.

Nibelheim and Banora. Both villages were complete opposites of Midgar. He’d been in Nibelheim before, but to finally see Banora, the hometown of his close friends, was always a dream of his. Ever since the first time they spoke about it with such joy, he needed to see it. The small populations kept everyone closer and kinder than in the city. He once saw a baker give day-old bread to a family waiting on the check their son always sent home, most likely in the military. Yes, it was not perfectly fresh bread, but only here did people use every resource rather than throwing them away the moment they lost perfection, or couldn’t turn a profit.

He and his mother survived on the bounties of monsters in the surrounding areas, both the mountains and the planes. During their time in each village, one would question why Shinra wouldn’t build a thriving city. They seemed perfect, no monsters, no crime, no trouble, yet the angels shared two homes. In the time on the other side of the globe, the monster populations resurfaced. Six months was the ideal length to keep monster populations stable, without threatening ecosystems or overpopulation. 

Six months in Banora. Six months in Nibelheim. That’s how they lived. Both towns were flawless, as far as Sephiroth was concerned. He didn’t care about the lower quality of all products sold there, poor materials for poor towns, or how long it took to communicate outside the villages. He was happy. Unbelievably happy.

Absolutely nothing compared to the stars in either town. No mako smog polluted the sky. No noise or light pollution. No war over his shoulders. The breathtaking view always captivated him. He loved drawing his eyes through the streaming legs of the galaxy, stretched across the darkness of scattered lights. So many stars twinkled in the sky that not even the townsfolk needed fires or electric lights to see at night. 

He and his mother would stay up for hours discussing the stars, laying on the roof of their current home to prevent any obstruction in their view. He would point out the constellations he recognized and some of the small stories that came with them. She would tell him of the planets she traveled, the different life, the different stars, the different existences as a whole, and he listened in silent awe, brushing his hand along the glittering length of galactic stars. He always wanted to be there, among the stars. Maybe she was why. He liked to think that, at least. 

Nibelheim always came with constant visits from Claudia and Cloud, despite the official relationship blossoming between the boy and the black haired girl given the first ‘gift’. Cloud, without fail, always met them outside the village upon first arrival of the year and hugged them. He waited all day for them, sometimes even with Tifa or Claudia at his side. Jenova no longer planted thoughts in his mind, but his bond was still strong. It’s how he always knew the day they would arrive. After that first day, he would give them any space they required or desired, but he was always thrilled to talk to them, to hear their stories or share his own, even now, at fourteen years old. 

The villagers of Nibelheim completely fought against the idea of any of them returning, at first. But through Tifa’s convincing tale, her father’s support, the truth of what really happened with the virus and Shinra, they hesitantly allowed the two to live in a small house on the very edge of town. It did not take long before the villagers were grateful for their aid, both new monster hunters and their old healer aiding the village in every way they could.

For the first six months, neither the former SOLDIER nor the Strifes approached anyone in the village. When villagers came to them, they would gladly open their arms to help, but the four of them knew the risks of making a single mistake after everything that happened. 

The only exception was the day Sephiroth took Jenova to the window on the second floor of the inn, that terrible feeling of dejavu. She told him the truth: he was born in the inn, and only spent a little time in the manor before they took him to Shinra HQ. He only hid his emotions until they reached their home, then asking all the questions on his mind.

Luckily, Banora did not have any connection to his past. 

The oddly curved trees would never survive in Midgar or Nibelheim, and he had to admit Genesis was right: the apples completely lost their flavor on the way to Midgar because these were divine. The village itself was so small, the mother and son had to build their own home. Well, the villagers helped, because neither one of them knew the first thing about building a house. 

Once their home was complete, the main noise complaints came not from construction but from the three friends sparring just outside the homes, sometimes simply from their returning laughter. Their friendly rivalry sparked many annoyances from the other residents, which was understandable since damage ranged from a single broken window to a stray energy beam slicing the entire house. No bystander was ever hurt by their bouts of training. 

…But Genesis was. 

Now, seven years after Sephiroth’s ‘retirement’, three years after Genesis and Angeal left SOLDIER, vowing they did enough in their time loyal to the program. 

It was an accident. A broken sword. A single cut. 

Before any symptoms began to show, Jenova suddenly demanded that all of them go to Midgar. None of the boys knew why. Yet after, they could not be more grateful. 

* * * 

At the start of these seven years, Jenova’s plan remained, her desire for the planet with her son. But it was difficult to turn him, to teach him, in any way without suspicion. In Nibelheim, Claudia spent the first few years observing them. Sephiroth faintly disliked the feeling, but Jenova knew it was only the blonde’s attempt at protecting him. In Banora, a combination of the two failed attempts and their parents watched her like hawks. This was understandable, of course. She was new, from another world, with a history of destruction, and she constantly held the time and attention of the strongest man on the planet. 

She had to hide her desire, only faintly watering the same desire in her son with small remarks. Some would say she ‘played the part of a loving mother’, yet being Sephiroth’s mother was the only time she wasn’t acting. Meals, conversations, and surprisingly games, whatever he needed, she gave without question.

Both of Sephiroth’s friends told him about her odd behavior around them, a few comments that weren’t bad just off, but they also admitted she was still kind to them. When he questioned her about this, she only apologized for their understanding, claiming it was a slip of the tongue and misunderstanding some terms of their language. 

Maybe that’s why they were surprised when she forced them all to Midgar the moment she felt instability spike after the sparring incident. She knew they made him happy, and this was the only way to keep them healthy, or their ailments would slowly poison her son’s emotions. 

In Midgar, the boys explored the old streets and restaurants from his time in SOLDIER. Jenova slipped straight through Shinra HQ and demanded Hojo, in exchange for her and her son’s cooperation, prevent both Genesis’s and Angeal’s failing cells. Hojo did not pass up the opportunity to have his greatest creation back in his lab, even if it was only for the week of the procedure. 

She stayed by his side through everything, but Sephiroth’s fear stung her heart. She explained as she always did, and he understood he was the perfect bridge between humanity and her. He knew they needed him, the same way Nibelheim needed him to cure her virus. He wanted to help them, glad that he could, but this lab brought back so many memories. He all but clung to his mother. He needed something to know this wouldn’t last forever.

With Hojo’s experimental procedures and Jenova’s guidance, the degradation stopped completely. Genesis and Angeal healed and even strengthened without further issue.

After their recovery, they all returned to Banora to rest. 

This was when his innocence tested her goal. 

Through everything, the experiments, the lab, the worry, the anxiety, Sephiroth asked if he could visit Aerith and Ifalna alone. 

The Cetra. 

Alone. 

She knew he understood what those creatures did to her, and her first instinct was to threaten him for even the suggestion. 

But her second, her desire for his happiness, outweighed her need for revenge. To even her own surprise, she allowed it. 

Jenova realized what he did to her in that very moment, what this human form aided exponentially. Her attempts at growing his desires paled in efficiency to his innocent and unconscious desire for a loving mother and a happy life. She did not care for his friends, but he did. She hated the Cetra with her entire being, but he didn’t. Sephiroth cared for his friends, the cetra, this planet, despite her manipulations. 

…and she didn’t care. His happiness trumped all else. He still loved the stars. He didn’t know he’d outlive them all, all other companions due to her cells. She could wait until his friends turned to dust, until some rage bloomed his true desire for this planet. She unconsciously vowed to protect this planet as long as necessary, as long as he needed. 

His innocence and her human emotions eroded her goal before she could corrode his heart. She should be angry, furious, desperate for the stars, but she wasn’t. All of her children lived happily on this planet, because of him, because of Sephiroth. 

All that mattered, was the mother and son, were finally reunited. 

A reunion. 

She liked the sound of that.

.

.

.

.

The End

.

.

.

.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Author’s note: I never make any reunion puns, let me have this XD 

This was a BIG one, guys! I went back and forth on the ending for Weeks. I essentially had two questions: Do I want to go with the main game’s plot, and end with a meteor? Or How do I change things to make a happy ending without sacrificing the character’s personalities, goals, and choices? I think I found an in character way to get a good ending for all!

Thank you for reading!!! I hope you enjoyed it!

#ff7 #final fantasy vii #ffvii #sephiroth #cloud strife #jenova #final fantasy 7 #i think i'm trying to fit too many details into an epilogue lol #I just don't want any lingering questions #this is it for Tainted Child! #Did you guess the ending correctly? #Good or bad guy Jenova? #I'm curious if I had you at any point! #Thank you for reading! I hope you enhoyed! #tainted child

[untimelytales]

[ riz ahmed, cis man, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ bodhi rook ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ thirty-five ] year old originally hailing from [ star wars ]. if they had to choose a side they would consider themself [ good ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ adaptable ] but [ anxious ] and have [ one ] child. i could almost swear i heard [ men on the moon - chelsea cutler ] playing when they appeared. tw: pregnancy mention, death

bodhi was born to a single mother, the two doing what they could to get by on jedha. however, even if times were tough, bodhi still found ways to get into trouble – namely betting illegally and being reckless with a speeder. he was quite clumsy and bad on his luck, never allowed to work with knives as a result of that clumsiness.

despite all of this, he had dreams of being a starfighter pilot. it was obvious he had a passion for piloting, but the passion didn’t match his skill level. he never qualified for the starfighter program after he enlisted, forced to take on the role of transporting cargo for the empire instead. it wasn’t something he was happy about, but he was at least thankful that he was off jedha and flying anything at all. it wasn’t a glamorous job, but he did get to see different worlds and casually learn about the empire’s secrets – not that he thought he would need to use that knowledge any time soon.

during this time, he met a fellow coworker that he slowly fell for. the two came from similar backgrounds and understood each other more than anyone else. eventually, they did enter a relationship together and were rather stable. they were together for a year before everything started to strain and shift. there was a sudden change in bodhi’s partner as she grew more irritable and dreamt of living somewhere more permanent. she mentioned that they needed to plan for the future, and that neither of them would be happy working on freight ships forever. and though he tried to be understanding, she wouldn’t say why she suddenly wanted to change their lives nor was he able to find a job that took care of them better than their current.

unable to find a solution and bodhi kept in the dark about her pregnancy, his partner ended things quickly and left their shared workspace. he was absolutely heartbroken and confused, resigning himself to a life of unhappy monotony working for the empire. fate, however, had a different plan for bodhi when galen erso approached him to deliver a message to the resistance. with nothing really holding him back and having a deep sense of doing what was right, bodhi agreed and defected.

bodhi ended up meeting the small, makeshift group that would deliver the plans of the deathstar to the resistance – the very thing that changed the course of the galaxy forever. bodhi never thought he would find himself in such a situation, but there wasn’t any turning back for him. he gave his life for the future of the galaxy, perishing with the others as the planet was destroyed and the message was sent to leia organa’s ship.

bodhi never met his child nor did he ever knew they existed. he’d always wanted a family one day, but never had the chance. he would want to be the best father he could be. coming to town, he doesn’t remember getting his mission from galen erso. he remembers his break up with his partner and how everything was falling apart for him.

                                       basics:                                           full name:  bodhi rook                                           nicknames:  n/a                                           gender:  cis man                                           pronouns:  he / him                                           sexuality:  bisexual                                           age:  35                                           occupation:  ensign                                           species:  human

                                       appearance:                                           faceclaim:  riz ahmed                                           height:  5′8'’                                           eyes:  brown                                           hair:  black                                           piercings:  n/a                                           tattoos:  n/a                                           other distinguishing features:  n/a                                           style:  casual

                                       personality:                                           traits:  adaptable, anxious, gentle, reserved                                           likes:  quiet mornings, gentle waves, the sound of birds                                           dislikes:  darkness, fog, loud parties                                           fears:  being alone forever                                           phobias:  small spaces                                           hobbies:  learning instruments, origami                                           skills:  combat, freight piloting                                           quirks:  n/a                                           pet peeves:  n/a

                                       family:                                           mother:  unknown                                           father:  unknown                                           siblings:  n/a                                           birth order:  only                                           spouse / lover:  n/a                                           children:  one                                           pets:  n/a                                           notable close relatives:  n/a

#bio: bodhi #bio archive

[agirldying]

*Tw descriptions of the sexual abuse ( not super detailed or graphic ) just wanted to warn*

Hey bun,

To answer your questions in the previous ask response, I am currently 24 weeks pregnant so approximately 6 months gestation time.

I also wanted to answer that I have been with my fiance since 2017 so 5 years this August. Honestly it didn't start this way. We met a a time where we were both each other's only support system and we survived going place to place and being homeless together and many other traumas through the years until late 2020.

I would say that the abuse began in late 2020 and it started with the emotional and mental abuse then in January 2021 when his grandma died, the physical abuse really ramped up and then in march the sexual abuse started.

Honestly I think that his grandmother's death caused all of that to really happen because she was his everything and now that she was gone it made him just lose control, idk. He has a lot of trauma too that he doesn't talk about or address so there's no telling what pushed him over the edge but I think it was her death.

Unfortunately he turned to alcohol and that just made him more violent and he turned the violence on me because he didn't have anyone else he could direct all the anger to.

I think that it was the trauma from his mother that started the sexual abuse because she was unfaithful a lot during his childhood and also very manipulative about it. This made him, for some reason, constantly accuse me of cheating and lying about it which he still does today when he drinks, but I have never been unfaithful.

I think he forced me to sleep with all those people to like fulfill his fantasy that I was cheating so he made me do it? If that makes sense. Basically what he did was set up meetings between me and random men on Reddit pretending to be me and using my Snapchat and social media accounts to make them believe it was me talking to them. In reality I had no idea what was ever discussed until they came to the house and had their way with me while he watched. I had no choice in the matter because he would threaten me with violence when I begged for him to stop and not bring them over.

I'm sorry for the description of the abuse but I hope that gives you some insight into how long this has gone on and like what exactly was happening.

Again I just wanted to thank you for your responses and all of your advice, here and on traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors, I really appreciate your kindness and your willingness to listen and try to help me.

DW 🍂

Hi DW 🍂,

It doesn't sit right with me that his grandma's death and substance abuse are what caused him to be abusive towards you. Abuse is a choice, not a byproduct. I feel like if he genuinely loves and respects you he would direct his aggression elsewhere. You should not be a punching bag (more than just physically) and as your fiancee he should know that. I don't believe he has an excuse because there is just no excuse on the planet for abuse. Yes, it's tragic that he lost his grandmother, yes it's tragic that his mother was unfaithful and manipulative, but the fact that others can come out of those situations without being abusive indicates that those aren't excuses to be abusive.

With the whole thing about Reddit, I just want you to notice how congruent this is with human trafficking. Admittedly I'm not that knowledgeable about human trafficking, so I did some research that I'd like to show you. Here is a link to humantraffickinghotline.org that talks about what human trafficking is and isn't through debunking myths. One of the first things it mentions is, like what you said, force, threats, violence, and other types of coercion to push the victim into it. "Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to get another person to provide labor or commercial sex." You also say they would come to your home. "Survivors can be recruited and trafficked in their own home towns, even their own homes." And I think the ultimate point here is the fact that it says "Many survivors have been trafficked by romantic partners, including spouses [...]" It sounds like your fiancee was quite literally pimping you out to Redditors.

Knowing what you've shared here, I'm a bit worried for your safety, and I hope you can understand why. Ultimately it's up to you what you do, but I would urge you to look into some local shelters in your area. If you need any help with finding a place, I'd be more than happy to do some research for you, and if you need any financial assistance I am willing to chip in as much as my college student bank account can. Please know that you are not alone, please reach out to support if you are able, and just know that you deserve to be in a save environment and with someone who fully loves, respects, and listens to you. Please let you know if you need anything at all. I'm always here.

#text #asks #trauma #tw #ptsd #cptsd #human trafficking #DW 🍂 anon

[happiestplacehq]

ALFREDO GUSTEAU-SØR is thirty-five years old. He is a Chef & Culinary Entrepreneur. He is the humanized version of Alfredo Linguini Gusteau from the Disney film, Ratatouille.

+ Ambitious, Trustworthy, Creative - Neglectful, Manipulative, Critical

ABOUT ALFREDO

It all started when Auguste Gusteau met a beautiful woman names Renata Sør in Paris one evening after she dined at his restaurant. The two hit it off and it wasn’t long until a relationship blossomed. A whirlwind summer of love kicked off for the duo but the sun soon set on it when Auguste found out that Renata’s ex-partner wasn’t exactly her ex-partner. Magnus Sør had come to win back what was once his in spectacular fashion, and while Auguste was a rich man himself, there was no competing with the Sør legacy. So off sailed the love of his life with the love of her life and that was that. For months the French hopeless romantic that was Auguste, left hidden signs all over Paris that only she would know off she was keeping tabs on him. A new dish here being raved about in the media, a billboard with a specific design there, a new restaurant that only served one dish. Ratatouille. The dish she had when they first met that night. The heartbreak was killing him. Months later, one evening after the restaurant closed, the phone in his office rang, but Auguste never spoke. After hearing crashing on the other line, Renata quickly called one of their mutual friends and it was them who had found him. In a cruel twist of fate, he had fallen victim to a heart attack and was found on the floor of his office. With the news of her being the last call to him and her being photographed at events, the world put two and two together and found out that Auguste was going to be a father before he would.  Given the situation and a restaurant empire up for grabs to anyone who craved it, Renata and Magnus agreed that the child had the claim. Alfredo was born and DNA tests were done to prove that the child was indeed his son, the claim was set and Magnus swiftly filed the paperwork to adopt Alfredo as a son.  Alfredo was lucky number 7 in the line up of the 13 Sør sons, and was a chip of the ol’ block when it came to Magnus. For the only son that wasn’t legitimately Magnus’, Alfredo was the favourite. Magnus even called him ‘Lucky’ as a nickname, a gift that none of the other Sør kids were presented with. It was that that had kicked off the animosity between Hans and himself. Hans couldn’t stand that Alfredo was the favourite and like brothers do, Alfredo rubbed it in. It didn’t help that their father encouraged the competitive streak in all the boys and Alfredo played to win. He always won. That was the problem. Now that competitive streak has transpired into adult life, it had caused the brothers to be at loggerheads and thrive to piss the other off just out of spite and spite alone.  Being competitive at home only made him more driven in the business world, much to his fathers' approval. Alfredo took after both fathers. He went into culinary school, the best one on the planet based in France and built his own restaurant lovingly named after his mother (that earned him bonus points), the next named Magnus (that HELLA earned him bonus points) and the third Auguste - a special place to his mother as Alfredo kept the tradition of only serving Ratatouille just like his birth fathers place did years ago before the closed after his death (if he wasn’t the favourite already, that secured his lifelong spot) Fast forward to now, Alfredo still has his restaurants but has a board that looks after them and that allowed him to branch out to being a food and culinary entrepreneur. Since his time away, the Sør family somewhat settled in Redwood Hollow and he’s set his sights on restaurant number four. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Went to boarding school in France, every Sør is sent to another country to level the playing field 

He's doubly rich - the Sør coins and the Gusteau coins. 

Took the death of his mother hard, it turned him into his father. Cold & Unwavering. 

CONNECTIONS

Hans Sør - Unlucky number 13. It’s ON SIGHT with Hans - they hate each other. They’ve been competitive since they were kids and that’ll never change. Alfredo knows all of Hans weaknesses and he isn’t afraid to exploit them.  Charlotte La Bouff - A dear friend to the Sør family, Hans especially. Alfredo definitely doesn’t flirt with her just to annoy the shit out of his brother.  Becky Detweiler - The two met in culinary school and she didn’t hesitate to read him for filth, they’ve been besties ever since.

Alfredo is currently unavailable. His faceclaim is Lucas Bravo.

#disney rp #disney roleplay #lsrpg #ouat rp #fairytale rp #town rp #mystery rp #ratatouille #all #taken #takenm #oc

[ourlastpage]

[ riz ahmed, cis man, he/him. ] ✧･ﾟ is that [ bodhi rook ] who just stumbled into town? rumour has it that they’re the [ thirty-five ] year old originally hailing from [ star wars ]. if they had to choose a side they would consider themself [ good ]. i’ve also heard that they’re [ adaptable ] but [ anxious ] and have [ one ] child. i could almost swear i heard [ men on the moon - chelsea cutler ] playing when they appeared.

bodhi was born to a single mother, the two doing what they could to get by on jedha. however, even if times were tough, bodhi still found ways to get into trouble – namely betting illegally and being reckless with a speeder. he was quite clumsy and bad on his luck, never allowed to work with knives as a result of that clumsiness.

despite all of this, he had dreams of being a starfighter pilot. it was obvious he had a passion for piloting, but the passion didn’t match his skill level. he never qualified for the starfighter program after he enlisted, forced to take on the role of transporting cargo for the empire instead. it wasn’t something he was happy about, but he was at least thankful that he was off jedha and flying anything at all. it wasn’t a glamorous job, but he did get to see different worlds and casually learn about the empire’s secrets – not that he thought he would need to use that knowledge any time soon.

during this time, he met a fellow coworker that he slowly fell for. the two came from similar backgrounds and understood each other more than anyone else. eventually, they did enter a relationship together and were rather stable. they were together for a year before everything started to strain and shift. there was a sudden change in bodhi’s partner as she grew more irritable and dreamt of living somewhere more permanent. she mentioned that they needed to plan for the future, and that neither of them would be happy working on freight ships forever. and though he tried to be understanding, she wouldn’t say why she suddenly wanted to change their lives nor was he able to find a job that took care of them better than their current.

unable to find a solution and bodhi kept in the dark about her pregnancy, his partner ended things quickly and left their shared workspace. he was absolutely heartbroken and confused, resigning himself to a life of unhappy monotony working for the empire. fate, however, had a different plan for bodhi when galen erso approached him to deliver a message to the resistance. with nothing really holding him back and having a deep sense of doing what was right, bodhi agreed and defected.

bodhi ended up meeting the small, makeshift group that would deliver the plans of the deathstar to the resistance – the very thing that changed the course of the galaxy forever. bodhi never thought he would find himself in such a situation, but there wasn’t any turning back for him. he gave his life for the future of the galaxy, perishing with the others as the planet was destroyed and the message was sent to leia organa’s ship.

bodhi never met his child nor did he ever knew they existed. he’d always wanted a family one day, but never had the chance. he would want to be the best father he could be. coming to town, he doesn’t remember getting his mission from galen erso. he remembers his break up with his partner and how everything was falling apart for him.

                                       basics:                                           full name:  bodhi rook                                           nicknames:  n/a                                           gender:  cis man                                           pronouns:  he / him                                           sexuality:  bisexual                                           age:  35                                           occupation:  ensign                                           species:  human

                                       appearance:                                           faceclaim:  riz ahmed                                           height:  5′8'’                                           eyes:  brown                                           hair:  black                                           piercings:  n/a                                           tattoos:  n/a                                           other distinguishing features:  n/a                                           style:  casual

                                       personality:                                           traits:  adaptable, anxious, gentle, reserved                                           likes:  quiet mornings, gentle waves, the sound of birds                                           dislikes:  darkness, fog, loud parties                                           fears:  being alone forever                                           phobias:  small spaces                                           hobbies:  learning instruments, origami                                           skills:  combat, freight piloting                                           quirks:  n/a                                           pet peeves:  n/a

                                       family:                                           mother:  unknown                                           father:  unknown                                           siblings:  n/a                                           birth order:  only                                           spouse / lover:  n/a                                           children:  one                                           pets:  n/a                                           notable close relatives:  n/a

#bio: bodhi #bio

[wtchywoo]

Leah interacting with Asgardians?? I SAY HELL YEAH

#currently she's never met anyone from her mother's planet #and she doesn't have a good image of it cause well... her mother bewitched her dad and then left #leaving him with a broken heart (and mind) until he died #and then Loki (another Asgardian) brought aliens to NY so that didn't help the opinion she has of them #BUT then she sees Thor being an Avenger so she's also like mhhh maybe they're not all bad #she's confused and wants to know what's in her blood #( * character: leah. #( * this is an headcanon. #( * leah's headcanons. #( * this is ooc.

[choerrypuffs]

my best friend wants to be abducted by aliens.

pairing: son of athena!renjun x daughter of aphrodite!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 14.6k (this was supposed to be 5k 😌)

author’s note: hi so here is renjun’s chapter to my 00 line x camp half-blood series (i’m sorry, i know it took forever)! thank you so much for all of the support, and i hope you enjoy 💞

warning: one (1) makeout session

You are currently crouched behind a cluster of bushes, trying to get a glimpse of your targets through binoculars. 

Does that sound stalkerish? Perhaps. 

Are you actually a stalker? Debatable. 

However, no matter how suspicious it looks, your motive is pure—for the most part. 

You’re spying on Kang Daniel (son of Hermes) and Park Jihyo (daughter of Apollo), both of whom are at the Archery Range. Jihyo is showing Daniel how to shoot, encasing him with her arms as she nocks the arrow for him. The tips of his ears are so red that they could practically be a flare; you can see how flamboyant they are all the way from your hiding spot. 

You start grinning like a maniac, excited that your plan is finally unfolding. 

You had noticed how awful Daniel was at archery during a training session a couple weeks ago, and you casually suggested to him that he should ask Jihyo for some lessons. You’ve always known that Daniel has been hopelessly in love with Jihyo since the moment he saw her (it’s a child of Aphrodite thing—you can just sense it), but she’s been oblivious to it this entire time. 

Well, until now. 

Just as you guessed, sparks flew immediately. You could cut the sexual tension between them with a knife. You give them a couple more passionately-charged archery lessons before they inevitably surrender to their emotions and begin to date—and your predictions are never wrong. 

“Another job well done, Y/N,” you mumble proudly to yourself, “Mom would be so proud.”

“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to have to ask you to stop loitering by these bushes and stalking those two campers over there, or else I’ll have to report you to the camp director,” a sudden voice from behind you says. 

Letting out a loud yelp, you drop your binoculars in surprise and whip your head around to see who it is. You turn so fast that you almost fall backwards into said bushes, quickly using your palms to balance yourself. 

“Renjun, you asshole!” 

Huang Renjun, your long-time best friend and professional asshole, is standing in front of you. He’s wearing the iconic orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with black jeans, his hands tucked inside his pockets. His dark hair is parted to one side, with a single lock of hair falling perfectly into one eye, giving him the I-wake-up-and-my-hair-is-naturally-like-this look (even though it’s most definitely not true). No doubt that he’s the best-looking person in the entire camp, but his brusque personality makes him a rose with thorns. Sharp thorns.

You often wonder how the two of you even became as close as you are. Children of Athena and Aphrodite notoriously clash due to their mothers’ history with each other. 

You met Renjun four years ago at Arts and Crafts Center, which is a hotspot for children of Athena. It was your first time at the camp, and you wanted to try making a ceramic (maybe a bowl or vase) to bring back to your family as a souvenir. Of course, you failed miserably and got snickered at by other Athena kids. Renjun, who had been sitting beside you, was the only one who didn’t laugh. He even gruffly gave you some pointers. Grateful, you complimented his painting—a mix of pink, yellow, blue, and purple watercolors that meshed together to resemble a galaxy. In return, he gave it to you.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” he had said nonchalantly.

Even though it was the most beautiful piece of art you’ve ever seen, and it’s remained one of your most prized possessions to this day. 

After that incident, you basically attached yourself at the hip with him. He would constantly complain about you following him around, but he also didn’t do anything to stop it. He’s been complaining for four, going on five, years now, yet he’s become your closest friend. Renjun likes act like you’re a pain in the ass (which isn’t untrue), but you know he cares about you. Even if he doesn’t verbalize it, you can tell by his actions; it’s all about the small things with him. Despite being rough around the edges, Huang Renjun is actually just a big softie on the inside. 

“—could you stop snooping around like a weirdo?” Renjun asks, cutting your trip down memory lane short.

You rise to your feet, dusting your palms off and glaring at him. “I’m not snooping around like a weirdo. I’m just snooping around on one of my projects, like a good matchmaker.”

“Sure,” he says, rolling his eyes. He leans down and picks up your binoculars, handing them to you. 

You take them and hang them around your neck. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Aren’t you the one who asked me to meet you at the Dining Pavilion for lunch?” He raises an eyebrow. 

“Oh, sorry! I lost track of time,” you exclaim. “How’d you find me?”

Renjun gives you a pointed look. “Well, seeing as how Daniel and Jihyo are your current quote-unquote project, all I had to do was figure out where they were because I knew you’d be somewhere close.”

You give him a sheepish smile. “You know me so well, Junnie.”

“The hell? Don’t call me that, it’s gross,” he snaps, pretending like he’s about to gag.

“You’re not cute at all,” you huff. 

“Neither are you,” he replies.

“You are so rude! You’ll never get a girlfriend with an attitude like that!” You place your hands on your hips.

“I’ll live,” he says, shrugging. 

You don’t know much about Renjun’s love life because he refuses to tell you anything; he’s like a stubborn clam that won’t open up. However, he’s made it very clear that he does not want your assistance when it comes to finding romance. Obviously, it hasn’t stopped you from trying, but this is one of the few things you can’t seem to make him give in to. 

Yet.

“Whatever,” you sigh. “Let’s go eat.”

The two of you walk to the Dining Pavilion, which is a relatively long walk from the Archery Range, but you make enough conversation that it feels short. When you arrive, you see that they’re serving chicken curry and rice. Your stomach growls embarrassingly loudly when the mouthwatering scent hits you, which prompts Renjun to laugh at you. You give him the middle finger and then turn around to grab a lunch tray. Once you get your food, you two sit at a table in the back. 

Before you begin to eat, you notice that your curry has chunks of potatoes and slices of carrots on it—you abhor carrots more than anything in this world. Noticing your disgusted expression, Renjun slides his plate over without even batting an eyelash, so you can pick out the carrot slices and give them to him. It’s a routine thing for the two of you, since you’re an extremely picky eater and he’s not.

After you take out all of the carrots, you begin to devour your food. You’re wolfing it down so fast that you’re basically asking to choke, in which you immediately do. A piece of chicken lodges itself in your throat, and you begin to cough violently. Renjun sighs, patting your back before handing you your cup of water. 

“I feel like I’m babysitting a toddler every time I eat with you,” he points out as you gulp down your water. 

“Thanks,” you say after you recover.

“For dislodging the food in your esophagus or calling you a toddler?” 

“Both!” you say cheerfully. 

Renjun shakes his head at you, but he’s smiling. You take advantage of his good mood by quickly reaching over and swiping a couple of grapes from the fruit bowl on his tray. He rolls his eyes when you pop them into your mouth and wink at him. 

“Um, Renjun?” A small, different voice cuts in. Both of you turn around to see who it is. 

Hwang Yeji, daughter of Iris and one of the most popular girls at the camp, is standing there. She’s fidgeting, and you can see pink dusting her cheeks. Her friends are at the table right behind her, giving her supportive looks. She smiles shyly at Renjun. 

“Can I help you?” Renjun asks, deadpanning. He isn’t rude per se, but it’s also not a friendly tone. 

Yeji slightly falters at his lackluster response. “Oh, um, I’m going to be performing at the amphitheater tonight...and I was wondering if you could come watch?”

“Why?” 

You know Renjun is asking because he’s genuinely baffled, but it doesn’t lessen your urge to want to slap him upside the head.

“N-No particular reason! O-Okay, bye!” Yeji turns on her heel and runs away. You watch her go back to her table, head hung low in defeat.

“What was that all about?” Renjun is still bewildered. 

No longer able to control yourself, you punch him in the arm. “You moron!”

“Ow! What the hell, Y/N?” he hisses, rubbing his arm.

“She invited you to watch her perform because she likes you!” you hiss. 

“What? No, she doesn’t.” He furrows his eyebrows. 

“Yes, she does! I should know of all people, you dingus. Even without powers, literally anyone else would be able to see that Yeji likes you!” You’re trying your best to keep your voice down, but he’s making it difficult for you. “You are the densest person on the planet!”

“Look who’s talking,” Renjun mutters underneath his breath. 

“I can’t believe you just blew her off like that,” you continue, not hearing what he said.

“How was I supposed to know she liked me? I’ve never even spoken to her,” he protests.

You stare at him in disbelief. “Couldn’t you tell by the context clues?” 

“What context clues?”

“Oh my gods,” you groan, covering your face with your hands.

“What do you want me to do then?” he asks tiredly. 

“Go to her performance tonight,” you say immediately, uncovering your face and whipping your head to look at him with a hopeful expression.

“I don’t really want to though. There’s no point in getting her hopes up if I don’t like her back,” Renjun states matter-of-factly.

“How do you not even have a little bit of interest in her? Look at her! She’s stunning!” You feel like your eyes are about to pop out of your head.

“I’m not saying she isn’t, but I just don’t feel anything special towards her,” he explains. 

“You’re actually insane,” you say incredulously. “There’s no way someone can look at Hwang Yeji and say they don’t feel anything special.”

“If you feel so strongly about it, you could date her,” he suggests.

“No, I’ve decided,” you cut him off, slamming your hand on the table with determination. “I’m going to find you a girlfriend.”

“I’ll have to respectfully decline your services,” he answers, sighing.

“Give me one week,” you plead, “all of my matches have worked out within a week. Please, Renjun? The worst thing that can happen is that you actually like someone and you two become a couple.” 

“And what if it doesn’t work out?” He tilts his head.

“Then, I’ll drop the girlfriend topic for good. I swear on River Styx. And I’ll also give up my title as Camp Half-Blood’s official matchmaker,” you promise.

“You gave yourself that title.”

“Shut up.”

“Why are you so adamant on finding me a girlfriend anyway?” he asks.

“Because you’re so set on not getting a girlfriend, and that drives me crazy. I want to know just who on this Earth can make you feel something special, if even Yeji can’t do it. I want to crack you, like a walnut,” you admit.

“Bad analogy.”

“Yeah, it sounded better in my head.”

Renjun falls quiet, and you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he weighs the pros and cons of your proposition. Athena kids think way too much and way too loudly; they need to let loose and follow their hearts more.

You sit in anticipation for just a little longer before you see the tension on his face begin to dissipate and his features begin to droop. It’s an expression you know well; he’s going to let you have your way, like he always does. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “You get five days. That’s it.”

You squeal loudly, launching yourself at him so you can envelop him in a big bear hug. He grunts as he catches you, saving the both of you from toppling backwards onto the floor. “You’re the best, Renjun!”

Even when he’s irritated or annoyed, Renjun never pushes you away when you hug him. He isn’t exactly the affectionate type, yet his embrace is always so warm and calming. His words may be cutthroat, but his actions are always gentle.

He circles his arms around your waist loosely as he sighs into your hair, seemingly waiting for you to pull back to face him before he says anything. When you do, he flicks you on the forehead instead.

Okay, so you take the his actions are always gentle part back.

“Ouch!” You shrug yourself out of his hold, rubbing the probably reddening spot on your forehead.

“Payback for punching me earlier,” Renjun says, crossing his arms. “But are you sure about this?”

“What do you mean?” 

“You have a perfect record when it comes to your matches. Plus, you’re losing two out of your usual seven days. Are you sure you want to risk breaking your streak?” he asks. 

“What makes you think it’ll get broken?” you shoot back.

“I don’t just think; I know it will,” he smirks arrogantly. “That’s why I’m asking.”

You feel your left eye twitch. Riled up by his cocky demeanor, you grab your cup and chug the rest of your water, wincing like you just downed a shot. Wiping your mouth, you point your finger at him.

“Huang Renjun, just you wait. I’ll make you fall in love so hard that you’ll forget your own name.”

ও DAY ONE.

The Athena Cabin is a marvel to you every time you enter it. Rather than a cabin, it’s a workshop and a library in one on the inside. There are beds pushed haphazardly against the walls, and if you didn’t know that this was the official Athena Cabin, you would’ve thought that the Athena children had simply just crashed at a random facility at the camp and decided to call it their place of residence. 

Renjun is still asleep, despite the commotion of his brothers and sisters running around in the library and/or constructing something in the workshop. His bed is located in the very back, hidden by a bookshelf that’s not frequented often. He’s curled up into a ball, with the blanket covering his head but you can still see tufts of his hair sticking out from under it. 

“Rise and shine!” you sing, lifting blanket off his face. 

His peaceful expression twists with discomfort as its exposed to light, and he immediately rips the pillow out from under his head and puts it over his face. He says something to you, but his words are muffled. You just assume it’s some sort of profanity. 

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty! We have business to attend to,” you say cheerfully, taking the pillow away and tossing it to the foot of his bed.

“And what exactly is this supposed business?” Renjun asks dryly, opening his eyes and squinting up at you. 

“We’re going to scout for potential candidates for you,” you answer as you grab his arm and pull him up. He reluctantly lets you, slumping forward like a limp puppet. 

“Isn’t that your job?” He raises an eyebrow, running a hand through his messy bedhead. Renjun always looks particularly adorable when he wakes up. His pajamas consist of a pair of basketball shorts and an extremely stretched-out t-shirt. The shirt is so big that it’s slipping off his shoulder, which makes him look like a little kid. His hair is sticking up in all sorts of directions, and you can’t help but grin at how cute it is. 

“Yes, but you’re a special case.” You talk to him like he’s five, running your hands through his hair and messing it up even more. Renjun scowls at you, but he sits there and lets you do it.

“Geez, who peed in your cornflakes?” you tease, seeing his stormy look. 

“You.”

“Okay, fine! I’ll wait for you outside, but don’t take too long to get ready,” you say, finally retracting your hands. “No more than thirty minutes or else I’m gonna come find you!” 

He gives you another nasty look, and you blow him a kiss before skipping away. As you head back to the entrance, you greet a couple of Athena kids who pass by. Normally, Aphrodite and Athena children stick their noses up in the air and ignore each other, but you’re such a frequent visitor that they have had no choice but to accept you. It also helps that Renjun is quite popular, so the campers that don’t like you are forced to tolerate you anyway because you’re his best friend. 

That’s another thing you don’t understand—why Renjun hangs out with you when everyone around him is practically foaming at the mouth at the prospect of being his friend (or something more). But for reasons unknown to you, he chooses to ice them out and spend time with you instead.

It’s not that you’re inherently unpopular or someone that would “tarnish” his reputation, but he could probably find someone that annoyed him less and didn’t cause as much trouble as you do. However, you’re glad that he’s choosing to stay by your side in spite of how crazy you can get, because you’re not really sure what you would do without him. 

Not that you would ever admit that because Renjun would roast you to high Olympus.  

As if on cue, you spot Renjun trudging toward you. True to your request, he got ready within thirty minutes. In fact, it only took him about fifteen. He doesn’t look very happy, but he’s always had a resting bitch face (though you’re pretty sure he’s just pissed at you right now).

Strangely, you’re a little embarrassed to see him. You’re not sure why you suddenly thought of your friendship with him and got all sappy. You’ve never really been good at handling the mushy-gushy stuff—only helping others find it.

“Let’s get this over with,” Renjun says begrudgingly when he reaches you, crossing his arms.

“Okay, well, first thing’s first,” you respond, trying to get back on track. You loop your arm through his, which prompts him to instantly uncross his own so you can cling onto his bicep. It’s such a natural action for you that you don’t even think about how quickly he accommodates you. “What’s your type?”

“Where are we going?” he asks, furrowing his eyebrows as he lets you lead him around.

“That depends on your answer to my question,” you reply breezily.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one who figures that out? You know, with your whole Aphrodite-love-sense-tingle thing.” 

You ignore his dig at your ability. “Normally, yes. But seeing as you’re incapable of feeling any emotion other than bitterness, I have to directly ask you.” 

He laughs at your comeback. “I see. But even if I do tell you my type, what makes you think she will like me too?” 

“If she doesn’t, then just woo her with your irresistible charm,” you say sarcastically. 

“My irresistible charm has a tendency to make people hate my guts, actually,” Renjun says, shrugging. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?” 

“Renjun, you are fully capable of making a girl fall for you,” you chide, huffing at his negative attitude. “I’m not concerned with that. My main issue right now is finding someone that will make you care enough to want her to like you back.”

“You think so?” he asks quietly, looking down at where your hand is resting on his arm.

“Hm?” 

“I hope you’re right,” he says a little louder, dragging his gaze away from your hand and giving you a small smile. “About being capable.”

When Renjun looks into your eyes, you feel him for the first time. Your heart wrenches with his, like a knife was driven into it and something keeps twisting it. It’s an excruciating pain that makes your lungs want to cave in, a pain so unbearably sad that it makes you want to assume fetal position and bawl your eyes out, an exhausting pain that drains you of all your energy until you want to collapse, a pain that makes you hate yourself—but it’s a pain you never want to get rid of. It’s a pain that makes you happy. It’s a pain you’re willing to endure for...for...for what? 

But the pain only lasts for a moment, flashing by like lightning. As you try to reach deeper, it slips through your fingers. Just as suddenly as it hit you, it vanishes. What remains in its place is the metaphorical iron wall that you always seem to run into every time you try to look into Renjun’s heart.

You can already feel your body starting to forget the pain. It’s so fast that you begin questioning if you even truly felt it in the first place, or if it was all some fever dream. You could also be having a stroke, so there’s that.

All jokes aside, you’re not sure what you’re more surprised by: the fact that Renjun has been feeling like this or how well he’s managed to hide it. 

And you’re not sure what you’re more hurt by: the fact that Renjun didn’t tell you or if you’re the one he’s trying to hide it from.

“—hello? Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Renjun waves his hand in front of your face. 

You jolt, blinking several times as you detach yourself from your whirlwind of thoughts. “S-Sorry! What were you saying?”

“What’s wrong?” he asks, brows furrowing in concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Ghosts don’t exist,” you retort automatically.

“Yes, they do! How many times have I told you there’s no way that my glass bottle could’ve fallen from my bed without shattering, yet it was underneath my bed, completely and totally unsc—” He begins to protest. 

You cut him off by wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hug. Thankfully, Renjun stops rambling about his ghost story that you’ve heard about a million times and trails off. His hands slowly come to rest on the small of your back, giving you soothing pats. It makes you sad that he’s always ready to comfort you when he’s the one that needs it. Your vision gets blurry with tears, but you hurriedly blink them away.

“How can you be so smart yet so dumb?” you whisper into his shoulder, clutching him tighter.

“You know, you’re sending me mixed signals here,” he says wryly. 

You hug him for a couple more seconds before pulling back. Reaching your hands up, you cup his face. Unfortunately, you do it a little too enthusiastically and basically slap both of his cheeks. “Shit! I’m so sorry, Renjun!” 

“Ow! What is wrong with you?” he demands, wincing. His lips are adorably jutted out and his words probably aren’t as angry as he wants them to be because you’re squishing his cheeks way too hard. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I will definitely find you a girlfriend. No matter what,” you declare with determination in your eyes.

Because I don’t want you to be in pain anymore. Because you deserve to be happy. Because you should have someone to lean on too, you want to say.

Renjun is staring at you like you’ve grown another head. “Y/N, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you dismiss. “Now, hurry up and tell me your ideal type.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” 

“Oh my gods, I’m fine. Stop with all the questions and just answer me!” you say, placing your hands on your hips.

“I think I’m starting to reconsider my ideal type right now,” he replies, eyeing you suspiciously. 

You sigh loudly. “Could you tell me one character trait that you would like in a girlfriend? Just one. Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

He snorts, and you begin to grow frustrated. “Renjun—”

“Stubborn,” he answers. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Of all the things you could’ve chosen, you went with that?”

“I finally answer your question and now you’re shaming me for it?” he shoots back. 

You put your hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, sorry. Anything else you can think of?”

“Unpredictable. Hotheaded. Infuriating. Nosy. Reckless. Unable to take anything seriously. No concept of personal space,” he lists them off like he’s has it memorized.

“These are all terrible traits,” you point out, frowning. 

“Tell me about it.”

“Stop messing around,” you snap, giving him a small shove. “Some positive ones, please.”

Renjun pauses. “This might take a second.”

You give him a pointed look, crossing your arms and tapping your foot impatiently. At this point, you’re not even sure if he’s just joking or if he actually means it. However, it’s the only thing you’ve gotten out of him so far, so you have to work with it. 

“Dedicated,” he finally says after some intense pondering.

You exhale in relief. “Thank gods. What else?”

“Kind. Cheerful. Carefree. Funny. Always makes me smile. Marches to her own beat. An open book when it comes to her feelings. Says whatever is on her mind without thinking twice. Gets excited about things that don’t matter. Has a wonderful laugh. Able to see the good in me, even though I’m an asshole—”

As he continues, you eventually stop paying attention to his words and watch his expression. All of his features have softened, and there’s a warmth in his eyes that you’ve never seen before. He has the gentlest smile on his face as he talks, but you’re not even sure that he’s aware of it. 

You wouldn’t be a child of Aphrodite if you couldn’t recognize a boy in love, and Renjun certainly fits the bill. 

Suddenly, you feel an ugly sensation twisting in the pit of your stomach, coiling like a poisonous snake. It’s an awful feeling, and it makes you ashamed because it resembles jealousy way too closely for your comfort. You hate feeling like this, but you don’t know how to stop it. In fact, you don’t even know why you’re feeling this way. It’s foreign to you, but you know it’s not coming from Renjun. This is all coming from inside you.

“Stunning in every way,” Renjun finishes quietly. His voice is barely a whisper, but you can hear it clearly, as if it’s right in your ear. 

Digging your nails into your palms, you let out a low whistle. “That was very...specific.”

“Afraid of a challenge?” he counters, smirking. 

His banter makes you grin. It’s almost enough to make you forget the feeling in your stomach. You wonder why you keep getting worked up by yourself. Maybe the summer heat is getting to you, and you really are on the verge of having a stroke. 

“It’s like you don’t even know me,” you retort dramatically, clinging onto his arm again. “Alright, let’s go!” 

“Where?” 

“The Training Grounds!” 

“Why there?” His nose crinkles. 

“Your ideal type is as Ares kid as it can get,” you say, snorting. “So, obviously, we’re going to their turf.” 

“Ares children are obnoxious and arrogant,” Renjun scoffs. 

“And you’re a smartass, so it’ll be fine,” you say breezily. 

He rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath. 

“You’re such a drama queen. Besides, it won’t be only Ares kids there,” you point out.

He shrugs in a noncommittal manner but ultimately lets you lead him to the Training Grounds. When you arrive, as expected, it’s mainly Ares kids there. For people who aren’t used to it, the Training Grounds could be mistaken for a battle royale, judging by how vicious it can get at times. Even though it’s just a bunch of sweaty young adults angrily swinging swords at dummies and each other. 

Stroking your chin, you begin to scan the area. It’s only when your eyes fall onto Park Sooyoung, the daughter of Ares that’s infamous for making men cower to their knees, that the lightbulb goes off in your head. 

“What about Sooyoung?” you ask excitedly, tugging on Renjun’s shirt. 

He frowns. “She hates me.”

“You don’t know that,” you say.

“She tried to throw a dagger at my head once,” he states flatly. 

“She does that to everyone,” you dismiss. “I think you two would work well together.”

“Please, enlighten me.” 

“She could be the brawn to your brain. She’s super rambunctious, while you’re more reserved and can keep her in check. But she’ll be able to teach you how to live a little, and you’ll just perfectly balance each other out. You know, that whole opposites attract and enemies to lovers trope,” you explain. 

“Enemies to lovers?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you say dreamily, “You two start off absolutely despising each other, but neither of you can fight the tension building and eventually just get entangled in the throes of your passion!”

“Okay, Fifty Shades of Grey, calm down,” Renjun says, scrunching up his features in disgust. “Stop writing fanfiction in your head and come back to the real world.”

You glare at him for killing your vibe. “Just go and try to talk to her.”

“I don’t want to be mauled.” There’s actually a small glimmer of fear in his eyes. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s not gonna kill you. At least not in front of everyone like this,” you reassure him. 

“So you’re admitting that there is a possibility she would kill me.”

Fed up, you snatch his wrist and begin dragging him. He makes noises of protest, but you keep a vice-like grip on him. Sooyoung is sparring with some of her brothers (and frankly, handing their asses to them). You’re envious of how beautiful she is even with sweat dripping from her chin and tendrils of hair stuck to her neck. Her face is flushed with effort, but it makes her look like a peach. 

However, don’t ever judge a book by its cover because she proceeds to lift one of her brothers, as if she’s bench pressing him, and tosses him aside like a rag doll. He comes flying directly toward you, but Renjun wraps an arm around your shoulders and yanks you aside with his surprisingly quick reflexes. Sooyoung’s brother lands with a hard thud, right beside your feet.

Renjun holds you tightly against him as he scowls at Sooyoung, who is smirking at him. Your heart is pounding wildly, though you’re not sure if it’s from the adrenaline rush of one of Sooyoung’s brothers hurling towards you like a projectile or the way Renjun is cradling you to him.

“Are you out of your mind?” Renjun demands, livid. 

“Sorry about that,” Sooyoung says, trying to hide her amusement. 

“No, you’re not. You did it on purpose,” Renjun snaps. 

“Remove head from ass, Huang. If I didn’t think you’d be able to get her out of the way in time, I wouldn’t have done it,” Sooyoung responds, sounding bored.

“What if I hadn’t? Your tank of a brother would’ve knocked Y/N out,” Renjun says angrily, gritting his teeth. “And trust me, she doesn’t need any more screws loose than she already has.”

“Hey!” you chime in, offended. His arm falls from your shoulders and back to his side when you give him a dirty look. He seems a little surprised, whether the reason be from your sudden protest or how long his arm’s been around you. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sooyoung says, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, what do you want? You’re here to see me, right?” 

Renjun opens his mouth to say something, but you slap a hand over his mouth. “Renjun thinks you’re really pretty and wants to train with you.”

Perhaps you could have delivered it in a smoother manner.

“Mm?” He stares at you with wide, horrified eyes. He’s trying to speak, but it’s all muffled by your palm. 

Sooyoung snorts, crossing her arms and tilting her head. “Does he now?” 

“Yes. He’s just too shy to admit it,” you lie through your teeth. 

“Mhm, I’m sure he is,” she laughs. “What’s the actual reason you’re here?”

“Whatever are you talking about? That is the reason,” you answer sweetly. “So, what do you say? Wanna spar him?”

“Mmmmmm!” Renjun has you by the wrist, trying to remove your hand from his mouth, but you won’t budge. 

“You must think I was born yesterday,” Sooyoung sighs. “You’re trying to set us up together, right? Glad to see you’re sticking to your whole matchmaking schtick.”

“Maybe,” you admit sheepishly. “Also, it is not a schtick! I have a natural affinity for finding people that are compatible with each other, like all Aphrodite children, and it is my duty to use that ability in order to help others.”

Despite how proud you look, Sooyoung and Renjun exchange knowing glances, and she reaches forward and gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Stray strong, soldier.”

“Mm,” he responds, sounding tired.

You watch the interaction with a baffled expression. Neither one of them seems intent on providing any context for you. You’re hit with another pang of jealousy. 

“While it would be my utmost honor to be Renjun’s girlfriend, I will have to decline. Firstly, because I would definitely murder him by our third date tops. And secondly, because I already have a girlfriend,” Sooyoung says nonchalantly. 

Your hand goes limp and falls off of Renjun’s mouth, finally freeing him. Your jaw is hanging wide open, a direct invitation for flies. The both of you just stand there and gawk at her. 

“What?” you exclaim, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You have a girlfriend?”

Most Aphrodite kids are just naturally aware of all the couples at Camp Half-Blood whenever they see them, but you make it a point to keep tabs on them so you can avoid incidents like this while you’re trying to find matches for others. Clearly, you’ve missed one. 

“Ye—”

“Who is it?” you demand, resisting the urge to shake her until her bones rattle. “How could I not know about it?”

“Well, that was the goal,” Sooyoung explains, “we want it to be a secret.”

You’re gripping her so tightly that the tips of your fingers have turned white, though you’re sure it doesn’t bother her since she’s pure muscle. You want to know who it is so badly, but you respect her privacy, so you decide to let it go. Even if you really don’t want to.

“I understand,” you say solemnly, begrudgingly releasing her. Your body is slightly twitchy as you fight to control your need to snoop. 

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Renjun cuts in, half-joking and half-concerned. 

“Today has not gone well for me,” you sigh, spirit crushed by the sudden news and exhausted because of your weird mood swings that have been happening. “I’m hot, and I just want a nice, cold shower, followed by some nice, cold ice cream, and then followed by a nice, warm nap. We’ll try this again tomorrow.” 

“Want me to walk you back to your cabin?” Renjun asks. 

You nod, shoulders slumped in defeat. “Sorry to bother you, Sooyoung.”

“No problem. You’ll get ‘em next time,” Sooyoung says, trying to sound encouraging. 

As you turn to pitifully walk away, you notice Sooyoung and Renjun exchange another look in your peripheral. She gives him a thumbs up and he smiles wryly before he also turns to follow you.

It’s just the icing on the cake for your awful day. 

The walk back to your cabin is pretty quiet; Renjun sensing your foul mood and making the wise decision of letting you pout all by your lonesome (not that he’s much of a chatterbox anyway). You’re looking down at your feet as you walk, and he kindly navigates you through crowds and moves you out of the way when campers run by. This is something Renjun does often, since you have a tendency to not pay much attention to your surroundings on a regular basis, so you don’t even think twice about it. 

When you finally arrive, Renjun gives you a comforting pat on the back. “See you tomorrow. I’ll meet you here. Do not barge into my cabin and give me another rude awakening like you did today.”

You give him a strained smile and wink. “No promises.”

Of course, your act doesn’t fool him. He sighs. “Did it really bother you that much that Sooyoung managed to hide her relationship from you? It’s not like you to be so down after one failure.”

Honestly, that’s the least of your concerns right now. Did it hurt your pride? Yes, but you’ve recovered from a wounded pride countless times. 

What bothers you the most right now is the vile jealousy that you’ve stored in your heart. How shitty you felt when he was describing his ideal type (and how absolutely lovestruck he looked), or how bitter you were when you saw that Sooyoung and Renjun were in on something you weren’t. It eats away at you, seemingly within moments, before you even know what’s happening. But why? Where is it all coming from?

This is Renjun you’re talking about. Renjun, your best friend. Renjun, the one who’s always there for you. Renjun, the closest person to you other than your bloodline. 

Or so you thought. 

The pain that you felt from him earlier still haunts you, even if it’s faint. You’ve always seen Renjun as someone you can confide in, no matter what, yet it doesn’t appear like he feels the same towards you. In fact, an irrational part of you thinks you may be the one he’s trying to keep it from. 

And the paranoid part of you thinks Sooyoung knows about it too.

You know it’s horrible to think that, but you can’t control it. Renjun isn’t required to tell you everything he feels just because you do, not that it doesn’t hurt any less. It just bugs you that there could be someone closer to him than even you, which is an incredibly toxic mindset to have. You’re upset by the fact that you’re so possessive of him, yet you can’t seem to let him go either. 

I guess it’s alright if it’s Sooyoung, you admit to yourself, since she has a girlfriend.

You blink.

Wait, what? 

Before you can figure out what the hell your brain meant by that, you feel Renjun place his hand on your forehead. It jars you from your thoughts and you come back to reality, where Renjun is staring at you with furrowed brows as he checks your temperature. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You’ve been spacing out all day,” he says, clearly worried.

“F-Fine!” you answer way too enthusiastically. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he dismisses. “Just go get some rest.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” you nod hurriedly, giving him a two-finger salute. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early! Don’t oversleep!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves you off, smiling. You can tell he’s still concerned, but your brighter attitude relieves him just a tad. “Oh, and Y/N?” 

“Mhm?”

“I forgot to mention one more trait for my ideal type.”

“What is it?” You wish you had never asked him in the first place. Just when your mood was getting a little better, it sours just as quickly. 

“Dense,” he adds. 

You give him a puzzled look. “Huh?”

“I want her to be dense,” he states simply. 

“No way,” you argue, when his words finally register. “How is it gonna work out if both of you are dense as hell?”

“Who knows? Maybe our denseness will cancel each other out, and we’ll fall in love instantly,” he shrugs.

“Of course. PEMDAS and shit,” you jokingly agree.

“Exactly,” he says, nodding with a deadpan expression. 

You laugh loudly—a big belly laugh that makes Renjun beam. The tension eases off his features, and he seems much more reassured. Your heart swells at how hard he’s trying to make sure you’re okay, not that he would ever admit that.

“Okay, for real now. Bye, Y/N.” He gives you a lazy wave before walking away, shattering your touching moment. 

You huff at how he turned around without even letting you respond, though you still wave back (even if he can’t see it), and go back into your cabin. The moment the door closes behind you, you make a beeline for the shower. Peeling off your sweat-soaked clothes, you close your eyes in bliss when the cold water hits you. 

As you let the water run down your body, you begin to feel more and more like a petulant child that just threw the biggest tantrum ever. You’re embarrassed that you overreacted like that and got so emotional for no reason. You chide yourself for being selfish. Just because you’re upset that Renjun doesn’t confide in you the way you do him, it doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t have someone. You should be happy for him when he finds a person he can fully open up to, even more so than you. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do for him right now? 

You shut the water off before slapping your cheeks hard, giving yourself a wake up call. Resolving to be more composed tomorrow, you decide to just take a nap for now as you change into comfortable clothes and dry your hair off. 

When you get to your bed, you see a small bowl of ice cream on your nightstand. Luckily, your shower didn’t take too long, so it’s still relatively frozen. It’s two scoops of chocolate, which is your favorite. You’re so excited that you almost miss the note tucked underneath the bowl. 

don’t know when you’re going to get out of the shower, so this might just be soup by the time you’re out. if that’s the case, drink it anyways since i went through the trouble of getting it. 

You snort. It’s so like Renjun to write a tactless note like this and not even bother signing off on it. If he’s going to be sweet, he shouldn’t ruin the moment by doing what he always does—opening his mouth (figuratively, in this case). 

But it’s not enough to wipe that big grin off your face, as you carefully fold up the note and put it in your drawer. 

He’s not cute at all.

ও DAY TWO.

The next day is about as successful as the first one, if not worse.

You had woken up with a game plan. Before you went to meet Renjun, you drafted up a list of campers that matched his ideal type (for the most part, since he was a little too specific). The goal was to narrow it down to a couple names before trying to march in head first, since that went disastrously yesterday. 

Unfortunately, instead of things going smoothly like you had hoped, you find yourself banging your head against a tabletop repeatedly.

You and Renjun are currently sitting in the library of the Athena Cabin, having been there for almost an hour now. He’s nearly eliminated your entire list that you so meticulously curated this morning. You’re starting to wonder if he’s purposefully being difficult just to see you riled up.

Renjun watches you hit your head a couple more times before outstretching his hand, catching your forehead in his palm and blocking you from hitting it against the table again. “Stop before you bleed all over the table, and I get stuck scrubbing it out later.”

You raise your head to glare at him. “I’ll show you bleeding all over the table.”

He doesn’t even blink at your threat, infuriatingly unfazed. “Are you done with your list already?”

“No,” you grumble, “I still have some left.”

“So, if I’m not interested in the rest, does that mean we’re done for the day?” he asks.

“Haha,” you say wryly, “you wish. If you don’t pick one, then I’ll just go through the list myself and pick one that I think is the most compatible with you.”

“Damn it.”

“Okay, what about Hyun Seunghee? She’s an Apollo kid. Super talented and sweet, one of the most adorable people on the planet, and loves art just like you,” you suggest.

“Seunghee is a very sweet girl,” Renjun agrees. “But I don’t think I have the energy to keep up with her. She’s even bubblier and more hyperactive than you, and I can barely manage dealing with you.” 

Sighing, you cross out Seunghee’s name on your list while simultaneously flipping off Renjun with your other hand. “Okay, what about Lee Mijoo? She’s one of my sisters, and honestly, she’s way out of your league but I’ll keep her in the running for now.” 

You figure it’s best to not mention that, despite being way out of his league, Mijoo has expressed some very...explicit interest in Renjun before. It’ll make things awkward if they do end up talking, and you aren’t one to expose your own sister like that.

“Ew, no way, that’s weird,” Renjun says, scrunching up his nose.

“What, why?”

“I don’t want to date anyone related to you. That would make us sort of related too, and the last thing I want is to be your brother.” He spits out the word like it’s a stale piece of gum that he’s been chewing for four hours.

“First of all, slow down, tiger. You would have to marry her for us to be related. This is just a casual thing. No one said anything about marriage. Second of all, that is so mean! Why wouldn’t you want to be in-laws with me?” you demand, offended.

“Don’t most people enter relationships with the intention of spending the rest of their lives with each other?” he asks, skillfully dodging your question. “I won’t date someone if I think we’re just going to breakup down the road.”

There’s a beat of silence as you stare at him with wonder. Your lips curl into a gentle smile, and you can’t hide the adoration in your expression. Renjun truly is all bark and no bite. Who would’ve guessed there’s such a lovely and pure person behind his sharp tongue?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks warily. You swear you can see a little pink dusting the shells of his ears and the tip of his nose.

“It’s just...you’re much more of a hopeless romantic than I initially thought, Huang Renjun,” you say teasingly. 

Now, you can definitely tell he’s embarrassed. He mumbles a “shut up” under his breath, but you can barely hear it.

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” you advise, “it’s totally natural to date and breakup. You can love someone with all of your heart, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be your life partner. Loosen up, my friend, and just have fun! Fall in love recklessly, and don’t think about anything else! That’s what youth is all about!”

You expect him to make fun of you for lecturing him like you’re centuries old, when the both of you can barely label yourselves as adults, but he doesn’t. 

Instead, he’s gazing at you with a deep melancholy in his eyes. You’re sitting right across from him, but the way he looks at you makes it seem like you’re galaxies away. Your gut wrenches at how hurt and helpless he seems, like he’s yearning for something that is out of his reach. 

Time seems to slow down as the two of you stare into each other’s eyes, as if you’re both entranced. It’s hard to tell how long you stay like that, but it feels like you’ve woken up in the middle of a sweet dream when Renjun finally breaks eye contact. You’re slightly disoriented, even though it’s probably only been a few seconds.

Clearing his throat, Renjun mutters, “Anyways, don’t put anymore of your siblings on the list.”

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before sighing. “Fine. But now I’ve run out of names on my list.”

“Well, gosh darn it, what a shame,” he says in a terrible Southern accent while attempting to get up. “Look’s like that’s a wrap for today!” 

“Not so fast,” you cut in, snapping your fingers at him to sit back down. “We’re not done yet.” 

He groans but reluctantly obeys, dramatically throwing his head into his arms when he does.

“Behave while I go through this list again,” you order, putting stars next to names that you’re going to force Renjun to reconsider with. 

“Now, you’re making me want to hit my head against the table,” he complains, voice muffled by his arms.

You ignore his whining, focusing on your current task at hand. Just as you finish narrowing it down to a select few, someone brushes past you and it’s like you hear angels singing. Seo Soojin, daughter of Nemesis and actual hotness personified, walks by. 

Soojin is relatively new to Camp Half-Blood, having arrived for the first time last year. You don’t know much about her personality because she keeps to herself and her tight-knit circle of friends for the most part. You know for a fact that she’s a far cry from Renjun’s type, but you’re starting to think he doesn’t really know what he wants—seeing that he shot down every single person on your list already. She will be a nice change of pace for him.

“What about Soojin?” you ask in a hushed whisper, leaning forward. 

“Who?” Renjun looks around, not lowering his voice or trying to be subtle in the slightest.

“Shhh!” you hiss, grabbing him by his shirt and yanking him forward. You pull a little too hard and end up knocking your foreheads together. 

“Ow! Why is your head made out of cast iron?” Renjun winces. He tries to lean back, but you don’t let him escape. 

“Shut up! You’re the blockhead, asshole,” you protest, getting offended for the second time. “Anyways, Seo Soojin. The girl over there. The one with the bangs, big lips, and is hot as fuck?” 

He squints, finally zeroing in on her. “What about her?”

“That’s what I’m asking you, dipshit!” 

Renjun shrugs noncommittally—an action that you’ve grown extremely accustomed to during these past two days, an action that makes you want to rip your own hair out. “She seems nice.” 

“Well, try and talk to her then,” you say, spelling it out for him. “You know, so you can see if the two of you will hit it off or not.”

He gives you a look. It’s the same look that a twelve-year-old kid gives his mother when she makes him take a picture in front of a national monument that he doesn’t know anything about, nor does he care to. However, she insists, so he reluctantly trudges over to it and takes the picture—hands firmly balled up by his sides and his lips pressed into a hard line, no matter how much his mom tells him to smile.

So, in other words, Renjun looks like he wants to crawl into a hole and die.

“Are you sure that you’re human?” you ask incredulously. You’re not even being sarcastic at this point; you genuinely want to know how he is able to feel absolutely nothing for women that could rival the goddesses themselves.

“Technically—”

“If you say that you’re only half-human because we’re demigods, you’re going to get a pen through the jugular,” you warn, pointing your pen at him. 

“Am I wrong, though?” 

“You know what I mean, you smartass. Are you or are you not capable of feeling romantic attraction towards another person?” you demand.

“I am,” he simply says.

“That’s it? That was the most robotic answer I’ve ever heard in my life!” you exclaim. 

“What else am I supposed to say?” he asks, throwing his arms up. 

“Have you experienced any blackouts recently, like woken up without memory of the past twenty-four hours? Have you checked your body for any chip implants under your skin?” You eye him suspiciously. “Been beamed up by any UFOs? Gone somewhere haunted?” 

Renjun gives you a pointed look, sighing. “While it is touching to know that you do, in fact, listen to me whenever I talk about topics I’m interested in, this is not how I wanted you to apply your knowledge.”

“You know, now that I think about it, you sure talked about alien abductions a lot,” you say, stroking a fake beard on your chin. “Could it be because you were actually abducted by aliens and got brainwashed into gathering information about us demigods, but they took away your ability to feel emotions so they wouldn’t get in the way of your mission?” 

You pause, waiting for his reaction. Renjun is very obviously trying not to smile, with his chin being propped up by his palm and his fingers covering his mouth. “Please, continue.” 

“But ultimately, that will be your fatal flaw and the downfall of your mission because you can’t empathize like humans can,” you finish dramatically. 

“Alright, let’s say I was brainwashed by aliens. Why would I then draw more attention to myself by talking about the very thing that happened to me? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Reverse psychology,” you explain, “you talk about them, so you won’t seem suspicious.” 

Renjun exhales sharply before looking down at his feet. You can see his lips twitching as he tries not to laugh, though you’re pretty sure that exhale from before was a small laugh. You’re grinning, despite the fact that you’re also trying to keep up your detective act.

“I’m kind of wish I had been abducted by aliens right about now. Maybe brainwashed me would be a little more courageous,” he mutters under his breath. You’re not sure if you were meant to hear that, but you do anyways. 

“That sounds exactly like something someone abducted by an alien would say!” you say in an accusatory tone, pointing a finger at him. He rolls his eyes, but a tiny smile eventually makes its way to his lips. 

You gasp loudly, grabbing his face and pulling it towards your own. He makes a small noise of surprise, eyes as wide as UFO saucers. Your faces are so close that your noses are slightly brushing up against one another, but you’re not paying attention to that right now. 

“Or you could be a lizard person,” you whisper, “you know, the ones that people think take the place of government officials.”

“They’re called reptilian humanoids,” Renjun corrects. His breath (which smells like the blueberry muffin he had this morning) rustles your baby hairs. 

“Your eyes are glowing yellow, and your pupils are turning into slits,” you tease.

“Are they, now?” 

No, they aren’t. His eyes are a cool, icy gray, like most Athena children. It’s always been a trait you’ve been jealous of. They sparkle like stars, or freshly fallen snow. They change according to his mood too. For example, when he gets angry, there are no stars. Instead of twinkling, they flash like lightning. His eyes are truly the window to his soul; they’re one of your favorite things about him.

Renjun slightly leans into your touch, and it finally hits you how close he is. You’re cupping his face with both hands, tilting his chin up, and it looks like you’re about to...kiss him.

 It seems you’re not the only one who thinks so, because almost the entire library is gawking at you. Including Seo Soojin. She looks surprised, and slightly disgusted, by the two of you.

Oh.

You feel heat rise from your neck to your entire face.

Oh gods, they all think we’re a couple.

You recoil away from him, withdrawing your hands like your just burned yourself. “We have to get out of here.”

“What?” As always, Renjun doesn’t know what’s going on.

“Just come on,” you say quickly, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the library. 

Your face burns for a long time after that, and you can no longer focus on anything else. In the end, you decide to call it a day after a few more half-hearted attempts to find more candidates for Renjun. When you come back to your cabin, you take another cold shower. 

You’re not sure what you’re so flustered by: the fact that you didn’t realize what you were doing or the fact that everyone in the library saw it.

Or the fact that you didn’t mind the notion of being mistaken for a couple with Renjun.

ও DAY THREE.

You don’t meet bright and early with Renjun today. He demanded to sleep in this time, since he’s not an early riser to begin with and the past two days have sucked all the energy out of him. 

Which means you’re free until noon. You check the time—10 AM. 

Two hours to kill. 

You don’t feel like getting all sweaty and hot, so any activity outside is out. You really don’t want to be judged by more Athena kids in the Arts and Crafts Center without Renjun. So, you decide to head back to the library, despite how yesterday went.

You check out a book that goes into depth about some of the most believable conspiracy theories; Renjun actually read it a while ago (and totally geeked out about it to you), but who would have thought that you would end up reading it too? Past you definitely would’ve laughed in your face if you told her that. 

Once you get back to your cabin, you curl up in your covers and begin to read. You get about two chapters in when you hear the door open and Jeong Jaehyun, one of your brothers, walks in. He’s wearing his orange t-shirt that’s soaked with sweat, and his hair is dripping from perspiration too. His pale skin glistens, and he looks like a sweaty and sparkly vampire. 

“Hey, kid,” Jaehyun says, nodding at you. He isn’t that much older than you, but he’s gotten into the habit of calling you kid for some reason.

“This is a surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you come back from training before 5 PM,” you tease.

He lets out a low whistle. “Way too hot out there. I needed to get some A/C before I had a heatstroke—is that a book in your hand?”

“What about it?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

Jaehyun snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you near a book, much less read one.”

“Rude. I am expanding my horizons,” you retort. 

“It seems so. What was up with you and Renjun at the library yesterday?” Jaehyun plops down on the edge of your bed. 

“How do you even know about that?” you ask, wrinkling your nose. “And go take a shower first before you sit on my bed! You stink!” 

“Do I?” He waggles his eyebrows and throws his arms around you in a bear hug. You try your best to shove him off, but he has a hold on your like a python. 

“I hate you,” you say when he finally pulls back, sniffing your shirt to make sure you still smelled like your fabric softener. “Anyways, how’d you find out about the library thing?”

“Rumors spread fast around here, dear sister. But, seriously, what’s the deal?”

“There is no deal, Jaehyun,” you sigh, closing your book. “It’s all just a misunderstanding. We were joking around while I was trying to find a potential girlfriend for him there—which, by the way, is going horribly. I don’t think he feels romantic attraction properly like everybody else.”

“Oh right. I forgot you roped Renjun into your matchmaking thing,” Jaehyun says, disappointed. “Damn, and here I thought he finally made a move.”

Your head snaps up to give him a quizzical look. “What?”

“What?” He tilts his head.

“What did you mean by that, the part where you said you thought Renjun finally made a move?” you ask. 

Jaehyun stares at you for a couple of seconds, an astonished expression on his face. “Do you really not know?” 

“Would I be asking if I didn’t know?” you shoot back, annoyed that he still hasn’t answered you. 

“Gods, all this time, I thought you were just pretending like you didn’t know because you didn’t want to make things awkward,” he continues, shaking his head.

“Jaehyun, what are you talking about?” you demand.

“Renjun is in love with you, Y/N.”

You gape at him. It’s a good thing you’re already sitting down because you definitely would have fallen on your ass if you had been standing.

“Th-Th-That’s impossible,” you stammer, like an absolute idiot. “There’s n-n-no way.”

“Oh, come on, lil’ sis. He’s never even tried to hide it. He’s so obvious about it that I seriously don’t understand how you didn’t know,” Jaehyun snorts. “You don’t even need to have powers to see that he’s head over heels for you.”

“But—but how? I would’ve sensed it!” you exclaim.

“You’re so sharp when it comes to other people, but you’re dense as hell when it comes to yourself,” Jaehyun points out, shrugging. “You just never paid attention, Y/N.”

You don’t respond. Your mind is a mess, a jumbled mishmash of emotions. You’re feeling so many things right now, and you can’t pinpoint any of it.. You wouldn’t be surprised if you passed out.

“Do you like him back?” Jaehyun asks softly. 

“I—no! Of course not. Renjun’s my best friend. If I liked him, why would I be trying to find him a girlfriend right now? That’d be stupid of me. Yeah, that’d be so dumb. Why would I do that?” You’re rambling now, and it’s glaringly obvious that you’re trying to convince yourself rather than Jaehyun (and you know he can see it too).

“It doesn’t seem like you’re trying that hard, though.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” you ask defensively. 

“The Y/N I know spends all hours of the day gathering information on her potential matches and making sure even the tiniest detail goes according to her master plan that she’s already drafted inside her head. She wouldn’t be sitting here, leisurely reading a book, especially if it’s going horribly. She would be doing everything in her power to get things back on track,” Jaehyun notes. “Ask yourself. Do you really want Renjun to get a girlfriend?” 

“Wh-Why wouldn’t I?” You ask him, hoping he knows the answer, because you sure as hell don’t know. 

“Because he won’t always be there anymore. He won’t have time to let you constantly drag him into your antics anymore. You won’t be his number one anymore. His girlfriend will be his first priority, of course, as she should. Think long and hard about that, Y/N. Will you be okay with that?”

“I—” The words seem to die inside your throat as you come to realization that you might not be okay with that at all. You’ve always gone to Renjun for everything and knowing that he may not always be there makes you feel lost, like a compass without it’s True North. You’re being selfish again, but it seems like you’ve gotten into the habit of acting selfish whenever it comes to Renjun. You’ve let yourself grow too reliant on him. 

“Why do you care so much anyways?” Now, you’re deflecting. “Why did you tell me all of this?”

“Because you’re my little sister and I care about you. I want you to be one hundred percent sure of your own feelings, so your heart doesn’t get broken. The only reason I didn’t say anything sooner was because I thought you were already sure. Take some time and think about it, Y/N. It’ll be better for your friendship with Renjun if everything is crystal clear between the two of you,” Jaehyun advises, giving you a pat on the shoulder. He gets up, presumably to take a shower, and leaves.

You barely notice him go.

You sit in your bed, staring blankly at the wall, until Renjun finally arrives. He’s still a little groggy, probably having woken up ten minutes ago before coming. His clothes are a little rumpled and his hair isn’t styled, with his bangs flopping in his eyes. Normally, you would have made fun of him and mussed it up, but you have other things on your mind as of the moment. 

Like always, he can tell something is up. He gets that concerned look on his face—the one where he has a deep crease between his brows and his rosy lips are turned downwards. 

“What’s wrong?” He places a hand on your arm, lowering his head so he can’t get a better look at your face. 

Physical contact with Renjun has always been something normal for you, but suddenly, you’re now acutely aware of everything about him. You can feel the pad of every one of his fingertips on your bare skin, the warmth of his palm, and just how easily his touch makes your body relax. Even when your brain is a whirlwind of thoughts, your muscles, like clockwork, instantly loosen up with just a brush of his hand.

“We need to talk,” you say shakily, moving away from him. There’s a flash of hurt in his eyes as his hand falls to his side. You feel bad, but the longer he’s touching you, the more confused you get. 

You lead him a secluded area behind the Dining Pavilion, and he follows wordlessly. He waits for you to speak as the two of you stand there. Now that you’re here, you don’t really know what to say anymore. 

“Are you in love with me?” you blurt before you can stop yourself. “Jaehyun said—”

“Yes,” Renjun answers. If he’s surprised or taken aback whatosever, he doesn’t show it. In fact, it seems like he knew this was coming. There’s no fear or hesitation in his eyes. He’s unwavering in his answer, and you wonder how he can always be so certain of his feelings. 

“How long?” you ask tentatively. 

“Probably when we first met,” he says. 

“Why?” 

“Are you asking me why I’m in love with you?” He raises an eyebrow. 

You’re not sure. You’re not sure of anything anymore.

When you don’t answer, Renjun looks at you for a very long time. “You make me happy, Y/N. No matter how shitty things get, no matter how much I want to ram my fist through a wall, I see you and it’s like I can finally take a breath again. When you smile at me, I forget about everything that was bothering me. You and your daily shenanigans are the best part of my day. You’re obnoxious and frustrating and exhausting, but I fucking love you for it. I’m at your beck and call; I’d do anything for you. Whenever you’re happy, I become happy too. Nothing else matters to me anymore. That’s why.”

“You should have told me,” you say, voice cracking. Your heart is singing with joy, and you want to cry with relief. He talks about you like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and you so desperately want to be exactly that for him. You’re not confused anymore. Everything has finally become clear for you now. You truly wonder how you managed not to notice anything at all—whether it be your own feelings or his. 

“I knew it would upset you,” he murmurs. 

But then it hits you. 

You can’t even fathom how much Renjun has had to endure throughout the years. He’s loved you all this time, yet he hasn’t said a word—out of consideration for you. In everything he’s ever done during the course of your friendship, he has always put you first. Even if it hurts him, he was willing to withstand it for your sake.

Yet all you’ve done for him is force him into letting you try to find a him a girlfriend, despite the fact that he was against it, and he had to pretend like he was okay as he watched you parade around like a fool telling him to love someone else. 

You don’t deserve to be loved by someone like Huang Renjun.

You don’t deserve to love someone like Huang Renjun.

Suddenly, you begin to feel nauseous—probably sickened by guilt. Black spots dot your vision, and your legs start wobbling. Your body collapses only moments after, but luckily, Renjun manages to catch you before you can hit the pavement. 

“Y/N? Y/N? Hey, talk to me,” you can hear him say very faintly. He’s cradling you against his chest, and you bury your face in it. Your head is spinning, but you feel surprisingly grounded in his arms.

Has he always smelled this nice? His scent is a mixture of books and sandalwood, and you’re basically crushing your nose against his chest like an absolute pervert. You don’t feel embarrassed because you know you can blame it on being sick later. 

Speaking of sick, even though Renjun smells so good, you proceed to lean forward and vomit all over him and yourself.

Once again, you don’t feel that embarrassed because you black out soon after.

ও DAY FOUR.

You wake up tucked nicely under your covers. Much to your relief, you’re also in clean clothes—your favorite set of heart pajamas. Unfortunately, that’s the only bright side to your current state.

It feels like you haven’t had a sip of water in ten years, and your lips feel like they’ve been glued together. Even the tiniest movement makes your head feel like someone is drilling into your skull. Your body feels twenty times heavier, and not to mention, you just generally feel like shit because of what happened with Renjun.

“Oh my gods, you look so creepy right now. Who just lays there with their eyes wide open? If you’re awake, you should say something,” a voice chides. Turning your head just a smidgen (and wincing because of the pain), you see your sister, Lee Mijoo. She has a glass of water in her hand, setting it on your nightstand.

“How long have I been asleep?” you ask hoarsely. 

“Let’s see. Renjun brought you back at like 2 PM yesterday, and it’s now 8 PM, so...thirty hours?” Mijoo counts on her fingers. 

“Fuck,” you groan.

“Heatstroke will do that to ya,” she says, making a clicking noise with her tongue.

“I had a heatstroke?”

“Yep. It was a pretty nasty one too. You really did a number all over Renjun’s shirt. It was like a vomit Picasso,” Mijoo says, sounding kind of impressed.

Your face burns from humiliation. 

“Here, sit up and drink this water,” she orders, helping you get up. Your head is screaming in pain, like a million little jabs to your brain. You down the water in one big gulp, not realizing just how dehydrated you were until your lips hit the water. 

“So, you and Renjun, huh?” Mijoo asks sheepishly.

If you still had water in your mouth, you would’ve spat it out. “What?”

“Jaehyun told me everything,” she explains.

Traitor, you think to yourself.

“Don’t be mad at him. Renjun looked like a kicked puppy when we saw him. There’s no way I wouldn’t have asked questions,” she says. “Did you break his heart, little sister?”

You sigh, putting the cup back on your nightstand. “I hope not. His heart shouldn’t be broken by someone like me.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means that he shouldn’t concern himself with me,” you sigh.

“Well, he does. He came to check up on you like a billion times. I had to ban him from coming back until tomorrow,” Mijoo snorts. “He’s a really good guy, you know.”

“Trust me,” you say, rubbing your temples. “I know that better than anyone.”

“So, what’s stopping you? I would be all over that.”

You glare at her before letting out another sigh. “He’s too good for me, Mijoo.” 

“That’s for him to decide, no?” She raises an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just saying the truth,” you say. 

“So, you won’t mind if I date him?” she asks seriously.

Your face falls instantly, and Mijoo doubles over laughing. 

“Geez, Y/N, you looked like you were about to claw my eyes out!” She wipes away a tear.

“Very funny,” you say dryly. 

“But what if I had been serious? What would you have done then?”

You don’t answer.

“I think you really, really like Renjun, Y/N,” Mijoo whispers loudly.

“I think I love him,” you whisper back.

“Then, you should probably tell him.”

“Yeah, I should,” you echo.

Ignoring the major migraine you have and the fact that you’re still a little sluggish, you throw your covers off of you. You don’t change out of your pajamas, simply throwing a thin cardigan over it. 

“Uh, Y/N, maybe you should wait until you feel be—”

“No, I have do it now before I change my mind,” you cut her off, slipping on your tennis shoes.

You hear Mijoo call after you, but you’re already out of the door. The Athena Cabin isn’t too far from the Aphrodite Cabin, so the walk is short. Much to your surprise once you’re inside, he isn’t there.

Grabbing the nearest Athena kid you see, you ask, “Where’s Renjun?”

“Um, I think he went to the amphitheater?” 

The amphitheater is a bit further, so you promptly release and thank the kid, before taking off. You’re not sure if running is recommended right after a heatstroke, but you do it anyways. By the time you get there, your cardigan is slipping off and you’re dripping with sweat from the humid summer heat. 

The amphitheater is extremely crowded, since there was probably a performance tonight. It’s actually a little hard to see over all the people. However, you find Renjun pretty quickly.

You see him standing off to the side, away from everyone else. He’s staring emptily at the stage, hands tucked inside his pockets. He looks so tired and dejected. His entire body slumps as if it’s too exhausting to stand up straight anymore. 

All because of you.

You wait until you finally catch your breath, opening your mouth to call out to him. But you don’t ever get the chance to because a girl walks up to him. You can’t tell who she is because the back of her head is facing you, and you see Renjun give her a small smile before saying something.

The girl laughs and turns her head, giving you a view of her side profile.

Hwang Yeji.

All of the courage you had inside you withers away like a dying flower.

You take a step back, accidentally bumping into someone behind you. They say something to you, but you don’t hear it at all. Instead, you turn on your heel and run. You run wildly and blindly, nearly whizzing right past your cabin. You’re barely able get back inside, eyes so blurry with tears that you can’t even see where you’re going. 

When Mijoo sees you, she doesn’t ask any questions. She just turns on the shower for you, extra hot. You step in without a word, letting the water mix with the tears running down your face. 

It’s not that you think Renjun is in love with Yeji now. In fact, you know he’s not. It’s just that they would be much better together. 

Yeji is one of the sweetest girls you know. She would treat Renjun with the kindness he deserves. She would consider his feelings first before making him do anything. She would make him happier than you ever could. They would be so compatible, and if you weren’t in love with Renjun yourself, you would definitely be trying to set the two up. 

After your shower, you change into the clothes Mijoo set out for you—an oversized sweater with cotton shorts—and miserably crawl back in bed. You’re so drained that you don’t even have the energy to drink the fresh glass of water on your nightstand. 

Everything hurt—mentally and physically. 

Your heart aches most of all. You’ve dated here and there, gone through some breakups, but nothing has ever been as painful as this. 

It’s a pain that consumes you whole. A pain that makes you want to scream but no sound will come out. A pain that makes you want to tear your heart out. A pain that makes you wish a bunch of aliens abducted you and brainwashed you into not feeling any emotions anymore.

It’s the same pain that you thought you felt from Renjun on the first day of when this all began.

And then the last puzzle piece finally falls into place.

That pain was never his.

It has always been your own.

You love Renjun too, and you’ve loved him for a very long time.

ও DAY FIVE. 

“Come on, Y/N. At least get up to wash your face and brush your teeth,” Mijoo pleads.

You ignore her, pulling your covers over your head and turning away. It’s already well into the afternoon, but you’ve been feigning sick so you didn’t have to get up. The rest of the Aphrodite children have left and gone about their various activities throughout the camp, but Mijoo was tasked by Jaehyun to take care of you.

“If you just do that, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day,” she bargains. 

You think about it for a second before sighing, begrudgingly sitting up. You can see the pity dripping out of her eyes when you brush past her to head to the bathroom. When you see yourself in the mirror, you can understand why.

Puffy eyes, matted hair, tear-stained cheeks, and chapped lips. It’s too bad you hadn’t been wearing mascara last night because the only thing you’re missing in your hot mess look right now are those dark smudges right under your eyes.

You brush you teeth, which takes a lot more effort than you realize, and splash water on your face. Not even bothering to brush your hair, you head straight back to bed. True to her word, Mijoo doesn’t say anything else after that.

That is, until a couple hours later.

“Um, so I know I said I would leave you alone, but I think you might want to get up for this one, Y/N,” she whispers. You can’t see her because you back is turned to her, but you can tell by the tone of her voice that it’s important.

Irritated, you yank the covers off you and sit back up once again. “Mijoo, I—”

You almost choke on air when you realize Mijoo isn’t alone. Renjun is right beside her, looking not much better than you. He’s in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair looks like he just ran his fingers through it and called it a day, and he has purple bags under his eyes.

“Can we talk?” Renjun asks. 

You hesitantly nod. 

“I’ll, uh, give you two some privacy,” Mijoo says awkwardly before turning around and running out of the cabin. 

You don’t know what to do now, staring down at your clasped hands. You hear Renjun take a step forward, and you feel the edge of your bed dip under his weight. There’s a sizable gap between you and where he’s sitting, but he’s still close enough for his scent to waft over to you. He smells wonderful like usual, and you hope you don’t stink in return.

“How are you feeling?” Renjun asks quietly.

“Like shit,” you answer honestly.

He laughs under his breath. “I know what you mean.” 

Your heart skips a beat, and you feel giddy all of a sudden when you see him smile. How did you manage to turn into a lovesick little schoolgirl over night? 

“I talked to Yeji last night at the amphitheater,” Renjun says after a moment. 

“I know,” you mutter. 

He blinks. “You do? How?” 

You’re not sure how to answer that.

“Well, that doesn’t matter right now,” he dismisses, taking in a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into her after I checked up on you, and she invited me to watch her performance. I wasn’t going to say yes at first, but I thought it would make you happy if I did. I tried, Y/N, I really tried. Yeji’s a nice girl, but I can’t help how I feel. I love you, Y/N. It’s always been you, and it always will be. I’m not asking you to love me back. I just want to stay by your side, as your friend, if you’ll allow it. I—”

“Stop,” you interrupt, scooting closer to him and putting a hand over his mouth. “I have to tell you something.” 

Renjun gives you a bewildered expression but nods nonetheless. 

You remove your hand from his mouth, before taking in a deep breath of your own. “You’re my best friend, Renjun, and I’ve always confided in you for everything. I took you for granted, and I only thought about myself. Deep down, I think I’ve always known about your feelings and my own, but I was afraid to dig for it. I was comfortable, and I didn’t want to ruin that, even though you were hurting. I’m truly sorry for treating you that way, Renjun. From now on, I want you to tell me everything—the good, the bad, the ugly. Don’t bottle things up for my sake.”

He goes to say something, but you hold up your hand to stop him.

“The reason why I knew you were with Yeji at the amphitheater last night is because I was there too. I went to look for you,” you finally confess. “When I decided I was going to find a girlfriend for you, I thought I would be able to step aside when you did find someone. But once I saw you with Yeji, I realized that I couldn’t do it. What I want with you isn’t a friendship anymore. I’m in love with you, Renjun. I have been for a long time, and it took me four, almost five, years to see that because I never thought to listen to my own heart until now. I don’t think I will ever deserve you in his lifetime, but I love you. I’m selfish and I’m a mess and I always cause trouble for you, but I—”

Renjun wraps an arm around your waist and tugs your body flush against his. His hand comes up to cradle your cheek as his thumb lightly runs across your cheekbone. You’re clutching his shirt like a lifeline, holding your breath, as you stare into those gray eyes.

“You,” he whispers, his lips barely brushing against yours, “are more than I deserve.”

He leans in and closes the infinitesimal gap between your mouths. He kisses you desperately, like you’ll disappear any moment, and you can feel all of the emotions he’s been locking away. His arms are wound tightly around you as he pulls you into his lap. You weave your hands through his hair, and he deepens the kiss. Your shirt rides up as you shift, and you feel his hand slip up your shirt and rest against your back. It ignites a fire within you and you want to tell him to take it off completely, but your lungs are screaming for air, so you have no choice but to pull away.

“Sorry,” Renjun says breathlessly, his chest heaving up and down, as he takes his hand out from under your shirt.

“No, I liked it,” you say, shaking your head and placing your forehead against his. “I just ran out of air.”

“No,” he disagrees, “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. It was supposed to be a sweet kiss, but I lost control.” 

He tugs your shirt back down and gently sets you back down next to him. You can’t help but giggle at how flustered he is. It’s not often that Athena children, especially Huang Renjun, loses control of their emotions like that. 

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he says wryly, rolling his eyes. 

“You know,” you say in a sing-song voice, “I still technically never broke my streak. I found you a girlfriend within five days.”

“Does it really count if you ended up being my girlfriend?” He raises an eyebrow. “Seems a little unprofessional to me.” 

“Don’t be a sore loser,” you taunt.

“You also said you were going to make me fall in love so hard that I’d forget my own name,” he points out. “And I didn’t, so that’s false advertising. Unprofessional and unethical? I could sue you.” 

“You are so petty,” you squint. “And come on! That kiss didn’t make your forget? It made me forget!”

“I don’t like you that much.” He deadpans.

“Huang Renjun, you are so not cute!” 

4 YEARS AGO.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” Renjun says, trying to act casual about it.

You look so happy that Renjun would have painted a thousand more if you asked him to. You have a smile that could make the goddesses envious, and he can barely hear what you’re saying over the thumping of his own heart. He hopes his expression looks somewhat elusive because he’s not sure how to handle himself right now. 

You’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen in his life. 

Renjun feels like he’s been shot by Eros’ arrow. He used to never understand why everyone was so wary of Eros; he’s basically just a mascot for corny Valentine’s Day cards. Apollo and his children avoid Eros and his children like the plague. Though granted, Eros did force Apollo to fall in love with Daphne and then she ended up turning into a tree. So, there is a little bit of history there. Point being, Renjun just didn’t get it.

But he think he does now.

“Thank you so much!” you say excitedly, extending your hand. “I’m Y/N!”

Renjun just stupidly stares at you. He’s not even sure if he’s worthy to touch your hand, but he also doesn’t want to be rude. He carefully shakes your hand, unable to say a word.

“What’s your name?” you ask, tilting your head. 

Is it possible for a person to be this adorable? he thinks to himself.

“I’m...” 

You’re looking at him, waiting expectantly.

“I’m...”

You’re still smiling, but he can see the slight confusion in your eyes. He’s never felt like more of a moron in his life. 

“Ren...jun,” he finally says after an extreme amount of concentration. 

You beam at him, and he wonders if he’s the only one seeing the ring of light surrounding you. There’s no way you aren’t Aphrodite’s favorite child.

“Nice to meet you, Renjun! Let’s be friends.” 

Renjun isn’t sure he wants to be just friends, but he finds himself nodding along anyways. 

Fuck, he thinks, I’m in trouble.

#neowritingsnet #ncitynetwork #cznnet #NCT-WRITERS #nct scenarios #nct imagines #renjun fluff #renjun angst #nct dream fluff #nct dream angst #nct dream imagines #renjun #nct #choerrypuffs #demigods

[pia-writes-things]

Donna Noble: between domination and emancipation

Because I’ve been talking about it on here quite a lot, but also because I’m quite proud and I think it’s very on brand for me, I’ve decided to share here the whole-ass sociological essay I’ve written about Donna and domination / emancipation. It’s really long (11 Word pages in Arial, 1.5 line spacing) but I think it might interest like, 2 people out there who love really long character analysis, doctor who and/or sociology. Fair warning beforehand though: I’m not nice with the Doctor because let’s face it, the 10th Doctor is a bastard sometimes 😊 Without further ado, enjoy !

Introduction

“In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important". This quote from the Eleventh Doctor in the episode "A Christmas Carol" in the fifth season of Doctor Who could apply to the character we are interested in today: Donna Noble, characterised as "the most important woman in the universe" by fans as well as some of the other characters in the series. Doctor Who is a British science fiction series originally created in 1963 by Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson and produced by the BBC. It was first cancelled in 1989, then a film was released in 1996 before the series was rebooted in 2005 by Russell T. Davies. The reboot now has thirteen seasons. Doctor Who tells the story of an alien, a time lord/lady from the planet Gallifrey, named the Doctor and resembling humans. However, the Doctor has two hearts and the ability to regenerate, i.e., to completely change their appearance and personality to escape death. Currently, the Doctor is on her thirteenth regeneration and is a woman for the first time, played by British actress Jodie Whittaker. They also own a time and space travel machine called a TARDIS. In addition, they are often accompanied by a companion, most of whom are humans of our time. The character we are interested in here, Donna Noble, is a temp approaching her forties and the Doctor's companion during the reboot’s fourth series. She is played by British actress, comedian, and comic Catherine Tate. Originally from Chiswick, London, Donna lives with her mother and grandfather and goes from temp job to temp job as a secretary. We first meet her in the Christmas special of the third season, "The Runaway Bride", on the day of her aborted wedding to Lance Bennett (Euros Lyn, 2006). She reappears in season 4 and remains there until the end, before appearing for the last time in the two 2010′s Christmas specials. However, her character will be briefly mentioned again in episodes in later seasons, showing her importance and her impact on the Doctor. Donna Noble is known for being an exuberant person, who dares to say out loud what she thinks. She is also very empathetic and always willing to help others. However, she tends to be self-deprecating throughout her time on the show, especially in terms of her social status and skills, despite the encouragement and compliments of those around her. However, she evolves a lot through her time with the Doctor and eventually gains confidence in herself. This confidence is unfortunately destroyed, when the Doctor is forced to erase all memories of her time with him at the end of season 4 (Graeme Harper, 2008a). Donna Noble can therefore be seen as illustrating to some extent the internalisation of domination in the dominated and a certain aborted optimism about the chances of emancipation. We will first look at Donna’s internalisation of domination before looking at the aborted path to emancipation that she takes during the series.

I) 'I'm just a temp': Donna Noble’s internalisation of domination

Firstly, Donna Noble can be seen as an illustration of the internalisation of economic domination by the working classes. Indeed, at several points during her presence in the series, Donna illustrates the difficulty for working class children without the 'legitimate' culture to succeed at school and in life thereafter (Bourdieu, 1979). This discrepancy between 'legitimate' cultural capital and the capital possessed by Donna is expressed by Lance, her future husband, in the episode 'The Runaway Bride' when he mocks her and denigrates her for her lack of knowledge and intelligence. As a matter of fact, when Lance reveals that he has never been in love with Donna and has just been using her, he makes a long list of all the faults she has, citing her inability to locate Germany on a map or her lack of intelligence and responsiveness, etc. In the same episode, the Doctor himself belittles Donna and tells her that she is not important or very intelligent and that she is nothing special (Euros Lyn, 2006). Similarly, in the first episode of season 4, "Partners in Crime", he belittles Donna, telling her that she can't help him or understand what is going on in the final resolution of the episode (James Strong, 2008). Thereafter, several times throughout the series, Donna illustrates difficulties in following the Doctor's scientific reasoning and devalues her own cultural and academic capital, for example in the episodes "The Runaway Bride", where she does not understand exactly what is happening to her and how she came to meet the Doctor (Euros Lyn, 2006), or in "The unicorn and the wasp" where she expresses her difficulties in following the Doctor's reasoning in the final revelations of the episode (Graeme Harper, 2008d). In the episode "The Stolen Earth" she expresses her feelings of helplessness and uselessness, saying her skills as a temp secretary would be useless in helping the Doctor find the 27 planets that have disappeared during the season (Graeme Harper, 2008c). This feeling of incompetence is a symptom of the internalisation of economic domination: it expresses a form of recognition of dominant values, legitimised by the wealthy classes, which leads the working classes to denigrate their own culture and skills (Bourdieu, 1979).

This feeling of internalised uselessness is also reinforced by the denigration of popular culture which Donna witnesses and often endure throughout the series. This denigration of physical, relational, stylistic, gastronomic, etc., attributes from the middle or wealthy classes thus contributes to this internalisation of domination by the dominated according to Pierre Bourdieu (Bourdieu, 1979). Indeed, Lance denigrates Donna several times on her way of being or her way of speaking in "The Runaway Bride", where he criticizes her voice, her interests, etc (Euros Lyn, 2006). The Doctor also mocks Donna several times on her way of expressing herself ("Blimey you can shout!" in "The Runaway Bride" (Euros Lyn, 2006), he asks her several times to be quiet in an abrupt way, notably in "Silence in the Library" (Euros Lyn, 2008b), etc.); on her habits or on her lack of intelligence (telling her that her remarks are not helpful in "The Runaway Bride" (Euros Lyn, 2006), talking her down in "The Unicorn and the Wasp" (Graeme Harper 2008d), etc.). The series also illustrates the learning of the internalization of domination throughout life through institutions or social interactions (Bourdieu, 1979): indeed, Donna's mother repeats to her throughout the series that she should find a stable job, that she should move out of her parents' house, that she is good for nothing (James Strong, 2008) (Graeme Harper, 2008e), etc. Similarly, in the episode "Journey's end" several people point out that she is useless, especially in comparison to the Doctor (Graeme Harper, 2008a).

Finally, Donna illustrates the disconnect felt by working class school leavers. Richard Hoggart shows that working class people who socially ascend, whether through school or self-taught, feel a strong sense of unease with the upper class and a sense of uprootedness from their class of origin (Hoggart, 1981). As a matter of fact, Donna expresses her distress in the episode "Planet of the Ood" where she expresses feeling lost since she travels with the Doctor, not knowing anymore what is right or wrong (Graeme Harper, 2008b). But this feeling of being out of touch is most apparent in the episode "The Sontaran Stratagem" where Donna expresses her wish to return to her mother and grandfather after the traumatic events she has experienced in the previous episodes. On her return, however, she is at odds with her mother and grandfather, unable to cope with her mother's constant criticism or to fully express what travelling with the Doctor brings her (Douglas Mackinnon, 2008b). In the second part of this episode, "The Poison Sky", this disconnect is also seen when Donna calls her mother and grandfather when she is in distress and cannot or does not explain her situation to them and cannot reassure them and they cannot give her the support she needs (Douglas Mackinnon, 2008a). Finally, Donna also illustrates the sense of discrepancy and inferiority that the working classes feel towards the upper classes, from which they also draw inspiration (Hoggart, 1981). Indeed, Donna repeats throughout the series that she is "just a temp", even after a whole season spent travelling with the Doctor and succeeding. This is what she says to Rose Tyler in the episode "Turn Left" (Graeme Harper, 2008e) or what she expresses in the episode "The Stolen Earth": "I'm just a temp. Shorthand, filing, 100 words per minute. Fat a lot of good that is now. I'm no use to anyone” (Graeme Harper, 2008c). She also repeats several times that she is nothing special and not important, even though the Doctor or other characters tell her otherwise, notably in the episodes "Journey's end"(Graeme Harper, 2008a) or "Turn Left"(Graeme Harper, 2008e).

         Similarly, Donna Noble can also be seen as an illustration of the internalisation of male domination by women, which is not unrelated to economic domination. According to Pierre Bourdieu, male domination is linked to economic domination, with marriage being the only way to achieve a certain social position for women from the working classes (Bourdieu, 2014). This phenomenon can be seen in the episode "The Runaway Bride" when Lance and Donna tell the story of how they met: Lance tells it in a very condescending way, saying that he "deserves a medal" for having put up with Donna until their marriage and revealing that he did not marry for love but out of interest. On the contrary, Donna expresses her surprise that a man in a better social position than her would be interested in her and want to marry her, and the episode reveals that she was very insistent on the issue of marriage, showing the importance of this institution to her. We can see here the intersection between economic and male domination and the internalisation of these dominations when Donna says that Lance, the HR director, "didn't have to bother with [her]" or that "no one brings coffee to the secretaries" or when she harasses Lance until he agrees to marry her (Euros Lyn, 2006). To go further, the attitude of the men in the series towards Donna illustrates another phenomenon revealed by Bourdieu in La Domination Masculine: men being condescending towards women and women being ignored by men, notably women being accused of hysteria when they get angry and try to make themselves heard, or the impossibility for men to believe in the women’s intelligence (Bourdieu, 2014). We see this phenomenon several times in the series from the Doctor towards Donna: The Doctor complaining about Donna's anger at the beginning of "The Runaway Bride" and continuing to complain about it throughout the episode (Euros Lyn, 2006), his condescension in "Partners in Crime" and his firm belief that Donna can't help him at all without even listening to her (James Strong, 2008), his refusal to listen to Donna in "The Fires of Pompeii" when she gets angry and asks him to save at least one person (Colin Teague, 2008), his refusal to believe her in "The Unicorn and the wasp" despite the evidence of her claims being visible to him (Graeme Harper, 2008d), his condescension and brusqueness in "Silence in the Library"(Euros Lyn, 2008b) or in " The Stolen Earth" when she tries to help him (Graeme Harper, 2008c), etc... This is not the only illustration of male domination and its visible internalisation in Donna Noble, however. Indeed, according to Pierre Bourdieu, women adhere to and reproduce the thought patterns of male domination (Bourdieu, 2014). This is the case for Donna when she believes the criticism and belittling comments made to her by Lance and the Doctor in “The Runaway Bride” (Euros Lyn, 2006), which continues throughout the series. Donna will eventually internalise this discourse and genuinely believe that she is useless and basically insignificant. She expresses this in “Journey's end” in this dialogue:

Donna: But why me?

The Doctor: Because you're special.

Donna: Oh, I keep telling you, I'm not.

The Doctor: No but you are. Oh, you really don't believe that do you? I can see, Donna, what you're thinking. [...] you think you're not worth it. (Graeme Harper, 2008a)

According to Bourdieu, this internalisation of patterns of domination leads to self-deprecation from women, including physical self-deprecation (Bourdieu, 2014). This can be seen in Donna's announcement of her disappointment in “Forest of the Dead” when she learns that her body is virtual while she was dieting, thus showing her degraded self-image and her internalisation of the patriarchal discourse criticising and policing women's bodies (Euros Lyn, 2008a).

         Donna Noble is therefore a character who illustrates very well the internalization of domination by the dominated, what Bourdieu calls symbolic violence (Bourdieu, 1979). We can distinguish a double internalization in Donna Noble: economic domination due to her working class background, and masculine domination due to her gender. However, the series shows a certain optimism towards this internalization, showing an important evolution in Donna and a certain form of emancipation. However, we will see that this emancipation remains aborted.

II) Doctor Who's impeded optimism about the emancipation of the working classes

First, the series shows a certain optimism of emancipation from economic domination through the character of Donna : throughout the season, the series operates a certain reversal of the self-image that Donna may have, and of the point of view of the series itself, with a valorisation of popular culture. Indeed, as Claude Grignon and Jean-Claude Passeron have shown, there is an autonomy of popular culture that is not just a degraded and degrading version of upper-class culture, i.e., “legitimate culture” (Grignon and Passeron, 1989) (Bourdieu, 1979). Throughout the series, we can see that Donna possesses skills and culture that the Doctor or other characters do not, and it is precisely this culture that enables them to get out of the problematic situations they are in. Some of the most notable examples are her independent investigation throughout the first part of "Partners in Crime" which allows her to come to the same conclusions as the Doctor (James Strong, 2008), or her ability to decipher all filing and organisational systems thanks to her work as a temp secretary, a skill which allows her to decipher the code for the construction of the underground in "The Doctor's Daughter" and therefore allows the Doctor to attempt to resolve the conflict at hand (Alice Troughton, 2008). It is also worth noting her typing speed, of which she is very proud, which allows her to put the 27 displaced planets back quickly and efficiently in their place in the universe in “Journey's end” (Graeme Harper, 2008a). Finally, this valorisation of Donna's skills can be seen in "The Sontaran Stratagem" when she is the only one who thinks to look at the files concerning the ATMOS factory’s staff to determine what exactly is the problem, even though a special army unit was investigating (Douglas Mackinnon, 2008b). We also see that throughout the series, Donna becomes more and more confident and asserts her value as a human or a temp. She begins by referring to herself as "just a temp" and ends up calling herself the "best temp in Chiswick" between the first and last episodes of the season (James Strong, 2008) (Graeme Harper, 2008a).

This pride can also be seen as a form of resistance to the domination of which she is a victim. Indeed, it can be considered that there is a certain form of symbolic resistance and a valorisation of their own culture on the part of the working classes (Grignon and Passeron, 1989). This is what Donna gradually demonstrates throughout the series, by asserting her qualities as a secretary or by claiming her value as a human being compared to the Doctor, who is considered more prestigious because of his species. We can see it in "The Doctor's Daughter", "The Sontaran Stratagem" or "Journey's end", already mentioned above, but also in "The Runaway Bride" when she asserts herself in front of the Doctor's condescension and slaps him in the face (Euros Lyn, 2006), or in "The Stolen Earth" when she asserts herself in front of the condescension of the other aliens because of her humanity: "Donna. I'm a human being. Maybe not the stuff of legend but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you” (Graeme Harper, 2008c). In the same way, she no longer hesitates to assert herself in front of the Doctor and to demand explanations and justifications for his actions, particularly in "The Fires of Pompeii" where she criticizes him for his giving-orders attitude (Colin Teague, 2008) or in "The Stolen Earth" where she criticizes him for not explaining anything and demands information (Graeme Harper, 2008c). Finally, throughout the season, many people express their admiration and appreciation of Donna's skills: this is the case of Martha Jones and Rose Tyler (two former companions of the Doctor) who compliment Donna on several occasions when they meet her, stating that she is good (Martha Jones in "The Sontaran Stratagem") (Douglas Mackinnon, 2008b) or that she is brilliant and the most important woman in the universe (Rose Tyler in "Turn Left") (Graeme Harper, 2008e). There is thus a certain form of self-valorisation and class valorisation of popular culture, through Donna herself or through the compliments of Martha Jones and Rose Tyler.

Secondly, the series can also be seen as providing a certain vision of the valorisation of popular culture by the upper classes themselves, which would constitute a certain form of abandoning "class ethnocentrism" (Grignon and Passeron, 1989). Indeed, the Doctor himself starts to acknowledge and compliment Donna during the series, stating on several occasions that she is brilliant or good ("The Stolen Earth", "Journey's end", "Turn Left", "The Unicorn and the Wasp", etc.). But already at the beginning of the series we can see a certain form of abandon of this ethnocentrism when the Doctor realizes in "Partners in Crime" that Donna has the missing element allowing him to unblock the situation, even though he had told her only a few minutes before that she could not help him in any way (James Strong, 2008).

The series also shows a certain form of emancipation from male domination by Donna. Indeed, throughout the season, we can see that Donna's qualities of empathy, solidarity, or sensitivity are valued both by the narrative framework and by the characters themselves. These qualities are often opposed to the more virile, and therefore more masculine, qualities usually valued by society (Bourdieu, 2014). As a matter of fact, already in the first meeting of Donna and the Doctor in "The Runaway Bride", Donna shows compassion towards the Doctor but also reminds him that he sometimes needs someone to set limits and prevent him from being too violent (Euros Lyn, 2006), a warning for which the Doctor will give her reason and thank her a season later when they meet again in "Partners in Crime" (James Strong, 2008). We also see the enhancement of these qualities in "Planet of the Oods", an episode in which Donna seeks to help a race of enslaved aliens and shows great sensitivity throughout the episode (Graeme Harper, 2008b), or in "Silence in the Library" where she stays by the side of a dying character and sincerely mourns her death even though she has only known her for a few hours (Euros Lyn, 2008b). We also see that Donna is compassionate and emotionally supportive of the Doctor throughout the season, for example during the episode "The Doctor's daughter" where she helps him talk about his grief (Alice Troughton, 2008), in "Forest of the Dead" where despite her own emotional distress, she comforts the Doctor and immediately realizes his distress despite his denials (Euros Lyn, 2008a), etc. However, the biggest impact Donna will have in the narrative is her empathy and desire to save others which will have a huge impact on the Doctor and will reappear in seasons 8 and 9. Indeed, during the episode "The Fires of Pompeii", Donna manages to persuade the Doctor to save at least one family from the volcanic eruption of 79, asking him to "just save someone" (Colin Teague, 2008). This theme will then reappear in season 8 when the Doctor regenerates and takes the body of one of the people he saved, without remembering where he has seen this face before, and then in season 9, when the Doctor remembers where this face came from and what it is supposed to remind him: to always try to save at least one person. The narrative framework here validates Donna's empathy in a very important and assertive way. It is therefore through the character of Donna that the series values so-called "feminine" qualities, often in opposition to the more masculine qualities of the Doctor.

However, all these aspects of emancipation shown by the series, both in the narrative and through the evolution of Donna's character, remain aborted. First, Donna oscillates between self-confidence and self-deprecation until the end of her narrative arc. This can be seen especially in the episode "The Stolen Earth" where Donna first affirms her value as a human as already mentioned above and then denigrates her own skills a few minutes later (Graeme Harper, 2008c). Furthermore, the optimism of the series is contradicted by the end of Donna's story arc: at the end of the episode "Journey's end", the Doctor is forced to erase all of Donna's memories of him and their journey to prevent her death. Donna thus forgets all the self-confidence she had gained over the season and reverts to the way she was before meeting the Doctor, consumed by a degraded self-image, and internalising the various dominations she suffers. We can see that Donna is aware of her emancipation and evolution as she begs the Doctor not to erase her memory, not to make her "go back" (Graeme Harper, 2008a). The Doctor himself states that Donna had gained confidence and lost it all when he explains that the universe will know Donna's worth when she herself can never remember it ("there are worlds out there safe in the sky because of her. [...] They will never forget her, while she can never remember") (Graeme Harper, 2008a). We also see here a return of a certain male dominance on the Doctor’s part who completely ignores Donna's pleas and erases her memory anyway, putting first his belief of what is best for her, and not Donna's own will (Graeme Harper, 2008a).

On the other hand, the series' treatment of this narrative arc and Donna's evolution can also be seen as a certain contradiction to these hopes of emancipation. Indeed, the condescension of the various characters and Donna's self-deprecation are treated comically throughout the season, as if the subject was not serious and Donna's attitude or her supposed lack of intelligence were laughable elements ("The Runaway Bride", "The Stolen Earth", "The Unicorn and the wasp", ...). Thus, whether it is the Doctor not taking Donna's self-deprecation seriously (Graeme Harper, 2008a), or Donna's questions, misunderstandings and attempts to help throughout the episodes, these moments are always turned comical or even mocking towards Donna. Similarly, Donna's return to her former self after her memory has been erased is shown as a tragedy, particularly as she has reverted to a degraded version of herself. Her grandfather states that “she was better with [the Doctor]” (Graeme Harper, 2008a). We have here a certain form of validation of the "legitimate" culture (Bourdieu 1979) with a certain mockery and condescension from the series itself towards popular culture, a culture which is shown as a defect, a degradation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the character of Donna Noble can be seen as a convincing and interesting illustration of the sociological concepts of internalisation of domination and emancipation. Whether it is economical or patriarchal domination, Donna Noble believes in her own lack of worth and repeatedly demonstrates self-deprecation, showing her internalisation of dominant values. Moreover, this internalisation is encouraged by the attitudes of the people around her and the people she meets during the season. However, her evolution between the first and the last episode and her self-assertion can be seen as a sign of emancipation since Donna will eventually believe in herself and her own skills, helped by the Doctor's former companions as well as him. However, this optimism of the series about the possibilities of Donna's emancipation (and thus of people from the working classes) is contradicted by Donna's own narrative arc, in which she forgets all about her own emancipation by the end of the season, but also by the series' own treatment of Donna's domination. We can therefore see that the series has a rather pessimistic point of view on this sociological concept, but also that it does not manage to get rid of a certain tension between denunciation of domination and validation, or at least acceptance, of this domination, a tension present in the social sciences and denounced by Claude Grignon and Jean-Claude Passeron elsewhere (Grignon and Passeron, 1989). Although the latter denounces this tension in the analysis of socio-economic domination, one wonders whether the series does not also struggle to deal with this tension in the analysis of male domination. In the latest to date season of the series, the character of Dan Lewis is introduced, also belonging to the working class. Indeed, Dan Lewis is presented as an unemployed Liverpool resident, helping at the soup kitchen but also benefiting from it. However, at no point during the season are his character and his precarious condition mocked, either by the other characters or by the show, unlike Donna. One might therefore ask whether the gender of the working-class characters influences their treatment, with men being shown in a heroic, or at least a valuable, light and women being mocked and/or patronised.

Bibliography

Alice Troughton. 2008. ‘The Doctor’s Daughter’. Doctor Who.

Bourdieu, Pierre. 1979. La Distinction: Critique Sociale Du Jugement. Paris: Éditions de Minuit.

———. 2014. La domination masculine. Éd. augmentée d’une préface. Paris: Éd. Points.

Colin Teague. 2008. ‘The Fires of Pompeii’. Doctor Who.

Douglas Mackinnon. 2008a. ‘The Poison Sky’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008b. ‘The Sontaran Stratagem’. Doctor Who.

Euros Lyn. 2006. ‘The Runaway Bride’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008a. ‘Forest of the Dead’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008b. ‘Silence in the Library’. Doctor Who.

Graeme Harper. 2008a. ‘Journey’s End’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008b. ‘Planet of the Ood’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008c. ‘The Stolen Earth’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008d. ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’. Doctor Who.

———. 2008e. ‘Turn Left’. Doctor Who.

Grignon, Claude, and Jean-Claude Passeron. 1989. Le Savant et Le Populaire: Misérabilisme et Populisme En Sociologie et En Littérature. Paris: Gallimard : Seuil.

Hoggart, Richard. 1981. La Culture Du Pauvre: Étude Sur Le Style de Vie Des Classes Populaires En Angleterre. Paris: Éd. de Minuit.

James Strong. 2008. ‘Partners in Crime’. Doctor Who.

#like really long #dw #doctor who #donna noble #catherine tate #tenth doctor #10th doctor #David Tennant #pierre bourdieu #richard hoggart #claude grignon #jean-claude passeron #this is so very nich I think no one'll read it but at least it's out there #if you've made it to the end then thank you so so so much #i hope you enjoyed your reading #and that it was interesting #i'm here for too long sociological analyses of doctor who that no one asked for if you need #i have quite a lot under my belt that I need to write anyway so hmu yk? #academic essay #long post. #pia's oversharing

[monsoonceroom]

My name is Thimble & I was of Hive Litore. I was part of Tallest Ophelia's wardrobe team alongside my superior's, Patch & Thred. Thred was the Head Seamstress while Patch & I were her assistants. Thred was traded away to Hive Cadaver so she could be with her life partner, Fifi. Patch took over as Head Seamstress & it was just the two of us. We still sent letters up until Thred was killed when Soxx attacked Hive Cadaver. We were devastated & our grief was compounded when Tallest Ophelia passed some time after.

Our time under Tallest Kii wasn't a pleasant one. While Tallest Ophelia was quiet & polite to her subjects, Tallest Kii was the exact opposite. She held no love for anyone in her hive or in Hive Litore aside from her aging coddle drone. Even then, she was sill known to lash out. While she was likely grieving the losses of Tallests Delta & Ophelia, it can only go so far.

The final straw was Kii allying with Soxx & Hitz. So, when there was a call for volunteers to go into deep space, many of my hive-mates agreed for the opportunity to leave; one of which was Patch. They went into the big clunky airship, left, & never came back. The rest of Irk never knew what happened to them. The ship could've come across any number of dangers in space or crash landed on some far-off planet. Either way, even with better technology that Irk now has, that first ship was never found.

I felt so alone when both Thred & Patch were gone. My only source of comfort was the Smeetery’s first test smeet, Lilip. Lilip was made using DNA from Fifi & Thred while they were alive. She was kept under observation for months to ensure her good health while her mothers perished in their Hive’s battle with Soxx. They did meet her on several occasions beforehand, though it pains me to know that they never saw her grow into the talented seamstress she became. I did my best to tell her stories of her mothers & her eyes always lit up when she heard them.

While I remained a seamstress, my ultimate goal was keep Hive Litore’s memory alive in the hope that the information could be used to inspire future change. When I spoke to my hive-mates, we spoke our native tongue in hushed whispers. When I took on apprentices, only those who I absolutely trusted were given knowledge of our history, relics, & language. To ensure total secrecy, I had a friend alter my apprentice’s paks so that memories of what they learned would be deleted upon death. I couldn’t risk the Tallests finding out what I was doing. I eventually passed & was replaced. Thankfully, my hive’s memory still lives on. We are mentioned in the smeet’s education, even if only a footnote.

The current Head Seamstress, Hemm, & her assistants carry our history now & are as tight lipped as their predecessors. When not making or mending their Tallest’s robes, they tend to the few relics that are left & give offerings to The Weaver & her swarm. When no one but I are around them, they speak & sing songs in Litorian. Milin struggles a bit with the language, but she’s still learning. They’ve been talking about spying for the Resisty, but are afraid it’s too bold of a move. I wish them the best of luck regardless of which path they choose.

I’ve since met up with my loved ones in the afterlife. Thred & Fifi reunited with Lilip upon her death & now taunt Soxx whenever they can. Patch did confirm that their ship did make it to a planet & they’ve since made a home there. Their descendants are much happier than those left behind on Irk. I think they call themselves Irthens now? I don’t remember. Tallest Ophelia reunited with her parents & even got to meet Tallest Kuren. I met him too & he’s just as kind as the stories made him out to be.

First picture left to right is Thred, Patch, & Thimble. Second picture is Fifi & Thred. Third picture is Fifi & Thred’s love-smeet, Lilip.

Oh boy, I finally got this out. Ever since I made the Wardrobe Trio I had plans to have them not be completely loyal to the Irken Empire. They still worship The Weaver & they can see The Unravelers. (They sometimes make tiny clothes for them too. The little guys absolutely love it.) The plot point with early deep space Irkens colonizing a new planet is pretty recent. I thought ‘What if mothman was Irken?’ & went from there.

There’s stuff I didn’t add since I haven’t made up my mind on whether or not to use it like a sacrificial cup/bowl combo thing. The cup part had silk burned so smoke could take it to The Weaver while the bowl contained snacks for The Unravelers. It was used for fertility festivals, times of hardship, & of general thanks for good fortune.  The two parts were separated with one half kept on Irk & the other went to space. It was going to be one of the few Hive Litore relics Hemm still had. Now that I’ve talked about it, I’ll probably use it. It’s not magical or anything but something about the lost first colony being found & reunited with Irkens. I don’t know where I’m going with this.

Gotta stop now or I’ll just keep rambling on. Tallests Kii, Soxx, & Hitz belong to @messinwitheddie​ & Delta, Fifi, & Hive Cadaver belong to @a-wanderin-whirlybird​.

#invader zim #invader zim oc #hive litore #thred patch & thimble #The Wardrobe Trio #tallest ophelia

[miraculouswolf99]

Breaking Into The Watchtower Part 1

Miraculous Ladybug-DC Universe crossovers are some of my favorite fanfictions. They are just a good match. I especially love ones where the Justice League either ignores the Paris situation or one of the League members gets the messages for help and doesn’t believe them. Mostly, it’s the Flash, Guy Gardner, Green Lantern, or Booster Gold.

In this story, some of the miraculous have changed hands for my story. There will be new holders and different holders for old miraculous. All of my OC characters will also be included. Nathaniel has the fox, Marc has the turtle, Rose has the horse, Juleka has the tiger, and Alix will have the bunny.

*****

“This is most definitely not something that I would ever have thought that I would ever do,” White Wolf says.

“We are magical teenagers that use the power of mini gods and mystical jewelry,” Beautifly says. “Your statement pretty much sums up every day of our lives.”

“Trust me, I never thought that I would be doing anything like this before I met Plagg,” Cat Noir said.

“At least I can cross this off my bucket list,” Ladybug giggled.

“Why is the name of the Olympian gods would this be on your bucket list,” White Wolf looked at the teen hero weirdly.

“I put it on after they started to ignore our cries for help,” Ladybug crossed her arms. “Or, when it was made obvious that they were ignoring us, at least.”

“How much sleep have you gotten lately,” Beautifly asks. “You only get this sassy when you haven’t slept in about two days.”

“I remember going to sleep on Wednesday,” Ladybug put her hand on her chin as she started thinking.

“Uh… It’s Saturday,” White Wolf deadpanned.

“Oh,” was all Ladybug could say.

“If you don’t go right to sleep after we get back, I am sending Plagg over to destroy every device you have to make sure you are not distracted and can finally sleep,” Cat Noir threatened.

“But what if there is an akuma,” Ladybug protested.

“Then we will have to make sure that Cat Noir saves his power so that he can Cataclysm the moth when it comes out of the akumatized object,” White Wolf says.

“And the damage,” Ladybug continued to protest.

“We will get to that when we get there,” White Wolf said.

“You are sometimes too selfless for your own good,” Beautifly shook her head.

“Yeah, she tends to be like that,” Cat Noir chuckled. “Why do you think I force myself between her and the villains we face when she tries to protect me because she will take the hit for me. But she needs to be the one that the attack does not hit because she is the one that purifies the akuma.”

“We are a very colorful crew,” Beautifly giggled.

“Says the butterfly girl whose hero outfit is almost entirely black,” White Wolf said.

“Not my fault that Flutter is a monarch butterfly kwami,” Beautifly shrugged.

“I certainly wish that I had some color on my suit,” Cat Noir says. “While the black makes my eyes pop, the color doesn’t match my personality at all. Why couldn’t Plagg be a tabby cat or a white cat?”

“Because he is the literal god of bad luck and nobody thinks of either of those two other kinds of cats when bad luck comes to mind,” Ladybug stated. “Deal with it, Chaton.”

“Yeah, you really need some sleep before you become permanently sassy,” Beautifly says.

“I blame Hawkmoth and his never-ending late-night akumas,” White Wolf stated. “My ears are still ringing from that banshee akuma he created last week.”

“And talk about unoriginal,” Cat Noir rolled his eyes. “Scream Queen was probably the most obvious choice of name in the history of villain names.”

“Even more so than that Poison Ivy woman in Gotham,” Beautifly asked.

“Well, she could have called herself Mother Nature,” Cat Noir shrugged.

“Point made,” Beautifly said.

The four then looked at the rest of their teams preparing themselves for what was going to be done. The Greek hero team had stayed the same throughout the three years of fighting, but the French team had changed. Their current members were Vulpix, Emerald Turtle, Queen Bee, Viperion, Lady Unicorn, King Monkey, Ryuko, Shadow Cat, and Bunnix. The last two being the newest members of the hero team. The Greek team was Gladiator with the grizzly bear miraculous, Tigress with the leopard miraculous, and Ocean Mage with the mermaid miraculous. The last one being the only person to be currently using a magical creature miraculous on the planet.

All of the heroes were getting ready in their own ways. Ryuko, Ocean Mage, and Viperion were meditating. King Monkey, Bunnix, Tigress, and Gladiator were all getting themselves hyped up for the mission. Queen Bee was trying to find a way to take off her gloves to file her nails. Vulpix and Emerald Shell were cuddling, comforting each other, and probably trying really hard not to start making out. The same could be said about Shadow Cat and Lady Unicorn. Those four were always the more timid ones of the group, even though all of them were amazing heroes.

“Alright, does everyone remember their parts of the plan,” Ladybug asked them, snapping them out of their trances.

“I will make sure that everything goes smoothly and no one truly gets hurt,” Viperion says.

“White Wolf, Lady Unicorn, and I take out our biggest worries to being discovered before we are ready,” Bunnix added.

“The rest of us force them into a position where they have to listen to us,” Gladiator said.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Some of them were still looking nervous about what they were about to do.

“Are you sure doing this is the right thing to do,” Lady Unicorn asked. “We could get into serious trouble for this.”

“We wouldn’t be doing this at all if they stopped ignoring us,” Tigress crossed her arms. “Even with all these miraculous being active, Hawmoth’s akumas are getting more and more dangerous.”

“He is also akumatizing more dangerous people like con artists, martial artists, and policemen,” Ocean Mage says. “What’s to stop him from going all Scarlet Moth and sending his moths to a prison if he gets desperate enough?”

“That is why we need their help,” Ladybug said. “If contacting them through official means does not help, then we must do what we have to.”

“I just hope that we don’t get labeled as criminals for this,” Beautifly said.

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

If there was one thing that Robin currently was, it was bored. He had to stop himself from yawning as he sat in another long and boring meeting of the Justice League.

One would think that a young hero like him would not be a part of one of these meetings. But this was less of a war room and more of a meeting between all heroes to discuss general things involving heroes in general and not entirely league business. It was always the same things being discussed in these meetings. Egotistical politicians trying to control the league, villains breaking out of prison again, as well as discussing potential new members of the League and the Young Justice team.

Other than Robin, the rest of the Bat-family was there as well. Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, Oracle, Spoiler, Orphan, Batwing, and even Batwoman. The Super family was also there. Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, and the former Superboy that now called himself Krypton. Robin smirked at how Conner had finally broken the trend of having “Super” in his hero name. He may be a clone, he knew that both Kara and Jon both adored him. The other young heroes that were there were Red Arrow, Artemis, Aqualad, Tempest, Miss. Martian, Beast Boy, Starfire, Zatanna, Kid Flash, and Impulse.

And other than Batman and Superman, there were also the mentors of the other young heroes as well. Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Dr.Fate, and the Flash. The other adult heroes in the room were Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Wonder Woman, Sparton, Black Canary, Red Tornado, all three Green Lanterns, Black Lightning, Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, the Atom, and Katanna.

As Robin looked around, he noticed that he was not the only bored-looking young hero. The entire Bat-family looked to be wanting to be anywhere else, especially since they lived in a city where a crime was committed every five seconds. But the other heroes that looked bored were Superboy, Krypton, Red Arrow, Aqualad, and Beast Boy. They were all probably like him. They were excited to be part of league meetings until it was discovered that there was a lot more politics involved than actual hero work.

“Does anyone have anything else that they would like to add,” Superman asked the room.

“How about we talk about actually saving people instead of dealing with politicians,” Nightwing muttered, making the Bat-family hide their snickers.

“Especially that psycho Lex Luthor,” Krypton muttered from his place next to Nightwing.

“Well, if that is all…” Superman was about to wrap up the meeting.

“Wait,” Zatanna shot up from her seat, her hands on her head. “I sense something.”

All the younger heroes were all now thinking how something interesting was finally going to happen during one of these meetings. But the heroes were also all reaching for their weapons if they had them.

“What is it,” Wonder Woman asked the magician, her hand on her sword.

“There is an incoming magical…” Zatanna was cut off.

A bright blue portal opened up right under her feet. She fell in before she could finish her warning. The portal closed right after she fell into it.

“What in the world,” Flash gasped.

“ZATANNA,” the members of Young Justice yelled their former team member’s name.

“Oracle,” Batman did not even have to say the entire order.

“I’m on it,” the wheelchair-bound hero immediately started typing on her holographic computer. “She’s… I can’t find her.”

“What do you mean you can’t find her,” Captain Atom demanded to know.

“It’s like she vanished into thin air,” Oracle continued typing. “She’s nowhere in the Watchtower, or on Earth, not even on my planet in our galaxy. There is no sign of Zatanna anywhere.”

“She managed to say that it was something magical that was approaching,” Wonder Woman says.

“Dr. Fate, can you do something,” Superman requested of the lord of order.

The master sorcerer stood up from his seat. While he, personally, did not care for Zatanna other than a fellow user of the mystic arts, his current host body was that of her father. So finding her will hopefully silence all the yelling that Zatara is currently doing inside of the helmet.

But before the lord of order could do anything, another portal opened up behind him. But unlike the bright blue of the first one, this portal was a ring of blue surrounding a white portal. Something had quickly reached through and Dr.Fate was instantly turned into an ice statue. An invisible figure sneaked through the portal before it closed.

This caused all the other league members and Young Justice members to all jump and, drawing their weapons or preparing their powers. They all looked around and were on guard just in case another portal opened up.

“Oracle,” Batman ordered her again.

She was typing as quickly as humanly possible.

“I can’t find anyone else in the Watchtower,” she said, still typing. “I’ve run heat scans, x-ray scans, even the program to search for invisible opponents. I still can not find anyone else in the Watchtower.”

A soft tune suddenly played throughout the room. It was like a theme song for a peaceful day in the Fall played on a flute. A ball of light soon soared to the end of the room and brightly flashed. When the flash died down, the heroes were all shocked to see a message had been written in light in the air.

“We Just Want To Talk.”

It floated there for about a minute before Superman and Maritan Manhunter flew over to the message to examine it. But the moment that one of them touched it, it vanished in a burst of orange smoke-like light.

“It was an illusion,” Nightwing was the first to realize it.

“Maybe that is how they are hiding,” Red Robin opened up his own holographic screen over his glove and started typing. “Under an illusion.”

“And if they are magical like Zatanna said, it would not be possible to detect them since the technology that can detect magic has not been invented yet,” Oracle added.

“There is no such thing as magic,” yelled out Kid Flash.

Young Justice rolled their eyes, used to the constant rants that the speedster goes on about his disbelief in magic. It certainly annoyed those like Aqualad and Tempest, who both were born in Atlantis and attended the conservatory of sorcery there. Few other magical heroes tolerated the loud-mouth. Which was why heroes like Phantom and his brother Gold Siren wanted nothing to do with the team. (Reference to my fanfictions on Wattpad, Phantom Music and Home.)

“Try to find out where the illusion came from,” Superman ordered.

“You could try looking right in front of you,” a female voice was suddenly heard.

The heroes all turned and saw three masked teenagers standing there. Two boys and a girl. 

The first boy was a redhead with his bangs covering his right eye. He had on a fox-themed skin-tight orange and white outfit with red boots, gloves, and a red jacket. He also had real fox ears and a real fox tail as well. A flute was strapped to his back.

The boy next to him had black hair with green tips, which matched his turtle-themed outfit. The outfit also had a dark green leather jacket and boots with a green shield on his back, going with the goggle-like mask over his eyes.

The girl was blond with a single black streak in her ponytail. Her outfit was definitely themed by bumblebees. But unlike the shoes of the two next to her, her shoes had a slight heal to them. Like a two-inch-high wedge heel. Around her waist was a spinning top on a string.

“What have you done to our allies,” Captain Atom demanded of them.

“They are perfectly fine,” the turtle boy informed them.

“Why should we believe you,” Robin held his katana in his hand.

“Because we need your help and harming your fellow heroes would not help our situation,” the fox boy crossed his arms.

“What could you possibly need from us,” Black Lightning’s hands sparked with his powers.

“How about for you to stop ignoring us while we have been fighting a terrorist for three years,” the bee girl yelled at them.

“We also are not lying,” the fox boy said. “We have no reason to lie when surrounded by most of the world’s heroes.”

Before they could say anything else, all three were surrounded by separate green spheres that floated them up into the air. The Green Lanterns all had their rings pointed at one of the masked teens.

“This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous,” the bee girl complained as she crossed her arms.

“I got captured by the original Green Lantern,” the fox boy looked to be almost fanboying inside of his sphere.

“Lucky, I got that class clown Guy Gardner,” the turtle boy almost seemed to pout.

“Hey,” Guy Gardner protested, offended.

“Why are you here, where is Zatanna, and what did you do to Dr. Fate,” Superman demanded of the three as he flew close to them.

“You know, you are a lot less threatening than you think you are,” the bee girl stated with a smirk. “By the way, whoever told you that underwear on the outside of your pants was a good choice needs to be thrown into fashion jail.”

Most of the Young Justice team had to stop themselves from laughing. Even Superboy, Supergirl, and Krypton were trying not to laugh. They had no idea who this girl was, but she was certainly sassy.

“How did you get into the Watchtower undetected,” Superman continued to demand answers from them.

“That is for us to know,” the fox boy started.

“And you to find out,” the turtle boy finished.

The smirks the three had told the league something, alright. Batman was the first to realize what it meant.

“There are more of them,” he said.

As if him saying that was their cue to come in, three more masked teens almost seemed to materialize into the room. A guy in a monkey-themed outfit hit his Ruyi Jingu Bang against the ground and then threw it into the air.

“Uproar,” he yelled.

He threw his now glowing staff into the air, the staff letting out a flash as it spun in the air. With a swift flick of her lasso, Wonder Woman grabbed the weapon before it could fall back into the monkey boy’s hand. But something else fell into his hands that they did not see.

But then came the second masked teen, who looked like he had been born of the ocean. He took out what seemed to be a hilt made out of sapphire. Water came out of the hilt as the masked boy flicked his wrist, the water forming into a whip. Before they could move, the teen whipped all of the Green Lantern’s hands at once. Pulling his whip, the masked teen caused their hands to collide together.

That was when the monkey boy threw the object that he had caught out of the air. Katana was close enough to try and slice through it with her sword, but she was intercepted by a second masked girl, this one appearing out of nowhere and seemed to have a tiger theme to her. Even if she was purple and black and not orange and black. Katana’s sword was met with a metal tiger-claw gauntlet. While they fought, a bunny-themed girl showed up and intercepted Green and Red Arrow, fighting both archers at once. Then, to the shock of the Green Lantern trio, a stuffed octopus child’s toy landed on their connected hands.

For a moment, nothing happened and they wondered why a stuffed animal had been thrown at them. But then their rings all started to malfunction at once. The rings stopped glowing and all three trapped teens were released from their bubbles. And since the rings were no longer working, the Lanterns all fell to the ground without their ability to fly.

“We’re teenagers, not stupid,” the bee girl smirked.

No longer wanting to underestimate the masked teens, the big hitters of the league all started to move toward them. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, and Captain Atom.

“Venom,” the bee girl shouted.

The top in her hand seemed to grow a bit in size and start glowing. As Superman flew at her, she dodged him and managed to touch him with her top. He fell to the ground and did not move from his punching pose. He was paralyzed.

“Confusion,” a female voice shouted.

Wonder Woman turned around to almost immediately be scratched on her arm by a girl in a leopard-themed outfit. The scratch on her arm glowed purple and the hero suddenly became very dizzy and could not seem to focus. She had never been drunk before, but she was sure this was probably how it felt.

Captain Atom’s hands lit up as he aimed one of his energy blasts at the masked teens. As he was just about to blast, another masked teen appeared. This one was themed by a brown-furred bear. Probably a grizzly bear.

“Roar,” a male voice yelled just as Captain Atom blasted.

The bear boy’s fist lit up gold and he punched right into the energy beam. To the surprise of the league, he was able to keep the beam at bay with a single punch.

Red Tornado was about to throw one of his twisters when he was hit on his robot head by a thrown horseshoe. It bounced and flew around like a boomerang-gone-wild until it landed back in the hand of a horse-themed girl.

All of the heroes and masked teens in the room were either fighting or dodging the attacks of another from one of the other groups.

“Enough,” a male and female voice shouted at once.

Even the Justice League froze as the voices boomed throughout the room. Standing on the other side of the room were six more masked teens. Three boys and three girls. The two that had shouted were a ladybug-themed girl and a boy with an icy wolf outfit. The boy standing next to the ladybug girl looked to be related to Catwoman while the girl next to the wolf boy was like a butterfly turned human. The last two were a snake boy and a girl that looked to be dragon-themed.

“All of you, front and center, now,” the ladybug girl ordered.

All of the animal-themed teens stopped what they were doing immediately. They put their weapons away and walked over to join the others at her sides.

Wonder Woman looked at the group for a few moments. The drunk feeling had been lifted from her and she could focus. There was something about them that was making an old memory of her’s rise to the surface. An old story that her mother used to tell her about when she had been friends with, who she had called, an adorable and wise little creature known as a kwami. A creature that she also remembered was bound to a magical object called a miraculous.

“The ladybug and black cat are active once more,” she gasped.

The league looked at the Amazon princess in shock. She actually had an idea who these teens were.

“We thought that you would be the one to recognize our magic, Wonder Woman,” the ladybug girl softly smiles.

Wonder Woman approached the group, putting her sword away as she did. And surprising the league again, she bowed to the ladybug girl and cat boy. The two of them and the wolf boy and butterfly girl bow back.

“It is an honor to meet the wielder of the ladybug miraculous,” Wonder Woman said.

“The honor is all ours, daughter of Hippolyta,” the ladybug girl says. “Tikki says to tell your mother ‘hi’ for her.”

Wonder Woman smiled at that.

“Would you care to explain exactly what is going on,” Batman ordered them, crossing his arms. “Starting with where Zatanna is and what you did to Dr. Fate and Superman.”

The bunny girl got out a pocket watch from her pocket. She checks the time.

“We can answer the first question now,” she smirked. “We’re right on time.”

She put her watch away and then threw her hands forward yelling “Burrow.” Out popped the same type of portal that Zatanna had disappeared through. And seconds after the portal was opened, out fell the magician.

“What just happened,” Zatanna immediately asked.

“The rest of your comrades will be fine somewhere between five to ten minutes,” the butterfly girl says.

“Before we go into the full explanation, do you guys have a bathroom in this place by any chance,” the leopard girl asked.

#crossover #justice league #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fandom #original character #original heroes #original miraculous #ml salt #lila salt #alya salt #nino salt #i love salt #crossovers are the best #part 1

[scarlet-nygma]

So I have this OC, made solely for RP reasons but now I want to make her more? Like I don’t know, write for stuff for her and all? 

She’s the daughter of Roy Harper and Jessica Todd (GB Red Hood from Earth-11) raised by a single mother because 1-Roy and Jess were never official 2-Roy had a lot going on at the time.

She grew up with Lian around of course after Jessica took her in.

She befriended Riddler when she was 12 after stealing a Batgirl suit and sneaking out (got bullied at school for being a ginger, kids said redheads in Gotham become villains like Ivy and Riddler, when she said even a Batgirl had redhair they said not anyone can join the bats) then other villains like Scarecrow and Jervis (who were dating Eddie at the time), then Oswald because “SO HUGGABLE”

Of course she struggled with not having a father around depending on Edward and picking some of his personality traits.

And now her mother is in a serious relationship with Grant Wilson who is making a GREAT step-dad if you ask her.

She is very loud and talktive, loves pranks and getting attention, has both light and dark sense of humor. Loves Roy SO MUCH despite having never met him. Is trying to work on opening a mental health facility to treat most villains in Gotham before Arkham is a shithole and they are getting abused there instead of getting proper help.

Also studying to become a reporter in Daily Planet/Gotham Gazette (couldn’t decide yet)

Oh! She is also currently Speedy.

She loves both her grandfathers but loves annoying them, also she has a love/hate relationship with Oliver after finding out what he did to Roy which she found hard to believe because Ollie is the best grandpa ever even with his  stupid goatee

So yeah these are the basics about her...Any ideas? 

#dc #dc comics #original character #dc original character #dc oc #oc #roy harper #arsenal #red arrow #speedy #genderbend Jason Todd #female jason todd #jessica todd #riddler #edward nygma #grant wilson #lian harper #writing ideas