dragon-gem

[dragon-gem]

Am I getting a good grade in tumblr mutual?

[dragon-gem]

if lloyd and morro dont interact in drs3pt2 i will actually loose my mind.

"i thought you'd be dead by now."

"you wish."

or like

"seems you finally hit puberty."

"😐"

[dragon-gem]

You got me soo hooked on Llorumi with your “The truth about a mirror” fic that I started writing my own. True masterpiece 😫

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 dude you have no idea how much it means to me to hear that. Genuinely.

Write that thing! And if you like ttaam, you should read “you should know I’m a liar”

It’s the first one of the series 😉 so much more Lloyrumi to consume there and I had a genuinely amazing time writing it hahaha

What’s your Lloyrumi fic about? 👀

[dragon-gem]

You got me soo hooked on Llorumi with your “The truth about a mirror” fic that I started writing my own. True masterpiece 😫

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 dude you have no idea how much it means to me to hear that. Genuinely.

Write that thing! And if you like ttaam, you should read “you should know I’m a liar”

It’s the first one of the series 😉 so much more Lloyrumi to consume there and I had a genuinely amazing time writing it hahaha

What’s your Lloyrumi fic about? 👀

[dragon-gem]

I imagine this is how he finds out

[dragon-gem]

director's cut of your favorite Ninjago fic you've written, go!

Oh man, my favorite?? That’s so hard to pick 😂

Okay so I guess you’re actually going to get three: two fics that I have published right now and one fic that I never ended up publishing.

So for the two I did end up publishing, it’s honestly a toss up between you should know I’m a liar (cowritten with @only-lonely-stars) and Three Wishes (published on FFN). There’s a few reasons why for each.

—

you should know I’m a liar is just… so Lloyrumi. They’re my favorite ship and I love writing the Harumi to OLS’ Lloyd (literally my favorite hobby of all time, hands down). I just love rereading it and showing it to my irl friends and getting that o.0 look from them and UGH.

The most fun part about writing that was honestly bouncing off of OLS? It really does start to feel like you’re arguing with the character you’re writing opposite to. Our process works a lot like roleplaying and then one of us will go back and edit and add stuff to help it flow.

But getting to literally argue with Lloyd Garmadon?? As Harumi Jade?? My actress side literally SCREAMS for joy every time we get in that zone because I love it. Getting into Harumi’s headspace and figuring out why she reacts and talks to him the way she does is so… satisfying. It scratches that itch in me that desperately wants to stab someone.

Harumi and I are similar in a lot of ways (although her thoughts tend towards violence more than mine do lol). I’m honestly so happy I got Nutmeg obsessed with Lloyrumi like I am because that kind of content can ONLY happen when you’re both equally invested in the POVs you’re working in.

—

Three Wishes is something I wrote as part of the Fairy Tale AU all the way back in 2021 or ‘22 (I think). And it’s not finished (fair warning to anyone who may go back to read it lolll). But there’s something about the Aladdin Jaya that just… gets me. Maybe it’s the dynamics working within a fairytale world? Maybe it’s because I sincerely enjoy writing Jay (he’s the kind of character I can really get into and it’s AMAZING).

But there’s just something about TW that brings me joy every time I think about it. And I do honestly want to finish it at some point but alas, my original novels are taking up so much of my brain and I lowkey lost the outline for TW (so I don’t even know where exactly I was going with it haha)

But pirate Jaya Aladdin in a fairytale world that’s got a cursed kingdom?? Heck yeah dude, I love that stuff. It’s really good.

(Also I haven’t reread it in awhile so if it’s bad… 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ I apologize in advance if it reads a bit roughly lollll).

—

Now for my favorite UNPUBLISHED fic, allow me to introduce you to Emerald and Jade.

And I say unpublished because… well, it’s not really a fanfiction anymore. It’s going to be traditionally published and I’m currently in the process of finishing edits and querying it 🤭🙂‍↕️

But the basic gist of this particular story came about from a discord dm with OLS ALLL the way back in September of 2021 where I said “Lloyrumi but he’s a gang leader and she’s a princess who doesn’t know when to quit”

And guys…

This story is AMAZING. The first draft was me and her throwing tropes at the wall and seeing what would stick in a roleplay (that version will never ever see the light of day) and then deciding to completely rewrite it. It was ORIGINALLY going to be a published fanfiction on AO3.

But then we decided it had potential. Lots of potential. So instead of limiting it, we put the work in. We outlined, renamed characters, added so much world building and depth, and it genuinely stands on its own.

It’s a trilogy. Each book is focused on a specific couple (I’m not gonna tell you guys who for each one because SOMEDAY I want yall to guess who is who). There’s found family and sacrifice and hidden identities and fighting and vigilantes and kissing and a villain faction based around the animals in the Chinese zodiac and two characters get flipping MARRIED in the first book.

Is this kind of cheating in terms of favorite fanfiction??? Maybe. But I am obsessed with this whole series and I want other people to be too 🤭😂

(You are welcome to ask about it ofc, I’m always down to yap about this project some more haha).

—

So anyways yeah congrats if you got this far but those are my three favorites fanfictions I’ve ever written 😂😂💚

[dragon-gem]

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

[dragon-gem]

I’d love to hear more about “the truth about a mirror”! I’m so excited for further chapters. Pick anything you’d like to reveal!

(Ask game here)

This one has been one of the most fun fics I've worked on in a long time, I have to tell you. You can blame @dragon-gem for completely infecting me with the Llorumi bug. To be honest, I think it's great, because this AU allows me to enjoy Llorumi without a lot of the toxicity? Earlier works show their nasty sides, but... by the time the truth about a mirror comes around, they've figured out how to not kill each other, which is great.

(Now, the fun about this AU is that it jumps around in the timeline. So we're not done with them biting each other's heads off, we're just somewhere else. We'll come back to it.)

One of my favorite upcoming moments is in Chapter 9. It's very silly:

“Oh yeah? I'm ‘stuck’ spending my life with a beautiful woman who can kick my butt.” "You really are a masochist. Most people would find that off-putting." “I never claimed I was smart.” "No… but you've got a really nice face, so… that makes up for it." He snickers. “You married your worst enemy for his nice face.” "You married your worst enemy because she could kick your butt. We are not the same. And your face isn't the only thing that's nice about you."

^ That about sums up Llorumi in this AU. Insults, but they also enjoy being together. They fight and they argue and they prioritize each other over everything. In short, they love one another.

Thanks for the ask! <3

[dragon-gem]

the truth about a mirror (Chapter 2 - coming home song)

Previous works: [you should know I'm a liar] // [your demons will go with you]

[Chapter 1] // [Chapter 2 - you are here!] // [Chapter 3] – (FFN) (AO3)

Co-authored with @dragon-gem!

Summary:

Lloyd and Harumi are tied together, whether they like it or not; for the most part, they like it. It’s just as well, because they promised each other as much. No matter what happens, their lives are not their own anymore. (A series of vignettes, jumping about in the timeline between their reunion and the events of Dragons Rising season 1. Minor alterations to DR canon.)

Chapter summary:

Home is rarely a location and often a person.

home (n.) -

one’s place of residence

the social unit formed by a family living together

a familiar or usual setting

a place of origin

at home (phrase) - relaxed and comfortable, at ease

see also: residence, dwelling, abode

-----

Marriage is more difficult than Harumi expected.

That, in itself, is ironic. She’s long made peace with the thought that there will not be peace in her life, at least, not where it matters most. Her feelings get in the way. Communication is difficult, and harder when she can’t quite voice why something is bothering her. Just because marriage guarantees that she and Lloyd will eventually return to an even footing doesn’t mean that their arguments get any easier.

Reconciliation often feels like falling into a safety net, trusting that the hooks which hold it up will stay in place.

It’s rough and uncomfortable.

Marriage is difficult, but one thing she somehow forgot when entering it was how stubborn Lloyd can be! He digs his heels in, he doesn’t budge, he refuses to give up until he gets what he wants…

…or he gets too deep into his head, which is why she’s brought him a cup of tea, but can’t find a place to put it down in the paper-strewn library.

“Lloyd, where did your coasters go?”

He’s sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, an assortment of torn scrolls surrounding him. Her husband, her yin, points vaguely toward the desk. “Up there.”

She rolls her eyes, pushing papers around until she finds a stone disc which has obviously been through multiple fires. “Seriously, you need to clean this place up. How do you find anything?”

“I know where everything is.”

“You do, but I don’t.”

He shrugs, moving a sheet of parchment from one pile to another. “You can’t read ancient Ninjargan, so why would you need to be able to find it? Isn’t it a little useless?”

“So what if I can’t read it? Maybe I want to be able to find the scroll of whatever-itzu.”

“Whatever-itzu?” Lloyd glances up at her, snickering. “Okay, sure.”

Something about his flippant tone irritates her more, and Harumi snaps. “Lloyd, you never want go anywhere! Why?”

He blinks in genuine confusion—of course it’s genuine. “Where did that come from?”

“It came from your wife wanting to go on an adventure,” she complains. “Look at this. You’re sitting in a mess of paper when we could be meeting people. The Merged Lands are full of interesting things to see!”

“There’s a lot to get through here, Rumi. These scrolls are interesting too.”

He won’t look at her now, and it just makes her angrier. “Lloyd, you’re crazy. They can’t be as interesting as seeing new things. What about exploring the Crossroads? Watching a brand new sunset in a place we’ve never seen? You’re reading musty old words that don’t matter anymore, but we could be helping people everywhere.”

“These ‘musty’ scrolls do still matter. They’ve helped us more times than you know.”

“Really? Name me a couple.”

He looks up, enumerating on his fingers. “Dragon Form Spinjitzu, which we used against the Crystal King. The secrets of the Yin-Yang Eclipse, which is the only reason we still have Cole—or had. And let’s not forget the prophecy of the Green Ninja, which gave me my whole destiny. Need I continue?”

She rolls her eyes. “I just don’t see why they matter after the Merge.”

“They matter because Master Wu thought they could explain the Merge.” Lloyd lets his hand fall, and he watches her with earnest eyes. “He said something about it, but I never knew what he meant. Around that time, he was buried in these old scrolls. If he found something, it could change everything for us.”

“How? The Merge is irreversible.”

“We don’t know that.”

Harumi sighs heavily. “Counterpoint. What if they can’t help you, and there’s nothing here about the Merge? Then you’ve wasted all this time that you could have spent exploring! You could have been helping people all over. The Merged Lands are perfect for experiencing new things and going on adventures!”

At last, he cracks a smile. “Rumi, I know you want to go exploring, but you can’t tell me you don’t know why this matters. The secrets of the Merge could help us find the other Ninja, and then we can bring them home. So far, this is my only lead.”

“There could be others!” She feels like she’s close to tearing her hair out. “If we went out to find them, we’d accomplish the same thing. People might know something!”

“And what if they came here while we were gone? They might think we disappeared too, and then we’d just be chasing each other.”

There’s a certain stiffness to Lloyd’s shoulders, a way he’s pushing back against her. It even comes out in his voice, level but stiff. The stubbornness she’s always seen in him is rearing its head, and once again, Harumi finds it’s her least favorite of all her husband’s traits.

He won’t change his mind, and it makes her angry. It makes her want to grab him and shake sense into him—an improvement from the now-defunct temptation to stab him.

“We’re not going to find your family by waiting around here,” Harumi insists, more sharply than she intends. “It’s been a long time. The Merged Lands are huge. Actively looking for them is more effective than just hoping they appear.”

“Right, because hope is childish.” He raises one accusative eyebrow. “If the Merged Lands are that huge, then how are two people going to search the whole area on foot? Did you forget the cell and radio towers have been down since the Merge? If they come here and can’t find us, we give up our biggest chance of finding them.”

“I never said hope was childish! It’s just not proactive. Can’t we use the Bounty?”

“It’s still missing. Plus, I’m not skilled enough with electronics to finish the new model Pixal and Zane left behind.”

“Have you even—”

She cuts herself off, accusations on the tip of her tongue. Have you even tried? Why are you so comfortable with excuses? Don’t you miss them? Are you mad at me?

They’re all useless. None of those arguments will solve the matter. None of them will convince Lloyd to take her out on an adventure.

He looks back down at the scrolls, and tense silence rises between them like a curtain. It’s awful, it chafes against her with every beat of her heart. She curls her hands into fists, her fingernails cutting crescents into her palms with enough force to hurt.

Time for a new tactic. “You used to love exploring, Lloyd. Now it seems like you only want to stay here at the Monastery. I don’t understand. What changed?”

He sighs, still staring at the papers, but he’s clearly not engaged with them anymore. He seems tired. “I still love exploring, and I would love to go with you. Honestly. I just… can’t take that risk. My family would wait for me, and I’ll do the same for them. I can explore after they come home.”

If they come home, Harumi mentally corrects, but doesn’t voice. It’s been so long—too long to just sit back and wait, hoping the Ninja turn up. What will Lloyd do if they never show? Spend the rest of his life as a hermit?

She frowns, stuffing down her annoyance. If she doesn’t, it’ll spill over, and that will just wound them both. “Fine.”

She hates the feeling, and she hates the silence between them. It’s broken by the sound of Lloyd shuffling through the papers, moving stacks around. He pulls one out and puts it on top of the pile in front of him, then seems to return to work. He seems entirely unbothered, happy to ignore her as he makes notes on a separate piece of notepaper—he never writes on the old scrolls.

Then, after only writing a few characters, he sighs and stops. He sets down his pen and looks at her. “Okay, Harumi. I know you’re upset. Why do you want to go exploring so badly?”

“Weren’t you listening to me?! I just told you.”

“I was listening. Tell me again.”

Harumi groans. “…I want to go see things, Lloyd. I can’t stand the sitting around.”

“You’re bored?”

“It’s not about boredom. I just want adventure! I don’t want to play housewife for the months it could take for your family to come home. I want to experience new things, and I want it with you.”

He frowns. It hurts to see, because he looks hurt, and worst of all is that he doesn’t look offended. Instead, he seems torn. “I… know you don’t want to be a housewife. I’m sorry that you feel like being here is pretending to be something you’re not.”

“Dang it, Lloyd.”

She comes around the desk to squat next to him, in one of the few parts of the floor where there aren’t any of his precious scrolls. Once they’re at eye level, she takes his hand.

“It’s not that I’m pretending. It’s different for me to be here than it is for you.”

“It doesn’t match what you thought it would be?”

The question is loaded, and she immediately hates it. “Being at the Monastery is fine.”

He hesitates. “I meant… being my wife.”

Ouch. She reaches up to run her fingers through his hair, combing it behind his ear as she searches for words that might work explain. “That’s… different. I love being married to you.” Even when it hurts.

“But do you not like living the way I do? Living here?”

“You’re not getting it, Lloyd. This is your home—”

“No, it’s ours, Rumi! The Monastery belongs to you just as much as it belongs to me.”

“It’s not the same for me, love.”

“Why not?”

She sighs heavily, voicing the heavy, painful words that have been trying to tumble out this whole time. “Lloyd, you’re my home. I don’t know why you aren’t getting this!”

He watches her without flinching, but immediately she regrets her tone, her words. You guilt tripped him. You insulted him. How would you feel if he said that to you?

She braces for impact, but Lloyd doesn’t respond immediately. He smiles at her—somehow, she’d already forgotten that he’s not the same person as her. His smile is soft, and confused, and gentle, and firm, all at the same time. She wants to latch on, to hold onto his kindness like an anchor in her perpetual storm of regret.

His words are just as gentle, filled with affection, even though the hurt in them is obvious. “You really mean that, Rumi?”

She swallows roughly. “Of course I do. I’m here because you’re here, but… that doesn’t mean this place feels like home. I don’t even know what a home is supposed to feel like, but I know this isn’t it.”

He nods, ever indulgent of her insecurities. “Then you want to go find your home? A physical one?”

“No. That’s… no. I want adventure, Lloyd. I want excitement.”

“I’m… a little confused still.”

Harumi leans forward, pressing her forehead against hers, and closes her eyes. It makes explaining herself feel a little more approachable. “Lloyd, I want to experience everything the Merge brought. It took a lot from us, but it gave us new things too, and we haven’t seen them. It changed Ninjago. I don’t want to just read about it.”

He closes his eyes in frustration. “I do too, Rumi. I really do. I want to see it all, I want to meet new people. And there are so many friends I want to go find.”

“So let’s go! Let’s find them! Can’t we leave a note about where we’re going? When the others come back, they can follow us and go do something! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

In her mind, she can already see it. The other Ninja following Lloyd’s trail, exploring new places, having fun. They’d find him and Harumi, on a grand adventure. They might be so happy about finding him that they’d… overlook why Harumi is there?

It’s wishful thinking. His family won’t accept you when they come back.

She pushes the thought aside, focusing again on the present. Lloyd is thinking hard, considering her words. It makes her heart soar a little bit. Is it possible that she’s gotten through to her stubborn, immovable husband? The hope pushes against the inside of her ribcage, as if responding to the call of the Merged Lands and all their adventures.

Is it possible that he could change his mind?

At last, Lloyd opens his eyes and looks at her. “All right. We’ll go, just… not for too long, okay? Just in case.”

“Really? You’ll go with me?”

“I told you I wanted to explore, didn’t I?” He offers her a smile. “You’ve got a point.”

She grins, suddenly incandescent with joy. “You’re not messing with me? You actually want to go find an adventure?”

“Sure! What’s the harm in a short trip?”

“Yes!” She cheers, reaching out to pull him into a tight hug. “I love you!”

Lloyd laughs, and she’s laughing too, and they hold each other tightly. It’s everything she wants in that moment. The two of them, surrounded by all his musty scrolls, are in a better place than she’d ever dreamed.

(It shouldn’t be surprising that her wonderful, loving husband is, in fact, wonderful and loving. It shouldn’t surprise her that the man who swore to stay with her is keeping his vows. She’s surprised anyway.)

As their laughter dies down, he kisses her cheek. “Okay, Harumi. Do you know where you want to go?”

“I have no idea. I want to wander.”

“We can do that.” He kisses her again—oh, she loves this man. “I’ve got my work cut out for me. Any ideas on how we can leave a message they can’t possibly miss?”

“Leave a note in the kitchen? Everyone’s got to eat.”

“You must have a lot of confidence in the Monastery not burning down,” he quips as he takes her hands and helps her up.

“Lloyd, your lack of confidence is shocking,” she jokes, squeezing his hands just in case he might misinterpret her words.

He rolls his eyes again. “Harumi. Do you know how many times I’ve left and found the Monastery wrecked when I got back? Or the Bounty? Or the Temple of Airjitzu, which is on a floating island and still got wrecked?”

She hesitates. “I’m gonna guess… a lot.”

“More than a lot.” He laughs. “More than I can count.”

She kisses him, just because she can, just once. His smile makes her feel even better. “You never know, Lloyd. Maybe it won’t happen this time!”

“Oh, no, we are not tempting fate like that.” He gestures between them, as if to say, I’m watching you. “You get to help me.”

“Help you with… what, exactly?”

“We’re going to leave a message that’s impossible to miss.”

-----

Lloyd rests his hands on his hips, looks up at their handiwork—the fruit of at least an hour’s labor—and nods. “We’re done.”

The basement of the Monastery is completely changed, almost comically so. The enormous computer screens all display a message in huge red-and-white letters on black. It's spray painted on the wall. It's on every notepad in the Monastery. It's saved to every major location in the Ninja team database. It’s stuck on all the cabinets, the couches, the currently-useless TV remotes.

ALL NINJA: STAY HERE. RADIO IS DOWN. WAIT FOR LLOYD TO COME HOME. NINJA NEVER QUIT.

(No mention of Harumi, just in case it scares them away. It was Lloyd's idea, and she doesn’t mind it.)

"You don't think it's a bit much?" Harumi asks.

“That's why it's enough,” he confirms, nodding confidently. “They'll understand.”

"If you say so." She watches him, waiting for confirmation. "So! Are we actually going?"

He smiles at her, that handsome smile she loves. In this moment, Lloyd is completely confident, assured in a way that won't be shaken. His best traits are on full display. “We're going.”

"Great." She grabs his hand, pulling him to the elevator that'll lead back up to the living room. "We just need to grab our stuff, and then we can go find some trouble!"

Lloyd laughs and follows along. Together they race in, bursting into the living room with building excitement. Their bags are on the couch, waiting to be snapped up, waiting to be taken along on another great adventure. Only the essentials—the adventure is also in making do.

As they leave the Monastery behind—doors locked, because locks never stop a ninja—Lloyd stops them on the top landing and pulls out his old cell phone, which hasn't had any service in ages.

They snap a picture there, the clouds and sky their backdrop, kissing as they greet what probably amounts to their honeymoon.

[dragon-gem]

Average Dragons Rising plot

[dragon-gem]

Reading your own story is weird because you actually like that one, it has a good plot and like everything in it what you‘re looking for in a story but you can‘t stop thinking “This is the worst story ever” the whole time.

[dragon-gem]

In case anyone is having a bad night:

Here is the fudgiest brownie in a mug recipe I’ve found

Here are some fun sites

Here is a master post of Adventure Time episodes and comics

Here is a master post of movies including Disney and Studio Ghibli

Here is a master post of other master posts to TV shows and movies

*tucks you in with fuzzy blanket* *pats your head*

You’ll be okay, friend <3

[dragon-gem]

reblog with a spoiler for your wip with zero context. no context allowed.

[dragon-gem]

cleaning with ADHD is a nightmare. it’s an endless cycle of finding a half-finished chore and stopping the one you were already working on, then remembering that something else needs to be done and getting started on that, then finding half-finished chore and

[dragon-gem]

JUST GOT IT. SO EXCITED 🤭🙂‍↕️

IF YOU HAVE A SWITCH AND LIKE NINJAGO!!

Right now, the Lego ninjago movie video game is around three dollars on the Nintendo eshop!! It’s usually forty bucks!

I like ninjago and just wanted you guys to know in case you wanna buy it too (I’m really excited)

[dragon-gem]

Maybe the reason Szeth was such a good assassin was because his baldness reflected the Stormlight and blinded the enemy

[dragon-gem]

Me at age 13, exhausted at school after staying up all night to read fanfic: I can’t wait until I’m an adult and I can stay up reading without any consequences!

Me, an adult, exhausted at work after staying up all night reading fanfic: Fuck.