#and maya eventually in the second age | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lixzey · 8 months

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a/n: there are scenes here from the demigod diaries, specifically the diary of luke castellan. credits to uncle rick for those scenes 💯 the characters and the pjo verse belongs to rick riordan except Amaya Williams and her father.

beta'd by the amazing @lilmaymayy 💘

If you guys wanna be added to the luke castellan taglist, just ask! Anyway, onto the story!

word count: 5.5k

luke and maya masterlist

CHAPTER ONE: THE YOUNG HALF BLOODS

LUKE CASTELLAN didn’t want to be a half-blood.

Who would want to be one? Luke had learned from a young age that he could not live a quiet and peaceful life. He was a demigod. If you think that sounds cool, think again. All those Greek monsters from the stories? They are real. Demigods are monster magnets. Monsters can sense them even from miles away.

Luke was nine when he ran away from home. His home life wasn’t exactly ideal. For as long as he could remember, he knew his mother wasn’t normal. Sure, some mothers had addictions, were abusive, and such, but his mother was on a whole new level. At the young age of three, Luke was terrified of his mother’s fits. Her stormy eyes would turn green and she would start screaming Danger! Terrible fate! in a deep, far away voice. Every time it happened, Luke would hide in the furthest corner of his closet, covering his ears while his mother screamed again and again as tears streamed down his face. He felt helpless that he couldn’t do anything for his mother. Luke prayed and prayed for someone to come and save him and his mother, but no one came. Not even his father.

Luke had known who his father was since he was four. His mother always muttered his name, how could he not understand that? Luke was a son of Hermes, he wasn't clueless like how the gods expected him to be. There was a photo at the top of the mantle of the once cozy house that Luke never got a chance to see: a photo of a happy couple with a squirming little baby, them, his once so perfect family.

Luke wondered why his father abandoned him and his mother if they were this perfect family when he was a baby? He prayed day and night to his father but as the days passed, Luke learned to resent his father—blaming him for all of his misery and for what had happened to his mother—if it wasn’t for him leaving maybe his mother wouldn’t be unstable, if it wasn’t for him he could’ve had a proper childhood, if it wasn’t for him he could’ve had a nurturing mother.

Luke would get extremely jealous of children with loving parents—the life he was deprived of—he would watch as mothers tended to their children in his neighborhood, he would watch fathers play with their children, while all he had was a broken mother and a deadbeat father.

Because of that, Luke packed up and ran away and didn’t look back. He’s come to understand that no one will ever rescue him; he has to take his fate into his own hands.

Living alone on the streets at the age of nine is harder than it looked. At first, Luke thought it would all be a great adventure, just like in the stories he heard before, but he eventually realized that living in that house—if you could even call that a house—even with his possessed mother, is safer than fending for himself.

Luke hadn’t brought a weapon with him when he left, not even one of those knives from the kitchen that had never been used and was only rusting in the kitchen drawer, and his carelessness had nearly killed him more than once. He resorted to diving in dumpsters to try to disguise his scent and never stayed in one place for long, always on the move with hardly enough time to steal a few hours—even minutes—of sleep using his backpack as a pillow.

By the second month, Luke nearly admitted defeat. He’d sell his soul to some dark god for a good night’s sleep and a hot meal. He’s exhausted and filthy, penniless and constantly on the run from monsters and well-meaning mortals alike. His backpack felt far heavier than it should and he found himself running out of breath almost every time. His clothes, which had once been bordering on too small thanks to a recent growth spurt, now hang off his thin frame, the cuffs frayed and stained beyond recognition.

Luke imagined all the normal families living in those cozy houses he once passed. He wondered what it would be like to have a home—a proper home—to know where his next meal was coming from, and not have to worry about getting eaten by monsters every day. He barely remembered what it was like to sleep in a real bed. Luke was tired of fending for his life, but eventually he managed to get the hang of living day to day with a promise to himself that he will never be like his father.

He traveled on foot, to state by state, lonely and miserable. Once, when he stopped by in a town for a while, Luke tried to befriend a mortal, but whenever he told them the truth about himself, they didn’t understand. He’d confess that he was the son of Hermes, the immortal messenger dude with the winged sandals. He’d explain that monsters and Greek gods were real and very much alive in the modern world. His mortal friends would say, “That is so cool! I wish I was a demigod!” Like it’s some sort of game and he’d always ended up leaving.

For five years Luke fought hard to survive. He shoplifted food from convenience stores and tried to fight off monsters with a pocket knife he had stolen from a family having a picnic at a park he once passed. Even though he’d never met his father and didn't really want to, he shared some of his talents. Along with being messenger of the gods, his father is also the god of merchants—which explains why he was good with money—and travelers, which explains why the so-called divine god left his mother without ever looking back at the family he supposedly built. Hermes is also the god of thieves, hence the shoplifting and stealing. It wasn’t an ideal life for a child. He was barely living, but eventually Luke just simply learned to live the life he was forced to.

When Luke was fourteen, he had met Thalia—the daughter of Zeus. The meeting had been an accident (it wasn’t). They had literally run into each other in a dragon’s cave outside Charleston and teamed up to stay alive. At first Luke was skeptical of trusting Thalia. No one else in his life had ever understood him, but she did. Thalia fighting off monsters should’ve been Luke’s first clue, that Thalia was like him—a demigod. But unlike him, Thalia had it worse. She was a forbidden kid, born out of a pact sworn on the River Styx. Luke eventually trusted Thalia and the two chose to team up to stay alive, subsequently traveling across the country while fending for themselves.

Being with Thalia made Luke feel less lonely. He finally had a friend, a friend who understood the struggles he had gone through his whole life. With her, battling monsters didn’t feel that scary anymore.

At some point, they arrived at Richmond, Virginia where Thalia followed a goat—Amaltheia. Luke didn’t understand why they were following a goat. Why were they following a goat? He didn’t know. Thalia then told Luke that it was Amaltheia who led her to him, that their meeting wasn’t by accident and decided to follow her thinking that Amaltheia was sent by her father, Zeus. Thalia could flash her blue eyes, give him one kind word, and she can get him to do pretty much anything—even though it was against his better judgment.

Amaltheia led Thalia and Luke to an old mansion. Once inside—thanks to Luke’s skills (which he isn’t proud of)—they realized that the mansion was a trap, a deadly one at that. As they were trying everything to escape, they met Halcyon Green, a demigod son of Apollo who was cursed by the gods for saving a girl’s life with his ability to see into the future. He had been imprisoned and unable to speak. A part of Halcyon’s curse was to lure demigods into being eaten by the three leucrotae—a terrifying monster that cannot be defeated by man nor god.

Luke already knew the gods could be cruel. His own father had ignored him for fourteen years. But Halcyon Green’s curse was just plain wrong. It was evil. Luke desperately wanted to find a way to rescue him and Thalia. But Hal told them that every demigod thought that at first, that they could escape, but soon realized it wasn't possible. Thalia was able to claim the Aegis—a bracelet that transforms into a replica of her father’s shield—a blessing from Zeus. After hours of searching, they discovered that the only way to defeat the leucrotae was making Greek fire.

In the end, Hal decided that he would sacrifice himself to give them time to escape. But before he did, Hal had predicted Luke's future but left him vague answers when asked about it. Hal later gave Luke his personal diary and a celestial bronze knife. Luke and Thalia successfully escaped, shaken, but nonetheless unscathed. Luke gripped his backpack close, the diary and the celestial bronze knife—the only remnants of Halcyon Green’s life—safe inside with the word Promise, that Hal had written.

I promise, Hal, Luke thought. I’ll learn from your mistakes. If the gods ever treat me that badly, I’ll fight back. Luke wouldn’t let him down like the gods damned them to be.

The two ran through the streets of Richmond until they found a small park where they cleaned themselves the best they could. Then they laid low until dark. The two didn’t bother to talk about what had happened while they wandered through neighborhoods and industrial areas. Luke and Thalia had no plan, no glowing goat to follow anymore. They were bone tired, but neither of them felt like sleeping or stopping. Luke wanted to get as far as possible from that burning mansion. It wasn’t the first time they’d barely escaped with our lives, but they had never succeeded at the expense of another demigod’s life.

Thalia suggested heading to their old camp on the James River as they shivered in the cold of the night. It would take at least a day to get there, but it was as good as a plan. The two demigods sat and split a ham sandwich as they ate in silence. The food tasted like cardboard, but they really didn’t have a choice. After the last bite, Luke heard a faint metal ping from a nearby alley. Someone was nearby.

Luke got up, pulling out the dagger Hal gave him as Thalia had her spear and shield at the ready. The two crept along the wall of the warehouse, turning into a dark alleyway that dead-ended at a loading dock piled with old scrap metal. Just then there was a loud clang, a sheet of corrugated tin quivered on the dock. Something—someone—was underneath. Luke crept toward the loading bay until we stood over the pile of metal, Thalia following closely behind. He gestured for her to hold back as he reached for the piece of corrugated metal and mouthed, One, two, three! As soon as he lifted the sheet of tin, something flew at him—a blur of flannel and dark hair. A hammer hurtled straight at his face.

Things could’ve gone very wrong. Fortunately his reflexes were good from years of fighting. Luke dodged the hammer, then grabbed the little girl’s wrist. The hammer went skidding across the pavement. The little girl struggled. She couldn’t have been more than seven years old.

“No more monsters!” she screamed, kicking Luke in the legs. “Go away!”

“It’s okay!” He tried his best to hold her, but it was like holding a wildcat. Thalia looked too stunned to move. She still had her spear and shield ready.

“Thalia,” Luke said. “put your shield away! You’re scaring her!”

Thalia unfroze. She touched the shield and it shrank back into a bracelet. She dropped her spear. “Hey, little girl,” she said, sounding more gentle than he’d ever heard. “It’s all right. We’re not going to hurt you. I’m Thalia. This is Luke.”

“Monsters!” the little girl wailed, tears staining her face.

“No,” Luke promised. The poor thing wasn’t fighting as hard, but she was shivering, terrified of them. “But we know about monsters,” Luke explained softly. “We fight them too.”

Luke held her, more to comfort than restrain now. Eventually she stopped kicking. She felt cold. Her ribs were bony under her flannel pajamas. He wondered how long this little girl had gone without eating. She was even younger than Luke had been when he ran away. Despite her fear, she looked at him with large eyes. They were startlingly gray, beautiful and intelligent. A demigod—no doubt about it. Luke got the feeling she was powerful—or she would be, if she survived.

“You’re like me?” she asked, still suspicious, but she sounded a little hopeful, too.

“Yeah,” Luke nodded. “We’re…” he hesitated, not sure if she understood what she was, or if she’d ever heard the word demigod. Luke didn’t want to scare her even worse. “Well, it’s hard to explain, but we’re monster fighters. Where’s your family?”

The little girl’s expression turned hard and angry. Her chin trembled. “My family hates me. They don’t want me. I ran away.”

Luke’s heart felt like it was cracking into a million pieces. She had such pain in her voice—familiar pain. Luke looked at Thalia, and made a silent decision right there that they would take care of this kid.

Thalia knelt next to him. She put her hand on the little girl’s shoulder. “What’s your name, kiddo?”

“Annabeth.”

Luke smiled. He’d never heard that name before, but it was pretty, and it seemed to fit her. “Nice name,” he told her. “I tell you what, Annabeth. You’re pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you.”

Her eyes widened. “You could?”

“Oh, yeah,” Luke said earnestly. Then a sudden thought struck him. He reached for Hal’s dagger. It will protect its owner, Hal had said. He had gotten it from the little girl he had saved. Now fate had given them the chance to save another little girl.

“How’d you like a real monster-slaying weapon?” Luke asked her. “This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer.”

Annabeth took the dagger and studied it in awe. She was seven years old at most. What was he thinking giving her a weapon? But she was a demigod. They have to defend themselves. Hercules was only a baby when he strangled two snakes in his cradle. By the time Luke was nine, he’d fought for his life more than a dozen times. Annabeth could use a weapon.

“Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters,” Luke told her. His voice caught as he remembered Hal Green, and how he’d died to save them. “They don’t have the reach or power of a sword, but they’re easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy’s armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you’re pretty clever.”

Annabeth beamed at him, and for that, all his problems seemed to melt. Luke felt as if he’d done one thing right. He swore to himself that he would never let this girl come to harm. “I am clever!” she said.

Thalia laughed and tousled Annabeth’s hair. Just like that—they had a new companion. “We’d better get going, Annabeth,” Thalia said. “We have a safe house on the James River. We’ll get you some clothes and food.”

Annabeth’s smile wavered. For a moment, she had that wild look in her eyes again. “You’re…you’re not going to take me back to my family? Promise?”

Luke swallowed the lump out of his throat. Annabeth was so young, but she’d learned a hard lesson, just like he and Thalia had. Their parents had failed them. The gods were harsh and cruel and aloof. Demigods had only each other.

Luke put his hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.“You’re part of our family now. And I promise I’m not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?”

“Deal!” Annabeth said happily, clutching her new dagger.

Thalia picked up her spear. She smiled at Luke with approval. “Now, come on. We can’t stay put for long!”

The trio left Richmond, headed to their safe house on the James River. The three of them fought for survival and avoided monsters together. It wasn’t much, but it was home for them—the family they built.

At some point, Thalia got injured by a monster and Luke and Annabeth wanted to rest. Given the situation, Luke decided to take the girls to his mother's house to treat Thalia’s wounds and to gather up a few supplies as Annabeth rested. There, Luke finally meets his father, Hermes, for the first time in thirteen years. Luke was angry and resented his father. He demanded to know why he had never shown up when Luke had desperately prayed while he hid from his mother when she had fits, or when he was on his own, running away from monsters. During this conversation, Hermes inadvertently revealed that he knew of Luke's fate. Luke asked about it since Hal had only given him vague answers, but Hermes refused to tell him as he had already said too much. Luke then told his father that he couldn't possibly love him if he wouldn't tell him and angrily left with Thalia and Annabeth.

Eventually they met Grover Underwood, a satyr tasked to bring them back to Camp Half Blood. A safe haven for demigods. A place where monsters and mortals can’t come. Grover led the three of them to camp, but it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

Monsters attacked them from left to right. All three Furies and a pack of Hellhounds attacked, Cyclopes followed, and one thing led to another. Thalia sacrificed herself so Luke and Annabeth could get to camp safely. Luke thought she was stupid to sacrifice herself, he yelled at Thalia to not do it but she was as stubborn as her father. Luke held a crying Annabeth while fighting tears of his own as they entered the barrier between Camp Half Blood and the mortal world, where Thalia breathed her last breath as Zeus turned his daughter into a pine tree.

“Don’t worry, Annabeth. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Luke soothed the young girl in his arms, who mourned the loss of their friend—their sister. Luke vowed to himself that he won’t let the gods treat them horribly ever again.

MAYA WILLIAMS hated being a half-blood.

Why wouldn’t she? Maya grew up alone because she was one. Sure, she wasn’t chased by any monsters, but she lived with one. Her father—Oliver Williams—despised his daughter. Why? Her mother left when Maya was born, right after she was born. Oliver blamed his daughter for that. Maya had no clue on who her mother was, or why she left when she was born. When she would ask her father, he would get angry at her and hit her and yell at her to go to her room. There were times that Oliver would leave for days—weeks, even—leaving Maya with a nanny and the toys he had bought her just to leave him alone and the occasional visits from his secretary (who pitied the young girl). Maya didn’t understand why her father hated her when she only wanted to make her daddy happy.

When Maya was five, she started experiencing strange things. Like white doves flocking near her school that refused to leave how much the exterminators tried. Or that time when her grandparents brought her to the beach and dolphins started swimming towards her. Or that time when she was at the park and swans approached her as she fed the birds with her nanny. As a child, Maya didn’t pay it too much attention. She only thought that animals liked her so much that they couldn’t leave her alone. But when she turned eight, she knew she was different. Apart from having dyslexia and ADHD, she had this aura of beauty, causing everyone to like her, want her even. Aside from that, Maya could ask anyone for anything she wanted and she would get it. Like that time when her grandmother took her out to shop for clothes when she saw a pretty dollhouse that she wanted. It wasn’t because she was spoiled or anything, but when she would ask anyone out on the street for anything, they’d give it to her—no questions asked.

When Maya was six, she heard her father one night drunk in his room, crying over her mother. It was weird for Maya to see her father crying without any cameras because he was an actor, so as a curious little girl, Maya peeked into his room. She saw her father, a glass of amber liquid in his hand and a photo in the other, which Maya assumed was her mother.

“Oh, Aphrodite, why did you have to leave me?” Oliver sobbed, titling the glass to his lips. “You left me with nothing! You left me alone to raise—”

Maya ran to her room before she even heard the rest of what her father said. She packed a bag of clothes, grabbed food from the pantry, medical supplies in the bathroom, and money from her dad’s office before running away from home and never looking back. Maya wasn’t stupid. For six long years her father made it clear that he never loved her, therefore she was doing him a favor by leaving. But she understood something. Her mother’s name was Aphrodite. Her mother was the goddess of love. How did a six year old understand that? She didn’t know. It just clicked in Maya’s head—the doves, the dolphins, the swans, were somehow enough to prove that the goddess was her mother.

Maya ran through the streets of New Hampshire as fast as her little legs could carry her, determined to be as far as possible from the place she once called home. She thought it would be easy, like what she’d seen once on tv, but it wasn't—it was far worse than anything she had ever seen. Maya didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t have anywhere else to go. She couldn’t go to her grandparents, they were in Europe. Maya never felt so alone, living by herself in a world not built for little kids, especially a kid like her.

Eventually, Maya got the hang of being on the run. By the second month, she was living from state to state, asking for help—using her charm—to get by. From time to time, the thought of her father would cross her mind. Was he looking for her? Was he worried for her? Did he miss her? Maya wanted nothing more than to have her father’s love, she wanted him to find her—to wrap her in his arms and tell her he missed her and he was sorry for making her feel unloved, but she knew better than to expect that. Maya watched fathers with their little girls, wondering what she did to deserve a father like the one she had—a father so careless enough to let his own child believe that she wasn’t loved and run away from home at seven years old. She couldn’t understand how he hurt a little kid, his own kid.

And then there was the thought of her mother. It was ironic, how Maya was a daughter of the goddess of love and a man who’s incapable of loving. Maya wondered if it was some sort of joke, that she’d been born to parents who didn’t care about her. Or maybe her mother just didn’t think she was pretty enough to be worthy of being her child. It didn’t matter, because she was all alone—her mother never answered her prayers and pleas, proving all of her points. Maya was all on her own, she always had been. The happy little girl was gone, replaced by a little girl terrified by everything the cruel world tossed at her.

At seven years old, Maya has told a million lies—that came from her mother, probably—just to survive. Her clothes were tattered, flaming locks of auburn hair were matted and dirty, and skin bruised like violets from tripping as she ran away from creepy older men who tried to follow her. Maya had been on the run for two years, she had everything under control. She shoplifted from convenience stores and whenever she was caught, Maya would tell them that she lost her parents (which was true, in a sense) and had nowhere else to go. It worked like a charm each and every time, well except for that one time she ran into the police. Maya dreamed of living in peace, a place where she could be just a kid and not having to think where she’d sleep for the night or where she’d get her next meal. Given the state of how she was living, Maya knew it was impossible and maybe she had to learn to live with the miserable life she had. It was then that she held a grudge at her parents. Maya was tired of believing her parents ever loved her, because someone who loves you wouldn’t do any of this. They’re just the ones who gave her life, nothing more.

Maya promised to herself that she wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again, that she’d never be naive enough to believe that anyone could ever love her.

At eight years old, Maya met Ferdinand—a satyr who had sensed that Maya was a half blood. At first, Maya was scared. Of course she’d be scared, she was still a little girl and Ferdinand looked a lot older than her—she didn’t have great experiences with people older than her—and he had goat horns and legs.

“Don’t be scared, little one. I am a friend,” Ferdinand had explained to Maya, who hid behind a large trash can in an alley.

“Go away! I don’t wanna be friends!” Maya screamed, clutching her fraying backpack close to her chest.

“I can take you to a safer place, little one. A place where no one could hurt you.” Ferdinand explained, taking a step closer to the crying young girl. “I sense that you have been hurt before, am I right?”

Maya didn’t want to believe him. He was a stranger and strangers meant trouble. But something about the goat man felt safe. “I don’t wanna go to your stupid place! Leave me alone!”

“What’s your name?” Ferdinand asked, peering over the trash can.

Maya hesitated, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Not telling.”

“Alright, I’ll go first,” Ferdinand took the risk of walking to Maya’s side. “I’m Ferdinand. I am a satyr, protector of young demigods, or half bloods as they call children of the gods. And you are?”

Maya looked at him, eyes still glazed over with fresh tears. “Maya.”

“Well, young Maya, are you hungry?”

Maya shook her head no, but the grumble of stomach betrayed her. “Hungry,” she mumbled.

“If you’d like, you can come with me to that convenience store just ‘round the corner.” Ferdinand smiled at her, a kind genuine smile that Maya had never seen before in any other person she’s met. Reluctantly, she agreed, keeping her distance as Ferdinand led the way. Maya looked around, wondering how people are not looking at Ferdinand. He literally had goat legs and horns yet no one’s looking at him like an animal.

As soon as Maya was settled with a sandwich and juice box, she asked Ferdinand. “Why aren’t people scared of you, Mr. Ferdinand?”

Ferdinand chuckled. “It’s because of the Mist, young Maya.”

Maya raised a brow. “The Mist? Like perfume?”

“The Mist is what separates the mortal world from our world.”

Maya looked at him as if he was crazy. “What do you mean? Don’t we have one world?”

“Let me take you to Camp Half Blood, little one. Everything will make sense once you arrive.”

“Why should I go with you?” Maya asked, gripping the straps of her backpack, ready to run at any second.

“Because,” Ferdinand chuckled, acknowledging Maya’s skepticism. “There are kids like you at Camp Half Blood. It is a safe haven for young half-bloods like you. It is where the gods claim their children, young Maya.”

“You’re not lying?” Maya asked, big green eyes searching for any malice in the satyr’s eyes. She has had enough from malicious men who wanted to do unspeakable things to her. There was once this man who tried to lure her in with a good meal. When Maya declined, he tried to grab her, luckily Maya escaped—with the help of a little foot stomping and biting. It only fueled her hatred of men.

“I’m not, young Maya.” Ferdinand smiled at her. “It is our duty to protect. I promise I will not let any harm come to you as we travel to camp.”

“You promise?” Promises were never good, Maya hated promises. Promises were always meant to be broken. But this one felt like a tug in her heart, like a way to find who she was.

“On the River Styx, young one.”

Maya didn’t understand what the River Styx meant. Was it a river full of sticks? Despite her worries, Maya trusted him. The two then traveled to Long Island on foot from Massachusetts. Maya learned to trust Ferdinand, who kept her safe no matter what.

“You know, I have a nephew that’s around your age. His name is Grover, a fine protector in the making. He could be your friend once you arrive at camp.” Ferdinand mused as he and Maya—aboard his shoulders—trudged up the highway nearing Half Blood Hill.

“Really? You think he’s gonna play with me? An orphan-”

“You are not an orphan, Maya. You have a mother. I’m sure she’d claim you as soon as you step through the barrier.” Ferdinand insisted. Maya doubted that, but decided against voicing out her thoughts. She had prayed and prayed for so long, but her mother never answered, so why would she? Now that Maya was finally at camp?

As soon as Maya arrived at Camp Half Blood, she was in awe—giddy, almost. It wasn’t what Maya expected it to be. Camp was beautiful, far from the dumpster Maya had thought it to be. Every camper had necklaces, with beads indicating the years they’ve been at camp—Maya wanted one so badly and tried asking Ferdinand to make her one. There was a strawberry patch—much to Maya’s excitement, she loves strawberries and wanted to go straight to the patches. And for the main attraction, the twelve cabins, which Maya assumed one was her mother’s since Ferdinand had explained it was for each of the Olympian gods.

Maya was then welcomed by a crowd—campers of all ages, a grumbling man in a Hawaiian shirt, and half horse, half man.

“Welcome, young demigod,” Chiron greeted the young girl who was looking up at him with wide eyes. It’s not everyday that she sees another half human animal.

“Uh, what are you?” Maya asked, her hand immediately went flying to her mouth. “Sorry, I-”

Chiron laughed. “It’s alright, I apologize for not introducing myself properly. I’m Chiron, a centaur and the activities director of camp. And you are, young lady?”

“Maya,” she squeaked, eyes still wide. “Maya Williams.”

“Welcome to Camp, Maya. You’ll do great things, I know it.”

Suddenly, there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at Maya like she’d just done something wrong.

“What did I do?” Maya asked, her lower lip trembling. She had been at camp barely a day, and she had already done something wrong. Was everything in her life always going to go wrong?

“Look down,” One of the campers said, pointing to Maya’s clothes.

Maya looked down and her eyes widened once more, she looked different. Her clothes weren't tattered and filthy anymore. Now, she was wearing a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair was perfect: lush and long and flaming locks of auburn hair, braided to the side with gold ribbons. The filthy child, gone—as if she never was. Her mother had claimed her, just like that. Maya had been expecting that her mother would personally come and claim her, but she didn’t. Maya should’ve known better than to expect a literal goddess to come down and meet her child.

Chiron folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example. “Hail, Amaya Williams,” Chiron announced proudly, as if she did something honorable. “Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love!”

friendly reminder: this is how small maya was when she ran away 🤭

taglist:

@mischiefmoons (special mention to jo cuz i love love love trouble!verse 💯💘) @iliketopgun @pleasingregulus

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lyrainworld · 6 months

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Based of OG Ace Attorney cover, here's Leorio Paradinight crossover!

It was part of the HxH Game crossover event I 've decided to take part in.

If you want to learn more about this au, please click read more

About this au, some things are changed some stayed the same but just so you know, characters are kind of based on:

^Phoenix Wright - Leorio, aspiring defense lawyer, he wants to protect those whom people are averting their eyes from. He more or less willingly gets mentored by the stupidly smart brat Killlua who seems to know any law term and norm. They banter a lot but actually become decent friends.

^Maya Fey - Gon, a spiritualist of a world-renowed family Freecss with traditions. The rumors say they can contact the true spirit and connect with the netherworld. Has been saved by Leorio and Killua both, joins hands with them afterwards

^Edgewotrth - Kurapika, got mentored by the Zoldycks on how to become top prosecutor. He's utmost driven to not let any true criminal go unpunished. Gathers renown until the day he'll be able to catch Phantom Troupe and bring justice to the fallen, has a companionship with Killua bordering on sibiling bond

^Mia Fey and Franziska mix up - Killua, he has a pivotal role in leading Leorio's carier and actually becomes his mentor after triyng to cut off his ties to his inheritance as the Zoldyck heir, a true tycoon of the prosecution world. During trials if he decides to participate he takes on a role of a consultant.

As you can see, though Leorio is the titular attorney, Killua is the glue connecting everyone in here. But that just leaves all the more unresolved conflict because he hides the truth of his heritage. He found Leorio by chance and he got impressed by him after a second third take with the attitude he has, how it's not about money but bringing the truth to the table, pretty much opposite of the Zoldycks. I'm not good at writing but I'll try to say few things about their cases? It's more or less basing of "The Trilogy"but with the spin of HxH characters being themselves, it sure would reflect in the plot,

-A case about mysterious animal being spotted, the legendary Chimera Ant! Gon is a huge deal on this case because his spiritualist power call back to the wilderness and all the instinct one gets from it.A lot of logic/belief topic going on here and killugon spotlight

-A case of murder on the "Hunter X" movie plan, it's related to Gon because he was there to meet the main hero, Kite, his godfather. He gets roped into the investigation and is considered suspect for some time before

-Another case in which Gon is the main suspect. Since he's from family of spiritualists, vibing with the nature and otherworld. So when there's a case against him Killua is determined to find his innocence. Even if it means going against Kurapika. That's also the case that showcased Leorio and Kurapika's banter and whatnot so major old marriage leopika vibe

-There's a huge final case in which member of the PT's is murdered and who would have guessed, Kurapika is found bloodied on the crime scene. This is a very turnaround case because the one responsible for prosecuting it, is no one else but Killua after he disappeared (made a tactical retreat) from Leorio's side. Perhaps family pressure? Illumi blackmailing him? Being ashamed of 'tricking' Gon and Leorio and leaving Kurapika to deal with everything alone? All of the above, because now he stands against everyone he grew to be fond of. Eventually, the true killer gets found giving a chance to mend strained bonds, by joining hands in catching the real culprit all along that was hiding among the witnesses. The fake group member [wink] -Ps, Netero's just playing along for the trial's sake even if he's got the truth like way earlier, he's not naive, but likes seeing 'entertaining trial' as long as it's goes the right way eventually

-Leopika & killugon featured, all aged up, imagine lots and lots of banter and sexual tension in the court

That's it, thank you for reading my thoughts <3

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ducklooney · 4 months

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comics normally have a status quo that stick, but if you could change the status quo of the stories (for ex: having Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck growing up) how would you progress/and end the charachters's stories? like donald, daisy, gladstone, fethry, scrooge, brigitta, etc).

One of my ideas would be della duck returning from space, and scrooge and brigitta would eventually marry, what would be yours?

Hi, sorry to reply late again, but you have asked a good question and your idea is good. I thought something similar. Yes, comics have the status quo for their own reasons, because the changes would probably upset the readers a little, which is understandable to me. But the comics, that is, certain authors have given some of those suggestions as to what the future of the Duck family could be. One comic called "Stories Untold" (INDUCKS is D 2023-034) by author Maya Åstrup and artist Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez tells how Scrooge wanted to go into the future to see what Duckburg would look like in 50 years. He left using Gyro's watch and Gyro's time machine and he couldn't see with his own eyes that Duckburg had changed a lot, that many devices were being used that were made up like holograms and that was thanks to a man who worked with Scrooge (I forgot his name). Scrooge was even more startled when he saw that none of his family had aged but himself, HDL remained the same, as did Miss Quackfaster. Yes, Gyro and Magica worked together in that future as well. I think it's a very interesting comic.

Well, how would I imagine the future of Duckburg? To be honest, I don't know myself, but I think this is how the future in the Duck family would go:

Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck as teenagers would certainly be, but more like the Quack Pack version, since I wouldn't imagine other versions of them older than that. They would graduate from elementary school with honors and go to high school together. The same would be true of Daisy's nieces. You can see my drawings of them as teenagers on this side blog: https://ducktoonsfanart.tumblr.com/

Yes, they would have different interests, but they would all act together, they would also help their Uncle Donald.

The marriage of Donald to Daisy Duck. Unfortunately, Disney prevented it from being shown at all, but I would certainly imagine that after a long time, Donald and Daisy would finally marry each other and have children (I think two, one boy, one girl). Yes, the final consent of Donald's and Daisy's parents would condition that and it can be said that there would also be a reconciliation of Donald's and Daisy's parents who were in conflict until now. Yes, Donald and Daisy would finally adopt their nephews and nieces as their own children, because they are their children.

3. Scrooge's future - In one version, it would be that Scrooge would finally marry Brigitta after a long time, and in the other, Scrooge would be together with Brigitta, where they would go to Scotland in their parents' castle. He would give the inheritance between Donald, Donald's nephews, and Dickie Duck, Goldie's granddaughter. Giving Dickie a share of the inheritance would mean that he would finally reconcile with Goldie, an old love from the Klondike long ago and right an old wrong, and Dickie would also be a successful businessman and be able to run together with Loretta, Brigitta's niece. After all, there would be reconciliation between Scrooge and Magica and the old rivalry after more time. In my second variant, they would be pulled together in one place, and in the first one, there would definitely be an appeasement with the help of Brigitte, the future wife of Scrooge, since she is also a friend of Magica de Spell.

4. Fethry and Gladstone - Fethry would find his love with Gloria Pascoalina and Dugan would be his adopted son. Gladstone would marry two women if possible, Linda Paper and Feather Mallard, his beloved companions. Shamrock would be his adopted son, otherwise he is Gladstone's nephew.

5. Della Duck - In my opinion, she would still travel in space, but she would return home occasionally. It's just that Della herself chose to live in space, her unlimited journey. She would not forget her brother and her sons, but she would accept a different fate, and she could find comfort if her sons were with her brother, who would be a real parent for them. Of course, every time she returned home she would be welcomed home joyfully.

6. Gus Goose, Abner Duck, and Grandma Duck - Gus would live in Duckburg more, but would continue to help Grandma Duck, but Abner Duck would take on more of the chores of taking care of Grandma Duck. Grandma Duck would continue to cook and take care of the farm, but her grandchildren would help her, since she was very old. Certainly still alive, but not as strong as before. Aber would certainly also be a trucker who would transport goods from time to time.

7. Other characters - Ludwig would live with Matilda alone, Gyro would be a successful inventor in Duckburg and find his love, and he would adopt his nephew Newton as his son. Glomgold's nephew Slackjack Snorehead would help Glomgold in times of need, and Rockerduck would prepare his nephews for future business management, although he would make complications for Scrooge's heirs, since he too has the right to do so (Aunt Eider).

That would be my vision of the future for Duckburg and the Duck family, maybe I'll make a separate post about it someday, if I have enough time, what the future could be for Donald Duck, his friends and his family, as well as Duckburg himself. I already do that in my Quack Pack AU, by writing my fanfictions. It would certainly be a combination of Donald Duck comics, OG Ducktales and Quack Pack, my way.

So thank you for the idea and maybe you like my suggestions that I gave, they will definitely remain the best as they are shown in Donald Duck comics then, now and in the future. And maybe in the future we will see Donald's successors who will look a lot like Donald, Scrooge and Donald's nephews. This is certainly my opinion and I'm glad you asked. And sorry if there are things you don't agree with. But if you have anything else to ask, feel free to ask.

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listerbirdloml · 6 months

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this was probably from ages ago but some fun asks for you; favorite lister headcannons? [I]

OOH idk man i’m shit at head cannons ALSO THIS WAS SAT IN MY DRAFTS FOR AGES IM SO SORRY I THOUGHT I POSTED IT

- well in my mind i always read him with a northern english accent and i’m not sure why. i know he’s from kent like Rowan + Jimmy but he just gives off northern vibes idk. and after learning that his dads scottish i can also see him using lots of Scottish slang terms.

- i think he’s a slag for a bit of pop too. Britney, Ariana, Taylor, Reneé, you name it. he gets a bit embarrassed though so he turns off his AirBuds when he wants to listen to girly pop music. he has the widest music taste out of the ark, so his Spotify wrapped is always mental. he posts them every year and not once has the same song appeared in his top listened to

- ik he’s not like blonde blonde but i think his natural hair is a lot darker but he’s been dying it blonder since he first met Jimmy and Rowan. when the ark are on hiatus he lets it grow out to his natural colour for a bit.

- he tried to grow a stache one time but Rowan shaved it while he slept. Also he didn’t know how to shave when he first met Jimmy and Rowan, so Pierro taught him. Pierro also taught him how to tie a real tie rather than use a clip on one.

- Joan LOVED lister. she would always fuss over him when he would come over. When he’d come round he would help her in the garden, but really he was terrible and Joan would always have to fix his mistakes. when he told her about how he and his mum would listen to albums together when he was little, she began showing him her collection of old records from when she was a teen/young adult. when she died she left Lister a few of his favourites. Lister keeps them hidden at all times so when he was hosting parties there was no chance they’d get damaged. after they stopped having so many people over Lister kept them displayed in the living room.

- i think that before he and Jimmy got together he had healthy and fun relationship with someone unrelated. it’s not anything ridiculously serious but it helps him see what he should realistically be looking for and what he deserves. it’s not like he’s using the person though, and he actually really likes them. they eventually end things amicably though, and stay good friends.

- it says on the WIKI article alice wrote for him that he has three half siblings. as far as i can think there’s no canon information about them other than that, so i like to HC that they are all from his dads second marriage and they don’t talk much since Lister hasn’t been to visit his dad in years. the ages are;

1.) Lister (19-20)

2.) a sister who’s like 17ish, she’s super embarrassed about the whole ark thing and is reluctant to rebuild a relationship with him again when he reaches out to her post IWBFT, because she remembers how he used to constantly fight with their dad when he’d come over for christmas / two weeks in the summer holidays. when they do start to reconnect and get closer she helps him bond with their dad too. (maybe she’s called Maya?)

3.) a younger brother who’s 13ish and a total TWAT. they look really similar and he’s just like how Lister was in school but he’s hilarious and really admires Lister. somehow he’s stupid smart though, even if he’s class clown. i think he reaches out to Lister when he’s still in the hospital after the incident. i also think it would be funny if the younger brother’s celebrity crush was Jimmy but his image of jimmy is completely shattered when he meets him properly. (i call him Brodie in my head)

4.) his youngest sister who’s like 7 who barely remembers lister but once they get closer she has him wrapped around her little finger. he almost bought her a horse once but Jimmy and Rowan had to remind him that a 7 year old who lives in a city centre can not logistically look after a whole horse. (i think her names Eilidh)

- the ark move from the flat into a house just outside london and he makes sure they all have a room so they can visit whenever they want to.

- after getting to know them better, he gets really close with Angel and Juliet. the three of them and Bliss have “girls” nights in the arks flat. when Listers hair grows they teach him how to pleat it. he gets really good and when he starts seeing his half siblings again he pleats his sisters hair for them)

sorry idk man i yapped a bit 🤷‍♀️

#this was so much longer than i intended it to be #but you brought this horse to the water and by god was she thirsty #answering asks #i was born for this #iwbft #osemanverse #alice oseman #the ark #jimmy kaga ricci #lister bird #rowan omondi #bliss lai #juliet schwartz #angel rahimi

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honeybeezgobzzzzz · 1 year

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𓃮 Even the Sun Influences the Tide: Chapter Ninteen

Even the Sun Influences the Tide: After the death of your foster brother, King T’Challa, you had spent much of your year of mourning in isolation. When your mother gathers you and your sister to end your mourning period, you encounter the newest threat to Wakanda: Namor. You don’t know what to think of Namor, but you do know one thing: he probably shouldn’t be making trips to see you at your beach hut.

Warnings: None.

To Note: Namor/K’uk’ulkan x Fem!Reader, I Tried To Make The Yucatec Maya & Xhosa Translations/Traditions As Accurate As I Can Get.

Word Count: ~2.0k

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“How did you manage to keep that a secret for so long? Especially from mother and Okoye?” Shuri questioned, very impressed with the fact that Namor had been able to sneak into Wakanda to visit you repeatedly over the course of two months, without anyone knowing. You were in the process of returning your jade necklace to its place upon your neck when you glanced at her.

“Believe me, I was tempted to tattle more than once, certainly when he kept coming back…” You murmured, thinking back to your perception of K’uk’ulkan when he had first started dropping by. “But he never once threatened me nor did he come across as scheming or intentionally trying to get government secrets out of me. Eventually he started telling me stories of his people.”

“Really?” Shuri asked, eyebrow arched. “He really must have liked you then.”

“Yeah, well, his company as I found out, was not that bad.” You said with a shrug. “Probably why it wasn’t that hard to agree to an alliance with him. Granted I didn’t exactly realize that by making an alliance meant that I was marrying him.” You sighed in memory of the event. “Probably why he told me several times not to be hasty in that decision.”

“Only you would end up marrying to make an alliance, but have no idea that you were getting married in the first place.” You both snorted because it was true. Shuri tilted her head to the side. “It makes me feel better that he didn’t let you go charging into that decision without a second thought.” She then eyed you. “But I do have to say, sister, you know how to pick voracious men. The number of marks I saw…”

Your face flooded with heat as you covered your eyes, nearly drowning in embarrassment at Shuri seeing the evidence of your… activities. Chuckling, Shuri nudged your shoulder with hers.

“I’m guessing that Namor has great stamina, surprising considering his age.” Your face couldn’t burn any hotter at this point. “I wonder how his refractory period is effected by the blue herb?”

“You are assuming he has one, Shuri,” You whispered meekly. It was almost comical the way Shuri’s eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. For the first time since you had met her so long ago, Shuri was speechless.

“You don’t mean…” You nodded.

“Pretty sure he doesn’t have one, and let me tell you, I have had sore muscles in places I didn’t even know you could be sore in.” Shuri snickered at you, which you punched her in the arm for, before sobering up. “But really, Shuri, you and mama have nothing to worry about.”

“Mother is not going to see it that way.” That you knew. You got your stubbornness from her.

“Naturally,” You sighed before looking to Attuma who had been lurking in the shadows. “Attuma?” The massive warrior stepped forward once more.

“Je’el, in reina,” He spoke, glad to see the color returned to your face and the fire within your eyes once more.

“You are not going to be happy with my decision but I need to go back.” As Griot was translating your words in Yucatec Maya, Shuri was already rejecting you idea.

“Are you out of your mind, Y/N!” Shuri thundered, echoing Attuma’s rapid bursts of words you didn’t understand. “You almost died because you went there and now you want to go back!?” You let them both bluster and explode on you, clearly against your statement of wanting to go back. Arms crossing your chest, you leaned back against a work table and waited for them to stop. You were used to Shuri’s anger and disagreement, and Attuma, while large, intimidating and deadly, did not scare you. You took in a deep breath and gave them both a frank look.

“May I remind you both who the queen is in this room?” You questioned. Shuri’s jaw nearly dropped open and you were fairly sure Attuma’s eye twitched. “Don’t argue with me, I won’t entertain it.”

“I think you’ve fallen into that roll a little too well for my liking, Y/N.” Shuri griped, her eyes still narrowed at you.

“I’m not going to apologize.” You returned, not backing down from her gaze. “Now, you can either come with me and have the knowledge that I am alright. Or you can stay here and be left to wonder.”

“That is quite a cruel decision, even for you.” Shuri responded, both unhappy with your words but impressed by you standing firm with your decision.

“Alls fair in love and war, Shuri,” You reminded her. “And is it not the queen’s duty to make difficult decisions?”

“Ma' ken a kuxtal táan amenazada,” (Not when your life is threatened) Attuma cut in. “K’uk’ulkan ma' yéetel ki'imak.” (K’uk’ulkan will not be happy)

Listening to Griot translate his words, you mulled them over, knowing full well that K’uk’ulkan would indeed be not happy that you had come right back to the place where you had almost died. But you were firm with your decision.

“This is not a request,” You said firmly. “It’s an order.”

Shuri and Attuma exchanged a look, clearly not expecting that from you. But going off technicality, you held the highest rank in the room and therefore, were within your rights to make such a decision and order.

“Fine, but you do not leave our sides, nor do you think about going near any rubble or wreckage.” Shuri stated firmly, pointing a finger at you. “Just because you are queen does not mean that you can wander wherever you want.”

“Duly noted,” You replied, standing up from your lean. “Now I’d like to leave before mother and Ch'ah Toh Almehen rip each others throats out because at this rate? It’s likely to happen.” You said while moving towards the exit. Shuri chased after you with Attuma on her heels.

“Y/N, wait!” You sighed and paused in step, looking back at her.

“What is it you wish to argue about now Shuri?” Shuri reached you and stared into your eyes.

“It’s about the results of some tests I had my team run while you were in the tank.” Shuri began, not knowing how to break the news. What she did know was that she didn’t want Griot to translate what she was about to say. At the very least the Talokanil was lingering several feet away. “Griot don’t translate what I’m about to say.”

“Yes, princess,” The AI replied. You frowned at Shuri’s words, worried about what she had to say that she didn’t want Attuma hearing. Shuri took a deep breath.

“You have trace levels of hCG in your blood, Y/N.” You blinked at her and raised your eyebrow.

“Shuri I have no idea what hGC is, you’re going to have to explain that one to me.”

“The only time hGC can be found within the human body, is during pregnancy.” Shuri explained, watching in your face and attempting to gauge your reaction to that news. You were silent, your mind reeling at the information. Surely it took longer than just ten days, to get pregnant. Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N, all it takes is one time. Your mind pushed aside the knowledge of you being pregnant and focused on another terrifying thought.

“Shuri,” You whispered, your voice deathly quiet. “Shuri I almost died and then proceeded to have an untested medical treatment. I— There’s no way—“

“Look, we’re talking about a pregnancy that isn’t even two weeks along.” Shuri said, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze. “Now, the chances that your recent medical trauma causing a miscarriage are certainly a potential outcome… but it is not a certainty.”

“That’s not helping Shuri, you know how sensitive babies are to medications and such. I just had something that wasn’t designed for even me to have!”

“That does not mean it will affect the fetus, K’uk’ulkan turned out fine.”

“He wasn’t exposed to the heart shaped herb!” You almost shouted, waving an arm. Attuma stepped forwards.

“In reina?” You glanced at him, and collected yourself. Now was not the time to be worrying about this. Let alone thinking about it. You had bigger issues.

“We should just go,” You said, putting that news in the back of your mind. “The fetus probably didn’t survive the trauma of my injuries and isn’t even two weeks along. There’s no point in worrying about something that will probably never come to light. Let’s go.”

You strode away, your fingers picking at the flesh around your wrists as you walked.

It was tense on the ship as you flew back to the beach where your mother and K’uk’ulkan still were. You took to drumming your fingertips on your knee, fidgeting about the idea that even after you had been injured in front of them… your mother and K’uk’ulkan would still go back to fighting. You were up and out of your seat before the ship even touched down on the sand, and the moment it did you were opening the hatch and striding across the sand towards the masses of warriors.

No one was fighting, you were relieved to see, but that didn’t mean your mother and K’uk’ulkan were being cordial with one another. You ignored the looks of relief of those around you, your mind focused on only one thing. The moment you spotted K’uk’ulkan and your mother, all else failed to exist and you got tunnel vision. You were blind to Shuri and Attuma’s efforts to guide you around the carnage, and even waved off Okoye when she approached you. K’uk’ulkan was the first to spot you, feeling your gaze upon his body. To say he was shocked was as understatement. Then your mother noticed that he was staring at something and caught sight of marching towards her.

“Y/N!” She breathed out, feeling a rush of weakness at the sight of you alive and well. They both headed towards you, but K’uk’ulkan was the fastest, zipping in front of you and spouting out words of Yucatec Maya a mile a minute while cradling your face in hand and running his other over your body in search of injury.

“I have no idea what you just said but I am fine.” You told him, allowing his rapid and desperate search for injury upon your body. K’uk’ulkan’s brown eyes narrowed in disbelief, and he held your face in a firmer grasp.

“What are you doing back here!?” He growled at you, his voice rasping and betraying his true state. “In k'iino’ you should not have come back! Your lungs—“

“Are pretty much toast but I don’t need them anymore.” You said, cutting him off as he was about to go on a rant about how foolish it was for you to be up and walking after having taken a piece of metal to the abdomen.

“Y/N, you should not have come, you almost died here in our arms.” Ramonda chastised, more than happy to see you but very displeased that you had come back to the place that nearly killed you. Her eyes shot to Shuri while K’uk’ulkan turned to Attuma, clearly displeased that his general had allowed his queen to return to such danger. Were they not supposed to keep you safe and out of harms way?

“I told you this would haome back to the place that nearly killed you. Her eyes shot to Shuri while K’uk’ulkan turned to Attuma, clearly displeased that his general had allowed his not have come back! Yppen.” Shuri quipped giving you a look. You sglance oa her.

“And do you know how much I care at the moment?” You replied breezily with a scary smile.

“Le Reina k ordenó k’a’,” (The queen ordered us to return) Attuma spoke to his king, bowing his head solemnly. “Ma' in habría arriesgado.” (I wouldn’t have risked it) K’uk’ulkan’s eyebrow went up as he stared at you in disbelief and you could have sworn that your mother would have face palmed herself if she hadn’t been in such company. You lifted your gaze to K’uk’ulkan’s intense brown one and you pressed your fingers against the jade necklace overlaying his traditional one.

“May I remind you,” You enunciated, ensuring that your words were loud and clear to both of them. “That I am a queen who is capable of making her own decisions? I am not for show.”

“Je’el, in reina,” K’uk’ulkan obediently replied, entranced with your spark of fire yet again.

“Now,” You sighed out. “Can you please tell me that you two have come to an agreement?”

Date Published: 7/9/23

Last Edit: 4/5/23

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#namor x reader #namor of talokan #namor x y/n #namor #namor fanfiction #k'ul'kulkan

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hubristicassholefight · 11 months

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Swordswoman Showdown Round 3

Allison Wanda Ruth (Kill Six Billion Demons) vs Casca (Berserk)

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

Allison Wanda Ruth

She first wields a zweihander but eventually learns to wield the terrible blade of Want; She’s a philosophy major. She’s a barista. She’s from L.A. She’s even a lesbian. Reach Heaven Through Violence

#she's engaging in active dommery at all times#including this very image#there's no way you can't vote allison#anyway#KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS#THE HEIR#WIELDER OF NAMES#SEEKER OF THRONES#KING OF SWORDS!#BREAKER OF INFINITIES#WHEEL-SMASHING LORD#please understand that though Allison is Magnificient#i'm voting her more as a proxy for her teacher; Mathangi ten Meti#auntie maya is maybe my favorite fictional character of all time#and definitely the greatest swordswoman in fiction. to me#but Allison is canonically better at the sword philosophy than she is (lets not talk about the sword-skill)#so like this works#manifesting an Allison sweep

#side character vs main character the levels of depth aren’t even comparable#Allison sweep girlie you have so many themes and motifs#and are generally a more well rounded and better written woman and character than shura#anyways vote for girl smile

#yeahhh fuck up her al#another thing: she is a demi-god. technically#another propoganda: she is cool as fuck#and has a good character growth#reach heaven through violence#allison sweep

Casca

Second only to Griffith as a swordfighter in the Band of the Hawk before Guts came along, fights in multiple battles throughout the series.

She was commander and acting leader for Band of the Falcon

She was a commander and the White Phoenix Knight. In her prime she was acknowledgaed and demonstrated to be a better fighter than most people , and throughout the Golden Age arc she performs amazing feats of gymnastics and swordplay,.

#allison wanda ruth #kill six billion demons #casca #berserk #swordswoman showdown #poll #round 3 #official

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paragox · 6 months

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The Writings on The Wall AU - Character Profiles #1

Incorrect Quotes || TWoTW AU || Next

Garmadons Group Aka Pandemonium Kids

Skylor Chen - 16 yrs old - Human || Serpentine [Anacondrai]

Oldest among all the minors Garmadon adopted, daughter of "Master Chen" leader of a cult whose purpose was to awaken the great Devourer and revive the entire species of Anacondrai.

As a result of her being raised in the cult she has limited experience in what could be considered "social etiquette", however she's more than capable of figuring out how to behave in social situations through observation, she’s pretty good at hand to hand combat and scheming, also a good liar and theft.

Because of her father's obsession with control and loyalty she has a partial Anacondrai tattoo on her back (Online the outline, it was never filled) which eventually transformed her into a partial Anacondrai.

Skylor truly enjoys cooking if there’s anything she can thank her father for is that, while her favourite focus is noodles (of course) she enjoys experimenting with whatever she can find in the kitchen, much to everyone’s else despair.

She's aware and proficient when using her elemental [Amber].

Her best friends are Kai and Nya, absolutely loves to hang out with Wyldfyre despite the age difference.

Kai Jiang Smith - 15 yrs old - Phoenix || Oni [Keeper] || Merlopian || Dragon [Ninjagian]

Second oldest of the group and self-proclaimed eldest sibling, he's incredibly protective of everyone he considers family.

(Which includes Skylor, Nya and her can definitely kick his ass if they want to tho)

He's Nyas blood older sibling by two years, son of Maya and Ray previous elementals of Fire and Water respectively and one of Nyad's descendants.

Along with his sister he also has dragon and Phoenix blood from his father's side, as such he sports dragons usual characteristics such as horns and tail.

He's quite hot-blooded, reckless and impatient but has a soft side usually shown with his family or friends, he's incredibly loyal and isn't scared of getting blood in his hands if it means protecting those he cares about.

Particularly good at coming up with impromptu solutions during moments of crisis.

Morro Wojira - 14 yrs old - Human || Ghoul

Third Oldest, Incredibly protective of Lloyd even though he won't ever admit it.

A free spirited teen who dislikes rules and tries to push boundaries to see how far he can get. His past is unknown, but as far as he knows he doesn't have any living blood relatives. (Nor he cares).

He tends to get tunnel vision once an idea gets into his head and will do whatever he can to achieve it, he's just as stubborn as Kai.

Morro is very bad at handling disappointment and failure, as such situations where he has to confront it makes him a very non-desirable person to be around.

Butts heads constantly with Kai but they're always covering each other's backs when it matters. His best friend is Nya.

Nya Jiang Smith - 13 yrs old - Phoenix || Oni [Keeper] || Merlopian || Dragon [Ninjagian]

She's no stranger to overwork herself to achieve what she wants. She’s quite hot-headed and if things don’t go her way she can grow frustrated quite fast, unlike Morro she’s a bit better at handling disappointment and failure.

Pretty independent, she's used to doing things on her own, for good and bad, she takes no one’s bullshit no matter the circumstances.

Overall very good at academics, she’s a fast learner and a fast worker, however her frustration, competitiveness and perfectionism tend to get in the way.

An inventor at heart she enjoys creating and manufacturing, particularly enjoys tinkering with the family motorcycle she repaired and brought to life.

Gets along surprisingly well with Morro.

Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon - 9yrs old - Human || Oni [First Realm] || Dragon [First Realm]

Quite the mischievous and prankster Lloyd is Garmadon’s only blood related child. Despite being quite the troublemaker he really doesn’t mean any harm, he mostly seeks some attention and affection from those around him.

He’s good at scheming, usually pulling harmless pranks in his siblings and even his dad when he can get away with it, he’s aware that as the second youngest he can usually have his older siblings around his finger, especially when it comes to getting treats as gifts, something he tends to exploit, mostly with Kai.

Still a naive kid he’s quite easy to trick, usually this being done by Morro or Harumi though he quite distrusts them from time to time.

All in all Lloyd doesn’t really wish anyone harm and tries to be as helpful as possible when he can, which has led him to get sometimes stuck in troubles as he has a bit of a difficulty saying “no”.

Wyldfyre Wyrven - 5 yrs old - Human || Dragon [Wyldnerness]

A quite difficult kid to deal with, Wyldfyre is impulsive and reckless, having little patience in general.

Being only with her new family for a few months she still has trouble being in a constant environment full of people, especially when having things done as she will usually try to get things done as fast as possible all by herself.

She’s however pretty protective of her stuff and her family, the others consider she doesn’t have a sense of self-preservation, she definitely does, however it doesn’t mean she won’t get into fights even with adversaries that are bigger and stronger than her as she’s just used to it.

Doesn’t like to stay put and hates being left out for any reason there might be.

Also a prankster at heart even though hers are a bit meaner is something she and Lloyd tend to bond over, loves following Kai around, especially considering their powers are similar and Kai is not afraid to get burnt.

+ Harumi Jade - 10yrs old - Human…?

Taken in after Lloyd had an.. impromptu meeting with her (He might or not have accidentally crashed her when playing outside) she's a very strange kid according to everyone else.

She’s known to be very resentful, something Garmadon had definitely been trying to deal with, she’s also a good liar and quite well at masking her emotions.

While being quite aloof with the other’s children she has shown to enjoy the attention Garmadon shows her, whenever he’s around, the others are trying too but she keeps them an arm away.

Despite being quite insensitive to others it mostly comes from her having a difficulty processing her emotions, both positive and negative, for the moment it seems she has settled on just being an annoyance to the rest and trying to get a rise out of them.

Regardless she can be quite compassionate and overall really just wants a world where there are as little conflicts as possible.

Has a rocky relationship with everyone else, especially Lloyd. But it’s getting better, very very slowly.

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sibella · 10 days

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what's tmcu looking through your tag did not help other than there are birds in there probably

AHAHAHAHAHAHA it is true there are birds there

it stands for tara maya cinematic universe 😌 my friend tara and i made some ocs and that's their tag. do not want to clog dash up but basically here is a little bit abt it 👇

wealthy couple cannot have children so they adopt a child and then surprise get pregnant with twins. all three of their kids are kinda weird so they adopt two more.

sibling a: oldest. had an abusive father, taken into social services, then adopted by wealthy couple. aggressively neurotypical. he is very book smart and academic validation means a lot to him bc he enjoys being the smartest person in the room. goes to harvard and studies political science and wants to be a lawyer. eventually opens up his own law firm.

sibling b: the twin that was born first. autistic and awkward and very naturally intelligent in a way that pisses sibling a off. very "big solutions" oriented and judgmental towards his other siblings. dresses like a little professor. wants his parents' attention but they think he's kind of weird 😭 eventually goes to juilliard for music and drops out because he wants to do big social campaign stuff.

sibling s: the twin that was born second. also autistic and v smart. has multiple meltdowns every day so usually her parents keep her home. lots of health issues. WANTS to go to juilliard for acting but even her parents giant donations can't get her in. eventually goes to mit to and then to harvard for med school. drops out for a man twice her age who's an evil scientist. eventually kills that man and finds a nice normal man who wants to study her under a microscope.

sibling d: adopted because they have 🥺 eyes. their parents had a crime ring. autistic. always has colored hair. their special interests is birds (hence the birds) and they do drugs with their brother (sibling n). even though they and sibling n are not biological twins, they are two months apart in age and have a very twin-like relationship. becomes a social media influencer and works at a candy shop. dates a goth girl but they have an on again/off again relationship. wants to be a nurse but they can't get into a nursing program. sad.

sibling n: also adopted because he has 🥺 eyes. his mom was pressured to give him up because she was very young when she had him. he is very shy and also very passive aggressive. has a pet bat named boo. wants to fit in. very homophobic and very gay. has a situationship with his best friend. if a lot of people jumped off a bridge, he would too. very close to sibling d. eventually goes to nyu to study psych and art.

the oldest three set the bar very high but the youngest two are the faves. they all have 97 issues but i love them 🤷‍♀️

we have an AU where they live in a haunted house and a superpowers au and a monsters au where sibling a is a werewolf, sibling b is a human, sibling s is a ghost, sibling d is a vampire and sibling n is a demon.

#tmcu #gerry #THANK U FOR THE ASK

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mikeyxcallahan · 3 days

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[ciswoman, she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [MIKAYLA “MIKEY” CALLAHAN]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [MAYA HAWKE]. You must be the [TWENTY-SIX] year old [WAITSTAFF AT WHEN IN ROME]. Word is you’re [INDEPENDENT] but can also be a bit [GLUM] and your favorite song is [CHATEAU BY DJO]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [FISHER’S COVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

Basic info:

Name: Mikayla Callahan

Nickname(s): Mikey, Callahan, Mike, Callie

Birthday: January 24th

Hometown: Aurora Bay, California

Time back in town: A year and a half

Languages: English and Japanese

Familial:

Mother: Felicity Callahan

Father: Rowland Callahan

Grandfather (maternal side): Arthur Dashwood

Grandmother (maternal side): Delilah Dashwood

Cousins: Jude Bordelon ( @pcrdita )

Aunt(s): wc

Uncle(s): wc

Platonic:

Childhood friends: Jace Bergeron ( @jaceberg ),

Friends:

Neighbors (Fisher’s Cove): Jace Bergeron

Co-workers (When In Rome):

Wanted connections:

Those listed above as well as

Therapist

Friends

Open to pretty much anything

Tws: Depression, death, asthma attack

Born to Rowland and Felicity Callahan on a cool January evening in Aurora Bay, Mikayla was a beautiful and healthy baby girl. However, by the age of five she developed symptoms of asthma. It was something closely watched and it did have an effect on her life as she got older. Mikayla was given ample attention and adoration from her parents and grandparents and got to spend years living in Aurora Bay while her parents were stationed in California and she lived on base with them at Los Angeles’ Air Force base.

From an early age, Mikayla became obsessed with planes and jets, deciding early on in life that she aspired to join the Air Force when she was old enough, just like her parents. The first disappointment in Mikayla’s life was that she learned that with asthma, she would be disqualified from enlisting. The second disappointment was the first time her life was uprooted and she moved out of California where her parents would be deployed next, moving when she was fourteen and just starting high school. Her grandparents offered their spare bedroom to her, but Mikayla wanted to see the world with her parents! What she hadn’t anticipated was just how difficult it would be to move so often and so far. They moved to Japan, where they resided during Mikayla’s teen years and early adulthood. During this time, Mikayla’s asthma symptoms lessened and after years of her asthma essentially ‘going away’, she knew she could potentially be eligible for a medical waiver and still be allowed to enlist.

So despite the hardships of moving around so often and dealing with her fear that her asthma would crush her dreams, Mikayla told herself not to give up and that all the hardships were a bit of practice for when she enlisted. She was going to do everything she could to make sure she was successful and well respected like her parents.

However, one evening, seventeen year old Mikayla had an asthma attack for the first time in years. And over time the symptoms didn’t lessen and Mikayla knew she would officially be disqualified from enlisting. It was heartbreaking and she had no idea what to do. She took a few classes at a university in Japan while still living with her parents, but by her twenty third birthday, she was no longer permitted on base. Mikayla got a cheap apartment for herself in the city while taking classes, though she eventually traveled to different parts of Japan while she was struggling to find what she wanted to do with her future. She felt depressed and lost after learning she’d never be able to enlist.

However, one night she received a phone call from her grandmother and was told her grandfather died, which prompted Mikayla to decide she had enough of wandering around and she wanted to be back with family in a permanent place to stay, so she moved back to Aurora Bay, where she now lives with her grandmother in Fisher’s Cove and works at When In Rome as a server, still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life as she tries to address her mental health.

@aurorabayaesthetic

#tw asthma attack #tw death #tw depression #aurorabay.intro

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crodur · 21 days

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Ancient and distant dragons (part II)

Last time we saw what the Chinese, Sumerian and Slavic civilizations understood by ''dragon'', along with other groups related to those. So, let's see other examples of this idea, close coincidences and divergences!

I would talk in depth about the European dragon itself. However, and oddly enough, such mythical being is not entirely original, like the examples we're trying to gather, more like a very baroque conglomerate of influences that eventually came to be the winged lizard we all know. So let's talk, instead, about the roots behind it.

However, it's inspirations are quite curious. The European or Conventional Dragon, is a mixture of two different ''dragonlike beings'', both unaware of each other, as far as we know!

The first influence is, surprisingly the Sumerian Mušḫuššu we previously looked at. Told you that the idea of an animal with reptilian traits would stick around!

Second one is more obscure. It is believed the Dacian Drakon could be a major player. This creature has a very confusing genealogy, being on it's own the result of a lot of artistic depictions of beasts, streetching as far as the 8th century BCE, and for over a thousand years it suffered a great amount of changes, being consistently depicted as a mixture of a snake and another, different animal.

By the time the Roman Empire assimilated the Dacians (located where modern Romania is) at 2th c. AD and incorporated the creature into their own mythos, it was mostly a wolf headed, thick snake. It was quite important for the native Dacians, represented as a protecting spirit in both millitary vexilloids and wind instruments such as horns.

A ferocious Dacian Drako, engraved in the Roman Tracian column.

Those two creatures (Drakon and Mušḫuššu) loosely permeated, along with other influences such as local, folklore beasts of many sorts, and depictions of snakes as the root of evil (a consistent avatar of the Christian Devil, as soon as in the Genesis book of the Bible, but in many other occasions, such as Isaiah book [14:29]).

All those influences, after centuries of obscurity, were gradually sewn together during the Middle Ages (remember, most classical knowledge and folklore was reduced to residual traces during this historial period) into the big, bad dragon that the forces of good must defeat.

A winged snake, a somewhat popular heraldic symbol (this one in particular is from 17th century, though). A possible additional influence in this dense melting pot?

The slavic dragons we saw in the previous post most likely were a direct influence of this trend, one of the many types created by mixing chimeras and local beasts alike.

What we can safely say, is that the european dragons are a byproduct of many ideas of different ages and places colliding together. We all influence each other through the time!

Of course, there were many differing interpretations under the umbrella of dragonhood, here's a french one that incorporates particular body proportions, and devilish goat horns (from the 1410 manuscript The Crucifixion by a follower of Egerton Master). What an awe inspiring fiend!

But let's put the european ones aside, and take another loooong leap. How about... you guessed it...

Mesoamerica!

Mayas, Toltecs, and others do have, too, a remote tradition of dragonlike monsters who weren't mere beasts, but even reached the status of godhood!

The cosmology of many different groups in upper central america has in common the reverence of a being called ''the feathered snake'', adored since XV century BCE, and until the arrival of the Castillian crown, some 3000 years later. Wow!

The first peoples that depicted such a being were the Olmecs, considered as one of the first greater cultural identities in the Americas. Here's the first known feathered snake, in La Venta settlement:

A feather crested, giant snake with a man (who wears a fanged helmet), considered by some as his alter-ego. The bag the man holds appears to represent a ritual of sorts, and his earpiece implies high ranking status.

The Olmecs left, as we said, a long lasting legacy that affected cultures far away from their territories.

The serpent would later be adopted into the maya God Kꞌuꞌukꞌul Kaan (lit. Feathered Snake), represented in many royal steels (as we saw here) as the being that allows an ajaw (lord) to see his ancestors, and win their favor to be crowned. In the case of the Toltecs, it was named Quetzacoatl (both names sound vaguely similar)

A feathered serpent, found among the ruins of the maya Poqomam kingdom, with a human head pecking out, as per usual with maya iconography.

The Toltec, and later on Aztec Quetzacoatl, God of light, life, civilization and knowledge. Notice how this version was more birdlike, totally covered by feathers, but also with a mouth whose jaw contracted into a spiral, almost resembling a pair of twirled whiskers (not intended, but still curious).

That's some long lasting impression, to say the least!

In the following post, we'll see some more dragonlikes, also created fortuitously and with no connection with the rest of this really extended family. Remember that I only write small pieces of info, and usually I do skim over a lot when covering these topics, so if you want to know more, I encourage you to keep researching on ANYTHING that has caught your attention. (Or, well, ask me for an indepth post apart, which I would gladly investigate and redact).

Until next time!

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tomtenadia · 2 years

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Second chances...

I don’t even remember how the idea of this fic came to more, but it’s a second chance Rowaelin. It was meant to be a short one shot... it turned out a monster of almost 6k words... and a bit of a rollercoaster. There is angst, but well.. as the title says...

CW: divorce, some hurt/comfort and a brief mention of a death (non MC I promise) I hope you will enjoy it.

Aelin walked around the living room collecting her stuff for work “Maya, are you ready? We need to go.” “I am coming, I am looking for my hockey bag.”

Aelin went to her daughter’s room and helped her find the bag. Maya was in a girls hockey team “Here it is. You are just as messy as me.”

Maya kissed her mother “thanks.”

The two left the house and went to the car “you got all your stuff at your dad’s?”

Maya nodded.

Aelin and Rowan were divorced. They had married at a very young age after they found out taht Aelin was pregnant. Rowan being the responsible one had offered to provide for her and thought that marriage was the best option. But they were young, Rowan twenty one and Aelin nineteen and the weight of responsibilities started to take a toll on them pretty quickly affecting as well their relationship. With the passing of time they came to the realisation that they had married for the wrong reason and slowly drifted apart, after each fight spread the abysm separating them even further. Until it was too much and the word divorce was mentioned. They agreed it was the best option especially for their daughter’s sake. So as little as two years later they had gone separate ways. Custody had been easy had agreed on sharing Maya equally.

And so they moved on with their lives, leaving behind that small parenthesis when they tried to be a family.

Aelin went to become a paediatric doctor whereas Rowan got hired by an engineering company and was now quite high in the company. They would see each other at school meeting or Maya’s games, but outside those engagements their interactions were minimal.

Maya knew better, though. When her parents were together she had studied their interactions. She saw them alone and together and only when they were with each other she could see happiness.

She was twelve and probably did not know much about love, but of one thing was sure, her parents, despite their stubbornness, still loved each other.

Her mission now, was to get her parents back together. Be a family again.

They eventually reached the school and Aelin leaned over to kiss her daughter “Dad will pick you up at practice tonight.”

Maya grabbed her stuff “Ok.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too, mum.”

Maya left the car and Aelin watched her enter the school and sighed. A part of her hated when it was Rowan’s turn. A whole week without her daughter. She missed her and the house felt empty.

Rowan though, had the same right as her. And while she had been terrified when she discovered she was pregnant, he had been her rock. He held her and spent the afternoon whispering it’s all going to be okay over and over again. Tears threatened to spill. Absentmindedly she touched the necklace and brushed the ring that hung from it. It was her wedding ring. She had removed it from her finger but always carried it with her. She kept telling herself that they had done the right thing, that Maya’s welfare was the outmost important thing… but it was hard and sometimes she wondered whether it really had been the wisest choice.

She sighed once more and eventually drove to work.

Rowan had left work a bit early and arrived at the ice rink well before practice finished. He loved watching his daughter play even though it brought back memories of an alternate life from long ago. Maya was a forward and was actually really good at it. Both he and Aelin were big hockey fans and slowly had passed the passion onto her and when she was older and had begged her parents to join a team they had agreed to let her do it. He watched his daughter glide on the ice with incredible skill, pass the defence and score a goal. He whooped loudly, pride bursting out of him.

It was an hour later when they were back home, Maya had gone to get showered and changed and he was busy making dinner when she joined him in the kitchen “I am making mac and cheese tonight, I think you deserve it.”

Maya grinned and sat on the table “dad, I invited mum to Saturday’s game, it’s a big one and I want her there.”

Rowan turned “of course. She can always come.”

Maya nodded and accepted her plate with food and geared up for the question that she had been burning to ask for a while now. She stuffed her face with her dad’s amazing food then paused “Dad, why you and mum don’t live together like all the other parents?”

Rowan stared at his daughter with the fork half way to his mouth. They had sort of explained the situation to Maya when she was younger, but he was aware that she was growing up and that soon they’d have to explain to her what happened in more details. He knew Maya would have questions soon. It seemed that the moment was that evening and Rowan froze. Aelin should be there too because they had agreed to have the conversation with both of them present, to offer Maya a full picture. They had separated peacefully and both tried very hard never to complain about the other parent.

He placed the fork down and gathered his courage “Maya, your mum and I got married very young after we found out we were expecting you,” he started to explain. He wanted to make sure that Maya did not feel like she was the cause of their problems “We were so young and at the time we thought marriage was the answer, but then things got hard, we fought a lot, so we decided that it was better, for you, if we split up. Making sure you were happy was our priority.”

Maya was silent and Rowan worried.

“Do you still love mum?”

The question blindsided him. He just remained silent gathering his thoughts on something he had been pondering on for a while. Lately he and Aelin had been interacting more, exchanging texts even outside the normal communications. If something happened to him he realised that Aelin had become once more the first person he wanted to tell. But it was complicated. Then he sighed and thought about his wedding ring hiding in the coins compartment of his wallet. How could explain to her that a part of him regretted divorcing her mother and giving up so easily? But Maya had been their priority and they did not want her to grow up in a household with parents fighting all the time.

“Maya it’s complicated.”

His daughter stood abruptly and in her green eyes he saw her mother fierceness. She had hair as silver as his and the same green eyes, but his daughter was as fierce and strong as her mother “no it’s not. It’s a simple yes or no question.” Her voice rose a few notches “Hellas dad, do you think I am stupid? Do you really think I did not notice that all of a sudden you two are hanging out a lot more and that you find every excuse to be near her? Or the fact that you only really smile when you are with her? You stop being a grouch only with mum or me,” she blurted out. If they were too stupid to realise they were still in love, she was going to open their eyes “and do we want to talk about the fact that you still carry your wedding ring in your wallet? Sure but keep lying to yourself that you are not still in love with mum.”

“Maya, you are twelve, what do you know about love?”

Maya straightened her back “I might be twelve and young, but I can see that my parents are living a lie. Neither of you had a lasting relationship, a few dates and then stopped. Mum hasn’t dated in years and you too. Again, I might be young but I am not stupid.” And with that she stormed out of the door and Rowan heard her slam the door of her room.

He sat at the table speechless, definitely not expecting such a reaction from her. Maybe Maya was right… slowly he placed the food away. All of a sudden he wasn’t hungry anymore.

The day of the game eventually arrived and Rowan drove Maya to the ice rink. It was a home game against Perranth that was probably going to seal the championship and Maya’s team was in the lead. To great disappointment of Elide who was a crazy Perranth supporter.

He walked up the steps and reached his assigned seat. Aelin arrived ten minutes later and landed at his side while carrying a cup with coke and a box with nachos. He smiled. Aelin would never be at a hockey game without her portion of junk food.

“Still inhaling calories?”

“Sorry, Rowan, they finished the carrots.”

He laughed at their banter. Something that even after a decade had never left them.

In revenge he stole one of her nacho chips and Aelin turned to him outraged. Rowan roared with laughter at her expression. In that instant Maya’s words popped in his head. Aelin really was the only person who could make him laugh that freely. He hadn’t realised it until his twelve years old daughter pointed it out to him. After their fight they had a tense day, but Maya then dropped the subject and he was relieved. His emotion in too much turmoil to make sense of them.

“Uhm, Maya’s birthday is very soon. Can we do it at your place? You are the one with the garden and we want to invite a few friends.”

“Oh good, I wanted to ask you about that. My place is fine. You two ladies organise it and I will make sure the garden is all ready.”

“Thanks Ro, she is excited.”

He was about to reply but the horn sounded loudly and marked the start of the match.

The game finished with a victory for Orynth. Maya had scored three of the four goals and both Aelin and Rowan had been very proud parents and cheered loudly during the entire game. Now they were outside and were waiting for Maya to join them.

Their daughter arrived a good forty minutes later and Aelin ran to her and kissed her, shouting champions with deep pride. That game had sealed the championship and they had been crowned the winners for that season. They still had two games to go, but the victory was now sealed.

Aelin had the team’s jersey and the baseball cap and on top of that she had painted her cheeks in green and silver, the colours of the team. Rowan had just worn his jersey.

“Maya and I are going home…” he said quietly. Then took a deep breath “wanna join us for dinner? We can celebrate together.”

“Please, mum, please, please.”

Aelin stared at her daughter and did not have the courage to tell her that it was not a great idea.

“Of course, my love.” What could be the danger in it?”

Once outride the house Aelin paused for a second. Rowan lived in a big detached house. He had done well, they both had, but Rowan recently had been given a huge promotion and suddenly he was on really big bucks. She chuckled thinking about the small one bedroom flat they had rented after high school. At the time it was all they could afford with part time jobs and some help from their parents. She wondered where they would be if they had stayed together.

“You coming?” Maya’s question woke her up from her thoughts.

She stepped inside the house and joined him in the living room while Maya ran to her room to stash away her gear.

“I can see that the books are going wild now.”

“Maya’s mostly. She is just as obsessed as you and I will need to buy a new house soon just for her books,” he confessed with a fond smile “I am building her a library for her birthday and running out of ideas to keep it secret.”

Aelin looked at him and all of a sudden wanted to hug him. Of one thing she was certain: Rowan’s devotion to his daughter was never questioned. The judge had initially given full custody to her, but Aelin had asked to share it. She knew from day one that Rowan would have made a wonderful dad and she was not going to take that from him.

“That will be an amazing present, now my unicorn will look positively plebeian.” She joked, walking to the kitchen with him “I got her a meet and greet with her favourite hockey player at the next home game for the Stags. I had to grovel a bit with one of my colleague who has connection in the league and it costed me three weekends in a row as paediatrician on call at the A&E but she is worth it.”

Rowan moved towards the kitchen counter “she is. She is definitely not one of my regrets.”

Aelin was stunned and just stood there on the threshold “I assume I am your biggest regrets.” It was not meant to sound that harsh, but the words left her mouth before she could stop herself.

Rowan turned to her, his face sad all of a sudden “that is not what I meant.”

She scoffed “Sure, promising hockey player turns down an offer to play professional to spend time with his pregnant girlfriend.” Since high school had been a promising hockey player and once he graduated he had received an amazing offer from the Stags to join their team as a rookie. Two weeks later she had destroyed that dream by announcing that she was pregnant. Rowan had turned down the offer and two months later he proposed.

“Did I ever complain? I gave up my career willingly. You and our daughter were more important.”

“You were miserable,” she said through gritted teeth “I heard you complain to Lorcan that you hated your life.” She paused, “I was in the living room nursing Maya and I heard you. That night I almost left you.”

Rowan stared at Aelin in silence. He vaguely remembered that night. He had been exhausted and frustrated. “I had two jobs and both were horrible but paid the bills and rent and kept us fed.”

Aelin looked away“You could have been playing with the Stags as regular player by now. Be a star, have all the glory and women flocking to you.”

“It was my choice,” he shouted “Stop putting in my mouth words I never said. You and Maya were the only good thing in my life…”

Aelin grabbed her bag “I need to go.” Her voice broken by deep grief.

“Sure Aelin, run away…”

“Fuck you, Whitethorn,” she made a turn then stopped “tell Maya I love her and that I will see her for her birthday.”

Rowan stared at Aelin disappear through the door. When he lifted his eyes he spotted Maya on the doorstep. Her eyes red from crying.

They were too busy shouting at each other to realise she had been eavesdropping. They had promised to shield Maya from their disagreements. But as he stared at his daughter’s brokenhearted expression, he realised that for the first time in twelve years they had failed her.

Fuck.

Aelin sat in her car and let the tears flow. She cried until she was spent then drove to the one person that could offer her comfort and wisdom: her mother.

The drive took a good forty minutes and now she was standing in front of her childhood home.

A knock on the door and Evalin appeared a moment later “Aelin, my love.”

Aelin landed in her mother’s arms and let the tears come back. In Evalin’s arms she sobbed hard and let free all the frustration and pain in her heart.

Evalin guided her to the sofa and the two sat together “What happened?”

“I had a fight with Rowan.”

Evalin sighed and hugged her daughter.

“What was the fight about?”

“I think he still resents me for being the reason why he had to abandon his career as professional hockey player,” she confessed “he says no, but I know him. A part of him wishes he had chosen hockey over us.”

A deep sigh left Evalin. She had met Rowan after the confession tah Aelin was pregnant and never met a more dedicated and responsible twenty one years old. He had gone looking for a job right away, had asked for help in looking for a flat. He had taken in his stride his new role as a father from the very beginning. Not once had Evalin seen an ounce of regret in his face.

“What did he say?”

“That Maya was definitely not one of his regrets,” a loud sob “I am one of them, probably the biggest one. He regrets meeting me,” she hugged her mother tight “I bet he wishes he never asked me out.”

Evalin brushed her daughter’s head “You don’t know that. You don’t know what his hockey career would have brought him. Sports glory is not eternal. He might have ended up miserable. Now he is a very successful man, you both are…”

Her daughter shook her head stubbornly.

“Aelin…” Evalin’s finger lifted her chin and blue eyes met their copy “are you still in love with him?” She had suspected for a while, but the occasion to ask had never presented itself. Now it was the perfect time. For a long time Aelin was not much fussed about Rowan, but recently sje had seen changes in her daughter.

“No…” but as soon as the word left her mouth she hid her face in the crook of her mother’s neck.

“Do you want my real opinion of the sugarcoated version?”

“Real.”

Evalin pulled back and stared at her daughter in her eyes “You both gave up too easily.”

Aelin was silent at the confession.

“As soon as it got too hard, you just called it quits and got a divorce. You took the coward way out instead of fighting for your marriage.”

Aelin sighed “What marriage? We fought so much… that was not love… it was just to cover a mistake.”

“Your daughter was not a mistake,” Evalin’s tone had gone harsh all of a sudden. She adored her granddaughter. Early pregnancy or not Maya was the joy in her grandparents’ lives.

Heavy sobs shook Aelin’s body.

Evalin sighed once more “Aelin, darling, I have been married to your father for over forty years,” she started, grabbing Aelin’s hand in hers in an attempt to calm her “Some days I would gladly strangle him or when he really pisses me off I imagine creative ways to dispose of his body,” a chuckle left her lips “I crave the evenings, like tonight, when he has his meeting with his friends, so I can have a me night.” a pause to let the words sink in “but I love him just as much as when we started dating. Forty odd years with that grump and I would not have it any other way.”

Aelin was about to add something but Evalin stopped her “We fight, all couples do. There is no such thing as the perfect marriage, Aelin. But we do our best to overcome our problems and disagreements and avoid going to bed mad at each other.”

Aelin stood silent.

“You and Rowan did not fight for each other. And Rowan’s parents think the same.”

Aelin’s hand went to her necklace, feeling the presence of the ring under the fabric.

“Do you still love him?” Evalin asked once more.

Aelin did not answer and her mother shook her head, having her final answer “you need to tell him. You and Rowan need to have a chat.”

“He has long moved on.”

“Not according to what Maya has told me.”

Evalin smiled at the surprise in Aelin’s face.

“Oh yes, your daughter has been talking a lot with me and her other grandma. Last time he dated was a few years back and on that occasion it did not go past the first date.”

“There is no future for us. That door closed on the day we signed the divorce papers.”

Evalin took a deep sigh and pulled Aelin to her “Only death is permanent.” A caress on her face “You read a lot of romance novels. Ever heard about second chance romance?”

Aelin nodded weakly.

“You and Rowan can have it. You deserve it and Maya does it too.”

Blue eyes met her copy “how? Where do I start? I want…” another sob “I dated but no one was ever like him. He is my home…”

A huge grin spread on Evalin’s face. She had known that Aelin was still in love. Now with Maya’s help she had to push them to talk.

Aelin that night went home and once in bed composed a text message: I am sorry.

I’d never regret choosing you and Maya.

Saturday finally arrived and Rowan was nervous. After the text message a few nights before he had no other contact with Aelin. Maya had told him that her mum was definitely coming. He needed a moment with her, wanted to talk. Maya was right. Truth was, he never stopped caring about Aelin. She was his home. She was still the first person he texted after a hockey game to discuss the results.

Rowan had gone and had a chat with his parents and found out that they believed they had given up too easily. His dad told him that he should have convinced Aelin to try and overcome the problems together. He had been thinking about that conversation for a few days now. He had to talk to Aelin.

Rowan was so deep in his musings when Maya joined him in the kitchen “is my cake nice and full of chocolate?”

“It definitely meet yours and your mother’s standards.”

“She needs it.”

Rowan’s ears perked up “is she okay?”

Maya grinned internally at her father’s need to fuss “She is fine. She has just been working a lot and now for some reason she has three weekend shifts in a row in the A&E. She hasn’t done that in a long time.”

He smiled. He knew that Aelin had offered to cover the emergency room in exchange of Maya’s special present.

“Maybe they are short of doctors?”

Maya shrugged “Will you be nice to her? She is tired. No stress. It’s my birthday, I want my family all together happy.”

He pulled her to his chest “I don’t want to hurt her or you,” Maya hugged her father tight and could sense the pain in his words. He cared, he still did and had decided that he was going to make an effort to give his daughter another gift. A chance to have her family again.

Aelin was late. All the guests had arrived but she was not there yet. He kept checking his phone for a message but nothing. Fear started to grow in him that she had decided to bail. He looked at Maya and she shook her head. No news.

It was almost an hour later when the doorbell rang and he ran to the door like a desperate man.

He flung the door open and in front of him stood an Aelin who looked like a wreck. Instinct screamed at him to hug her but he restrained himself.

“Sorry I am late,” her flat tone was a shot through his heart. “A&E was hell tonight…”

“Come Ae, we have plenty of chocolate.”

She gave him a tight smile and followed him inside. Maya was in her arms a second later “You made it.”

“Sorry, darling… work was bad.”

The rest of the group welcomed her and Rowan announced that it was finally present time. He wanted to keep his for last. He had been working on it for a while. The room had been locked and he had told Maya that he was working on it and it was a mess and did not want her to go inside. Aelin gave her daughter her present after all their friends. Maya had screamed at the signed jersey and at the pass for two for the meet and greet. Seeing her daughter that happy washed away a bad shift at the hospital. Soon after Rowan took her to the door that had been locked for weeks. When he opened the door Maya gasped. The room was a library. Bookcases covered the walls, and they were quite full of her books. That’s where her father had stashed them. He hadn’t placed them in the attic while he worked on the living room.

“Dad…”

“This is yours Maya, a library, I made it for you. Happy birthday, baby.”

Maya was crying and hugging her father fiercely “I love you, dad.”

It was later on when all the guests had gone and the house tidied up that Rowan went looking for Aelin. Lysandra and Elide had helped him tidy up and had told her to stay in the living room and relax. Aelin though, was not where he expected her. He walked around the house until he noticed the door of the library slightly ajar. He took a step inside and found Aelin standing and looking at the books.

He stared at her in silence. Aelin was stunning. She was the most beautiful woman he had set eyes on. He had tried to forget her with other women, but no one ever made him feel like her. She was his soulmate and he had been an idiot to even think that she could be replaced. It had taken him ten years and his daughter to realise his mistake.

“Rowan?”

He shook his head at the sound of her voice. Aelin was looking at him and her eyes were puffy.

“Aelin…” he moved a step to her and that’s when she crashed into his arms. On instinct he hugged her and the feeling of her body against to his was like coming home after a long trip.

“Are you okay?”

In his arms she started crying and he held her tighter “I lost two kids tonight….” Her sobs intensified “a hit and run. They were on their bikes and someone just drove into them…” when she started shaking he moved a hand on her back, caressing gently while the other went to her head, stroking her hair in an attempt of comfort.

He always hated when Aelin was hurting. It made him physically sick.

“I love you…” he whispered very softly not afraid anymore of the truth that had been now clear as daylight “ I never stopped…” Aelin looked up and stared in his pine green eyes in disbelief “I have one big regret.”

She tried to pull back but he kept her close “I regret that I ever let you go, that I gave up easily when things got hard.” With the back of his hand he caressed her face while his thumb wiped her tears “it took a chat with our daughter to realise that I am still in love with you.”

Aelin stared at him stunned for what felt like an eternity “I… I tried to convince myself that you resented me because it was easier. It allowed me to keep my distance and ignore my feelings.” Her hand went to her neck and pulled out the necklace and showed him her wedding ring “I wear it all the time. You are always with me.”

Rowan chuckled and extracted his wallet from his back pocket. He opened the little compartments for the coins and extracted a silver band identical to Aelin’s.

“I want to try… I want our second chance…” she whispered while searching his gaze and the smile he gave her was the most stunning vision she ever saw. And when he nodded Aelin’s fears left her.

“Mala save me I missed you…” he grabbed her and pulled Aelin at his chest. She looked up at him through her blurred vision and then buried her face in the crook of his neck. She inhaled the scent of pine and snow that always made her feel at home.

Rowan had not realised how truly he had missed until she was in his arms once more. But never again. And when he looked down once againit was to slant his mouth on hers. His souls sang at the contact, recognising the part that had gone missing for too long. He kissed her and all the pieces fell back into place. He was complete once more.

Maya had gone downstairs to get some water when she heard voices in the library. Silently she flattened against the wall and listened. It was her parents and they were talking.

And when she heard her dad tell Aelin he loved her, Maya had to try very hard not to squeal. She knew it and took pride in having opened his eyes to his stupidity.

She stood and listened and when she peeked inside and saw them kissing she started crying in happiness.

6 months later.

While Maya was getting ready for the wedding she took a moment to think about the whirlwind that the previous six months had been. After the evening in the library, her parents had spent countless nights talking and dealing with the past. She knew they wanted to get everything out and not leave anything that might jeopardise the relationship again. She had given them space. A few times had organised a sleepover at Aidan’s and auntie Lys had been delighted in playing a part in getting her parents back together.

Until one night they took her aside and asked her if she was okay with Aelin moving to Rowan’s house. They had explained her that they finally were ready for their new life together. To be a family again. Maya had screamed in delight. Three months later Rowan proposed in their back garden that she had helped to decorate.

And now the big day had finally arrived and she was excited. They had gone for a very low key ceremony in their back garden and Alistair, her grandfather was going to officiate. Rhoe was going to walk Aelin down the aisle and she had been appointed maid of honour with auntie Lysandra and Elide as bridesmaid.

She walked down the grass and stopped to take her position and face her dad. He looked stunning and happy. Since he an her mum had reconciled, not a day has passed when he wasn’t smiling, or humming while cooking. They were both two brand new people. They had only needed a little push to finally face what had been in front of them.

Classical music filled the air and Aelin finally appeared at Rhoe’s arm. Maya did not miss the light in Rowan’s eyes when he saw her.

Aelin stopped in front of him and her father in law took the stage.

“Thank you every one for being here today at my son and Aelin’s wedding,” he started, scanning the crowd “Life doesn’t always offer second chances, but if you are offered one you better take it. Rowan and Aelin have chosen their family and today they are here, in front of us, to rekindle the promise that they had exchanged thirteen years ago.”

Alistair nodded and Rowan took Aelin’s hand “Fireheart, fate has allowed me to get to marry my soulmate a second time. I am a lucky man and I will treasure forever this moment. I also don’t want to spend another day apart from you,” he grabbed her hand “You and Maya are my dream, my perfect life and my everything. I love you. To whatever end.”

He heard Aelin sniffle and squeezed his hand in return “My buzzard, you entered my life on tip toes and slowly became a part of my own soul. For ten years I wandered in search for answers and a way to deal wit the past and the hole you left in my life.” She paused and looked at Maya “turns out our daughter was the key,” Aelin extended her hand and invited the girl to join them “I love you Rowan, there’s no way without you.”

Maya squealed and kissed her mum.

Alistair smiled at his granddaughter, then looked at Lorcan and took the rings. The same ones they used in their first marriage and never abandoned. They had just asked a jeweller to change the dates inside, but had wanted to keep the originals.

Rowan grabbed Aelin’s ring “Aelin with this ring I promise you to cherish you, to walk the path of life at your side. In health, in sickness, through bad and good days, to fight for us, until death do us part.” He placed the ring and Aelin got ready to do the same “Rowan, with this ring, accept my promise to share my life with you for good and for worse, through illness and health, to hold your hand in this journey together, till death do us part.”

Aelin placed the ring on his finger and stared in his eyes glistening with joy.

Maya grabbed both of her parents’ hands and turned to her grampa.

“Friends, family, please join me in sharing our love for Aelin and Rowan Whitethorn-Galathynius. I wish you all the happiness in the universe.” He patted Rowan’s shoulder “now come on, you have my permission to kiss her.”

Rowan’s arms sneaked behind her back and pulled her to his chest and kissed with all the love he had for the woman in his arms.

Later on, during a break in the festivities Aelin grabbed her husband and pulled him aside.

“Aelin, I don’t think this is the right time for a quickie.”

Her finger landed on his lips “you are insatiable.”

Rowan moved even closer “I have ten years to make up for.”

She giggled but pushed him back gently “I have something to tell you….”

He looked at his wife with a mix of nervousness “if you have changed your mind it’s too late.”

Aelin kissed him “No, I love you and being married to you feels right,” her hands carded in his long hair “I am pregnant, Rowan.”

The happiness that spread on his face was the most beautiful and precious sight.

“For real?”

Aelin nodded.

“I love you,” his hand landed on her still flat belly.

Rowan held his wife in his arms and together they slow danced at the sound of the music in the background.

No more fears, no more running. They were a family now.

He hugged Aelin closer and while inhaling the lavender scent of her hair he considered himself the luckiest man alive. He had a second chance, and with it the love of his life in his arms.

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