#it is said that she took a lot of traits of her dad

[bwobgames]

Previous First

They reach the second floor

It's still as unsettling as ever

The clock ticks

"It's past 9, but the clock didn't chime. Is it broken?"

"Maybe it's for the best. It was really loud"

They see a girl get out of one of the rooms carrying various blankets.

"Hey! If that's for the blanket fort, then put them back. It's been canceled!"

"... Who are you"

"Ah, the scary judgmental stare of a teenager who's cooler than you, it should be considered a war tactic"

"I'm Detective Beebo, and this is my partner Detective Ángel, we would like to ask you some questions"

She looks at Ángel weirdly

"Are you-"

"I am sorry for interrupting, but please do not ask if we are cops. We are not cops. We are private detectives, and we do not associate with the police department "

"Yeah! We don't care about the law!"

"That is not what I said, and I'd like that misinformation to not be repeated anywhere else"

"Hehe"

"I see you opening twitter. Put that down"

"Fine, but I'll keep the hat for longer"

"Wha- you're not even wearing it! Give it back!"

"It's the price to pay for my silence"

"Are you guys done?"

"Ah! Yes, ahem, we wanted to ask you about your father, Mr. Coli"

"Do you happen to know anything about him? What might make him want to commit multiple crimes?"

"... Why are you asking?"

"Me?"

"Not you, you are Oliver Beebo, right?"

"Uh, I am. Have we met before?"

She ignores that and turns to Ángel

"Aren't you the guy who bought the comp-"

"YES! I BUY MANY THINGS HAHA, JUST A HOBBY FROM DETECTIVE WORK! HAH."

"But that doesn't really matter right now, yeah? This has nothing to do with that, so we don't have to talk about it"

"Wha- have THEY met before?

Did they have a fight over a last product on a supermarket or what"

"... I'll only talk to Beebo"

"What?"

"I have something to ask you"

"Wait, no! We asked first!"

"Please don't tell me Ángel has some sort of rivalry with a 17 year old girl"

"So? Are you really in a position to ask for anything, 'detective' Ángel?"

"Never mind, you are right, ladies first"

"Uh, so, you'll tell me? About your father?"

"Yes. In private"

Ángel does not look happy. He and the teen are exchanging nasty looks

"He has a rivalry with a 17 year old. Ah man, I already decided to keep him, so better get used to it, I guess"

"I guess we'll separate for a bit"

"Ah, yeah, it's fine"

"Um, were will you two be?"

"Well, she needs to out those blankets back, so, a room?"

"That's fine, don't try hearing from behind the door, you"

"Wh- I would never!"

"I'll just stay by the stairs.

That way, if anything happens, here or on the first floor, I can quickly check it out!"

"I'd prefer if you weren't alone"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, and I can just call Vivi if I get lonely"

"... Alright, but be safe, okay? Don't you dare not be safe"

He looks a bit sad at that

"I will. Now go get that info from Miss moody teen over there"

"Die"

"Bye-bye to you too"

Oliver and Nadia enter one of the rooms, and there's not much difference between them, just window placement

She puts the blankets down

"So"

"You know me?"

"Yes, I've looked you up online"

"Oh, do you want to hire me?"

"Not quite, I need to know something from you"

"So do I, I've been told you know more about your father than others"

She gets quiet

"We can both get what we want"

"You're right"

"Then, let me ask you, Mr. Detective

Have you ever heard about

House anatomy"

[pixiesfz]

we need a dad Jessie fic please 🫶🏼

I am a D.I.L.F

Dangerously In Love with Fleming

father to be j.f

plot: You and Jessie are preparing for your baby but Jessie is somehow picking up dad traits?

warnings: fluff, prime Chelsea team, little blurb

“It’s a girl”

The words were magic to your ears as you laid down on the chair, Jessie’s hand entertained with yours as she took a great look at the monitor.

You would love your baby if it was a boy or a girl but you secretly hoped it would be a girl, especially if you planned to have another kid, an older sister would be great for them.

The doctor excused herself from the room before Jessie lowered her body to hug you from behind “we’re having a baby girl” she hummed and you nodded “we’re having a baby girl”.

It was at your private home when you started decorating your daughter’s bedrooms that you noticed the signs of Jessie’s new persona.

“If anyone touches her before she’s eighteen” she grumbled, folding clothes “you touched me before I was eighteen” you smirked and the Canadian glared at you

“That’s different”

You laughed at her expression “what?” She asks “I’m just very impressed at your protectiveness over our unborn child”

The next time was when she came home from training late with target bags.

“Could you not have called to say you went shopping” you stated from the kitchen where you were cooking “sorry baby” Jessie quickly said before kissing your cheek, walking to the table before laying the bags down.

“But there was this sale on kids stuff and-“

“You went shopping for our child without me?”

Jessie’s eyes widened under her cap as she realised her small mistake “the sale was ending tonight, Pernille came as well of that helps”

You cocked your head over “that helps”.

“Okay so I got her some clothes and then I thought cause she’ll be my little princess I got her these”

You tried to ignore the horrendous Elsa dress, not bothering to tell her that Elsa was actually a queen and instead focused on her words “your little princess?”

Jessie ignored you “and then I got books aswelll, some for education and some for entertainment and then I also got little footy boots”

You stared at your wife “This baby will be waiting a couple of years before going on the field Jess” you told her sternly and she slowly nodded.

“I just got excited” she admitted and you smiled, walking towards her “I know, and I love it” you said, wrapping your arms around her “I love you”.

Then came the building of the crib, your belly had grown a lot more and Jessie refused to let you help in the build, claiming that she didn’t want any chance of harm.

“Jessie my father taught me how to use a drill” you told her from the door but she had her fists on her hips and crossed her head “no you’re not doing it” she said before grabbing the drill again.

“You’re so stubborn” you grumbled from you space “Give me twenty minutes, then I’ll start the pram”

You watched her for the next fourty minutes as she completed the crib, many YouTube videos and calls to her family helped her along the way.

But you smiled in awe at your proud girlfriend who stared at her creation, hands on her hips with her training gear still on, she was so excited to start making it as soon as she got home.

In all honesty early she reminded you of your own father and the pictures you had of him when waiting for your little siblings.

“Onto the pram” she said walking out of the room, only to see that you had already assembled it.

You had finally realised what part of the parenting trope Jessie had picked about a month before you were due when she kept checking her phone.

Jessie was not a social person, let alone a social media type person but she never told you what she was looking at.

Until she started using them on you.

them as in dad jokes…

“Hey babe, did you hear about that Actor who broke his leg, turns out he’s still in the cast”

You rolled your head back with a groan as you had heard the eighth joke that night “How many times have you told that one?” You ask, sitting down next to her.

“Erin and Adam loved it when I told it at training”

“Of course they did.”

Though throughout the traits that Jessie had picked up you still loved her more than anything in the world, you would even go out to say you learned to love her even more but you didn’t want to enlarge her ego any more.

Instead you cuddled up into her side “You’re going to be such a good mum” you told her and you felt her relax “yeah?” She asked and you nodded.

“I can’t wait.”

[mechaknight-98]

Undaunted (NSFW) ft Sejeong

Author’s note: when I started this piece it was meant to be a fun romp but because Mr. Riordan has tied so much of being a half-blood to being neuro divergent a lot of old wounds invariably brought up and I had a lot to say… more so than usual. So bear with me on this one it’s a long one. 13 k words or so.

I always thought that isolation suited me more than unity or coalitions, believing I could handle anything alone. I've never been more glad to be proven wrong.

Sejeong and I were recent acquaintances. I had been working as a videographer for her entertainment company for four weeks now, spending hours on photo shoots, behind-the-scenes videos, and assisting with music videos and audition tapes. She was bubbly and energetic, a bit much for my taste, but she didn't push me too hard, so I continued working with her. I respected her dedication to her craft—whether acting, modeling, brand ambassadorship or singing—as she always strived to embody each role with utmost dedication. It was inspiring.

At the end of an early day's shoot, she approached me for the first time with genuine interest. Aware that my stern demeanor often kept others at bay, Sejeong boldly asked, "You're Val, right?" I nodded slowly, skepticism palpable. Sejeong smiled warmly and said, "Great, you're coming for coffee with me after this."

Her determined look made it clear that refusal wasn't an option. Before agreeing, I needed to understand her motives.

"Sure, but on one condition," I replied. "You tell me why."

Sejeong tilted her head, maintaining her innocent smile. "Because, silly, we've been working together for months, and I don't even know your name," she said matter-of-factly.

I narrowed my eyes; Sejeong mirrored me, realizing her oversight.

"I barely know yours either," she retorted. "Plus, what if there's an emergency and you need to be found? I think they'll need more information than tall stocky African American man,” Sejeong expanded

Her response eased my skepticism. I followed her to a nearby coffee shop where she remained bubbly and smiling throughout—concerning traits in my experience. People like that were either hiding immense pain or were super evil. As we ordered, she insisted on paying.

"I'm sorry, I just have bad luck when I don't pay for meals," she explained.

I shrugged, "It's no big deal. Plus, this isn't a meal. I got a hot chocolate, and you got coffee."

Sejeong relaxed at my logic. As we sat down, she steepled her hands and asked, "So, tell me about yourself."

This was the first time I took a good look at her, and she was stunning. Despite being a couple of years older, she exuded an aura of ease that made me feel oddly comfortable like I could drop my guard. So, I acquiesced to her prodding.

"Just a normal guy from Cali, I guess. Mom, Dad, and two sisters."

"Oh, are you the oldest, youngest, or middle child?" she inquired.

"I'm in the middle," I responded.

"Cool. I'm the youngest," Sejeong shared. I nodded, surprising her.

"Wait, you know?" she asked, puzzled.

"I did my research before joining the company. Plus, I'm a casual K-pop fan, and you're considered royalty," I explained. Sejeong smiled.

"So, are you a fan of mine too?" she teased.

I shrugged, "I like your acting, but your music isn't my thing."

Realizing too late that I should have been more tactful, I tried to clarify, "Not that it's bad objectively; it's just not my taste."

This only seemed to make it worse, and Sejeong began to pout. "So, you hate my music?" she asked, hurt.

As the situation escalated, I searched for a way to salvage it. Thankfully, a blonde angel came to my rescue.

"Unnie, leave this poor guy alone. Can't you see he's flustered?" Somi intervened as she approached our table. Beside her was a young man in our age range named Ivan. Sejeong turned to Somi, smiling.

"Ah, Somi, can't I have a little fun?" she teased, hugging her friend. Ivan and Somi joined us, and the atmosphere shifted from a business introduction to a casual hangout among friends. Feeling out of place, I listened as Ivan, Somi, and Sejeong chatted and bantered like old friends.

As they talked, a server brought over a plate of food "on the house." While they were engrossed in their conversation, I managed to sneak a few bites, hoping to leave some for them. After ten minutes of rapid Korean dialogue, I excused myself to the restroom. Inside, I splashed water on my face, trying to clear my head.

"When you go back out there, you're going to tell them, 'Hey, something came up, and I have to head home,'" I rehearsed aloud. I failed to notice other occupants in the restroom, but I did hear the telltale rattling of a hydra's tail. Turning back, I found a Lernaean Hydra staring at me.

We locked eyes, and I tried to defuse the situation. "Hey, let's not fight. We can casually cross paths and not kill each other," I proposed, but the hydra lunged at me anyway. I dodged its attack and summoned the "Pyretic Claws of the Storm Beast," slashing at the hydra’s heads until I managed to defeat it. The hydra attempted to regenerate from burning stumps until it finally exploded with a loud "pop," leaving me covered in its guts and slime.

Behind where the hydra stood, Sejeong, Ivan, and Somi stared at me with intrigue.

"You're a demigod, like us," Sejeong declared.

Over the next few days, Sejeong insisted on introducing me to her other demigod friends. These meet-ups usually came with a free meal, so I reluctantly accepted. The friends included two more couples: Levi and Heejin, and Gahyeon and Preston. Levi and Preston were friends of Ivan. I tried to keep my distance both emotionally and physically, but Sejeong always pushed me back into the center. Her reasoning was always along the lines that demigods shouldn’t be alone. Rationally, it made sense; I just didn’t like it. My dad had intentionally raised me away from all of this when my mother left, so I was conflicted. After meeting everyone, we started doing group hangs, the first of which was today.

When we reached the outside of Somi and Ivan’s apartment, I stood frozen. Sejeong noticed and smiled at me.

“Everything alright, Vally?” she asked. I remained silent, prompting her to furrow her brows.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I don’t like this, but I can’t place why. Everything about crossing this threshold makes my skin crawl and makes me want to smash something,” I responded.

Sejeong listened and then asked, “Weren’t you raised around demigods?”

I shook my head. I had met others before but never more than a handful of times. Sejeong’s eyes widened as she listened, prompting her to ask, “Wait, so you’ve survived all this time with no training and no support? Do you even know your godly parent?”

I resisted the urge to scoff. My situation was unique, despite being normal for me, so scoffing at her served no purpose.

“Yes, Seji. My mother claimed me before I went to college and gave me the ‘Claws of the Storm Beast.’ She told me, ‘You’re on your own. I can’t protect you anymore,’” I explained.

Sejeong looked befuddled before asking, “Who the hell is your mom? That sounds terrible.”

I thought about lying but realized it would serve no purpose, so I told the complicated and strange truth. “My mom is Zeus. Long story short, Hera thought a good punishment for his sins would be to live as a woman for a few years. During one of those years, Zeus met my dad, who was separated from his wife, the lady I refer to as my mom, and they had me. She dropped me off with my dad and came back occasionally to chat with him until he reconciled with his wife.”

I watched as Sejeong’s brain broke hearing that. I didn’t blame her; the same thing happened to me when I first heard it.

When she recovered, she asked, “How have you been surviving all this time without being trained? And what is the ‘Fangs of the Storm Dragon’ you mentioned?”

Her response seemed odd to me, but I humored her. “I learned to fight from TV, specifically wrestling and action hero shows. The ‘fangs of the Storm Dragon’ is my weapon, given to me by my mom. It was designed and crafted by my mom with elements from each major betrayer god.”

Sejeong nodded and said, “We are getting you trained as soon as possible.”

I raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Sejeong didn’t respond further, which frustrated me. I had told her all this stuff about me, yet I still didn’t have much information about her. Before she could open the door, I asked about her godly parent and how she survived. She was so taken aback by my story that she was super open about hers.

“My dad is Loki. He claimed me when I was young, but I was already training with other demigods at that point,” she answered.

I nodded at the foreign concepts and feigned understanding of what that was like, yet I remained frozen still.

Sejeong smiled then said, “Tell you what Vally if you come with me right now I'll let you be alone all next week.” I know her words were meant to comfort but they brought a sense of unease within me as I found myself saying,

“No! I like spending time with you…I have grown accustomed to you being around.” I said the rational part of my mind says she still has the potential to be a highly dangerous individual but my emotions presented an intense dichotomy.

Sejeong smiled at me and then said, “If you wanted to date me you could have asked.” she smiled as she watched me short-circuit for a few seconds before opening the door and leading me inside my hand in hers.

The atmosphere in the room is jovial, with friends hanging out and goofing off. It is oddly charming. Sejeong leads me to a spot next to her as we huddle around a hot pot. I take out the Kobe beef and other various meats I brought, along with some veggies and a couple of sushi rolls for palate diversity.

Ivan, Somi’s boyfriend and son of Bacchus, says merrily, “You brought all this for us? Dude, you are the best.”

A smile creeps onto my face. “Well, yeah. Someone has to make sure you don’t poison us with alcohol.”

Sejeong turns to me and cracks a smile. “Oh, was that a joke I heard? I thought Mr. Serious didn’t understand jokes.”

I look at her and reply, “Well, maybe you just aren’t funny?”

Somi, daughter of Aphrodite, laughs, putting me further at ease. Heejin, the daughter of Tsukuyomi laughs too, and stares at me. Not in a particularly menacing or emotionally charged way, but in a very observant way, as if she is trying to figure me out.

Eventually, she asks the question I think she’s been wanting to. “So, Val, who is your godly parent?” The room grows silent. Feeding on the excitement and atmosphere, I reply, “Take a guess.”

Sejeong laughs before telling them that they would never guess it, even with a million hints. I agree but give them the first one.

“She is not who you think it would be.”

Sejeong compliments my hint, saying how good it was as the group begins to guess.

“Morrigan. You kinda radiate her energy as a scary powerhouse,” Levi, son of Tyr says.

I shake my head.

Gahyeon, daughter of Daji, says, “Hmm, well then, my guess is Izanami.”

I shake my head again, surprising everyone. I see Preston, son of Minerva, eyeing me intently.

“It’s your mom, correct?” he asks.

I nod.

“What pantheon?”

“Greek,” I respond.

Preston eyes me, then says, “Huh, you seem way too powerful to be just the son of a Greek goddess. We thought you were stronger than that. Based on how you carry yourself and the static always around you, I’d say Zeus, but that can’t be right.”

At this point, Sejeong loses it. She begins laughing uncontrollably and smiling, making everyone present look at her. Then it clicks.

“Your mom is Zeus,” Somi says. She pauses, then adds, “Yes, we love a girl boss.”

I turn to Sejeong, confused, but she is all smiles.

“How?” Heejin asks, baffled.

“Well, I—” I begin to answer, but time seems to slow down until the air stops. I look around to see everything frozen.

To further emphasize the similarities between Val and Zeus, you can incorporate the following elements into their interaction:

“So, you finally found a home?” an older, feminine voice rang out, instantly recognizable. My fists clenched and my jaw tightened, mirroring the way she used to stand when preparing for a confrontation.

I turned to face my mother. She looked older than the last time I saw her, but still undeniably her: dark skin like mine, long dark brown hair streaked with white, and those piercing gray eyes. Her stance was identical to mine, a stance of readiness and defiance. Everything I hated about myself reflected in me.

“How have you been, DuVal?” she asked, her tone calm yet fierce. It was a voice I had often used to mask my vulnerabilities. I stared in silence, feeling a storm of emotions rise within me. Her gaze held a mix of emotions—bottled rage, the same rage I saw in myself, always simmering just beneath the surface.

“I see you’ve found a home.” Her words were careful, layered with meaning. I kept my guard up, watching her eyes flick from me to Somi, then Heejin, and finally to Sejeong. When her gaze returned to me, it was with a knowing look.

“This one, she’s the one you like,” my mother said confidently.

My fists tightened, my eyes never leaving hers. “Why are you here, Zeus? To remind me of all the times you weren’t?”

She sighed, a mixture of sadness and frustration in her expression. “I know I haven’t been the mother you needed. My actions—or lack of them—have caused you pain. But I’ve always watched over you, DuVal. Always.”

“Watching from a distance isn’t the same as being there,” I retorted, my voice rising. “You left me to fend for myself, to figure out who I am and what I’m supposed to do. And now you just show up, expecting what? Gratitude?”

Her eyes softened. “What was I to do? Beg your father not to break you despite being adamant about making you like everyone else? I don't beg. I told him the ramifications of pursuing ‘rearing for your special needs,’ but he didn't listen. No matter how many teachers and mentors I sent your way, dropping hints about embracing your heritage, he ignored me. Only your mother listened.”

I tensed. “I didn’t agree with my dad on a lot of things, but I believe he did his best.”

“He didn’t know what I was or what it would cost,” I added.

“You believe that? Then why would he root you so deeply in his faith despite having met me and our chats? Why only mention me when he kicked you out? Has he ever apologized for that? If this is about abandonment, he’s as guilty as I am. No, this goes deeper. You hate me because I remind you of all your failed attempts to be normal, despite knowing you’re not. Well, let me be the bigger person and say, ‘I’m sorry I burdened you with such gifts.’”

“Do you expect me to be grateful for this condescending apology?”

“I don’t expect gratitude. I know I don’t deserve it. But you need to understand the weight of your heritage. There are threats on the horizon, and your power is needed.”

I shook my head, the storm inside me brewing. “I’m nothing like you. I don’t want to be.”

“You don’t believe that. I see it in your heart and your eyes. Your appetites are like mine. We share the drive to lead, and to have power. You just refuse yourself. Why not let yourself run wild and let experience temper you? It will be the only way you will learn control.”

Her words brought a splitting headache as my rage and emotions threatened to spill out. Zeus looked to Sejeong and said, “Have you even kissed her yet? Or are you fighting your attraction to her as well?”

Her words were scathing. I thought of a clever comeback, but she was always quicker. “I mean, she is your type—cute face, bubbly personality, sizable assets, and older than you. Why haven’t you made a move?” she prodded.

“Shut up,” I said.

“If you just let yourself be free, you wouldn’t stumble over your words like that.” She bemoaned, “Stop holding back,” she demanded.

She stepped closer, her presence both comforting and overwhelming. “You are more like me than you realize. The strength, the rage, the desire to protect those you care about. It’s all there, DuVal. Embrace it.”

I shook my head defiantly. “Oh really? So you expect me to believe your heart doesn’t ache that she’s not yours. Maybe I should take her.” I broke for a moment, I admit she was pressing all my buttons.

“Touch her and I’ll rip your throat out. She’s mine!” I growled, and my mother was all smiles.

“See how good that felt? I could feel the conviction, the passion, the courage in your words there. Surely it felt good to tell me off, to stake your claim, didn’t it?”

I stood straight and readjusted my posture, and my mother groaned.

The room seemed to pulse with her words, the static in the air intensifying. I glanced at Sejeong, her frozen smile a stark reminder of what was at stake. Could I turn my back on this part of myself?

“I don’t need your help,” I said, though the conviction in my voice wavered.

“Perhaps not,” she replied softly. “But you need to know the truth. The path you’re on is fraught with danger, and you can’t face it alone. Think about it, DuVal. Think about who you want to be.”

I clenched my fists, feeling the energy crackle around me. “I want to be someone different. Someone better.”

“You can be better, DuVal. Better than me. But not by denying who you are. Our power, our drive, it’s a part of us. Channel it, control it, and it will make you stronger. You’ve always had the potential to surpass me, but you have to stop fighting yourself.”

She reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder. The touch was electric, a jolt that sent shivers down my spine. “Embrace the storm within you. Use it to protect those you love. Don’t let fear hold you back.”

I looked into her eyes, seeing a reflection of my struggle. The same determination, the same intensity. “I don’t want to be like you, but I can’t deny what I am.”

“Then don’t deny it. Use it. Be the leader you’re meant to be, not the one you think you should be. Lead with your heart and your passion. It’s not a weakness, it’s your greatest strength.”

I took a deep breath, the storm inside me calming slightly. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask,” she said, her voice softening. “Just remember, you’re not alone in this. You have people who care about you, and who will stand by you. Don’t push them away.”

As she stepped back, I felt a strange sense of relief and a flicker of hope. Maybe I could find a way to balance the storm within me, to use my power for something good. But it would take time, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to fully embrace that part of myself.

“Think about it, DuVal. Think about who you want to be,” she repeated, her eyes locking with mine one last time before she turned and walked away.

I stood there, the static in the air slowly dissipating, and looked at Sejeong. She gave me a reassuring smile,

With that, time resumed. The room filled with laughter and conversation once more, but my mind was a whirlwind of confusion and unresolved emotions. Noticing my change in temperament, Sejeong squeezed my hand, grounding me in the moment. I had a lot to consider, and even more to decide. So I did the thing I knew best.

“I have to go. I just remembered I had something to do,” I said to everyone. Sejeong stood up in front of me as I tried to leave.

“DuVal, what happened? You were cracking jokes and having fun, and now you have to leave. What gives?” The rest of the group surrounded me. Their faces showed concern, but I couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. I tried to get around Sejeong, not realizing at the time that the children of Loki could shapeshift. One moment I was trying to politely get around her, the next I was facing a polar bear. At that moment, I would have rather dealt with Sejeong.

I began to suppress my surging fight response but was failing, as evidenced by the manifestation of "Abyssal Claws of the Storm Beast" in my hands. Realizing her tactics weren’t working, Sejeong did the smartest thing: she shifted back to her normal form and brought me down to her level, hugging me. My heart stilled as the storm inside me began to fade. She tilted my face up from her chest and, with a wicked smile, said, “Feeling better? Or do you need more time cuddling with Samantha and Rachel?” All the tension and emotional turmoil I was processing disappeared at that moment. I stood up and smiled at her. She smiled back before guiding me back to the party.

A few days later, we wrapped filming for a major project, and Sejeong took me back to her place. She booted up her PS5 and started playing FF7 Rebirth. I watched her play but didn’t try to backseat game her. I smiled as she triumphed over a particularly grueling boss in the middle of the game. She looked over to me with a smile, but the fatigue was getting to both of us. I felt my eyes droop and my head fall. The last thing I remembered was her saying, “Omomo.”

I dreamed I was overlooking a vast expanse of sky, the scene cautiously calming. I turned to see my mom. She was smiling, but her presence stirred the emotions I had been burying deep inside. My eye twitched involuntarily.

“Why do you hate yourself so much?” Zeus asked, her voice gentle yet piercing.

“What?” I responded, taken aback.

“You wallow in self-loathing. It’s concerning, yet you hide it well. Why?”

“I don’t understand,” I said, feeling a lump form in my throat.

“Every time we talk, I can see into you, just as you can see into me. I see your hatred of yourself for not being like others, for feeling destined for destruction rather than creation. You wish you could tear yourself apart every day, but you can’t because your body won’t let you. You repress the ferocious, fervent, royal side of you because you’re ashamed of it. Shame others taught you. You are a king. Why do you let them diminish you?”

“That’s a very out-of-touch way to view people,” I retorted, but Zeus wasn’t swayed.

“You and I both know these people don’t want to lead themselves. They want a wise and tested leader to guide them, to make the hard choices so they can live freely and safely. So what are they if not peasants?”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I wasn’t ready for this confrontation.

“Oh, you weren’t expecting your mother to challenge you like this, were you? Well, buckle up. This is just the beginning. You endure these miserable and intolerable creatures who engage with you as if they’re your equals and bear their injustices, yet wonder why they don’t accept you. No matter how much you defang and claw yourself, the truth remains: you aren’t like them. They know it and will continue to remind you of that fact. So why bother with them?”

“Because a true leader…” I began, but Zeus cut me off.

“A true leader leads ahead of the pack, where it is the loneliest. Stop acting like one of them. You’re better than them. You and that girl are better than this. You should be running the world together. That much is certain.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, frustration boiling over.

“Because you crave validation from sources that can’t give you the praise you seek. These people are not your peers, no matter how much you want them to be. So stand proud and ferocious. Let your rage and power out. Stop holding back because others can’t see your intentions. Let your desires guide you, not your mind. Your mind will only blind you, telling you who you need to be to survive, not who you are meant to be to thrive.”

I sat there, feeling competing desires rise within me, a storm of emotions I’d been trying to suppress.

“Don’t shame yourself for what you want. Want it, Chase it, but don't meander with the sheep it will only weaken you.”

I stared at my mother, her words slicing through the barriers I had meticulously built around my heart. The storm within me raged, conflicting desires crashing like thunder and lightning. I felt the familiar pull of shame, but also a strange, burgeoning sense of clarity.

“Mom, it’s not that simple,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I can’t just embrace this…this side of me. It’s dangerous. It’s destructive.”

Zeus’ expression softened, but her eyes remained fierce. “Dangerous? Destructive? DuVal, you are my son. You carry the tempest within you, but you also hold the power to control it. You are not just a force of destruction; you are a beacon of potential, of leadership, of hope.”

I shook my head, the weight of her expectations pressing down on me. “You don’t understand. I don’t want to be a monster. I don’t want to hurt people.”

“And you won’t,” she replied firmly. “You have the heart of a protector. But denying your true nature only weakens you, and makes you vulnerable. You need to find balance, to harness your power without letting it consume you.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the air crackle with the tension of my emotions. “How? How do I do that?”

Zeus stepped closer, her presence overwhelming yet comforting. “By accepting who you are, all of who you are. You are both human and divine. Embrace your heritage, not as a burden, but as a gift. Let those you care about see the real you, not the mask you wear to hide your fears.”

I felt a tear slip down my cheek, mingling with the faint sparks of static. “But what if they reject me? What if they can’t handle it?”

She gently wiped the tear away, her touch warm and grounding. “True friends, true allies, will stand by you, no matter what. And those who don’t? They were never meant to be part of your journey.”

I closed my eyes, letting her words sink in. The storm within me began to calm, not because it was gone, but because I was starting to accept it as a part of me. “I’ll try, Mom. I’ll try to be who I’m meant to be.”

Zeus smiled a rare, genuine smile that filled me with a sense of hope. “That’s all I ask. Remember, you are not alone in this. We are connected, you and I. And there is strength in that connection.”

As her image began to fade, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. The dream dissolved, and I woke up in Sejeong’s apartment. The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room.

Sejeong was still asleep, her face serene. I watched her for a moment, feeling a surge of affection and gratitude. She had seen a glimpse of my true self and hadn’t turned away. Maybe, just maybe, I could learn to embrace all parts of myself and find the balance I so desperately needed.

Carefully, I slipped out of bed and made my way to the window. (unsure how I got there from the couch) The sky was clear, a soft blue expanse stretching out before me. For the first time in a long while, I felt a spark of hope, a flicker of possibility. I didn’t have all the answers, but I had a direction, and a path to follow.

The decision to be honest with those who mattered most felt like a heavy weight lifting from my shoulders. I returned to Sejeong, lying peacefully in her sleep. Despite her serene appearance, she began to shuffle uncomfortably, her hand reaching out as if searching for something. On instinct, I took her hand, and the frown that had creased her face melted back into her typical smile.

I stayed with her like that for a while, watching her breathe and feeling the warmth of her hand in mine. When she finally woke, her eyes met mine with a clarity that took my breath away.

“Sejeong,” I said softly, my heart pounding.

“Yeah, Val?” she responded, her voice still thick with sleep.

“I like you,” I confessed, the words tumbling out with a mix of anxiety and relief.

Sejeong’s lips curved into a playful smile. “Well, are you going to do something about it?”

Without hesitating, I cupped her cheeks in my hands and kissed her. Her lips tasted faintly of the spicy ramen we’d shared earlier, a perfect mix of heat and comfort. As our kiss deepened, my mind began to blank out, and all I could focus on was the insatiable desire coursing through me.

Her hands moved to my shoulders, pulling me closer. The intensity of the moment seemed to charge the air around us. Static electricity crackled, making the tiny hairs on my arms stand on end. Sejeong’s touch was grounding, pulling me back even as my emotions threatened to overwhelm me.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes were bright, a mix of amusement and something deeper. “That’s more like it,” she teased, her fingers tracing the lines of my jaw.

I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in days. “There’s so much I need to tell you, Sejeong. About my mother, about what’s coming. But right now, I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

She nodded, her expression turning serious. “We’ll face whatever comes together, Val. But you don’t have to carry everything on your own. I’m here with you, every step of the way.”

Her words settled something inside me, a reassurance that I wasn’t alone. We stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, as the world outside continued to turn. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Sejeong smiles, but right now I think I need a bit more of your affection.

Sejeong’s eyes narrow as she brings me in for another kiss.

“Don’t think,” she said and my brain cleared of all thoughts the only thing that remained was lust and affection for her in the moment. She gave me a sexy and sultry look that made me want to see how far I could bury my dick into any of her holes. She goes in for another kiss then says, “Come on Val bare your fangs . Hunt! Let it all just this once,” she said instead of fighting my instincts and urges I run with them I tear into Sejeong’s hoodie and eventually we stand naked in front of each other.

I marvel at her bush. Which causes her to be uncharacteristically shy. When she tries to hide though I spread her legs open and plunge my dick inside of her pussy. Sejeong moans as I spear her, her eyes look up to mine and she smiles, “take me,” she implores me. I begin to thrust gently in and out of her. Hoping to find a tempo she likes. I emphasized slow and deep strokes as she seemed to like when I touched her womb. Her pussy envelops me with the most pleasant feeling of tightness that I can’t help but continue pleasing her. I watch as she comes undone from the pressure and she reaches her peak.

She moans and then looks up at me with a wild look in her eyes before pushing me to be under her. She begins to bounce on my rod with the fury of ten suns.

“Yes, Yes, fuck yes,” she moans as I feel her walls tighten to milk me for all I’m worth. The longer I last the more ferocious she becomes and eventually I lose to her and she has me cum all over her tits. She smiles before taking a long lurid lick and saying, “Delicious,”

The next day, I woke up in a muddled haze that cleared slightly when I saw Sejeong sleeping comfortably beside me. She looked serene, and I smiled, realizing just how much I loved her. That intense feeling was one of the many things my father had said we shared: the capacity to feel deeply.

As if sensing my thoughts, Sejeong turned to me with a bright smile. "Morning, handsome," she said. Her bright eyes looked into mine, and she leaned in to kiss me. I followed her lead, savoring the moment. "Okay, time to get up," she said.

"Okay," I responded. We got ready, and I made her coffee just the way she liked it. We watched the sunrise from a bench near Sejeong's apartment, and as the dawn broke, I felt a familiar presence.

I turned to see my mother approaching slowly but with intent. When she came into view, she appraised Sejeong and me. Sejeong looked at Zeus, then at me, and said, "I see the resemblance. That steely gaze, the commanding aura. You must be Zeus, although last time we met, you looked a little different."

Zeus looked at Sejeong, confused. "Daughter of Loki? How so?"

Sejeong laughed. "Oh, so that way of speaking is genetic. Well, Queen of the Skies, you had less of this," she pointed to her chest, "and you had something between your legs."

My mom looked up, and Sejeong laughed again. "Wow, Val got a lot from you," Sejeong chuckled. I turned to her, and she explained, "When you recollect Zeus, you look away as your mind goes over the memory."

I laughed. "Are you enjoying this?"

"Oh yes. I love seeing my boyfriend puzzled. He just has the cutest focused face."

"Boyfriend?"

"You're surprised? You've been at my beck and call for the past few weeks, and we've gone on three dates. We are boyfriend and girlfriend," Sejeong asserted. I gave a worried look.

"Am I that readable?"

"Not at first glance, but after seeing your heart and all your quirks, I've thumbed through your book a few times."

I groaned, making Sejeong laugh. "Come on, Vally, just accept it."

When she said that, Zeus chuckled. "You remind me of Val's father with that."

I turned to her, on guard. Sejeong noticed and squeezed my hand to calm me down.

"What do you mean?" Sejeong asked for me.

"Well, the playful teasing and compassion, for starters. But this makes me realize, Val," Zeus chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement and pride. "You know, our taste in partners is remarkably similar. I see so much of what I admire in Sejeong. She's strong, yet kind. Fiercely independent but deeply loyal. Just like your father."

I clenched my fist, my mom's praise for my father hitting a nerve. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't hold back. "If he was so great, then why did you leave him and me?" The sky darkened lightly at my comment. Zeus's intense glare bore into my eyes, but I didn't back down.

Zeus sighed, sitting down next to us. "It's complicated, Val. Your father and I... we had different paths, different destinies."

Sejeong, sensing the importance of the conversation, moved closer, her hand finding mine for support. Zeus noticed the gesture and smiled faintly.

"Your father was a good man, Val. Strong, principled, but also... mortal. Our worlds were too different. As a god, I have responsibilities and burdens he could never fully understand or share. And I could never be the partner he needed because of those obligations."

I frowned, trying to piece together the fragments of my childhood memories. "But you loved him, right? Why wasn't that enough?"

Zeus nodded, her eyes softening with a hint of sadness. "Love is powerful, but it's not always enough to bridge such vast differences. Our relationship put him in danger and exposed him to things no mortal should endure. And as much as I loved him, I couldn't let my presence continue to put him at risk. It wasn't fair to him, or you."

My jaw tightened, but I didn't interrupt. Sejeong squeezed my hand gently, offering silent support.

"I had to make a choice," Zeus continued, her voice heavy with the weight of her words. "I chose to protect him by leaving, hoping it would allow him to live a safer, more stable life. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but I believed it was the right one."

"Much like you with that Ishtar priestess. Speaking of, how did the curse turn out?" Zeus asked.

"It's been removed, thanks," I responded coldly. Zeus laughed.

"Good," she said with a smile. Sejeong, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "It's clear that your father loved you both, Val. But sometimes, love means making sacrifices for the greater good, even if it hurts."

I turned to Sejeong, her words resonating deeply. Then I looked back at Zeus, a sense of resolution beginning to form. "I understand now. It doesn't make it any less painful, but I get why you did what you did."

Zeus reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Val. And remember, even though I had to leave, I never stopped caring about you. I never stopped watching over you."

“So, this is the famous Sejeong,” Zeus said, her voice carrying that familiar mix of calm and intensity. Sejeong looked up, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Zeus. I could see her assessing my mother, taking in the same dark skin, the long brown hair streaked with white, and those piercing gray eyes that seemed to see right through you.

“Yes, and you must be Zeus,” Sejeong replied, her voice steady but her eyes flickering with curiosity and something akin to recognition.

Zeus smiled, a small, knowing smile that sent a chill down my spine. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the woman who’s managed to capture my son’s heart.”

Sejeong glanced at me, then back at Zeus. “The pleasure is mine. I’ve heard… a lot about you.”

“I’m sure you have,” Zeus said, her gaze shifting to me. “DuVal has always been quite the storyteller.”

I could see Sejeong studying us both, her eyes darting between Zeus and me. She had a keen eye for detail, and I knew she was picking up on the similarities—the way we both stood with a certain tension, the way our eyes could pierce through someone’s defenses, the way our voices carried a similar weight.

“You two move the same way,” Sejeong observed, her tone curious. “It’s like watching a reflection.”

Zeus chuckled softly. “Well, he is my son. Some things are bound to be inherited.”

Sejeong nodded, but her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to watch us. “But there are differences too. Val is… softer, I think. More willing to show his vulnerabilities.”

Zeus’s smile faded slightly. “Is that so? I always thought strength came from hiding one’s weaknesses.”

Sejeong shook her head. “No, I believe true strength comes from embracing them. From being honest about who you are.”

Zeus looked at Sejeong with a new level of respect. “You’re wise beyond your years, Sejeong. Perhaps you’re the influence DuVal needs.”

Sejeong smiled a warm and genuine smile that seemed to light up the porch. “Maybe we’re what each other needs.”

I felt a swell of pride at Sejeong’s words, but also a pang of something else—fear, perhaps, that she would see too much of Zeus in me.

Zeus stepped closer, her eyes fixed on Sejeong. “Tell me, Sejeong, what do you see when you look at DuVal?”

Sejeong didn’t hesitate. “I see someone who’s struggled, who’s faced immense challenges, but who’s still kind and caring. Someone who’s trying to find his place in the world.”

Zeus nodded slowly. “And do you see the same in me?”

Sejeong paused, her eyes thoughtful. “I see someone who’s powerful, but who’s perhaps forgotten what it’s like to be vulnerable. Someone who’s built walls to protect themselves.”

Zeus’s gaze softened for a moment, a rare display of vulnerability. “You’re very perceptive, Sejeong. DuVal is lucky to have you.”

Sejeong smiled again. “And he’s lucky to have you, too. Even if he doesn’t always see it that way.”

I looked at Zeus, seeing a flicker of something in her eyes—pride, maybe, or a hint of the love she rarely showed. It was a fleeting moment, but it was enough to give me hope.

Zeus smiled faintly, her gaze lingering on Sejeong. “You have your father’s eyes, but your mother’s spirit.”

Sejeong tilted her head slightly, a question in her eyes. “You knew my father?”

“Oh yes,” Zeus chuckled softly, “I’ve known Loki for eons. He’s quite the trickster, your father. Always up to some mischief or another.”

Sejeong raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement playing on her lips. “And how do I compare?”

Zeus studied Sejeong for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. “You are different from Loki in many ways. He revels in chaos and thrives on unpredictability. You, on the other hand, bring a sense of stability and clarity.”

Sejeong nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose I inherited my mother’s influence. She valued honesty and integrity above all else.”

“That balance serves you well,” Zeus noted, a hint of approval in her voice. “Loki may be a master of illusions, but you see through them. That’s a rare gift.”

Sejeong smiled warmly, a genuine expression that softened the tension between them. “Thank you. I try to use it wisely.”

Zeus nodded, her gaze shifting to me. “And DuVal? How does Sejeong influence you?”

I glanced at Sejeong, feeling a swell of pride and admiration. “She… grounds me. She sees through my walls and challenges me to be better.”

Zeus’s eyes softened, a hint of maternal pride flickering across her features. “You’ve chosen well, DuVal.”

Sejeong looked between us, sensing the unspoken history and emotions. “There’s a lot you two share,” she remarked softly. “But there are also differences.”

“Yes,” Zeus agreed, her gaze returning to Sejeong. “You are a blend of both worlds, Sejeong. Your father’s mischief tempered by your mother’s wisdom. It’s a potent combination.”

Sejeong smiled gratefully, acknowledging the complexity of her heritage. “I’ve learned to embrace both sides. It’s what makes me who I am.”

Zeus nodded and got up. she turned to us and asked, "So what's next for you two love birds?"

"I am taking my feral boyfriend to Camp Half-blood to hopefully make him less feral,"

"Good luck He's worse than Heracles in that regard."

"it will be fine."

True to her word, four days later I was flying back to the States with Sejeong to help with counseling at the camp. The camp had grown tenfold, now housing a myriad of pantheons and incorporating their various practices and traditions. We arrived a few days early, along with the rest of our half-blood friends.

On the taxi ride from the airport to camp, Levi leaned over and warned me, “So, um, we might have spilled the beans about you coming with us, and, uh... well, the Huntresses are coming because Thalia wants to meet her ‘little brother.’ I know you aren’t comfortable with the spotlight, so I figured you should know.”

Sejeong groaned. “I told you all not to tell anyone. I wanted only Chiron to know to avoid the circus.”

“To be fair, we told everyone he was coming before you told us not to,” Somi pointed out.

“I told you all not to do it in the same call,” Sejeong said, exasperated.

“Yes, but it was 5 minutes, 54 seconds, and 32 microseconds later. I had already told my entire cabin by that point,” Heejin replied.

Sejeong rolled her eyes, annoyed at her friends' lack of restraint.

When we got to camp, I noticed an immediate change in my attitude, posture, and temperament. I felt an overwhelming hostility. Sejeong picked up on this and squeezed my hand, hoping to calm me. Instead, it only intensified the rising desire I had for her. I managed to squeak out, “Seji I don’t like this place it gives me weird vibes.,” Sejeong nodded and then said

“It will be okay Vally we’ll get through this one day at a time.” As we enter the camp there is a huge crowd waiting for us. I can feel the gazes and hushed whispers as we pass through. The first to approach us was a dark-haired green-eyed young man a little older than me, and a blonde-haired girl with piercing gray eyes who walked with him.

“Hi, I’m Percy Jackson,” the dark-haired man said, “this is Annabeth Chase.” Sejeong walks over to Percy and Annabeth to give them a big hug. Percy and Annabeth happily received the hug before saying to Sejeong, “Long time no see,” Sejeong nodded before mentioning how she had become quite famous. Percy and Annabeth seemed proud and pleased by this. They looked behind Sejeong where I stood,

“You must be Duval,” Annabeth said. I nod and she laughs

“You don’t look much like Zeus,” Percy says bluntly. I chuckled before responding

“Well can’t control that,” I responded Percy and Annabeth laughed before leading me to the Councilor’s cabin. When we get inside they lead me to the room and bed I’ll be in for the next few weeks.

After I set my stuff down I headed outside to hang out with Sejeong. I noticed quite a few of the crowd were still following, which made me more uncomfortable, but Sejeong shooed them away. As we approached the Loki cabin, its unique design became more pronounced. Twisting vines intertwined with intricate carvings of mythical creatures adorned the wooden structure, giving it an air of mystery and whimsy. Sejeong knocked on the door, and we waited for a response. The sounds of laughter and chatter could be heard from within.

The door creaked open, and Asumi stood there with a bright smile. "Sejeong! It's so good to see you!"

Sejeong stepped forward, embracing her half-sister warmly. "Asumi! I've missed you. How have you been?"

Asumi stepped back, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "Come in, come in! We have so much to catch up on."

I followed them into the cabin, feeling slightly out of place but curious. The interior was just as eclectic as the exterior, with colorful tapestries, mismatched furniture, and an assortment of trinkets and oddities scattered about. It was a lively space, reflecting the playful nature of its inhabitants.

Sejeong and Asumi settled onto a worn but comfortable-looking couch, and I hovered nearby, unsure of where to sit. I decided to perch on the edge of a nearby armchair, trying not to intrude too much.

"So, what's the latest gossip?" Sejeong asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Asumi leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Well, you won't believe what happened last week. Marcus from the Hermes cabin pulled the most epic prank on the Ares campers. He switched all their weapons with rubber replicas. The look on their faces when they tried to practice was priceless!"

Sejeong laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Classic Marcus. What else?"

Asumi glanced at me briefly, then continued, "And then there’s been talk about the new arrivals. Everyone’s buzzing about a certain son of Zeus who's causing quite a stir."

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I looked down at my hands, pretending to be fascinated by a loose thread on my shirt. Sejeong reached over and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, that's DuVal," Sejeong said, glancing at me with a smile. "He's been handling the attention pretty well, all things considered."

Asumi's gaze softened as she looked at me again. "Well, it's not every day we get someone like you here. It's a lot to take in, I bet."

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Just trying to find my way, you know?"

Sejeong and Asumi continued their conversation, discussing various camp activities and the latest drama among the campers. I listened attentively, occasionally chiming in when they mentioned someone I had met or an event I had attended. Despite feeling like a bit of an outsider, I found myself enjoying the lively banter and the sense of camaraderie between the sisters.

As the afternoon wore on, more campers filtered in and out of the cabin, each one stopping to say hello and share a laugh. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and I started to relax, feeling more like part of the group.

At one point, Asumi excused herself to grab some snacks from the kitchen, leaving Sejeong and me alone for a moment. Sejeong leaned closer, her voice low. "Are you okay? I know this is a lot."

I nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm good. It’s nice to see you with your family. You seem so happy."

Sejeong's eyes softened. "I am. And I want you to feel welcome here too."

Before I could respond, Asumi returned with a tray of cookies and drinks. "Here we go! Help yourselves."

We spent the next hour chatting, munching on cookies, and sipping on lemonade. The initial awkwardness I had felt began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of belonging. Asumi was genuinely kind and welcoming, and I appreciated how she made an effort to include me in their conversation.

Eventually, it was time to head back. As we stood to leave, Asumi gave me a warm hug. "It was great to meet you, DuVal. Don't be a stranger, okay?"

I returned the hug, feeling a bit more at ease. "Thanks, Asumi. I'll be back."

Sejeong and I got ready to leave the cabin, as we were walking back towards the door. She looked up at me, a satisfied smile on her face. "See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?"

I shook my head, smiling. "No, it was nice. Your sister’s great. Thanks for bringing me along."

Sejeong slipped her arm through mine, and as we were about to leave, I heard a familiar voice screech out, "DuVal?"

My face landed directly into my palm as I hoped that the voice wasn't who I thought it was. I turned around to see Cassandra—my ex-girlfriend, daughter of Loki, and Exalted of Ishtar. She looked at me with disdain, but with Sejeong here, she tried to mediate.

"Oh, you know Val?" Sejeong asked Cassandra, surprised.

"Know him? I used to date this motherfucker," Cassandra said lividly.

I shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant, though I could feel the tension in the air.

"Don't you shrug at me like you didn't do anything! We were together for two years, and you left me when it got hard."

I chose my next words extremely carefully so I didn't set her off. "Cassie, we were emotionally abusive to each other, by your admission. You kept pushing me away. I got tired of it and lashed out. I felt bad, I apologized, and do you remember what you said?"

"Don't you dare bring that up! It's not my fault you didn't remember correctly."

"See, you say that, but...you know what? Forget it. I don't care anymore. Let's go back to ignoring each other," I replied.

Cassandra slapped me, and I held my tongue. Fighting the urge to retaliate, I turned to leave the cabin.

"That's it, run away like you always do," was the last thing I heard.

I tried to be the bigger person. Please believe me when I say that.

"I can't believe I cared so deeply for something so pitiful," I muttered, looking at her with a mix of disdain and apathy. It all hit me at once—the hurt, the anger, the realization of how toxic our relationship had been. Sure, we had some good times, but as we got closer, she pushed me further away.

I walked out of the cabin into the afternoon, where it was sprinkling. The gentle rain was oddly soothing as I tried to put as much distance as possible between Cassandra and me. I could hear Sejeong yell something from the cabin, then slam the door before chasing after me. She was visibly shaken by whatever had happened. When she caught up to me, she said, "Tell me what happened. All of it."

So I did. I told her how we met in college, bonded over shared trauma, and how we fell apart after I transferred. I explained how our relationship began to deteriorate, how Cassandra's indecision and emotional turmoil led to every relationship of hers degrading over time, and how every boy she got entangled with ended up hating her. I didn't, though. I felt bad until I just didn't feel anything anymore. The only thing that hurt was the good memories we had, but even those had faded.

I made sure not to paint myself as just the good guy. I was honest about how I was a significant part of the reason it fell apart. I had my faults and failings.

Sejeong looked at me intensely, seeing me for the flawed person I was. She hesitated, then said, "I am going to need some time to process this. Can I talk to you later?"

I nodded, and she gave me a small smile before walking away.

I watched her retreating figure, feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety. The rain had picked up slightly, each drop feeling like a small pinprick against my skin. I walked aimlessly, trying to clear my head.

Eventually, I found myself at the edge of a small grove, the canopy of trees offering some shelter from the rain. I sat on a fallen log, replaying the confrontation with Cassandra over and over in my mind. The bitterness in her voice, the sting of her slap—it all felt too fresh, too raw.

As I sat there, I couldn't help but reflect on the cycles of pain and anger that seemed to define my past relationships. Cassandra was a stark reminder of a time when I was lost, unsure of myself, and reactive. But now, with Sejeong, I wanted something different. I wanted to be better. I skipped Lunch and Dinner as I sat there trying to get back to my calm but I just couldn't do it. while I go over my time with Cassandra I remember Zeus and my dad both saying before I got entangled with her that she was bad news.

Hunger got the best of me, so I headed to the mess hall for dinner. On the way back, I grabbed my cap to hide my face, not wanting to draw any more attention. Once inside, I found a quiet corner away from prying eyes and sat down. Following the rituals of all the other campers, I began to eat, enjoying the rare moment of silence.

That was until someone approached me. I looked up to see a stunning Native American young woman with the coolest green eyes I had ever seen.

"You're a new face," she said politely.

I chuckled and replied, "I guess that's correct. DuVal, but my friends call me Val, and we are friends now."

The young lady smiled. "Val... I like it. The name's Piper." Piper reached out her hand. I took it and shook it. She smiled again before sitting next to me.

"You know, you don't look like a child of Zeus," she observed.

I chuckled. "Well, Zeus was very different when she was my mom."

"Oh, Zeus is your mom. That's wild, but I kind of see it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I used to date Jason Grace before he died a few years back," Piper said, her face growing somber.

I gulped uneasily until Piper smiled. "Ah, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. You didn't know," she said reassuringly.

I shrugged, and Piper laughed before asking, "Not a big talker, eh?"

I nodded. "Fair enough," she said, looking down at my hands and then back at my face. "Are you okay? Your hands are trembling."

I looked down and noticed she was right. "A little nervous is all," I replied, my voice shaking as I heard the whispers around me.

"It's him. The Orphan. The Child of Zeus. Where's Sejeong? Why is he all alone? Why is he so quiet?" The whispers were quickly silenced when I stood up to leave. As I did, I accidentally bumped into Thalia. The remains of my food spilled all over her, and she looked up at me. When our eyes met, we both recognized each other.

"Oh, you," she said. I held my tongue.

"So, you're the big shot everyone is talking about."

"I am so sorry. I'll get something to clean that right up," I stammered.

Thalia looked at me with a focused expression. "No, it's fine," she said, though it didn't seem like it. "Come on, sit with me and the Huntresses. I want to meet my new 'little brother.'"

My mind raced as I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Reluctantly, I sat down with Thalia. The Huntresses eyed me curiously as I put my hands down by my legs to stop them from shaking.

"So, tell me about yourself. I've only heard bits and pieces," Thalia said.

"Um, I do photography and videography," I replied.

"Oh, okay. And how long have you known you were a half-blood or that there were others like us?"

"Uh... I knew since I graduated high school a few years ago, but I didn't know about this community until deep into the pandemic when I was constantly hounded by monsters," I explained.

Thalia furrowed her brow. "Is everything okay, brother? You seem uncomfortable."

"I... I don't know. I don't belong here," I said, standing up to leave.

"Sit. We aren't done," Thalia said firmly. Her Huntress friends surrounded me, so I sat back down.

"What's wrong? What's got you so shaken?" Thalia asked, her tone softening. Despite her warning, I attempted to excuse myself again. This time, lightning struck in front of me, and the rest of the camp faded away. I turned back to see my mother, Zeus, staring back at me.

“Why are you running?” she asked pointedly.

“My children don’t run away,” she accused.

“Yes, we do. Jason ran from Piper, Thalia ran away from you, and you ran from every responsibility you didn’t want,” I retorted.

Zeus's eyes glared at me, but I wasn’t going to cower.

“I hide and run from everyone because deep down I know no one will truly like me or understand me. That’s the burden of power and knowledge. When you truly have agency and the strength to make wise choices, people resent you. The cowardly judge you and I’m sick of hiding behind a handicap. I’m sick of reducing myself so others can feel at peace.”

Zeus looked at me, surprised. “I never knew you felt that way.”

“Please, I’m your son. I want everything I can grasp and things I can’t, but my father taught me restraint and control. Do you know what it’s like to have the fathomless desire to take anything you want but need the wisdom to know why you can’t? The part of you that’s inside me wants everything under the sky as mine but the human part of me holds me back and I’m sick of fighting myself, but I can’t because the world is too small..”

Zeus looked at me with wide eyes, “so what are you going to do about it?”

“Let the part of you that’s inside of me out and take what I want,” I said.

Zeus' eyes narrowed as she stared into mine and she asked, “What do you want now,”

“To not be bothered,” I said, and as I finished talking the camp faded back into the light and I realized that everyone was staring at me. I figured they must have seen that whole exchange based on their expressions. I roll my eyes and then go to leave when Thalia stops me this time by throwing her javelin. I sigh and then she says,

“Please stay. I just want to talk,” the punk-like edge she had in her voice was gone and was replaced by a genuine feeling of concern. I sigh and say,

“Can we do it elsewhere without so many eyes?” Thalia looks to the rest of her huntresses and they nod so she nods back to me. I nod back and we agree to meet at one of the hills privately after dinner.

I go to our designated meeting area after leaving the mess hall, and wonder why I had that vision with Zeus earlier. She had to have known why I was like this right? I think to myself. A few moments later. Thalia comes from the bushes and smiles at me. I give her a thumbs up and she sits next to me.

“Crazy right?” She says breaking the silence. I nod and say

“Look I’m sorry for my outburst earlier I've just been in a bad headspace since I got here,”

“No, I get it. the scrutiny everyone has with watching you hoping you mess up I completely understand. Jason, Percy, me, and now you all feel it,” Thalia said contemplating.

“I just wish I could create some space where I could be me and not stand out ya know?” I responded somberly. Thalia nodded and eventually responded

“You remind me a lot of Jason. You are more reserved like he was but also I sense a hesitance in your presence that he never walked with. It's interesting,” she said. I smiled as we sat looking up at the stars silently just enjoying the time. Eventually, we go our separate ways and I turn in for the night.

After lunch, I found myself alone. The crowds that had been trailing me since my arrival had finally dispersed, and my friends were all busy catching up with their own family and friends. Thalia wouldn’t be arriving until tonight, so I couldn't meet her just yet. With time on my hands, I decided to explore the camp to get a better feel for it.

My wandering eventually led me to a secluded waterfall area. The serene sound of rushing water was a welcome contrast to the bustling camp. The air was cool and misty, and the sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. I could sense the presence of others nearby, but no one approached me. I was content with the solitude until a feminine voice broke through the tranquil sound of the waterfall.

“You know it’s dangerous to be this far out alone. Anyone could do bad things to you.” The voice was calm yet carried an underlying authority.

I turned to see an older woman standing a few feet away. Her gaze was strikingly similar to Zeus's but carried a more "maternal" quality. Her presence was commanding yet oddly comforting.

“I like to think that I don’t invite that type of challenge,” I replied, meeting her gaze. “I try to put good in the world and hope to get good back.”

Her expression softened at my words. “I’ve never known a child of Zeus to be so introspective.”

“Well, not all of us can be reckless heroes like Jason, Perseus, Heracles, or the legendary Thalia,” I said with a hint of a smile, feeling a bit more at ease.

The woman’s gaze focused on me, her eyes searching. “Something tells me that’s not your style.”

I nodded. “Nope. I’d much rather enact a strategy that guarantees victory with minimal collateral damage. Huge battles usually mean no one truly wins.”

She smiled, a genuine warmth radiating from her. “May I see?” she asked, pointing to the camera hanging around my neck.

I shrugged and handed it to her. She carefully examined the photos, her eyes lighting up with appreciation. “You have quite the eye for capturing life in motion.”

I couldn’t help but grin with pride. “Thank you, Hera.”

Hera looked up at me, pleasantly surprised. “Hm, you’re smarter than you look,” she admitted, the atmosphere around her shifting from intense to gentle.

“I try my best,” I replied modestly.

“You’ve surprised me, DuVal. I thought you’d be like the rest of my husband’s children, but you’re not. Stay that way; it will serve you well.”

“Thank you,” I said, genuinely touched by her words. “I intend to.”

Hera handed back my camera and sat beside me on the rock, the sound of the waterfall creating a soothing backdrop. “Tell me, DuVal, what drives you? What makes you different?”

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, the roar of the waterfall filling the silence. “I think it’s the understanding that power isn’t just about strength. It’s about knowing when to use it and when to hold back. It’s about empathy and restraint.”

Hera nodded, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “A child of Zeus practicing restraint? You are truly an anomaly, DuVal. You remind me of the best parts of Zeus. His intelligence, his strategic mind... but you also have something more. A kindness, perhaps. Why is it that you share these qualities and the others don’t?”

I looked at her, trying to read the emotions behind her words. “I don’t know. For me, I’ve always been like this. Blame Ultraman, I guess. I appreciate the kind words, though. It’s been an interesting time these last few weeks reconciling with my mom.”

“Oh, that’s right. Zeus had you when he was a woman,” Hera recollected. “That was a peculiar time. I thought it a grand punishment and that he would learn respect for me. To some degree he did, but all it did was drive a wedge further between us. I suppose that’s what led to him or her, at the time, meeting your father.”

She smiled, a mix of pride, sorrow, and nostalgia in her expression. “I believe you are on the right path. And remember, DuVal, it’s not just about what you inherit but what you choose to become.”

As we sat there, I felt a strange sense of connection with Hera. Despite her initial antagonism, there was a bond forming—a mutual understanding and respect. The weight of her words settled over me, heavy yet reassuring.

“Sadly, that’s already been decided. I became a monster,” I said sadly, the reality of my past actions pressing down on me.

Hera’s head tilted, confused. “Why do you think that? Because you don’t have a place with them?” She gestured to the camp. “Just because you weren’t raised like they were doesn’t make you a monster. You move with a gentleness and wisdom that I don’t see others move with. Just earlier today, with the other daughter of Loki, you chose the softer path when you easily could have returned all the venom she sent you.”

“Ah, Cassandra isn’t bad, and besides, that would be begging for more bad to come my way,” I replied.

Hera smiled. “You’ve surprised me, DuVal. I thought you’d be like the rest of my husband’s children, but you’re not. Stay that way; it will serve you well.”

“Thank you,” I said, genuinely touched by her words. “I intend to.”

Hera’s eyes twinkled with a rare warmth. “You’ve earned it. Now, go and make the most of it.”

With that, she stood and began to walk away, leaving me with a renewed sense of purpose. As I watched her go, I knew that this moment had changed something fundamental in me. I wasn’t just the son of Zeus; I was my person, ready to forge my path.

Suddenly, Hera paused and turned back towards me, a contemplative look on her face. “DuVal, one more thing.”

“Yes?” I replied, curious about what else she had to say.

“Your perspective on avoiding unnecessary battles, on protecting others... that’s something I’ve seen too little of among the gods. It’s a quality that will make you a better leader and, perhaps, in time, a better god.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. The idea of becoming a god had always been an abstract concept, something far off and intangible. But hearing it from Hera made it feel more real, more possible, and honestly, the idea repulsed me.

“I’ll do my best to live up to that,” I said, my voice steady.

Hera nodded, satisfied. “I have no doubt you will.” With that, she turned and disappeared into the trees, leaving me alone with my thoughts. A little while later I walked back to the councilor’s cabin where a new camera and a note waited for me.

“A hero is more than the weapon they wield. A leader is more than those they control. If you are truly a monster then maybe a monster is needed to guide us out of the night and into the dawn.” I chuckled as I read the note before I heard Sejeong behind me.

“Ooh, what’s that ?” She asked noticing the camera

“A gift I think,” I responded

Sejeong smiled as she closed the distance between us “Ooh a gift from who?”

“Hera I think.” Sejeong laughs as she looks at the camera before handing it to me to add it to my bag.

“You love that camera bag huh,” Sejeong noted

“Why do you say that?”

“I never see you without it.”

“Well I have approximately 5 grand stored in here,” Sejeong eyes popped as she heard the number

“I understand then,” she said with a smile before removing said bag to pounce on me and bombard me with kisses. I happily accepted her advances and let her conduct her “affection train” on me. Her kisses began to shift from chaste to hungry.

Sejeong lifted her shirt revealing her breasts. They were remarkable as always I palm both and began to kiss her more but something was off. I could tell something was eating at her. Like she was forcing herself to do this. As if trying to find her footing, but she couldn’t,

“What’s wrong,” I asked

“It’s nothing. it’s just,” Sejeong started

“Cassandra?” I finished. Sejeong nodded

After she had enough, she cuddled next to me and asked a peculiar question, her voice barely above a whisper, “DuVal, am I a bad person?”

I looked into Sejeong's eyes, seeing the vulnerability and self-doubt reflected there. I understood what she meant by this, the weight of her lineage and the expectations placed upon her. I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully.

“Sejeong, due to the position you are in, absolutely not. You’ve been trying your best under difficult circumstances, and that’s all anyone can ask for. I understand,” I said softly, my voice steady with conviction.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she leaned into me, seeking comfort. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly. “You are not a bad person, Sejeong. You have a kind heart, and you care deeply. That’s what matters.”

She sniffled, burying her face in my chest. “Thank you, Val. I needed to hear that.”

As we sat there, the room growing quieter, I felt a sense of finality settling over us. The weight of unspoken words and unresolved feelings hung in the air. This was the end of our romantic relationship, but not the end of our connection.

I gently lifted her chin, making her look into my eyes. “Sejeong, you’ll always have a special place in my heart. We may not be together in the same way, but I’ll always be here for you. As a friend, as someone who understands.”

She nodded, a small, sad smile forming on her lips. “I feel the same way, Val. Thank you for being here, for understanding.”

We sat in silence for a while, just holding each other. The unspoken promise of continued support and friendship lingered between us, a comforting presence amid our parting.

Eventually, she pulled away slightly, wiping her tears. “I should go,” she said softly. “But this isn’t goodbye.”

“No, it’s not,” I agreed, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll still see each other, still be there for each other.”

With one last hug, she got up and left the room. I watched her go, feeling a mixture of sadness and relief. This was the right decision, for both of us. As I sat alone, I took a deep breath, letting the emotions wash over me. This was the end of one chapter, but the beginning of another.

End of Part I

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: jake sully x male reader (+sully family)

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: There were many struggles that came with fatherhood—you must find a solution for each one.

ᴀɴᴏɴ: jake and reader are like the dads of the sully children, basically the sully's having gay dads??

ʀᴇ𝐐: yes ~ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 6565

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: mentions of death (lighthearted) never happens tho, swearing, much worrying about children, surrogate neytiri referring to your kids as hers too (idk just in case)

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: so. i've got a lot of things to say. that's why i'm putting a second a/n at the bottom. - two gays cannot have an avatar child if they can't have children therefore surrogate Neytiri <3 - my first attempt at writing a full sentence in Na'vi, y'all are probably not fluent in it but i hope it's correct. - regrettably, there's only one scene with Tuk and only one mention of Spider - less about the relationship between jake and reader, more about the children

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Neteyam was a blessing.

Him and Neytiri both.

When she agreed to be a surrogate for your children, you were both over the moon, over each of the three of Eywa'eveng.

Neytiri knew it best, the stress of having a child. Though it was all her, her body, her belly, her birthing, you and Jake stuck to her side and stressed with her. You could see her pain, in her eyes, and Jake said he felt it himself.

The musings did not help Neytiri through the pain.

Omatikaya welcoming ceremonies consisted of everyone in the village, close family, friends, acquaintances, everyone rounded up to welcome the newborn. But this one was special, for there was one mother and two fathers. Strange as it may have been, the three of you knew there'd be plenty more to come.

When Jake held him up towards the sky, calling the name, "Neteyam", you knew the name truly belonged to him, even if the newborn had yet developed characteristic traits.

The first year was not pretty. If it weren't for Mo'at and Neytiri–and thought it may be harsh, it is the truth–Neteyam would probably be dead.

Jake always knew there was a thing with babies. They didn't have a sense of danger. On Earth, some of the deadliest stuff they could find was a fork and an outlet. On Pandora, however, there were much worse things.

He was aware of this, both of you were, of the Hammerheads, Thanators, Viperwolves that each posed a dangerous threat to your child. Even herbivores, like Flathead Rams, could trample over your baby like he was nothing. He couldn't roam, either, for he didn't know the difference between a poisonous plant and a safe one, and the differences were scarce. Not to mention, they grew close to the ground. Even the carnivorous plants were huge enough to swallow him whole.

So you both watched him, most of the time.

When the hunt called, however, it was only one of you. You took turns.

Why? Because the mighty Toruk Makto, Olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya, once war chief of three tribes at once, was not exempt from taking care of the baby.

Besides, he kind of liked it. He liked looking at his boy, knowing that in all ways except biological, Neteyam was his.

He loved when the little baby wrapped his four little blue fingers around one of his five large ones. He was so tiny, so defenseless. He had to take care of him. Couldn't let him out of his sight.

He was also so, so cute.

Neteyam lets out a little yawn, stretching all his limbs except for the hand holding his father's finger.

"Aww," Jake coos. "dinner's in a bit. The game's not even here yet. You can sleep."

As time passes, and Neteyam drifts off in his father's warm, large arms that encompassed him, Jake gets lost in the sight and his thoughts. Neteyam was his child. He never thought he'd have one.

He doesn't register the sound of you propping your bow up on the wall, or your footsteps, or a portion of the fresh hunt being placed next to the fire.

In fact, he doesn't really notice you at all until you sit next to him.

You wrap your arms around him, one around his back, the other around his stomach below his arms and Neteyam, and settle your head into the crook of his neck.

Jake laughs lowly, your nose against his neck's skin slightly ticklish—he didn't think the Na'vi were ticklish, hadn't learned it until he was victim to your fingers. "Kxì, my love. Tired?"

"Ngenga pllertxe fura tawtute lì'fya... ‘Ìnglìsì. Tìftang si." (You're speaking that sky people language... English. Stop it.)

Ever since the first time, he's memorized the words, therefore knows their meaning. "You know I don't speak Na'vi well. Right? Or are you too tired to remember?"

"Perfectly conscious enough to remember." You laugh lazily, "Just love to tease you."

Jake presses the side of his head against the top of yours, the best affection he can offer with Neteyam in his arms. "Zola‘u nìprrte’. Happy?"

"Yes."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Where Neteyam was yours, Lo'ak was Jake's.

But first, came the unexpected Kiri. A month after Neytiri affirmed that she would have your second child, Norm and Max called with a panic.

One morning, as bored eyes strayed from scientific screens and microscopes, Norm discovered a bump on Grace's avatar's body. There were many theories, but each was discredited. The tank was safe, you were all sure, even if you did not know anything of the amniotic fluid within it. It wasn't scratched, didn't show any signs of opening, it displayed nothing at all. So what could be the cause?

The answer went unanswered for another two months. Until, at the third month, Norm realized that the size lined up with that of a human pregnancy. It was already the size of a seven month old baby bump. Which meant... soon enough, the vacant avatar would be having a baby.

There was hardly a discussion of who would raise it. Jake knew that he was indebted to Grace, that even though he had yet another child on the way, whatever came of Grace's avatar was his to take care of.

Kiri was born first. Lo'ak was soon to be on his way. However, the season for the first communion with Eywa was approaching. Though having the three of them commune with the Great Mother at the same time would be wonderful, the first communion was not to be delayed.

While Jake helped Neteyam attach his queue to the Tree of Souls, you helped Kiri.

Her eyes, her smile, toothless even, her dilated pupils... She was elated. She was so happy, and you mirrored her smile too.

This wasn't your kid, wasn't Jake's either, but you would raise her as one of your own.

Lo'ak and Kiri... they both came out with five fingers and little eyebrows. It was a scary thing, to have children that looked different from everyone else. Jake knew that, with an Avatar body, it was possible. Seeing it himself, though...

Neteyam, being oldest, required a little less care. He slept by himself at his crib. The newborns slept with you whilst the two of you waited for Neytiri's hunt.

Lo'ak was cuddled up in his father's arms, Kiri in yours. Her fingers were wrapped around your smallest finger, what Jake would call his ring finger. "Five fingers.." You muttered to yourself. You'd counted them many times over.

Jake hears you. "And eyebrows."

"Just like you." You muse with a laugh. Jake laughs along too, but you notice the difference; his laugh lacks its usual humor.

"What is it?" You ask, concerned lace with his words like the weaving of a necklace.

"Nothing." He shakes his head. He couldn't worry you, especially because he wasn't even sure if these five fingers and eyebrows would make any difference.

"I can tell there's something." You remain stubborn, scooting even closer to him. It was one of the qualities he actually loved about you, as annoying as it could be. "You can't evade me, darling."

"Darling? You picked up the word?"

"Jake." You're deflecting.

"I know." He sighs, "I know. It's just... They're different, Kiri and Lo'ak, different from others their age. It's not something I want for them."

"You think it'll affect the way they are treated?"

"Yes."

"Darling." You repeat the pet name more stern now, calling for his attention. He lifts his gaze from his baby boy to meet your eyes. They're yellow, they're golden, just like his. "You were different. But now you are not. You're Olo'eyktan, one of the us; one of the people, one of the Omatikaya. These children are yours, and they are mine. They are part of the Omatikaya."

"But they–"

"Extra fingers, extra hair on their face. The eyebrows are expressive, lovely. The fingers are good, help with dexterity." You tilt your head forward, "They will be fine."

Just as the same as he yearns to hold you, he wishes he believed you. For now, however, he settles on your only point of contact being your lips, and his assured belief about these children being that you and he would love them to the ends of the Earth.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The differences meant nothing to Jake, there would be no change in the way he treated them. Soon enough, he'd sort of forgotten, for the most part.

What couldn't be forgotten, though, were his Olo'eyktan duties.

The problem was, you were gone for a little while. The second problem was, Neytiri was taking care of Neteyam. Now that didn't quiet seem like a problem, but she was taking care of him before you left and before he realized he had important Olo'eyktan stuff to do. He couldn't just bother Neytiri to take care of his kids! The third problem was, they were his kids! He couldn't just leave them. They were hardly two months old.

So now, he was left with a dilemma. Baby carriers.

For humans, it was a little embarrassing to, as a father, be wearing one of them. But to the Na'vi, it was just another part of life, a necessity.

Jake was a Na'vi now. He had to get over human societal norms.

"Hanging in there, baby girl?" Jake asks Kiri–as if she can understand him–who unfortunately has to take the tight space on his back.

After getting the silent answer he was expecting, Jake begins his work. As expected, no Na'vi seem to pay him any mind. They greet him just the same as any other day, the only difference being the small coos directed at his children. He's just happy they love them.

As Jake checks his daughter is safe on his back for the umpteenth time, he hears something wrong.

Click.

He stares ahead, obviously disturbed. His eyebrow furrows as he finds the camera, with a diminishing flash, being held by the scientist he regrettably called a friend.

"Norm, don't you have shit to do?" The swear word doesn't faze him, for the babies were too young to even register the word.

The scientist adjusts his exopack over his shit-eating grin. "Research, Jake." He gives off a hint as his amusement with each word he speaks, "I’m capturing the Mighty Toruk Makto in his natural form. Which is adorable." He winks.

"Uh-huh." Jake replies; contrasting his friend, he remains unamused. "Kiss the dark side of my blue–" Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Mo'at. Shit, Mo'at. She knew English and he needed to talk to her.

"You are a lucky man, Norm." Jake turns on his heels, leaving Norm behind as he heads towards the Tsahìk.

When he does so, though, Kiri turns her head as much as she can to stare at the human scientist curiously. Norm takes the opportunity.

Click.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Lo'ak and Kiri were, relative to their brother, the same age. They also looked the most like each other, excluding their father. They both had the characteristic traits of an avatar, traits that set them apart from the rest of the clan. Because of this, you thought they'd be inseparable, best friends. Instead, they fought, and fought, and fought.

It was weird, even, that Kiri often sought out her older brother's company over her baby brother's.

These peculiarities' origins, however, were solved when you realized the common point of these arguments. Lo'ak. Lo'ak was a troublesome kid in that he loved freedom, and even more, loved to be possessive.

Within seven years, many things were taught. Jake, for one, learned much of the Na'vi language. In fact, it was practically English to him. Sometimes he forgot what language he began the sentence with, and he would end up starting with Na'vi and ending with English or mixing in a couple words in the middle.

As far as the kids were concerned, it was gibberish. At least, for a couple years. After they dominated the Na'vi language well enough, they began to learn English. Their main teacher was their father, not their sempu, so when things like this happened...

"I hate you times infinity, Lo'ak! Penis face!"

It was his fault.

After the kids' argument was swiftly dealt with (the toy had to be threatened to be cut in half, and then they stopped), Jake places the toy in Kiri's hands. "Kid, go find your brother." He sighs, "You can play with him."

"I don't wanna play with him." Lo'ak crosses his arms, stomping his foot. "He's a sucker."

"Hey, now, that's not a good thing to say about your brother." Jake presses a harsh finger against his son's shoulder. "What would Neteyam think?"

"It's true! And he needs to know it!"

"If your sempu was here, you'd be–"

"Sempu's here." You call. The kids didn't really realize you heard the beginning of what Jake was going to say. Instead, they run to hug you. Kiri drops the much beloved toy they so desperately wanted earlier, in favor of wrapping her arms around your waist.

You scoop each of them up, each held by one strong arm. Even so, knowing that the position is weak, they steady themselves by wrapping their small limbs as far around you as they can. "Now, what was it that you needed me for?"

"Nothing, sempu." Kiri shakes her head, pressing her head against your shoulder. "Just a little dispute."

"Yes. A dispute." Lo'ak agrees with the wide nod of his head, though he pronounces the word much worse than Kiri does. Seems he slacked off on their latest English lessons and somehow ignored the word "penis" that Kiri vividly recalls.

"Ooh, dispute? Where'd you learn that big word, huh?" You coo, rubbing your nose into her hair. She laughs at the feeling, it's almost ticklish.

"Dad." She replies simply.

"Yeah, well, they also managed to learn the word "penis" from me." While you gawk dramatically at your children, Jake sticks his tongue out at them just as childishly. Little suck ups. He mouths.

Lo'ak sticks his tongue back out at his own father, to which you slap him gently on the hip. "What situation requires that," You think of a suitably negative word , uglily scrunching up your nose so that the children can have something to laugh at. "despicable word?"

"Lo'ak," Kiri is quick to tell, "was trying to steal my toy!"

"No I wasn't!" Lo'ak huffs. If he were on the ground, he'd have stumped his feet. Instead, they kick the air.

"Yes you were!" She retorts.

"Which one, the one so sadly on the floor?"

At the mention of its position, they both turn their gazes towards it. Kiri dares to mutter a little "uh-oh" as her eyes find it. Whilst they are distracted by the dread building up in their bodies, you look to Jake. Go find Neteyam. I'll deal with these two.

Silently, he nods, and slips away while the children begin to make up excuses. As he walks down the river bank, he hears a shout from the house. "You're a big fat liar!"

If memory served right, Neteyam wanted to visit Neytiri. Out of all of their kids, he took to her the most.

A part of him, at the back of his mind, wonders how all his children will react once they learn who their mother is.

He doesn't indulge in the thought. Instead, he focuses on the task ahead. The path from his home to Neytiri's was one he memorized, and he made sure when he built his home that it wouldn't be a long distance.

He doesn't expect to find the two of them, Neteyam and Neytiri, outside of the house. Neither does he expect his son to be so vigorously training even after training hours.

"That's it. Remember your stance." Neytiri advises Neteyam, patting his shoulder. "You're doing great."

"Hey!" Jake greets the two. The sudden call surprises Neteyam, which makes his shot fly off to the side.

The boy frowns, but his lips soon lift as he turns to greet his father. "Hi dad."

"Hello, my son." He nods. His smile turns a little more stern as he turns to Neytiri. "Hello, auntie Tiri. What's going on?"

Neytiri opens her mouth to speak, but Neteyam taps her thigh and mouths a little something. It's not hard to read his lips, nor had he tried to hid it so hard, but Jake looks away out of respect.

Auntie Tiri nods and looks back up to Jake, "I figured he needed some practice."

"He practiced this morning."

"I know." She raises one hand up in surrender, "Practice makes perfect." She ruffles Neteyam's hair. Though coming from his dad it was annoying, it is apparently endearing coming from his aunt. "Could I talk to you in the house?"

"Of course."

She hardly waits for him to reply before she pats Neteyam on the head again and says, "I'll be right back, keep practicing."

Neteyam nods excitedly. However, Jake stops him. "No, put that down." It dampens his son's spirits, but he nods. Both of them know that something could go wrong if Neteyam practices unsupervised.

Neytiri rolls her eyes, but doesn't protest. Instead, she heads inside, Jake close behind.

"What is it that–"

"Your son, our kid, " She begins with firmness. "he came to me asking me to help him improve."

"What? He's only seven." Jake reasons, "Why would he?"

"He's your oldest." She replies simply. "Your heir, the next Olo'eyktan. There's a lot of pressure that comes with that." She spoke with experience. Between you, him, and her, she had so much more experience. He wonders sometimes how they've come to this arrangement, if she could be a better mom than he, a dad.

"Yeah… I know. But I don't give him any pressure. I make sure of it." Does he really? Are each of his words premeditated, thought out?

"He's only a year older than Lo'ak and Kiri, but he already has it ingrained in him that he has to protect them." Neytiri crosses her arms, giving him a pointed look, "Like you said, he's seven. He still deserves to be hugged and kissed."

"I try to."

"You try to?"

"It's hard when, you know…" He sighs, "your parents coddled your brother more than you."

She purses her lips, thinks it over. "I may not know about you and your brother," She begins on a lighter note. "but I know that you can relate your experiences with him with our children, your sons. At least you know what not to do. Just make sure they know you love them, and that they are still children that should play, while you still can."

"Yeah." He nods, "I will."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

The children played with each other, for once not beckoning their parents into play or sparking arguments between each other.

So for the first time in a long time, you had some moments of peace.

"He reminds me a lot of Neytiri, Neteyam." You spoke in a hushed voice, wary of their young ears.

"How so?" Jake squeezes your shoulder, his arm wrapped around it.

"His smile. It's a lot like hers. Toothy, isn't it?" He was smiling right now. Though it didn't compare to some of his biggest moments of joy, his smile still displayed his growing teeth. It was adorable.

He only has to think of it for a moment before agreeing, "Yeah."

"He's good with his bow. Don't doubt that he'll make a great hunter one day. And his love for Ikran..." Your face lights up at the memories, "even though he doesn't have one."

"About that, love..." Jake begins solemnly.

You turn to him, away from your playing children, at his serious tone. "What is it?"

"Neteyam," He glances over at the boy. Thankfully, he hadn't heard him speak his name. He lowers his voice and continues, "Neytiri told me he's been trying to get better at using a bow."

"Hm, well, he's probably trying to impress us."

"And that he wanted to protect his siblings. He feels," He purses his lips, "like its his responsibility. It's what he worries about."

"Does he?" You huff, "He has asked a lot lately, about the dangers of the jungle. I thought he just wanted to look out for himself, but now that I think about it..."

"He wanted to know so that he could keep his siblings safe." Jake finishes for you.

"Hey, I wanted to play with it!"

"I had it first!"

Before either of you can act, Neteyam stands first. He gives you only the smallest of glances before pushing his siblings away from each other.

"What? Hey!" Lo'ak shouts.

"Go away, Neteyam!" Kiri struggles against her brother's hold.

At his sudden interference, the toy falls to the ground. Neteyam kicks it to his feet. "Stop fighting!" He hisses at the both of them, making them falter. "It's either one or the other. Got that? You can take turns."

"Me first!" The children scream simultaneously, Kiri finishes her sentence first by a millisecond.

"Ugh." Lo'ak groans, but he begrudgingly kicks the toy in her direction. "Fine, you can have it first. But you get ten minutes!"

Kiri grins, picking up the toy, "That's good enough."

With the argument over, Neteyam smiles. He turns back towards his own toy, but not before sparing a not so subtle glance in your direction. Seeing your encouraging smiles, his own grows larger.

"He didn't need to do that."

Jake nods, "But he did, anyway."

"You're right." You shake your head with a sigh, "We should wait for the right moment to tell him."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

That moment doesn't take long.

Lo'ak had grown restless at home, and even more at the village, so he proposed one thing: to let him and his siblings explore the jungle. It wasn't a surprising proposal, you'd allowed them to do so many times before. Neteyam, Kiri, and Lo'ak often explored the jungle; so, you allowed it without a thought.

The jungle was a beautiful place, one you were proud to call home, so you were happy that your children were falling in love with it too.

However, as curfew grows closer and your children do not return yet, your worry begins to grow.

The children had shown time and time again that they knew curfew, knew the way home, knew to come back safely. You trusted them to come back.

Your rapidly growing concern and restlessness burst, and you must find them yourself. As much as Jake had reassured you, as much as you wanted to trust them, something was clearly wrong. You had to find them.

As you mount your ikran, though, they emerge from the tree line.

Neteyam and Lo'ak prop Kiri up, helping her walk. They've got her arms around their shoulders. Together, the three of them, they're mismatched. Lo'ak wishes to run, Neteyam doesn't want to injure Kiri further, and she is weak.

You're quick to whisk Kiri up and bring her inside, whilst Jake grabs a hold of his sons and brings them in too.

You place Kiri down on your hammock, "Where does it hurt?"

"My side." She yells back, her eyes spilling fresh tears. She was scratched up everywhere, from her arms to her knees, but the most concerning gash was on her side. It was a long cut, spanning from her belly button to her chest.

"I got you, baby girl." You assure.

While you rush to patch up Kiri, Jake squats in front of his sons and questions them. "What happened?"

Neither boy wishes to speak, but between the two of them, the culprit is clear. Still, he knows that he has to wait for them to speak up. If Neteyam speaks first, Jake will know what the boy has burdened himself with. If Lo'ak speaks, he will know that the boy has the responsibility to admit his own faults.

Regardless, because none of them speak, Kiri does. She clearly wished to have the culprit, which inadvertently caused her injuries, be punished. "Lo'ak led us to a forbidden area!"

"No I didn't!" Lo'ak bites back.

"Yeah, I did." Neteyam steps forward and puts an arm in front of his brother in order to shield him from his father's impending scolding. "I convinced them it wasn't such a dangerous place."

There it was. Neteyam taking the blame. He took protecting his siblings so far, that he was willing to take the blame and the punishment for what Lo'ak did. Jake hated it, hated that he reminded him of his brother so much.

"Neteyam, you and I both know you know the dangers the most." Jake points a finger at him, "So step back."

The boy follows his instructions, but for once, not obediently. He looks down at the ground and backs off with a subtle scoff.

"Oh, so now you decide he's not to be believed?!" Lo'ak huffs, crossing his arms. "I didn't–"

"You did." Jake interrupts him, "And I need you to admit it."

"Fine!" Lo'ak shouts, "I did it! But I didn't think it would be so dangerous."

"I know that, son." Jake says, placing a hand on his shoulder. Lo'ak tries to shake it off, but he ultimately fails to do so. He settles on ignoring its heavy presence. "But you're still responsible for the consequences."

"I didn't mean for Kiri to get hurt." The boy mumbles.

"Tell that to her."

"I'm sorry, Kiri." He mumbles that too, but Kiri hears it anyway.

Though she rolls her eyes, something Lo'ak can't see because you cover her body with your own as you work away, and accepts the apology, "Fine." She hisses slightly, which Lo'ak mistakes as directed to him. The sound makes him falter.

"The two of you, listen to me." Jake places his other hand on Neteyam's shoulder, pulling the brothers close to each other.

"You should listen too." You tell Kiri. She nods.

"You should all to take care of each other, equally. That means protecting each other. Not just you, Lo'ak; not just you, Kiri," He nods in each of his kids' directions, "not just you, Neteyam. You got that?"

Neteyam nods immediately, while Lo'ak nods with a scowl and eyebrows knitted. He was displeased to be asked to act just like his stuck up brother.

"Hey." Jake shakes his son not so gently to make sure he is paying attention. "Lo'ak, I need you to protect your siblings. Because, in this world, it's not just you. It's all of us, it's this family. Your brother, your sister, they need taking care of. And if we're not there, who will do that? You. You have to."

"It's not an "if he can't do it, then I have to"." You cut in to add, "It's not a toy to be passed around. It is something you should all be doing, all the time."

"Today was just an example. Tomorrow," He gestures to the side with the nod of his head, "if things do not change, worse things can happen."

"Okay." Lo'ak nods. Though the solemn look on his face is new and different, it meant he was taking it seriously.

Jake nods too, "Good. Neteyam," Knowing that the boy will be much more affected by his words, Jake keeps it simple. "that means it's not all up to you. Don't take the fall for things you didn't cause."

"Okay." Neteyam agrees too.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Auntie Tiri loved to visit the kids. Though she knew she wasn't their mother in the family sense, she still thought of them as her own children. You weren't one to complain, much as you teased her, because it meant you and Jake could have some time of your own.

"Second time this week?" You laugh, greeting Neytiri at the entrance. "It's only just beginning, too."

"If I birthed them, I at least get to raise them." Neytiri argues. The words don't make much sense to the children, thankfully, or else you would have a lot of explaining you weren't quite ready for.

You roll your eyes and let her in. As she passes you, you walk outside. Behind you, you hear screams of delight as the children see Neytiri.

After Jake says his temporary goodbye's, he follows you outside.

He lets out a sigh of relief as the even fresher air of the outside washes over his face. "It's been a while since we got to be alone, right?"

"Just two days, my love." You remind him. "Neytiri visited two days ago."

"Hmm," He snickers, "right."

He lets out a yawn, stretches his limbs far up into the sky. As he brings them down, though, one arm not so subtly wraps around your waist. Even less subtly, it pulls you close to his side. "Wanna go for a walk?" He offers nonchalantly.

You chuckle, placing a hand a on the one he's got around you. "Sure."

The benefit of being alone with each other often was that your children were not responsibility for the tiniest of moments. It also meant you didn't have to speak of them.

But usually, as your children are the light of your life, most things end up being about them.

"Your hair's starting to dread up, love." You remark, wrapping the end of one of his locks around your finger. It was just a little strand, but the hair above clumps together.

"Ah, well, I don't have the time." He sighs, "Between Olo'eyktan duties, giving advice to folk, taking care of the kids..."

"I could braid it for you." You offer.

"I heard that takes a long time." He says, but he's done more than hear it. He's witnessed it, seen your children slouched over themselves, falling asleep whilst your fingers still nimbly worked on their braids. "Don't know if I've got enough."

"Well, we can keep it dreaded." You shrug, "Whatever you like."

"What do you like?" He retorts.

You roll your eyes. "Whatever you like to wear will be what I love, Jake."

"That's an awfully sweet," He begins slowly, coaxing a soft smile out of your lips. "lie. Too uncharacteristic of you, my darling."

You laugh. The sound is... young. It sounds young. You've known each other for seven years now, been parents for most of that time, and you've matured so much since the first time he laid eyes on you. Those laughs, ones without the worry of your children or responsibilities, had seemed forgotten. He's glad it's still there.

The conversation falters and you fall to comfortable silence; but something picks at Jake, at the back of his mind.

"Is there..." He pauses, not too sure if he really wants to mention it. He's already started, though, and he does feel as though it is something that should be talked about. "anyone Lo'ak reminds you of?"

"Lo'ak..." You hum as you think, "well, Lo'ak is his own person. He's a special kid. There's no one quite similar to him. Why do you ask?"

"He reminds me of myself. My younger self." Jake says. It was the original thing he wanted to say.

"Oh."

"Reckless, quick to jump into a fight, defensive, couldn't take the blame... I couldn't take anything seriously." He lists off things, each one putting a dampener on his mood. "A child in a man's body."

His lowering spirits were affecting yours, so you stop your walk to make sure your next words are registered fully. You take his hands in yours and begin, "Some of those things aren't always bad. Defensiveness means, well, you're protective of your loved ones. And not taking things so seriously... you can always make me happy. You can lighten any situation. As for the recklessness, well, it was always funny when you failed at some Na'vi things."

"Hey!"

"What I'm trying to say is, you're still defensive, you're still humorous in harsh situations. These are both things of your younger self and the self that stands before me." You bring a hand to his cheek and he nuzzles against it. "They are part of who you are; and those same things, they're part of who Lo'ak is. If we tried to change them, Lo'ak wouldn't be himself. All of those traits are bad at varying degrees. If we teach him correctly, he can still be himself. Less reckless, more serious, but still himself."

Much as an annoying rascal he was now, it was the Lo'ak Jake still loved, has loved for seven years. He couldn't imagine his son any other way.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Everyone loved Neteyam. It was hard not to.

Lo'ak and Kiri, on the other hand, often received many stares. It was harder for them to make friends outside of the family; harder to avoid the comments about their fingers and eyebrows. Though Lo'ak had a penchant for an argument (which had lessened ever since you began parenting him better) this was where he and Kiri agreed.

When Neteyam played with his friends, Lo'ak and Kiri often stuck together. Their differences and toy-sharing difficulties were pushed aside.

Neteyam often tried to coerce his friends to play with Kiri and Lo'ak, they were only a year younger after all, but it usually devolved into asking them why they had such funny fingers.

Jake and you often noticed it. You saw your children's awkward, uncomfortable faces. But you knew things would only be worse if you interfered. Children were often like that, picking at the little things. Just kissing your children would earn them the nickname of "sempuyä 'evi". Besides, they needed to be independent.

It was a matter that sparked concern between you.

"I was right about their differences." Jake grumbles. He subtly observed his children from above, at a high point in the village. Less people were going to spot his vigilant dad behavior up there.

"They'll make friends eventually, find people who don't care." You reassured him, but you spoke it into the world because you were really wishing for it to happen.

"Like you?" He muses.

"If you want a comparison point." You let out a little laugh.

Jake wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you close. Just then, a little someone breaks through the crowd of nosy kids and sticks their hand out.

Rather than judging your children or pointing out their differences, they exclaim "Wow that's so cool!" so loudly that you can hear it from up there. It warms your heart.

Lo'ak eventually found friends that actually deserved him. Kiri, on the other hand, well, the friends found her. Unfortunately, it was after that that she discovered she actually preferred alone time better than having so many people around her, disturbing her thoughts with constant chatter. So, she didn't often talk with her friends. The only thorn on her side, though, was the human kid, Spider. She tolerated his presence often. She actually even seemed to like his voice.

But while they had gotten over that problem, Jake was still worried.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Your children had yet again become a year older. In the past year, you'd taught them all so many things. You made sure Neteyam, Lo'ak, and Kiri were all protective over each other equally; that Lo'ak learned how to control his recklessness and maintain his humorous attitude; that Kiri felt connected to Eywa.

You knew that, when you allowed them to be on their own, they would be just fine.

After seven years of taking care of your children so actively, you no longer had to worry so much. It was sort of a relief.

Naturally, though, you sort of missed it.

"I want another kid."

"What?"

"Another girl would be nice." You hum to yourself, "She'd be the cutest little thing."

Once the initial shock wears off (because you don't just mention that out of nowhere) Jake finds himself agreeing. He, too, missed coddling his children. "Yeah, she would."

"Did you ever get a copy of the picture Norm took of you?"

"Of course not." Jake grumbles. "It's embarrassing."

"Only because you make it." You snicker, booping him on the nose. He responds by scrunching it up and flinching back. "I think it's rather cute."

"I only think Kiri was cute." He wipes his nose. "We can talk to Neytiri and–"

"I want her to be yours."

"What? But–" Jake shakes his head profusely, his eyebrows knitted together. "I can't have another kid turn out like... like me."

"Five fingers and eyebrows?" You ask.

"Yes." He replies immediately. "I can't have her be... different. Lo'ak and Kiri, they struggled to make friends because of their differences."

"You know that Lo'ak made his own friends."

"It took time." He argues, "Don't you remember his face, every time he came back home? It was horrible. In fact, he asked you to pull him onto your lap and kiss his cheeks over and over just for reassurance. Which–"

"Which he asked for because he loves me, not because it's uncharacteristic of him." You say, implying that Lo'ak loves you more.

Jake rolls his eyes. "I don't want to see another kid go through that again. I just want another normal kid that'll make friends flawlessly."

"There's nothing wrong with being special." You take his hands in yours. His hand was only bigger because of his extra finger, which wraps around your hand. You bring it up to show him, "Nothing better with being normal."

"Why... why can't you do it, then?"

"Because," You begin, smile lighting up your face. "even you still haven't gotten over your differences." Jake looks away. His silence to the accusation is as much of an answer as affirmation is. "This child will be proof that your differences don't make you any worse than a regular Na'vi. Because you are on of the people. You are the Olo'eyktan. You are one of us."

"How do you know?" He grumbles, but he was starting to believe you. "Did Eywa tell you, or something?"

☾⋆☆⋆☽

With Tuktirey, you couldn't be any happier.

And she came out, as promised, with four fingers and hairless browbones.

She was a pudgy little thing, and everyone loved her. You could see it in their eyes and their smiles that the kids loved her at first sight. Their toothy grins would grow even wider when they each got to carry her; even if Lo'ak nearly dropped her.

Though she couldn't even speak and hardly babbled, you could tell that you would come to love her.

You held Tuk in your hands, laying your head over Neteyam's legs. He made for a bony pillow, but you loved him so much you could get over it. Jake hugged Lo'ak with one arm. Kiri was sprawled horizontally over the both of you, her head laying on your stomach. Your muntxatan nuzzled his nose into your neck as he spoke, "I met your sempu while I was training."

"He fell from the tree branches onto the mud at my feet." You explain less graciously, causing an uproar of laughs from each of your children.

"Ah-ah," Jake breaks up the mocking laughter, "you say it's like Eywa sent me to you, no?"

"Okay, fine, I guess." You roll your eyes playfully.

Jake laughs. You can feel the deep rumble of vibrations going through his neck against your shoulder. "It was love at first sight."

☾⋆☆⋆☽

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ 2: it's a cute prompt, of course, could fulfill it with headcanons, however I wanted some Lo'ak and Neteyam struggle + scared father Jake - one of these scenes (if you saw it, you know the scene) was made using the dialogue of this incredibly fucking cute fanart. It's just Lo'ak instead of Neteyam here. - I made Jake a better father because his kids deserve better

[paleghostinthecorner02]

Because Gwen is a teenager who was betrayed by her father and taken in by adults who constantly filled her head with the idea that people, including her dad, had to die for millions to be saved. Because despite said adults knowing the bad situation she was in chose to treat her completely like an agent, a warrior, a soldier instead of a child that needed love and compassion. Because despite living in fear of Miguel sending her back home, she still chose to disobey him to see Miles when she had the chance because she loves him that much. Because she was in a lose/lose situation where telling Miles about his dad needing to die would inflict a pain she was experiencing and didn't want him to bear, but not telling him would run the risk of him finding out from someone else and making her look like she was being malicious. Because she was used as a scapegoat by Miguel when he was the main reason Miles was able to escape, and punished by him for it. Because she recognized the hurt she caused and took accountability, unlike any of the adults in her life including PETER B. PARKER. Because she is actively trying to make up for the mistakes she made while she was still under Miguel's influence.

None of you media illiterate dweebs who treat her like she's Judas Iscariot and the Whore of Babylon combined because she made some very understandable mistakes should continue to watch these children's movies because I'm afraid the writing for Gwen is too complicated for you to grasp. Gwen has actual, meaningful flaws than cause actual, meaningful conflict and lead her her having actual, meaningful character development. Even more pertinent, her failings aren't a result of any kind of malice, but rather a desire to not see the people she loves hurt, an understandable character trait that stems from the trauma of her accidentally killing someone close to her OH MY GOD DO YOU NOT WATCH THESE MOVIES?

Honestly Peter B is way more infuriating in this movie since he's an adult who doesn't view Miguel as an authority figure (if their comic relationship is the same in this movie then they're friends and Miguel has a lot of respect for Peter) and has nothing for Miguel to hold over his head like Gwen did. He should have known better, he should have been the one most defending Miles, he should have defended Gwen when Miguel was blaming her for something Peter knew wasn't her fault. He was RIGHT THERE next to Gwen on the train and saw Miguel fail to subdue Miles (despite the fact that he could have, you know, injected him with a powerful, non lethal paralytic that would have made it exceedingly easy to take Miles into custody and instead decided to monologue like a dipshit). Give me a reason other than abject misogyny why you think Gwen deserves to be hated in a way Peter doesn't, I dare you.

Rant over. TL:DR, Gwen doesn't deserve the hate she gets from idiots in the fandom who can't see past "Muh poor Miles got his feelings hurt."

[eoieopda]

JADE, HEAR ME OUT, OKAY? NAMJOON AS A DAD. That’s it, that’s all I’ve got. I’ll see myself out.

dadjoon is his final evolution, i’m sure of it. if he can raise a jungkook, he can raise an actual baby.

also, for purely selfish reasons, i have created girl dad!joon. i can picture him exploring with a teeny tiny daughter, making sure she knows all the cool science/nature stuff that society thinks little girls can’t/shouldn’t be excited about 🫠😵‍💫🥹

Fate was a funny thing.

For as long as you’d known him, Namjoon had always been honest that his greatest wish in life was to be a father. It shocked you back then, hearing a nineteen-year-old dreaming so openly about domesticity; especially when all his friends could focus on was how many clubs they could hit in the night ahead. But you knew it, even then, that Namjoon was a nurturer. He always was.

Although he wasn’t shy about expressing his emotions, you’d only seen him cry on a handful of occasions. One of those was when he laid eyes on the pregnancy test you held out, trembling with joy and - inwardly - a hell of a lot of panic. For the nine months that followed, people often asked what you wanted: boy or girl? With a sheepish smile, he always answered the same way - a boy, because he knew what that entailed.

Having a little girl? Well, that scared the shit out of him. That was unknown territory and if his sister taught him anything, it was that he had absolutely no idea what kind of strength and finesse it took to navigate the very unique difficulties of girlhood. He was terrified, he said, of fucking up - of making it all harder.

The next time you saw him cry was when he first laid eyes on your daughter. Watching him hold that wriggling, pink-faced angel, there’d been a knot in your stomach. You wondered to yourself if he was secretly disappointed not to have a son, even if he’d never say so. But over the past three years, he proved you wrong over and over and over again.

Fate made the right call - Namjoon was born to be a girl dad.

Sitting on your beach towel, you hugged your knees to your chest and rested your chin where they bent. It was the most at-peace you’d ever felt, lounging in that salty wind, even though the excited squealing up ahead had scared all the seagulls away.

Waddling on chunky legs next her father, Kim Yeong-Ja gripped the same hand that had crafted the braids bouncing against her shoulders. She stared up at him with palpable adoration - like her mother - and her eyes were sparkling wide with wonder - like her father. If you squinted, you could see the purple fingernail on his right index finger; the one she messily painted after barely even having to ask for his permission, receiving all the trust in the world.

“Ja, look!” Namjoon gasped as his hand dipped gently into the tide pool below. When he pulled it back out, whatever he now cupped in his hand was invisible to you. “Do you know what this is, baby?”

Yeong-Ja’s gasp was identical to her father’s. Then that little ham pulled her free hand to her cheek in surprise - another perfectly mimicked trait of his - before her tiny voice replied, “Mermit!”

His eyes crinkled above his all-consuming grin. It didn’t disappear when he bent over and kissed the top of her head, “Hermit crab! Good job, baby. You’re a genius, just like your mama.”

Your heart soared at her reaction, which was to turn and find you with her big, bright eyes and open-mouthed smile. She giggled like a fiend when you waved. You swooned.

“Show mama!” Yeong-Ja barely warned him before she took off, tugging him behind her. He swooped in and tucked her under one arm so she wouldn’t fall on the rocks but, out of respect, kept up her desired pace. Her belly laugh had become the soundtrack of the day. Like the tide below, it crashed over the sand and sprayed in every direction.

Soon enough, your two greatest loves came clambering up to you and dropped clumsily - but safely - on the other half of your towel. You could’ve sat there forever, counting their twin freckles; but there was now a very small child holding a very small crab near your face with extremely cautious hands.

There were two pairs of eager eyes blinking up at you.

“Wow, Jaja! Look at your little friend!” You gushed before pressing a kiss to her damp, chubby cheek, “Is daddy teaching you all about nature?”

There was a tiny wrinkle between two black brows. She corrected you gently, though it made your heart explode, “Mermits, mama.”

“Quite right, Ja,” Namjoon waved his hand in diplomatic agreement before resting it on the small of your back. He shot you a wink but maintained his otherwise serious expression, “Mermits, mama.”

[penfz]

The Itadoris

SukunaXFemReader (Modern AU)

Summary: Reader reminisces on why she’s so grateful for the Itadori family, while Sukuna wonders why he allows himself to be surrounded by the two people in his life he calls “brats”.

A/N: I was planning on writing a whole story based on the stories “The Itadoris” and “Fcukin’ Brats” . But I think I like the idea of having random stories about it, better.

Sukuna x FemReader Masterlist

Snow white hair, and bright blue eyes behind dark rounded sunglasses.

Sukuna was convinced that this man had to be Aika's father. Meaning, this would be Y/N's ex.

But why did he have to be left by himself in the house, with him?!

“So you’re dating Y/N, am I right?” The white hair male asked. "Yeah." Sukuna gave a short one worded answer, he didn't want to talk to the ex. In fact, he wanted to get rid of him all together! "I'm Satoru by the way." Satoru finally introduced. "Sukuna." Sukuna wasn't having it. "How did you and Y/N meet?" "Work." "Oh, didn't think she would actually date her colleague." Satoru laughed lightly. "Do look like her type though.

Is this guy comparing me to him!?

"Satoru, stop being annoying." Y/N commented as she walked back into the living room. "That's so mean YN." Satoru commented as Y/N looked at Sukuna. "I thought I heard your voice." Y/N mentioned as she sat down beside Satoru.

Did she really just sit down beside her ex!?

"Sorry if my brother is annoying." Y/N continued.

Her what?

"Your brother?" Sukuna slowly questioned. Was he hearing things? "Yeah, Satoru is my half brother. Same mother, different dads."Y/N explained. "Thank lord for our mom's strong genes that Aika got a lot of her grandmother's traits, and not her father's."

Putting two and two together, this would explain Aika's strong resemblance to Satoru's physical looks, it's her uncle. And it would explain the hair dye in the bathroom. Y/n's hair is originally a snow white colour, not black.

"Hi uncle Satoru!" An excited voice called out, with the sound of footsteps following right after. "Well if it isn't my favourite person ever!" Satoru called back as Aika ran to him to hug. She was so excited, her uncle was often busy and didn't get a chance to visit. He called often though, checking up on both her and Y/N.

But she saw something, a glimpse of pink hair as she ran to her uncle. And as Aika let go, she looked over behind her to the other couch. And she was right.

"Suki?" "Hey sweetheart." Sukuna grinned as Aika quickly made her way to him... and launched herself at him into a hug. "Oh look, your favourite person ran off." Y/N teased as Gojo pouted playfully.

Of course Gojo knew of Sukuna, or ‘Suki’, as Aika called him, for Aika would always tell him on the phone about Yuuji and ‘Suki’. For awhile Gojo thought she was speaking about her classmates, and even thought ‘Suki’ was a female. All his guesses were wrong in the end.

Gojo had only figured out that ‘Suki’ wasn’t a female when Aika had asked if she could write her story on Father’s Day, on ‘Suki’. Gojo had to ask why she would want to list her classmate as a “father”, to which Aika replied in a confused manner, that ‘Suki’ is her babysitter’s big brother. Well that cleared up all the confusion Gojo had Lol.

“So that’s ‘Suki’.” Gojo said with a smile. "Yeah, why?" Y/N/ asked. "You know him? "Aika mentioned him to me." "... saying what?" Y/N asked. What could her daughter be saying about a man like Sukuna? "She asked me what a dad is supposed to be like."Gojo explained. "I told her they're supposed to be like you Y/N, like a mother. They take care of you, protect you, feed you. And she told me that she wanted to write her Father’s Day homework on ‘Suki’ here, because he does all those things for her and Yuuji.”

Y/n was silent for a moment. When she had originally put up the want ad for a babysitter, she was unsure if this was the right thing to do. She didn't just trust anyone with her daughter. But Yuuji proved to her that she could. For he took care of her and protected her, with Sukuna doing the same.

Yuuji once said that he wished that you and Aika had got to spend more time with his grandfather, said he was a stubborn and hard headed old man like Sukuna. But he was also kind in his own way. Yuuji had said that his grandfather would have really enjoyed yours and Aika’s company. You began to wish the same, your heart breaking when you had news of his passing.

An older man had greeted her, told her if she needed any help, she had a couple of grandsons that could help her, even help her watch Aika if she needed. He had said his youngest grandson was a kind looking one, but his oldest was a bit mean looking, but he means well. It wasn't long after that she had found out that he had passed away. But the older man was right along, for she didn't just have Yuuji watching her daughter, Sukuna had always been there too.

"You alright?" Gojo asked, taking in his sister's gesture. Her eyes were downcast, and her expression was sad, but content. "Yeah." Y/N answered with a smile. "I just never knew how much the Itadori's have truly taken care of Aika, I'm grateful for them."

Gojo smiled at this, as Sukuna and Aika were having their own conversation.

"Is Yuuji here too?" Aika asked as she stood before Sukuna. "No, it's just me that came by. The brat's doing homework, like how you should be." Sukuna mentioned. "You came by yourself?" Aika questioned. Before a large grin spread across her face. Sukuna stared back for a bit... why was she smiling like that? "Did you come by to see my mom, Suki?" Aika questioned with that grin, her tone almost teasing.

Sukuna paused, caught off guard. Why was he getting embarrassed by this child.

"What's it to you brat?" Sukuna asked back. "So you do have a crush on my mom." Aika pushed further, SUkuna getting caught off guard again. "And who says I do?" "Well, you always come by to see my mom." "Who says I'm not coming to see you?" "Cause you see me all the time at your place." "We're talking about work." "No you're not. Mom says she never takes her work home."

Sukuna was running out of comebacks.

"What do you want brat, for you to just keep this to yourself?" Sukuna questioned.

Aika grinned again.

"Me and Yuuji want to go to the carnival." Aika proclaimed. "Seriously? We had this discussion, and it was a no." Sukuna answered back. "You asked what I wanted." Aika pouted.

She was right, he did ask her that.

"Fine." Sukuna gave in annoyed. "Yay!" Aika cheered, her arms going up in the air. "Can I borrow your phone Suki?" "For what?" Sukuna raised a brow, handing the phone to the child as he did. "I have to call Yuuji." She explained ash she held his phone... she didn't know what to do.

Sukuna sighed once more as he called Yuuji's phone.

"Hi Suku-nii." Yuuji answered almost immediately. "Hi Yuuji, it's Aika." "Oh! Why do you have Sukuna's phone?" Yuuji questioned. "Is he at your house?" "Yeah he came by to visit my mom." Aika blurted out, Sukuna's eyes going wide with that confession. Did she just not agree to keep this to herself!? Wtf! "Suki said he'll take us to the carnival." "Oh really?" Yuuji answered surprised, as the information of Sukuna visiting Y/N went right over his head. "Yeah, but you have to keep Suki's secret too." Aika explained. "Of Sukuna visiting your mom? But I told you Sukuna likes your mom." Yuuji answered back.

With that, Sukuna swiped the phone.

"Do your homework brat." Sukuna demanded. What the fcuk do these 2 talk about. "Hey, that's mean. And I'm keeping your secret to ya know." Yuuji pouted on the other line. "Whatever." Sukuna gritted back. "Just finish your homework before the weekend, we can go out then." "Okay." Yuuji answered cheerfully.

"Sooooo, are you coming home tonight?" Yuuji questioned. "Goodbye!" Sukuna yelled back and hung up.

Extra:

Gojo was absolutely laughing his head off now, while Y/N pouted.

“Y/N, you’re dating your colleague, who is also the babysitter’s brother, who ALSO just happens to be your neighbour?!” The laughter and teasing wouldn’t stop.

Y/N continued her pouting. This was the last time she tells her big brother about her love life.

[avionvadion]

Okay so I made a post before how Lilith might be one of three things- two of which involved her being a Red Herring, one of which involved her working with Eve, and a third with her being a villain duo with Eve. Now I have a different theory, and one I’m leaning towards.

In the Jewish Text and Bible, Lilith becomes a Succubus. A creature of temptation and lust.

We see in the family portraits that Lilith has horns. If Hazbin Hotel is following the lore, then she was probably still transformed into a Succubus. But, we also know that, in Hazbin Hotel lore, those who become demons take on traits based on their souls. (Ie, Angel Dust and his family all being spiders due to their mafia family’s “web of crime”.) So if this applies to Lilith as well, since she fell from humanity, there has to be a reason for WHY she became a Succubus specifically.

My theory: Lilith approached Lucifer first. She seduced him to escape Adam, and fell into lust. Maybe she loved him, maybe she didn’t.

(And yes I know the creator said they were madly in love, but that was also back when we only had the pilot and when we thought Lucifer was an asshole instead of an adorable duck obsessed dad who’s trying his best.) (It could also just be the creator trying to trick everyone so as to make the twist a bigger surprise; some creators do that.)

Unlike Lucifer, who fell into despair, Lilith thrived in Hell, her songs being the reason why everyone sings. She wanted an escape, Lucifer was her way out, and I’m absolutely convinced it was her plan to feed Eve the apple.

I also think she gaslit Charlie- a lot- because in the first episode Charlie says that “saving her people” was her mother’s dream, believing her father to have just “allowed” the extermination. But we later find out Lucifer fought to have the Hellborn protected, and that he once tried to do exactly what Charlie is doing now and redeem Sinners. But he failed.

Whether or not Lilith eventually fell in love with Lucifer, I’m convinced their relationship started as Lilith trying to use Lucifer, and when his ideals began to deviate from her own, she took that as a sign and “split” from him. (As Charlie has said in episode five). Lilith lied to try and create enmity between the father and daughter, probably so Charlie wouldn’t continue what Lucifer started, as that would go against Lilith’s ultimate goal (most likely a Rebellion against Heaven, if we go with the posters seen in the pilot) but evidently failed.

Lucifer still wears his ring because he’s still in love with her, but to Lilith he was most likely a means to an end and being with him no longer served a purpose. Now Charlie is standing in the way of Lilith’s goal, having successfully redeemed a Sinner.

And what are some of Lilith’s many titles in the old texts and bible?

“”A breeder of evil spirits” and “a child murdering monster of the night”.”

As a special mention, one of Eve and Lucifer’s punishments were this; “Enmity will be born between you and her, between her offspring and yours, and they shall bruise your head and your offspring shall bruise their heels”.

So Lilith is definitely going to be a complicated character, whereas Eve will be more the result of God’s will/punishment.

Anyways, this is all to say that I support both women’s rights and women’s wrongs, and as much as I’m obsessed with Lucifer I would absolutely adore a (potentially villainous) Lilith who is doing fucked up things for a misguided/believes she’s in the right kind of reason.

[mystic-shadows42]

{Requested} Sympathy for the Devil

[Requested: Howdy!  I was wondering if I could request something with billy x reader (they’re in a relationship) where they're arguing and he raises his voice a lot louder than he normally would with her and she is startled???]

A/N: Of course, as with every request I take some liberties to make the story a tad bit longer. Thank you for the request. Please, enjoy!

Warnings: Language and Violence

It was a nice night when Billy picked you up to go to his house. His dad and stepmom had been out longer than he anticipated so he invited you regardless.

Being with Billy happened so suddenly. To put it simply, he was a bad boy who didn’t put up with anybody’s shit. That very trait is what made you more attracted to him.

You smiled at Billy as he teased you with little pecks of kisses on your lips. Soon enough he got tired of his own teasing running his hands over your smooth legs. His hands went underneath your thighs to pick you up. That’s when you instantly encircled his waist and interlocked your ankles behind his back as your arms held onto him tightly around his neck.

He continued to kiss you as he walked from the sofa towards his bedroom where he slammed the door shut with his foot. He pressed his lips harder into yours parting them just slightly as his tongue invaded your mouth. Once he made it to his bed, he laid you down on your back as he hovered above, never breaking the kiss. His hands raised to brush over your waist ever so gently before he planted them on your sides.

His kiss became a little more wanting and aggressive. He lowered his hands until they landed on your hips, gripping them.

He took a hold of your legs and spread them as he got in between. Just when things were starting to heat up there was a knock on the door. 

“Busy,” was all that he said.

You stopped kissing Billy immediately knowing that the jig was up.

Billy though seemed unfazed as he still tried kissing you. That’s when you widened your eyes at him and placed your hand on his chest. He rolled his eyes at your caution and lowered his head to suck on your neck.

“Open the door.”

At the sound of the serious voice of his father, Billy’s expression changed. He stopped what he was doing and got off of the bed. He took a deep breath before he opened the door seeing his dad and stepmom.

“What?” 

You zoned out in embarrassment feeling flushed after what you and Billy were doing. What would they think after seeing you like this? Billy didn’t even give you time to freshen up.

You looked at them as their focus was on Billy. They were talking about his sister Max and how she left when Billy was supposed to watch her. Your eyes went from them to Billy. He didn’t tell you that he was supposed to watch her or even let you know that she was home.

Your mouth went dry seeing Billy’s father walk into the room and glance at you then at Billy in frustration. Despite what was happening you wanted to defend Billy.

“Mr. Hargrove we weren’t aware that she was gone.”

Billy looked at you sharply pointing your way.

“Stay out of it.”

You swallowed, feeling stuck in place at the way he looked at you. It was one you weren’t used to. It was then that you noticed just how tense Billy now looked. 

“You didn’t notice she was gone?” He spoke repeating what you just said. “Yeah, it would be hard to notice if a thirteen year old was missing if you two were fornicating.”

Billy then began to raise his voice stating how Max didn’t need a full-time babysitter and how she wasn’t his sister. Just as soon as Billy turned off the radio his dad charged at him, pressing him into the shelf behind.

You jumped off the bed in fright watching how quickly things had escalated.

“What did we talk about?” His father asked him. He didn’t even give Billy the chance to speak before he hit him. You covered your hand over your mouth.

You expected things to get ugly. For Billy to hit him back but he didn’t, even though he was more than capable of doing so. He simply breathed heavily and answered his father’s question. It all made sense where some of Billy’s sudden outbursts of anger came from. It all derived from his father and how he treated him.

Billy never lost his temper with you but before you both got together that’s all that anyone ever knew of him. His temper. 

His father raised his voice at Billy once more, condescending him when he feigned he didn’t hear him. Billy’s eyes glistened and you knew there was an inner battle he was fighting.

You watched as his father walked out of his room then focused back on Billy. It was as if his trance had broken once his dad left. He shook his head slightly as he looked down at the floor.

You took a step forward wanting to embrace him and tell him everything was going to be okay but before you could do that he sniffled brushing his hand over his mouth before brushing past your shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

You said nothing as you opened the car door and got in. The first thing you did was look over at him but he was purposely avoiding your gaze.

“Billy.”

As soon as you spoke he turned the radio on and blasted the speakers. He then peeled out of the driveway and onto the road. Smoke from the tires clouded the car for a moment then cleared once Billy kept accelerating on the gas.

“Billy!” You screamed hoping he would stop. He was going to kill you both if he kept this up.

“Billy please,”

His attention was on the road as he ignored your pleas. His jaw kept on clenching and unclenching as he tried getting into the heavy metal music. Out of pure frustration, you turned off the radio and simply stared at him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” His eyes were wide and alert but his mind was elsewhere. His knuckles began to turn white the way he was gripping the steering wheel.

“Does he always treat you like that?”

You were met with silence. The only sound was him accelerating on the pedal for more speed.

“Why the hell did you even speak to him?”

You became confused at his question. Between looking at the road and focusing on his question it was a lot.

“Are you really mad at me? After what happened?”

After everything that happened at the house, you hadn’t expected this to be his question for you.

“It would have been easier if you just kept your mouth shut.”

You scoffed, “Really, Billy? That wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know your father was like that. I was just trying to defend you.”

“Well, I don’t need you defending me. My old man’s an asshole. I can handle him but you meddling in something you don’t know how to handle made it worse.” This time he looked over at you before refocusing back on the road.

You simply felt utterly dumb. All you wanted was to defend your boyfriend and he was making it seem like it was somehow your fault. That you were the guilty one here and not his dad.

“So you’ll just let him treat you like that?”

“Just shut up.”

Your throat felt dry. Never has he ever spoken to you like this. It was new and you hated it. You could feel yourself grow angry and wanted to get back at him for making you feel like this.

“I never pegged you for a coward,” you spoke purely out of frustration. As soon as it came out, you regretted it.

He stomped on the brakes jerking you both forward and then back hitting the headrest at the abrupt stoppage.

“I said I don’t want to talk about it! If you continue, you can just leave and walk home. Matter of fact.” Billy reached over your seat and swung the door open for you to get out but you didn’t.

You were shell-shocked. Startled even. He raised his voice in pure anger. The veins in his neck were apparent and his eyes were wide and hard glaring at you. It was all his frustration and anger building but he was taking it out on you.

You wanted to be mad at him for treating you this way but you also felt sympathy for him. His dad treated him like shit so his outlook didn’t stray from his father’s demeanor.

“Get out!” Your heart raced as you simply stared at him in shock. He wasn’t just mad anymore, he was furious. “Get the fuck, out!”

His chest heaved heavily. His eyes were a shade darker than normal. 

Billy flung his door open and quickly walked to your side of the car. Your mind was reeling from what was happening. It didn’t seem real. He was actually scaring you the way he was aggressively moving.

You simply couldn’t move or speak.

Billy grabbed a hold of your arm and pulled you out of the car. He gripped your arm and briskly walked you a few feet away before completely letting you go altogether.

Your eyes began to water once he gave you one last glare before walking back to his car.

“Billy,” you whimpered, barely above a whisper.

He turned so quickly that you almost missed it when trying to blink back the tears. “No!” He yelled pointing his finger at you. “You brought this on.” He shook his head. His eyes were glistening but he seemed to be channeling his anger.

You stood there off the side of the road as Billy walked back to his car slamming the passenger side of the door before making his way to the driver’s seat. Once again he slammed on the pedal and took off down the street, leaving you there.

The car’s engine was all you could hear echoing down the empty road. The fading sound reminded you just where exactly were at. Abandoned and left to wallow in your own self-pity.

You hadn’t meant to go that far. It pained you to see that he simply left you on the side of the road without a second thought. That’s when you stopped stifling your cries and just let it all out.

You lowered yourself to the floor and pulled your knees up as you lowered your head down. How did things escalate to this? You covered your face with your hand replaying it all over in your head. You were beating yourself up over what you should’ve said.

When your cries began to die down a resonating sound began to grow louder. You sniffled and blinked your eyes trying to clear your vision seeing car lights get closer. When Billy’s car came back into view you stood up and watched as he slowed down and then stop completely.

He turned off the car but continued to sit there. You sniffled then shuffled closer to the car. You waited but he didn’t yell or make any move to stop you from opening the door. You swallowed thickly as you sat down in the passenger seat in total silence.

Billy was staring just ahead at nothing in particular. His eyes were watery as if he had been holding it all in until he reached his breaking point. Finally, a tear fell down his cheek but he didn’t bother brushing it away or hiding it.

It was as if you’d seen a glimpse of his life that he kept secret and you understood him a little bit better than before. Everything he does, says and thinks made sense. It all revolved around his dad.

Without truly thinking about what your next move would be you were already leaning forward embracing Billy in a hug. He didn’t reciprocate it and you didn’t expect him to.

It was simply engraved into him by his dad to not show any type of emotion. He was who he was because of his dad 

It was when you happen to sneak a glance at him that you saw that he had his eyes shut. He didn’t look angry, just sad.

Forever torn on never showing his emotions, only anger. No one ever truly consoled him the way he needed to. You wanted to be the comforting touch he needed even if he did prove it to be difficult. You loved Billy. The good and the bad.

[devilheartsblog]

Here’s Part 2 of some ideas I’m doodled for my Winx rewrite

Last post seemed to do better than I expected and I’m glad a few people enjoyed it. So here are some more things I want to work with.

I like Artu and Roxy’s relationship but I would have also liked some backstory on them and more depth. Like Gantlos said “it’s just a dog”. How did Roxy get Artu? Is he adopted or bought? Is there a reason he doesn’t like anyone outside of Roxy and Klaus?

In my rewrite, yes. Abandoned as a puppy, a kid Roxy took him in after her mother left her dad unexpectedly. She basically raised Artu and he means a lot to her, but she never socialised him since she herself isn’t social with people (so while Artu may tolerate someone’s prescence he doesn’t like being touched or seen upclose). Roxy raising Artu is also why she gets pissed and earns her fairy form but doesn’t want the fairy gig since it ended up hurting her dog, because as a fairy the wizards are after her and Gantlos hurt Artu.

Speaking of Gantlos

Gantlos my beloved you’re so fucking bland the only personality trait you have is having fucked up pointy hands and a cool hat <3

Ok in all honestly I like his apathy to animals and the Winx in general, but that also applies to the other wizards to some extent. At least you can say something about the other wizards; Orgon’s voice is top tier, Duman has really cool powers and design, Anagan’s banter with Flora’s entertaining. This one’s technically a headcannon I made cannon in the rewrite. I did my research btw.

Gantlos has a pretty intense fear of deers also called Elafiphobia, even asking Duman to not shapeshift into one. It’s pretty bad, seeing a deer gets him pretty close to a panic attack. I’m not going to spoil why but I’ll say it’s a consequence of the Great Fairy Hunt. In fact all the Wizards despite being the cause have been affected by the fairy hunt, either overall or because of a major event. Gantlos’ deer phobia is also why he doesn’t like/care about animals initially, I mean, why should he like them? Just cause they’re cute? Hah!

Apart from Riven and Musa I hate the melodrama in season 4 it’s so shit. Since in my version Sky isn’t in the story cause king stuff, Mitzi is narratively cremated and Nabu doesn’t die, on top of planning to expand on Anagan and Flora’s relationship as rivals and Anagan “flirting” with her, it’d be weird for Helia to be like “eh”. Like even if Flora can hold her own I think he’d at least be a little concerned and annoyed at Anagan.

So yeah, Helia’s conflict is having a case of Impostor syndrome because Anagan’s a foil to him; confident, extroverted, confrontational, and actually bounces off of Flora really well. (Like, I don’t ship Anagan and Flora but the people who do I don’t blame them, it sounds more interesting) Even if Flora doesn’t reciprocate Anagan’s feelings, Helia feels inadequate and is anxious Flora will lose interest and might even break up with him since he’s the anti-social poet of the group. Timmy could even help after his confidence arc in Season 2. He’s not overprotective of Flora like wanting to fight Anagan since it kinda goes against his pacifism but the narrative doesn’t care about that as much as I do :/

And lastly I think it’s be neat if we saw a more fleshed out dynamic between the Wizards, the best I can think of is when they’re protected by Syllia and Duman almost slips their plan to which Anagan says he’s being whoosy, Orgon complains about being protected by fairies while Gantlos is fine with it.

A lot of the rewrite is focused on fleshing out the wizards because I want complex villains grr, and they’re perfect for it. The Earth Fairies? They’re good but they’re dead in my rewrite soooo-

I like to think Orgon is pretty manipulative of them. Was he always like this? No, but he’s desperate to secure the disappearance of magic from Earth, and his manipulation gets worse and worse as the episodes go on, in the end being threats and guilt-tripping. He still cares but mostly how the wizards can be of service to the Black Circle. And yes Duman is his favorite because he has the best powers. Shapeshifting will always be OP and the best power in my heart.

Anyway that’s all folks. If I make a part 3 it’ll probs cover some other stuff like Jason Queen, which I like his character, it’s perfect for Musa’s development (until they made Bloom the fucking main singer like WHYYY) or perhaps talk about Klaus or Morgana, Tecna and Timmy and more about Nabu. Anyway I’ll go watch some more nostalgic minecraft videos and webtoon rants. See ya!

[harryrryrry]

Before I go

Tommy Shelby x daughter reader

Gif by Joekeerygif

Summary : Tommy decided to send his daughter to a private school in the country before she brings to much trouble. Y/N is doing everything in her power to change her fathers mind

AN : you can also find my works on AO3 here !

———————————————————————

1913 was a beautiful year. They’ll tell you that. The following year was the worst. Tears, screams that pained them, and promises to come back that never felt true, until they were back.

Y/N was almost a year old when she was separated from her father. At that time, the man was her only parent, having never known the love of a mother. Then Polly came in the picture, replacing her father she didn’t remember, and her mother she never met.

And then he came back. Polly had told her multiple times that the man in front of her was her father but seeing as she was only four years old, remembering things were the last thing Y/N cared for. Speaking properly, putting her shoes on and even reading was already a challenge for her.

So “Tommy” it was. It took her almost a year to call him dad. A year of repetitive questions. “Who are you ?” “Where were you ?” “ why are you here now ?”

Some would have lost patience, but never did he. And god knows Thomas Shelby’s patience was thin.

To Thomas, learning the trust of daughter was his main goal. Her first, business after. Arthur always says that his brother has gone soft for the little girl. And never Tommy would deny it. She was the apple of his life. His anchor to earth when the shovels would be back at night.

Having missed most of her toddler years messed him up. Thinking was he wasn’t able to carry her around in his arms, feed her or even cradle her at night pained him more than anything. And every day, under the dirt and the sound of bombs with not light at the end of the tunnel, Tommy prayed that she was safe, loved and that her innocence would remain intact.

And all of these efforts, all these years of gaining her trust and love, went threw the window. Years of work that took a minute to crumble.

" What ?"

During those said years, Tommy had learned a lot of things about his daughter. For starters, they did not only share the same physical traits, but also his character. As Polly would say, y/n learnt from the best. The second mastermind of the Shelby family. But all these skills had to come with a bit of negativity ; being a trouble maker, always getting herself in a though situation were Tommy always had to get her out. Her father had warned her multiple times that one day, she would get herself in trouble - something big and the Tommy wouldn't always be there to get her out. She had brushed it off, saying that she was smart enough to find a solution herself.

" You heard me. I warned you multiple times already. So, you are to leave for Liverpool Monday, first thing in the morning. I won't be there, but Polly will accompany you to the station. Once there, you'll be taking care of. And please, do't bring the trouble with you on your way, eh ?"

Her father, the person she trusted and loved most, was betraying her? Betrayal never felt so hard.

He was sending her away to Liverpool to attend a private Catholic school for girls only. He decided alone he didn't even talked about it with her.

" But you can't !"

Tommy sighed, as much as it pained him, he had to. He had warned her, again and again that this was bound to happen. Sending her away, where she would have the obligation to obey.

Polly and Arthur were right, Tommy was to sit with his little girl. The man never brought a hand upon her and the worst grounding she was no riding for a week.

But this ? For y/n it was the worst punition. No father, no Finn, no riding, no pictures, no friends, no liberty and far away from her family. But the worst of it all ? He wasn't even coming and she knew why. He would crack, take her in his arms, give her a lecture, hug her again and would bring her back home.

And y/n has the attention to play on that.

" You're sending me away, telling me this as if you are reading the paper. And you're not coming ?"

Tommy sighed, heavier than before. " I know, and trust me I would love to come but I can't. I have some important business to take of."

What a lame excuse, y/n thought.

"Bullshit." Thomas head shot up. His glare piercing holes in her head.

" I'm sorry, what ?" Y/n huffed. " see ? This is why im sending you there. So that fucking behavior of yours stop. I'm tired of always having to get you out of trouble."

The more he raised his voice, the more chances were slim for her to find an alternative with him. She had to think of something, and fast. Seeing at it was already Wednesday, she would have a few days to plan something.

" Okay, I'll leave. Can I be dismissed ?" Tommy looked at her as if she had become a ghost. He was expecting her to put up a fight, to scream, cry and whatsoever. For fuck sake's, he was ready to call Polly in case things got to Wilde for him to handle.

"You- huh yes, if you want."

Perfect. The first part of her plan was in action.

She nodded and took off toward her room. There, she packed a suitcase and hide it - but not too much, so it was still visible, under her bed. Until dinner time, she will stay in her room, letting her father alone with his doubts.

At the table, the tension was palpable, you could even cut it with a knife. No one was talking, Charlie was playing with his food, as per usual, Ruby kicking her legs under the table, happy to have sweet potatoes in her plate, Lizzie was eating slowly and silently, and while Tommy was smocking, his plate untouched, y/n was counting the green peas in her plate. She could feel his eyes on her, trying to know what she was thinking or more like what was she planning.

Little did he knew, she wasn't going to let him find out. No matter what it takes.

" Sweetheart, you should eat a bit more than a spoon." Lizzie, who's sat next to her, whispered.

" Im not that hungry. Dad ? Can I leave the table early please ? I would like to go to bed, im not feeling well."

The sound of silverware against the china plates abruptly stopped. What was it with the sudden politeness ? It was too formal - and so not normal - to come out of her mouth. Even her father was uncomfortable to be talked to this way by his daughter.

" Why so formal, eh ?" Y/n put down her silverware on the table and turned to her father with grace.

" Oh, just practicing my well behavior in order to be ready for Liverpool, sir. I do not want to cause any problems to anyone else." For a hot minute, Tommy and y/n looked at each other as id it was the competition. The first one to break the stare would show weakness and even though she knew that his death glare will never look away, she still thought she had a chance.

And to her biggest surprise, her father was the first to break the eye contact. She felt proud, knowing that she would be the first person to defeat him.

"What's in Liverpool ?" Ruby's little voice broke the silence.

"Our dear dad, my little Ruby, want me to leave the house for a few years because he is too afraid to admit the fact that he doesn't want me in his way. Too afraid that I’m "a wild horse that cannot be calmed down for the big day". Am I right, daddy ?" Tommy pinched his eyes shut. Next to her, she felt Lizzie getting up, as if she was sensing the trouble from a mile away.

" C'mon kids, let's go upstairs."

The room now empty, y/n decided to put her plan into action. She forced her eyes to water. "Tell me, really. Why do you want me so bad to leave ?"

Tommy looked at her with uncertainty. The first time he truly felt helpless. He knew that if he opened his mouth only to say one word, he will crack and tell her to stay. But this would mean that he would have to accept the fact that he can be defeated - by his own daughter.

"I already told you. You are getting out of hand. Too much trouble comes your way and I can’t handle it every time. I won’t be here all the time. You need to learn that.”

So it seems that Tommy won’t change his mind. But that’s alright, she’ll find another way.

“Dad-“

“No. Go to your room Y/N, please.”

[ygsunflower]

I know I’m not the first one to notice this, but Carina is a lot more laidback with Maya- She’s comfortable with letting Maya speak for her both in serious (at her visa interview) and non-serious (here at the bar letting Maya order her white wine) situations, or at least allowing Maya to take charge first.

At first I did not like this character “change” at all and I blamed it on the inconsistent writings on Carina’s character between when she first appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and when she moved to Station 19. However, as we see her appearing more on both Station 19 and Grey’s (only occasionally), and as she started to have more storylines apart from Maya and their relationship, I kinda appreciate her different personalities (for lack of a better word).

When Carina DeLuca was first introduced on Grey’s, she was this straightforward, no-filter fireball of a sexy Italian goddess. She was extremely confident and firm about her profession and her sexuality. Yet she has a soft spot for her brother. And we also see her almost losing her usual confidence and fieriness in front her father. She was never afraid to speak her mind, but when she was with her father, and later on her mentally-illed brother, she almost became too scared to speak up and be firm with them. I’m not a mental health expert/psychologist, but from what I saw, Carina has the tendency to shrink her ego and be extra soft to those she loves. I don’t think it’s uncommon for people, but it’s just a more obvious trait for her. Anyways, this is the justification I made to understand Carina’s different personalities with Maya and everyone else.

She loves Maya deeply, so she feels comfortable enough to shrink her ego. It’s not about Maya dominating her in the relationship, but more so about Carina feeling safe to let Maya take care of her and she doesn’t feel like she has to constantly putting her feet down and be firm. But I cannot draw this conclusion until the S6b of Station 19 and Grey’s S19b. Before this two half seasons, we did not see much of her as her independent self. But now we get to see her having her own storylines. The abortion clinic storyline and her running this trauma here on Grey’s showed us the good-old confident Dr. DeLuca is still very much present.

Her scenes in 6x07 of Station 19 even proved my previous point on her trusting her loved ones to make the call for them- once she got yelled by an obviously unstable Maya, she no longer considered this Maya her safe place. She immediately switched to her stern doctor voice to Maya and took back her trust in Maya to make any decisions. Carina did not back down as her last resort to try saving her wife from essentially killing herself.

In terms of her fun and almost rambunctious side of personalities, even though we don’t see her as excited Dr. Orgasm again (wasted potentials if you ask me, both the actual research topic and her overall mannerism during that storyline were gold), we still have the fake abortion clinic comedy and her scenes with Vic and Dr. Lewis are always fun. Her comedic side now is just toned down which I can accept. (Props to Stefania, I love her little physical comedy acting for Carina.)

That to be said, her personality trait of being extremely soft around her loved ones also made it easy for her to get walked-over by her loved ones… Both her father and Maya, as much as I hate putting Maya next to Carina’s dad, they abused and took advantage of Carina’s love and softness around them when they were in a mental health crisis (a longggg crisis). Her love to them made her tongue-tied in front of them and almost turned her into a slight pushover… And that’s why this second half of S6b has been great for Carina’s character- A slow burn Marina recovering road allows us to see Carina realizing the downside of her “weakened heart” around those she loves. After repeatedly getting hurt by her loved ones, Carina is finally burned out this time. She lost her strengths to pick herself up from the pain caused by her loved ones and keep loving them. She is so hurt that she’s scared of not surviving the next pain. She still wants Maya and she is still hopelessly in love with her but she needs Maya to win her back despite her instincts to forgive her again and again. She needs to see Maya’s changes to regain the courage to comfortably let go of her rationale to love Maya fearlessly again. What makes it worthy for Carina is that this time her love is changing, for the better. Maya is healing and she apologized to Carina. And the difference between Maya and Carina’s dad is that Maya now listens to Carina and respects her needs. Despite their downs and heartaches, Carina is still able to feel safe enough to spill all her fears to Maya.

This long rant is just to say that with the past few episodes of Grey’s and Station 19, we finally get a holistic understanding of the character Carina DeLuca. Rather than inconsistent writings, with simultaneous appearances of both Dr. Carina DeLuca and loving wife Carina DeLuca on 19 and Grey’s, her different personalities are explained and demonstrated well. These seemly contradicting personalities now make her more human and endearing.

[navarice]

my dearest fellow mdzs stans, i really don't want to spoil anyone's fun but sometimes some things must be said. please do NOT mistake fanon characteristics for canon characteristics because by GOD is it frustrating to dissect a character when all anyone wants to do is blindly turn away from the very vivid and metastasizing flaws.

jiang cheng is an extremely complicated character, and that's why we love him. but by god, he is a jealous, self-victimizing asshole with a massive inferiority complex who likes to torture (probably) innocent look-a-likes of his (as far as he knew) dead adjacent family member. jesus christ this isn't some simple case of miscommunication (well it is but, you know no amount of communication will ever mend the giant chasm that developed between them. especially not with asians raised within the most classical case of asian parenting, i mean come on now) but a matter of deep and intense self-loathing developed since early childhood projecting violently outwards. let me be clear. he hates wei wuxian. he loathes him. he wants to kill him with his own hands again and again so some part of his convoluted sense of justice and superiority will be fulfilled. he's a classist, a bully, and abusive to everyone around him. ong at the end of mdzs, i was nearly crying tears of joy when jin guangyao flayed him flat on his ass bc that man needed to hear it. he needed to feel it. he needed to stop blaming others and blame himself.

and!! he's homophobic!! the entire cultivation world is, yes, but he's the only one we see give wei ying and lan zhan active shit for it!!

point is...his complexity makes him interesting. as a child, he was pretty alright tbh. he was understandably upset when three of his dogs got taken away and he saw his dad give a completely random kid such a gentle hug when jiang cheng never received one so far. he was a kid, and it was sad and helped the readers get a glimpse at the already dysfunctional family dynamics before wei ying came into the picture. as an adolescent/teen, yes he had a lot of unresolved rage and inferiority issues building up when he was constantly being compared to wei wuxian by his mother and not given enough reassurance from his father (once again, all present before wei ying...everyone just likes to dump the shit on him bc it's easier to point fingers at others than at yourself). perhaps he could have turned out differently if literally either of his parents stepped up and took accountability. however, after the burning of lotus pier? after the golden core transfer? after wei ying stuck around as his subordinate just as he promised, and protected jiang cheng like he promised, and defected just to save the yunmeng clan's reputation so jiang cheng doesn't have to put up with the other clan's shit, still continuing to keep his promise? after wei ying's death? idk abt y'all, but all bets are off bro.

mxtx makes it a point to make him so irredeemable. he's an exploration of what can go wrong if you let your traumas, self-hatred, and revenge fantasies blind you. he has the worst traits of his parents for a reason, directly contrasting with the other sibling, who is a perfect picture of eldest daughters born into a dysfunctional family. jiang yanli has the best traits of her parents (in terms of compassion and standing up for her family), but the family dynamics also made her the way she was. the responsible, the mediator, the occasional mother, stepping in where madam yu cannot.

there's just so much potential to hold him accountable buried under the pretense of misunderstandings and kinnie moments. he just had so many chances, more than any other character, to make a different choice. to actually look past his misgivings and unlearn the bad habits he used to protect himself as a child. i'm not saying he has to magically heal from all his traumas, but at the very least know not to be like his parents. but he wasn't written that way. because that is what happens when you give into your insecurities and generational trauma.

bottom line: jiang cheng is a fantastic archetype that needs to be explored in all his authenticity, including his moments of loyalty and cruelty.

[roseandgold137]

*chin hands* tell me about Darla Aquista!!

ok so there’s Darla in comics and then there’s Darla as I draw her, bc I think there are a few distinctions. Also bc this is Darla and not Laura I only took pictures of her pre-death for examples

This page is the first time we ever see her, with Tim instantly crashing into her. She’s very nice about it, and having read through her appearances pre-death in robin I can confirm that “kind” is probably her main character trait.

Here we learn that Bernard is like majorly crushing on her me too bear dw but he’s too afraid to approach her bc she’s always surrounded by the “giant jocks”, who turn out to be pretty chill. Unfortunately for Bernard, and because Tim is the main character, Darla develops a crush on Tim.

Darla isn’t just her looks, though - she’s very smart, and she can piece together the limited information to come up with just the right picture. I’d also like to point out how she talks to her dad - she’s used to getting what she wants from him, and the fact that she knows he’s withholding information annoys her. Luckily for her dad, she manages to derail herself, and we can also see a bit of bitterness in her last speech bubble - “I think he made her up as an excuse not to date me.” Which, to Darla, is pretty much exactly how it is. As she said, no one’s ever seen Steph. And she says it on the other page, too - everyone likes her, but none of the boys ask her out. And, as a fifteen/sixteen year old girl, who clearly would like to be asked out, that’s a very frustrating situation

now. She goes about this in very much the wrong way. I’m not going to sugarcoat that. The main thing I’m noticing from her throughout her appearances is frustration. She’s frustrated that her dad is hiding things from her. She’s frustrated that she thinks Tim’s lying to her.

She takes the rejection well, though, and seems amicable with Tim afterwards. Though, Tim, really, if you’ve just established that you’re not interested in her, please don’t ask her to sneak off with you to go to a restaurant together. It’s not a good look

And here we have them as their little trio! The dynamics here go crazy, but frankly my biggest question is where did her jocks. She doesn’t seem to be quite over tim, but she’s not kissing him out nowhere, so that’s something. 2000s comics, man. Bernard appears with his little conspiracies, and Darla indulges him to a point. She’s clearly not all that invested, but she does let him ramble on for quite a while.

She’s circled back to one of her other frustrations - her dad hiding things. Manipulates is a strong word, but she definitely sweetens Tony and Milo up so she can hear the answers she wants. Unfortunately for her, this is the issue she (and her drivers, rip) dies in, so she doesn’t get clear answers before then.

She clearly cared an awful lot about her drivers - as she said previously, they’d been with her for years - tony had just had a baby, and while it’s not on this page, she was distraught for him. This is the last page I have saved, but it happens pretty soon before she gets shot and dies.

in summary, Darla was kind, patient, and sheltered - but she also harboured a lot of frustrations and jealousy. She died at sixteen without ever really getting the truth out of anyone, she never found out if Steph was real, her dad never sat her down and told her the real reason she had bodyguards.

Comparatively, my version of Darla isn’t really as passive - that’s not an insult to canon Darla, by the way. Also, my Darla is a lesbian, so that kind of cuts out the whole jealousy plot she had around Tim and steph

She’s still kind, still frustrated, but she’s less sheltered, and she definitely knows more than she’d ever actually let on to her dad. She goads Bernard into coming up with more outlandish theories, once they get past her fake I-don’t-care persona she’s just as much of a geek as they are. Tim mentions a girl? Uh, you mean her girl. Bernard is after his stepmom, Darla is after his girlfriend, he can’t win. This time her frustration over Tim and Steph is that she can’t find her so she can mess with Tim by flirting with her.

Sorry this took a while I wasn’t really sure how to say what I wanted to say 😭 hopefully this answers your questions abt her <3 if you want to know more abt my Darla feel free to ask 💛

[wesleysniperking]

Usopp and Conqueror’s Haki | part 3 (TL;DR)

previously

Resilience

Usopp may have hit rock bottom at one point, but he managed to bounce back from that as well. He survived Boin Archipelago, a man-eating island, and although in the Syrup Village arc he failed to convince the villagers that Kuro was a fake he still had the resolve to protect the villagers (the same people who wanted to attack him).

Heck, when the Franky family jumped/beat him up TWO times, he still came back and fought after the first time, and still tried getting up and fight.

When Sugar and Trebol got him the first time, he still had the resolve to help Luffy so Sugar wouldn’t turn Luffy into a toy (and a lot of people were after Usopp because Doflamingo placed such a hefty bounty on his head), so it was definitely risky.

Intuition

Easy. When he fought Perona, and defeated Sugar. He knew where to get ‘em. He figured it out. From Perona’s astral projections (and apparent fear of cockroaches) and Sugar’s fear of his face, he knocked them both out. Heck, Intuition was the facet of him unlocking Observation haki.

Then there’s the whole “his lies always come true” thing. That takes some great intuition. He was able to get the gist that someone was after Sanji based on Sanji’s bounty (leading up to the WCI events). And then there’s when he told everyone during the Buster Call at Enies Lobby to get on the Going Merry (and Zoro was against it and it seemed so absurd to get on a broken ship), and the Going Merry saved the crew. Because if he hadn’t kept her (and fought Luffy), she would’ve never come to save them (and he took the utmost care of the Going Merry).

Visionary

Heck, this was from the jump. Even back in Syrup Village (I honestly think that’s what encouraged the Romance Dawn Trio to recruit him). He had that trio of little boys following him around and he always expressed wanting to become a brave warrior of the sea like his father and a true pirate. Again, this is where he becomes a good storyteller and talks things into existence. From big fish poop (Little Garden) that's the size of an island to a beautiful swordswoman with meat (Rebecca back in Dressrosa), his lies come true.

Even back in Little Garden, he was inspired by the giants and wanted to furthermore become/resemble their image of what being a brave warrior was all about.

Then back in Onigashima, when those swordsman/samuari were wanting to surrender to their fate and not keep fighting. But Usopp was disgusted by that, and he gave a speech that further brought home his vision; his dream.

This even goes back to Boin, when he opted to lose weight and have Heracles’ train him because he wanted to become The King of Shooters.

Must be born with it

So, this just kinda makes me more speculative than anything. Some even say this trait is somewhat disputable. This is one thing on the list overall that brings me to a halt. In all fairness we don’t know how far Yasopp’s haki abilities go (he could quite possibly 5% of a chance have conquerors…but I’m not betting on…it?). AND we don’t know much about Usopp’s lineage that goes way beyond his dad. But this is kind of something you have to justify with or without research or evidence.

Moving On...

Yes, yes. Oda is quoted saying that Usopp will always be the “weakest” crew member…so? I’m not looking for Usopp to be this overpowered nut, and honestly, I love him the way he is. No doubt about it. But Conqueror’s Haki would be a cool add-on narratively and symbolically. Since I’m always comparing Usopp to King David (David and Goliath), I’m pretty sure David would have had conqueror’s haki; he was known as the warrior king too!

Conclusion

Either way, it’s just a funny thing to entertain. Conqueror’s Haki and Usopp in the same sentence didn’t feel right at first, but now it’s starting to.

I remember somewhere (it was Worstgen), where this person was discussing Usopp fighting Luffy in order to keep (or to obtain) the Going Merry, and they said if that’s not big d*ck energy then they don’t know what is. It literally made me LOL ‘cause that person’s perception of Conqueror’s Haki was soooo simple and crude. But I’m not judgin’. Anywho, I don’t think my words are an entirely accurate take on what Conqueror's Haki EXACTLY is, but it’s what I’ve commonly come across, and is still quite a mystery to the OP fandom and the world itself.

Off Subject or P.S.

A little off subject, but if we want to give a bit more perspective, some people even believe that the “Arlong Boys” will get conquerors haki (which includes Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji).

Then fans even go off of the basis of Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp being the only ones who’ve fought their captain (Whiskey Peak, Water 7, and Whole Cake Island), AND even harming a celestial dragon (Sanji kicked the crap out of one, Zoro threatened one and was even willing to k!ll them, and Usopp accidentally fell on top of one who was about to hurt some innocent people AND it was the one with the most superiority in that vicinity).

Ah, this makes me so giddy just thinking about it. But seriously, Usopp getting Conqueror’s Haki would work well narratively. It would give the message of how even those seen as weak can truly be a conqueror.

A good evolution to Usopp’s growth.

A good ending point.

So, thank you for your time. This concludes my Ted Talks.

Part 1

Part 2

[ladysophiebeckett]

You made me want to rewatch ysblf and it made me realize that Armando is lowkey actually kind of insane? He goes from barely noticing Betty to getting real intense about her. He blurred the professional and personal lines way before the plan. Like why was he so upset to find out she had a boyfriend? He really expected her to confide in him with such a private matter. He was just his boss even if he treated in a special way like he states, but then again, why do that in the first place? I think you mentioned that there was no way this is how he treated his prev secretary which is honestly very interesting and speaks volumes about when his feelings for her started to deepen without even realizing it. Of course we know It wasn’t true that she was dating Nicolas, but even if she had had a bf for real, she still wouldn’t have told him. She was really reserved and constantly tried to keep her personal life private before their affair. And also they way he reacted after Charlie Zaa kissed her on the cheek and she got all excited? And to react like that with Marcela in close proximity?

It almost makes me wish her supposed bf had been someone other than Nicolas bc since he was aware of everything and involved with Terramoda it was easy for Mario to become paranoid of his true intentions with Betty and pass this on to Armando, but with someone else in the picture that was not involved on their business in any way? His whole jealousy would have been very hard to disguise. Or would Mario still find a way to get paranoid and suspicious? Was she really not allowed to have a love life while Ecomoda was hers? This part is crazy to me. Love and business was mixed so well in the series. There’s this whole ambiguity regarding Armando’s feelings and about the reason of his reactions that adds so much to the story and makes him a very complex character. I had watched lfmb before and Lety’s revenge wasn’t enjoyable to me because the filler they added before she read the letter made it very obvious that Fernando was in love with her and already wanted to cancel his wedding to be with her instead, he flat out admits this out loud whereas Armando tried to deny his feelings for so long, put on a façade in front of Mario even when it was no longer believable that even he had to call him out on it, all of this made this whole arc very satisfying to watch as a viewer. End of this whole discourse lol sorry it took me so long and it’s all over the place but your comments are spot on always so I wanted to share my unsolicited thoughts with you. Thank you ☺️

You made me want to rewatch ysblf and it made me realize that Armando is lowkey actually kind of insane?

I know i say he's insane here (lmao) but I gotta defend him and say you know, perhaps he is just intense? (it's both). I've said before he's very emotional (and not very rational) and he has an ego (and he's insecure). You combine those these traits (plus a child of nepotism who has never been denied anything) and you get Armando.

He goes from barely noticing Betty to getting real intense about her. He blurred the professional and personal lines way before the plan. Like why was he so upset to find out she had a boyfriend? He really expected her to confide in him with such a private matter.

Betty impressed him from the interview when she said, 'I know I can learn a lot from you'. Fed his ego a little bit but also Betty's honesty brings out a tender look in Armando's eyes. Softens him. Also, despite what everyone says, he really did want a secretary that could do actual work. Aside from not wanting to hire Patricia bc he didn't want Marcela spying on him.

Armando, despite having everything one could dream of having in life, has never had someone in his corner without asking for anything in return. Let's backtrack real quick---His dad voted for Daniel to be president, despite the fact that its said that Daniel has never worked at Ecomoda. Armando got the extra vote he needed from Marcela, whom he discussed marriage with days before the vote. So all he knows is transactional relationships and how any kind of support is conditional. His animosity towards Daniel stems from competition that Roberto instilled. Armando has no idea what loyalty looks like or what it means to be unconditional to someone. Until he meets Betty.

If Armando is insane about Betty in one way, then so is Betty in her loyalty to him. She held onto his agenda like she was asked even tho it got her fired, she turned down a top dollar bribe even tho it could have helped her family (and felt terrible for contemplating it when she confessed it to him), she helped him cover his affairs with other models, she helped him commit financial fraud, she helped him set up a company so the banks wouldn't jump him. Who does that? An insane person (who's terribly in love with their boss).

Armando has never had someone in his life that he didn't have to share, who isn't related to anyone he hated, who he doesn't have to make backend deals with to get what he wants. For the first time he has someone who's on his side and no one else's.

And in the middle of all of that, she becomes his friend. His confidant. His co-schemer. He's instilled so much trust in her. Allowed her to know so much about him. Things that Marcela doesn't even know. In return, he's met her family (bc as a mutual said, they are always together), she later confesses to him that she lied to her dad about how she started off as his secretary (not assistant). He feels, up until the embargo happens, that he knows her.

But then he hears she has a boyfriend and suddenly he feels a sense of betrayal. Why didn't she confide this personal information with him when he probably gave her his social security number? (and also his company but he's not even thinking about the company when he hears the possibility that she has a boyfriend). Now suddenly he has to share her?? (Mi Betty tiene novio??) That all that loyalty, admiration, and devotion she's shown him up until that moment might not be his at all. On top of that, he realizes that he may not know her as well as he thought and that she may not want him to know her like she knows him. And I think that both offends and hurts him.

The lines from Armando's POV become blurred first because of all the above. The more he trusts her, the more he depends on her, (which scares Mario btw). ect. But it's different for Betty because she is very aware of the lines and when the affair portion starts, she begins to struggle with it.

Of course we know It wasn’t true that she was dating Nicolas, but even if she had had a bf for real, she still wouldn’t have told him. She was really reserved and constantly tried to keep her personal life private before their affair

She absolutely would not have told him and the only reason the cuartel thought she had a thing for Nicolas was bc Mariana read her the cards and the cards implied that there was a man in Betty's life and they teased her about it. She used Nicolas's name to cover up her growing feelings for Armando as a consequence of her attempting to keep her private life private. And the sad thing about that is once Armando gets word about Nicolas and the boyfriend rumors, Betty writes in her diary that she fears something bad will happen. And, u know, it does.

And also they way he reacted after Charlie Zaa kissed her on the cheek and she got all excited? And to react like that with Marcela in close proximity?

Jealous of the way she enjoyed Charlie Zaa's attention, straight up forgot Marcela was there. Also, the fact that for a nanosecond she admired another man that wasn't him.

...but with someone else in the picture that was not involved on their business in any way? His whole jealousy would have been very hard to disguise. Or would Mario still find a way to get paranoid and suspicious?

Mario would still find a way to be suspicious. If it was someone, say for example, some old co worker from the bank she worked at--We'll call him Bank Guy. If Bank Guy was Betty's BF, Mario would say 'Well how do we know we can really trust her when she didn't tell you that Nicolas was working for Terramoda? How do we know she won't also tell Bank Guy about the embargo? How do we know she won't also give a job to Bank Guy?' It would still bother Armando that she didn't tell him about hypothetical Bank Guy bc he thought they had a reciprocal friend\schemer\employee\boss relationship (you're right, he's insane).

Was she really not allowed to have a love life while Ecomoda was hers?

This requires an essay length response bc BOY do I have thoughts on this!!!! Short Answer: In Armando's eyes, NO. Because that's his Work Wife.

....I had watched lfmb before and Lety’s revenge wasn’t enjoyable to me because the filler they added before she read the letter made it very obvious that Fernando was in love with her and already wanted to cancel his wedding to be with her instead...

I watched LFMB when was like, 16, and have gone back a couple times to rewatch some scenes and no--Lety's gaslighting arc doesn't hit the same. Even tho I will always defend LFMB's 'before the letter filler arc' bc its cute, it makes the story lose its pacing. Betty has to read the letter right after the second night, right as Armando feelings are at a high point so that their roles are reversed. Lety and Fernando aren't as calculating, they're too emotional (crybabies), their romance reads like two infantile adults who grew up lonely. Betty and Armando are not like that at all. They're set up as soulmates, but their inner problems as people are not identical.

...whereas Armando tried to deny his feelings for so long, put on a façade in front of Mario even when it was no longer believable that even he had to call him out on it, all of this made this whole arc very satisfying to watch as a viewer.

LFMB really robs Fernando of this bc they didnt want him to be unlikable. Armando at the beginning of the story is not someone you wanna see get the girl, but that's part of his journey. And modern audiences dont understand that. Fernando not hiding his love for Lety doesn't hit the same as watching Armando fight with himself and making excuses for his feelings and then finally witnessing him say to an empty office 'Armando Mendoza you're in love for the first time in your life and it's with Beatriz Pinzon Solano'.

That is the build up audiences are waiting for with a character like Armando and when Fernando does it....It's doesn't hit and it's not as memorable.